I love vegetables in the summer time. There is always a colorful array of them at the farmer’s market. Sometimes I just want to buy all the different ones to display and just look at their extraordinary colors.

This year, I planted a variety of squash called Mexican squash and some zucchini in the garden. Along with some eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes.

As I was walking in the garden, I saw that a lot of my plants were ready to be harvested. With a basket in hand I dug in. About 10 minutes later, I had so much produce that I could not carry the basket back to my kitchen!

What to do with all that?!

My grandmother used to make a dish that would look like a dry stew with all kinds of different vegetables and she would add ground beef as the protein. As it would cook in the oven, the smell would permeate the entire house.

It was not only tasty, but very healthy as well since the only fat that was used came from the beef. You can substitute ground turkey in the recipe or even ground chicken, but add some olive oil to the mix so the final result will not be too dry.

Beef Vegetable Stew

2 medium size Mexican squash, cut into cubes

1 large zucchini, cut into cubes

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium size potatoes, peeled and cubed

5 large tomatoes, diced into pieces

1 lb of ground beef

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon pepper paste (optional)

Mix all of the vegetables in a large oven proof pan. Add the ground beef and the pepper paste, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover with foil and cook in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Uncover, mix, and cook another 45 minutes uncovered until all the vegetables are cooked though. Serve.

Anushner!

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