Spicy Zucchini Pilaf (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free)

Yesterday I received a big and beautiful zucchini from my friend's garden along with a big and beautiful yellow squash.  The zucchini was at least 2-3 lbs, the yellow squash a close runner up.  Filled with the excitement only a food nerd can muster for free and large vegetables I immediately I started thinking of things I could make with it.

I checked my crisper and found that I had a Anaheim pepper from a supply from yet another friend's garden that needed cooking.  Along with onion and garlic (those are always in my pantry) I decided to make a base using the pepper, olive oil, black pepper and paprika.  You could easily use a jalapeno, Ancho, or Serrano pepper if you want to keep it spicy, bell pepper if you don't.  When using hot peppers I always remove the seeds and ribs.  This is where most of the heat lies, but there is always plenty of heat in the meat of any of these peppers to get my lips burning.

Though traditional pilaf calls for cooking the rice in broth I decided to use water, there was enough flavor in my base to carry the whole dish. Also this dish could easily be cooked using the same ingredients in the conventional pilaf fashion.  Just add the water, barley, and rice after the squash begins to brown and cover with a tight fitting lid for twenty minutes.   I ended up using up about a quarter of each squash for this recipe.  Looks like I'll have to have some more squash recipes to follow shortly.


The Basics:
1.Remove seeds and ribs of the hot pepper by slicing the pepper longways and then removing the insides by scraping the knife along the ribs from top to bottom.  Also be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling the pepper and avoid touching your face or wiping your eyes.  More times then I'd like to admit I've forgot this rule and ended up with burning skin on my forehead or eyelids!  Eeep!
2. Mince your pepper and garlic.  Dice the onion.
3. Add to the pan with olive oil.
4. Add paprika and ground black pepper and cook over medium heat until onions are cooked through.
5. Add squash and cook until tender. I diced the squashes on the large size, making the pieces about bite sized.
6. Coarsely chop the parsley and cilantro and add to the pan.
7.Squeeze in lemon juice making sure to keep the seeds out of the pan. Mix thoroughly.
8. Mix the cooked squash mixture with rice.


Recipe:
4. c. water
2 c. brown rice
1/2 c. barley
2 tbs. olive oil
1 medium diced onion
5-6 cloves of minced garlic
1  minced hot pepper 
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. salt.
2 c. diced zucchini
2 c. diced yellow squash
1/2 c. chopped parsley
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. slivered almonds (optional)
 salt and pepper

Method:
Rice:
1. Bring 4 c. of water to boil in a medium pot.
2. Add rice and barley and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Zuchinni and Squash:
1. In your trusty cast iron skillet mix olive oil, garlic, onion, hot pepper, ground black pepper, and paprika over medium heat.
2. Sautee, mixing every few minutes until onions are completely translucent. Add a few tablespoons of water if the food starts sticking to the pan.
3. Add zucchini, yellow squash, salt and cover the skillet.  Stir every 5-7 minutes.
4. Once the squash is tender and slightly browned remove from heat and add parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, almonds, and salt and pepper to taste. 


Assembling the Mess:
1. Place a few scoops of rice into a bowl followed by a few scoops of the zucchini mixture.
2. Mix and eat!

ENJOY!