June Meal Plan 01: Bush Beans, Zucchini, & Cucumbers

In the first weeks of June, green beans, zucchini, and cucumber are beginning to be plentiful. Swiss chard & lettuce are still producing strongly in the garden as well in the Southeast. The flavors are bright and powerful, and only need a little bit of seasoning and zing to create a delicious and very nutritious meal. Even if you don't have a garden, eating seasonally will ensure you get the cheapest, most delicious, and most nutrient dense ingredients to cook with. We are very lucky in Summer!

The Menu

• Miso Salmon, Bush Beans, & Japanese Sweet Potato with Scallion Chimichurri
• Zucchini and Mushroom Flatbread
• Lazy Tiger Steak with Dragon's Egg Cucumber and Cabbage

Miso Salmon, Bush Beans, & Japanese Sweet Potato with Scallion Chimichurri

This is the kind of meal that fills you with a burst of energy. The nutrients are practically singing, the bright colors a delight to the eyes. The vibrant energy of the food is easy to see and taste, and eating it feels like a power up. If you have a rice cooker, you can steam the Japanese sweet potatoes with ease.

Ingredients

• 2 salmon filets
• 4 tbsp mellow white miso paste
• 2 handfuls of bush beans
• 2 Japanese sweet potatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 chicken bullion cube

Chimichurri

• 1 /3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions
• 1/2 shallot, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 garlic clove, minced

1. Marinate the salmon a few hours or up to two days before. Mix the miso paste with a tablespoon of hot water until it becomes thin and spreadable. Spread over the top of the salmon filets in an even coating. Put into an airtight container and leave in the fridge until ready to cook.
2. Combine all the chimichurri ingredients and set aside to meld.
3. Steam the Japanese sweet potatoes and preheat the oven to 375 degrees while you cook the beans.
4. Prepare the bush beans by cutting off the ends and mincing a few cloves of garlic. Mince the scallions and set aside as a topping for the sweet potato.
5. Sauté the garlic in a pan over medium-high heat, and add the bush beans until seared. Add a little water to the pan and break up the chicken bullion cube. Cover the beans and steam until tender, adding more water as needed to keep the beans from burning and to create a coating with the bullion.
6. While the beans cook, place the salmon in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, checking with a meat thermometer until the salmon reaches about 125 degrees.
7. Once all the ingredients are ready, assemble the meal. Plate up the salmon and the green beans. Slice the sweet potato and top with salt and pepper and the sliced scallions. Drizzle the salmon with the chimichurri, and enjoy.

Zucchini and Mushroom Flatbread

If there is one vegetable this time of year that starts to inundate you, it would be zucchinis. I am very grateful for the steady supply, though. It's nice to have a reliable crop to pad your weekly meals. If I get tired of any vegetable, the best thing is to make it a topping on what is essentially pizza. I get fresh baked naan from the farmer's market to make this meal even simpler.

Ingredients

Steak Marinade

• 1lb ground Italian chicken sausage
• 1 carton of mushrooms, I used Shimeji
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup low moisture mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce or marinara
• Fresh basil to top

1. Cook the chicken sausage until cooked through, making sure to brown some of the pieces to a crisp. Set aside in a bowl.
2. Slice the zucchini into half moons, and add to the same pan to sauté along with the mushrooms.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
4. Spread a layer of the marinara on the naan, followed by the sun-dried tomatoes and zucchini mushroom mixture.
5. Top the vegetables with the mozzarella and some of the Italian ground chicken sausage.
6. Put the flatbread in the oven on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and the edges of the naan are crispy.
7. Top with thinly sliced fresh basil and grated parmesan.

Lazy Tiger Steak with Dragon's Egg Cucumber and Cabbage

This recipe is inspired by Thai Crying Tiger steak, but a bit quicker to prepare during a weeknight, and useful for when you're short on ingredients. Right now I have an abundance of Dragon's Egg cucumbers - the spice from the sauce is a great motivator to chow down on a whole cucumber in one sitting!

Ingredients

Steak Marinade

• 1.5 lbs flank steak
• 1 juicy lime
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Lazy Tiger Sauce

• 6 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar, or more to taste
• 4 small Thai red chilis, thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Toppings

• 1/4 head of cabbage, thinly shredded
• 2 cucumbers

1. Put all the marinade ingredients in a bowl or back and mix well. Marinate the steak for a few hours or while you make the sauce. The acid from the lime will help tenderize the steak.
2. Finely chop or use an immersion blender to mince the Thai red chilis, garlic, shallot, cilantro, and scallions. For best results, I would always suggest to mince by hand and take care to enjoy the process and stay present. However if you are short on time, the immersion blender always works in a pinch.
3. Stir the minced ingredients with the fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and red chili flakes. For best results, make the Lazy Tiger sauce a few hours before so the flavors can meld.
4. Thinly shred the cabbage and slice the cucumber, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Plate up the steak and vegetables with a dipping sauce cup full of the lazy tiger sauce. Enjoy!