Calabacitas ♥

What an easy-easy zucchini recipe! It's just summer squash, onions and chilis quick-cooked in the skillet, with as much (or as little!) heat as you can stand! Seasonal. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly & Freestyle Friendly. Naturally Gluten Free.

2:00 pm E-MAIL from ME: "I have a fridgeful of Hatch chilis that appeared at the grocery over the weekend, am hunting around for something interesting/easy to do with them. Suggestions?"

2:05 pm E-MAIL RESPONSE from my friend SALLY DENTON: "Yes!! Calabacitas. Sauté garlic in a skillet in olive oil. Add chopped onion, sliced yellow and zuccini squash; half a bag frozen corn; and as much green chiles as you can handle. Salt & pepper and serve topped with grated parmesan or cheddar cheese. Yum. Sure sign of fall."

2:10 pm E-MAIL RESPONSE to Sally: "Sold."

How in the world have I missed calabacitas? [How to pronounce calabacitas? kal-uh-BAH-see-tas, correction, it is pronounced kal-uh-bah-SEE-tas] Quick and easy, flexible, adaptable, healthful, fresh, cheap. That makes up half the recipes on all of A Veggie Venture!

The only caveat: Know your heat. Let me put that another way: Know the LIMITS to your heat. I took Sally's challenge of "add as many chilis as you can stand" the first time I made Calabacitas, I thought that was two Hatch chilis. OUCH. The dish was great, but the chilis were left in a huge pile on the dish, not edible. I might use a whole poblano chili for this but if it were a jalapeño or another chili with heat, know what you like!

This is another "concept recipe" – we do love concept recipes, right?! The basics are the onion, zucchini, yellow squash and chilis, but after that, add and subtract as you see fit. I can imagine lima beans, chopped tomatoes, chopped okra and piles of fresh herbs. What seems right to you?

This recipe is so quick and easy that I'm adding it to a growing collection of easy summer recipes published all summer long ever since 2009 at Kitchen Parade, my food column. With a free Kitchen Parade e-mail subscription, you'll never miss a one!

COMPLIMENTS!
"This is awesome, Alanna. Yummy!" ~ Denise
"I've made this recipe many times and never tire of it. ~ bd

RECIPE for CALABACITAS

Hands-on time: 10 minutes active plus occasional attention throughout
Time to table: 20 minutes
Serves 4 or 6, depending on quantities

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped in large pieces
Chili - as much as you can handle, next time I'll start with a whole poblano or a small jalapeño
1 zucchini, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then cut cross-wise into large pieces
1 yellow squash, same
1 ear corn, husked and corn cut off the cob into a bowl with a knife (here's how)
1/2 ounce grated cheese (I use the gorgeous Mexican cotija)
Salt & pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on MEDIUM HIGH til shimmery. Add the onion and chilis as they're prepped, stir to coat with fat, let cook until the onions begin to turn golden, don't be afraid of a little color. Add the zucchini and yellow squash as they're prepped, stir well to coat with fat, let cook, stirring only occasionally, letting a little color and even a little burn appear on the pieces of squash. When the mixture is mostly cooked, add the corn and let cook just a minute. Stir in the cheese and season to taste. Add the cilantro, give it all one last stir, then, yes, you've got it. Serve and Savor.

ALANNA'S TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
If the hot skillet gets dry, add a splash or two of water. This is one of the great ways to limit fat when cooking vegetables, using just enough for flavor and that 'glisten' we love, but without so many calories.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 96 Calories; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 3mg Cholesterol; 60mg Sodium; 12g Carb; 3g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS WW Old Points 1, WW PointsPlus 2, WW SmartPoints 3, WW Freestyle 1

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QUICK! QUICK! MORE RECIPES WITH THESE INGREDIENTS

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from Kitchen Parade, my food column

COOKING IN SEASON: THIS SAME WEEK ACROSS THE YEARS

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes (< an annual obsession) Pasta with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes Broccoli with Orange & Curry Cauliflower Tomato Medley Eggplant Parmigiana Mini Tomato Pesto Torte Potato Okra Curry (< hello, Meatless Monday) Slow-Roasted Tomato Salsa “Surprise Inside” Spice Parsnip Cupcakes Steamed Butternut Squash in a Collapsible Steamer Basket Foodie Fight (Slooow) Baked Potatoes (< this week's favorite!) Balkan Eggplant Casserole Apple Cider Vinaigrette (< my fav make-ahead salad dressing) Rosemary Potatoes Calabacitas (< great with garden zucchini!) Beet Salad with Sumac, Yogurt & Pita Pennsylvania Dutch Green Beans with Bacon Tomato Recipes – Alphabet of Vegetables Slow Cooker Beans & Tomatoes Slow Cooker Tomato Grits

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