Summer vegetables make great dishes

It's that time of year when squash and eggplant are abundant. These are a few of Carol Bierschwal's favorite summertime recipes. Carol lives in Cape Girardeau and not only enjoys summertime produce, but also good food and great recipes all year around. Give these a try with produce from your garden or the farmer's market.

Zucchini Pizza

4 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese

4 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

4 cups of grated zucchini

2 eggs

2 tablespoons biscuit mix (any brand)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all and press into a 10-by-15-inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the following:

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef.

SautŽ 10 minutes. Drain off fat. Add:

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon oregano

1 can mushrooms, drained

Spoon over baked crust. Then add 2 ounces Mozzarella shredded cheese and 2 ounces Cheddar cheese shredded on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Fried Eggplant

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 medium eggplants, peeled and slice into 1-inch rounds

Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Combine the flour, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Dip the eggplant slices into the milk mixture and then into the flour mixture to coat. Fry the eggplant in oil until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese while hot.

Ramen Zucchini

1/2 pound hamburger

1 small zucchini, sliced thin

1 package ramen noodles

1 medium onion, chopped

SautŽ hamburger until no longer pink. Drain off fat. Add onion and zucchini. Cook until tender. Prepare ramen noodles as directed. Mix into zucchini/hamburger mixture. If desired, you can sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Eggplant Bake

1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

3/4 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon margarine

4 teaspoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

3/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook eggplant slices in 1/2 inch of boiling water, covered, about 6 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. In the same skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic till beef is no long pink. Drain off fat. Stir in tomato sauce, bring to boil, reduce heat and simme uncovered about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce. In a small saucepan, melt margarine. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Stir in milk all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, set aside.

Spray a 10-by-6-by-2-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Arrange half of the eggplant in dish. Spoon meat mixture on top, then top with remaining eggplant slices. Pour sauce over all ingredients. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes or till heated through and top is golden. Makes 4 servings.

Zucchini in Italian Beer Batter

1 1/4 cup beer

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon oil

Dash of garlic powder

2 beaten egg yolks

2 stiffly beaten egg whites

Zucchini slices or assorted vegetables in bite-sized pieces

Let beer go flat (45 minutes at room temperature). In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except egg whites. Beat till smooth. Fold in egg whites. Dip vegetables in batter and fry in deep hot fat 375 degrees 2 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Hot weather seems like the perfect time to try new salads. This one includes one of my favorite ingredients; shrimp.

Cool Fruited Shrimp Salad

1 pound cleaned shrimp, cooked

1/4 cup thin red onion slices, separated into rings

1 cup Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette reduced fat dressing, divided

1 package (10-ounce) salad greens

1 medium papaya, peeled and cut into chunks

2 medium kiwi, peeled and sliced

1 cup raspberries

Toss shrimp and onion with 1/2 cup of the dressing; cover. Refrigerate 1 hour to marinate. Drain; discard marinade. Divide greens among 4 salad plates. Arrange fruit and shrimp over greens. Serve topped with remaining 1/2 cup dressing.

Great Substitutions: Substitute sliced strawberries for the raspberries and/or mango chunks for the papaya chunks. Makes 4 servings.

Grilled hamburgers are always a great hit anytime, but in this recipe, it is accompanied by sweet onions. How can you go wrong with that?

Grilled Hamburger Steaks with Roasted Onions

Here's a juicy burger just begging to be picked up!

4 lean ground beef patties (4 to 6 ounces each)

2 tablespoons steak sauce

1 envelope (1 ounce) onion soup mix (from 2-ounce package)

2 large Bermuda or Vidalia sweet onions, cut in half, then thinly sliced and separated (6 cups)

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Spray two 18-by-12-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil with cooking spray. Brush beef patties with steak sauce; sprinkle with half of the soup mix (dry). Place half of the onions on center of each foil piece. Sprinkle with remaining soup mix, the brown sugar and vinegar. Fold foil over onions so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again. Allow space on sides for circulation and expansion. Cover and grill packets and beef patties 4 to 6 inches from medium heat 10 to 15 minutes, turning patties and rotating packets 1/2 turn once or twice until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 160 degrees. Place packets and patties on plates. Cut large X across top of each packet; fold back foil.

Enjoy these great recipes sent in by area readers. You could be here, too. Just send in your favorite recipes and we will share them for others to enjoy.

Have a great week and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.