Greek Zucchini Saute and Honey-Bay Pork Roast

Zucchini! It is the low-carb paleo’s best friend. Want to make fake lasagne with delicious tomato sauce and gooey cheese?  Thinly sliced zucchini. Want to make stuffed peppers or tomatoes without rice? Diced zucchini. Want to threaten your noisy teenage neighbors with something that resembles a club but can be eaten to destroy the evidence? GIANT ZUCCHINI.

This dish is a quick dish that expands on the “zoodles” theme to make a nice vegetable side instead of rice or potatoes, both low-carb no-no’s. This is just a tangent, but in my vegetarian days I used to make a dish called Cavatappi with baby potatoes, which was – wait for it – pasta with potatoes and cream sauce. Jesus. No wonder I have weight issues.

Back to tasty, tasty Greek zucchini.  Ingredients:

2-3 zucchini

1-2 carrots

about 10 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

about 10 olives ( I like Kalamatas), also sliced in half

1/2 tablespoon of a “greek” seasoning – I use this one, even though it’s technically for pasta – or an equivalent mix of basil, oregano, and thyme. Heavier on the oregano is best for me, but it’s a taste thing. Plan to saute a garlic clove if you’re making a mix on your own.

Olive oil (duh)

feta cheese – 1/4 to 1/2 cup, depending on how cheesy you like your dish. I love cheese, so I go for a bit more than a third of a cup.

Optional: a splash of white wine. Feel free to just use a glug of whatever you’re planning to drink at dinner, unless it’s kool-aid.

Directions:

Use a vegetable peeler (I use this one, which was a $5 upgrade from the 99 cent one I had for years) to peel the zucchini and the carrots, and then use the peeler to slice them thinly into ribbons. You’re looking for a wide, parpardelle kind of effect. With the zucchini, do about six slices and then rotate it, so you skip the seedy core. 

Warm the olive oil in your favorite saute pan. I use about 1/2 a tablespoon, but I have a ceramic non-stick pan (see photo) that doesn’t, well, stick. You may need a bit more if you’re using cast-iron or a non-nonstick.

Toss all the veggie ribbons in the pan and give a toss, to coat with the oil. Drizzle a bit more oil if needed. Saute over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until the ribbons start to look cooked – I really don’t know a better way to describe that, they’ll be shiny and slightly translucent. Lower the heat a bit if they start to burn at the edges.

Add the sliced tomatoes, and stir for a minute.

Add the olives, and sprinkle the whole pan with the seasoning.

Add the splash of wine, if using. When I say “a splash” I mean about 2 tablespoons. You want to moisten the veggies and give them some liquid to absorb, not get them hammered. Too much wine will make them soggy.

Let the whole thing simmer for another minute or so, until most of the wine is absorbed. Turn out onto a serving plate, and sprinkle with the feta. The heat of the vegetables will soften the feta slightly, and make the flavors blend, which is nice.

Serve:

In retrospect, that is the loudest plate known to man. I should have gone with something a tad simpler. But obnoxious dishware aside (it’s even plastic, GOD!) this is a tasty and delicious go-to recipe. I make it at least once a week. If I’m feeling really luxe I’ll add a few artichoke hearts (from a jar) sliced lengthwise. Yum.

Since I I didn’t post anything last week you get an extra recipe this time, you lucky devils. Alex picked up a pork roast at the Kroger on sale and it was languishing in the freezer, so I tossed it in the crockpot:

I wanted something sort of complex and Mediterranean, rather than spicy, so I added:

A cup of white wine

A cup of water (you could also use broth; we were out)

A mix – about 1/4 cup total – of dried basil and oregano. More oregano than basil is my preference.

3 Star Anise (full disclosure: this turned out to be WAY to much anise. Next time I’ll use only one star, or two at the most.)

I layered about 5 bay leaves on top of the roast, and topped it all off with about a tablespoon of honey – I wanted a slightly sweet effect. Turn the crockpot on low, slap on the lid, and walk away. God, I love my crockpot. I gave it about  6 hours and it came out perfect – I think I checked it at about 5 hours and it needed a bit more time, so six it was. Except for the excessive anise flavor – again, next time only one star – it was great. I’m still trying to devise a good way to thicken the juices in the crockpot down to a gravy (or at least a sauce) so if you have any suggestions….