Squash Galore

Ryan and I do not have a garden, unless you count the four pots of herbs sitting on our sunroom windowsill.(See above)  My sister likes to post pictures on her Facebook page of her beautiful garden in Chicago...it just make's me jealous.  Luckily, Ryan and I both have coworkers who do have gardens and who like to give their bounty away.  Apparently squash is very much in season.  Last week we received a box full of very large summer squash along with a few jalapeno peppers.  There were a few small crookneck squash in the box as well, which I cut up on salads; but I had no idea what to do with the big ones.

I kept my feet in the picture to demonstrate how big they are.  There was enough here to make two casseroles and the soup.

After surfing the web and consulting my cook books here are two that I came up with.
Tex-Mex Summer Squash Caserole
Summer Squash Soup with minted yogurt

Both recipes were absolutely delicious. The minted yogurt is  must with the soup, it adds an amazing new layer of flavor.  If using large squash such as the ones we received, make sure to remove the seeds since they 1) do not get soft when baking. 2) do not blend up well in a blender.  Ryan and I found this out the hard way.

Here are a few reasons to eat yellow summer squash:
1 cup contains approximately 36 calories, 8g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein, and is a good source of Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Copper.  It is a very good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B6, Folate, Potassium, and Manganese. (nutritiondata)

I do not have a cost or calorie count on either of the recipes, but be assured they are very cheap to make and obviously very good for you.  The spices in the soup may add up if you do not have them on hand (we did not have any saffron, and it was fine without it).  Also, squash is a very cheap vegetable if you have to buy it at your grocery store, even in the middle of winter.  It's usually about $1.5 per pound. During the summer try grilling it with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper or tossing some in a salad.  In the winter it is great sauteed in butter or roasted in the oven.