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For those remaining garden veggies

The garden that was full of blooms, vines and fresh veggies in the heart of summer is starting to look bare now, but tomatoes, zucchini, beets, peppers and carrots are still awaiting a harvest. Try some of these vegetables for a meal. There is nothing better than a fresh vegetable from the garden.

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With zucchini still producing, this vegetable cobbler might be a hit at a meal. It is a cobbler with a basil-cheese biscuit topping over the green slices of veggies. It is from Taste of Home magazine.

Late Summer

Vegetable Cobbler

Vegetable Filling:

2 tablespoons butter

3 small zucchini, sliced

1 small sweet red pepper, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup 2 percent milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Biscuit Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cold butter

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2/3 cup 2-percent milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, red pepper and onion; cook and stir 10-12 minutes or until zucchini is crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. In a small bowl, whisk flour, milk, salt and pepper; pour into pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Spoon into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. For topping, in a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheese and basil. Add milk; stir just until moistened. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls over filling. Bake 25-30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown. Makes four servings.

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The Our Ohio magazine had a recipe for pickled beets that can be served now and put some in canning jars and refrigerated for up to a month or canned to have at another time.

Pickled Beets

with Caraway

2 pounds fresh beets, leaves trimmed

1 large red onion, diced

3 teaspoons caraway seeds

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

2 cups cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons pickling salt

Place the beets in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until beets are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. When the beets are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off and cut into 1/2-inch slices or bite-sized pieces. Place the sliced beets, along with the onion, caraway seeds and mustard seeds in a large bowl. Combine the vinegar, sugar, water and pickling salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the beet mixture and gently stir to combine. When cool, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a month or serve hot or cold for a meal.

Note: If you wish to preserve the beets for a much later use, ladle the mixture into sterilized jars to within 1/2-inch of the rim, making sure that the beets are covered with the liquid. Seal and process in a hot water bath canner for 30 minutes.

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There still might be some green tomatoes lurking about on the plants, and putting a crisp topping on them would make a great side dish for dinner some night. There is even a recipe for Red Pepper Aioli sauce to accompany the crisp tomatoes.

This recipe is from the Family Circle magazine.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Red Pepper Aioli

Sauce:

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, drained

1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped

Tomatoes

2 pounds firm green tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper

7 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil for frying

Aioli: Combine mayonnaise, red peppers and garlic in a mini-chopper. Process until well combined and fairly smooth, scraping down sides of chopper halfway through. Transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving time.

Tomatoes:

Core tomatoes and cut a thin slice from top and bottom of each. Cut each tomato into three or four 1/4-inch thick slices and dry slightly on paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Combine flour and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Lightly beat eggs in a second shallow dish; whisk together cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, the black pepper and cayenne in a third shallow dish. Coat six of the tomato slices in the seasoned flour, followed by the eggs, then the cornmeal mixture. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the coated tomato slices and fry for 2 minutes. Carefully flip over slices and fry an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep warm in the oven. Repeat, coating all tomato slices with seasoned flour, egg and cornmeal mixture. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to skillet before frying each consecutive batch. You should have two more batches to fry. Serve tomatoes warm with aioli on the side. Makes nine servings with 216 calories each serving.

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Brussels sprouts are another fall vegetable. This recipe calls for crisp bacon pieces and pure maple syrup. It is from Our Ohio magazine as well.

Maple-Glazed

Brussels Sprouts

with Bacon

1 pound Brussels sprouts, cored and trimmed

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Bring an inch of water to a boil in a medium skillet. Add the Brussels sprouts, reduce the heat to low, cover and steam for 5 minutes, until they are tender crisp. Drain and set aside. When cool enough to handle, slice the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise. In the same skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain the fat. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Return the pan to medium heat and add the onion. Saute until soft and tender about 6 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the maple syrup and cook an additional minute. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook an additional 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the Brussels sprouts are lightly browned and glazed and the liquid is evaporated. Stir in the remaining syrup and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute to heat thoroughly. Makes four servings.

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This is a main dish using tomatoes, cucumber and red onion – veggies that are still around in the garden.

The bread is toasted in a skillet until crisp and lightly browned, and grilled beef top sirloin steak cut in 1-inch slices is added. The recipe is from Taste of Home.

Chili-Rubbed Steak and Bread Salad

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 beef top sirloin steak, 1-inch thick and 1 1/4 pounds

2 cups cubed multigrain bread

2 tablespoons olive oil.

1 cup ranch salad dressing

2 tablespons finely grated horseradish

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

3 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium cucumber, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

Mix chili powder, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Rub over steak. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss bread cubes with oil. In a large skillet, toast bread over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned, stirring frequently. In a small bowl, whisk salad dressing, horseradish and mustard. Grill steak, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 inches from heat, 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness.

For medium-rare, a thermometer should read 145 degrees; medium, 160 degrees; and well done, 170 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion and toasted bread. Add 1/2 cup dressing mixture; toss to coat. Slice steak; serve with salad and remaining dressing. Makes six servings.

(McCoy can be contacted at emccoy@heraldstaronline.com.)

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