My Summer Concoction
I didn't have to venture to a farmer's market. I just had to go out my back door and into my garden to collect some fresh produce: zucchini, summer squash, sweet bell peppers, green (and purple) beans and okra.
In my pantry I have most of the items listed. I'm missing a dutch oven, but I have a deep cast iron with a lid that I think can be used in the same way. I'm also lacking a microplane, wine, yogurt and grapeseed oil. I do have a variety of beans and grains along with nuts.
From my concoction of summer vegetables I decided to follow a similar technique and roast them. I chopped up the veggies and then tossed them with olive oil and salt. I kept the different vegetables separated on the baking sheet since I didn't know how long it would take to roast them.
The beans and peppers cooked quickly, but the squash and okra took much longer to roast. I cooked up some brown rice in my rice cooker and then heated chickpeas with some pesto (I did look up a recipe for making pesto).
Then I put it all together- rice on the bottom, roasted summer veggies, chickpeas with pesto and some Parmesan on top and garnished with basil.
I felt very accomplished and chef-like by making dish. One thing I would improve on is the timing of the roasted veggies. By the time the squash was done, the green beans had cooled off.