Happy Thanksgiving Week! - Grill zuchinni, yellow squash & Pomegranates salad - featured in Group Recipes

This is a good week to reflect and be thankful for what we have. I am thankful for having a mum who unconditionally love me, a loving and caring hubby, an honest and creative son, a step-daughter who is beautiful inside and outside, a wonderful step-son-in-law and a courageous step grandson.  I am thankful to have a generous step brother, a kind sister-in- law, a lovely niece and two handsome nephews who will always be there for me when I need them.  I am thankful for having many good friends who will not hesitate to lend a helping hand when needed. This year, I am most thankful for being able to document my mum's and hubby's recipes on my blog and share the joy. I am thankful for getting better at cooking and photography and get so much joy from it. I am thankful that through my blog and other bloggers communities, I get to meet with many wonderful people from all over the world who are now part of my culinary adventure.

This is a new salad that I made up for Thanksgiving.  I wish to dedicate this dish to all the wonderful people out there. In this dish I have chosen three colors and this is what I wish you all:
Green: I wish you growth and harmony.
Yellow: I wish you hope, joy and happiness.
Pink: I send you all my love.  A pink carnations means, " I will never forget you". I picked the pomegranates for this salad because when I was a little girl, my mum always buy me this fruit as a treat. This will always be a special fruit for me.

Main Ingredients:
1 zucchini, sliced

1 yellow squash sliced

½ pomegranate, remove the skin and separate the fruits.

Ingredients for the salad dressing:

¾ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp salt

Method:

Grill zucchini and yellow squash without oil.  Set aside. Heat balasamic vineger and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer to reduce to 1/2 cup.  Add all other salad dressing ingredients and whisk till all combined.  Toss grilled zucchini yellow squash in dressing. Let it sit overnight in the fridge. When ready to serve, add pomegranates and mix well.

QPC grilled vegetables in balsamic vinegar and basil - Featured in Group Recipes

I post this recipe specially for my very good friend, Seok Eng. She is the kindest person I have ever known. I am so blessed to have a friend like her. Her youngest daughter is now studying in London and like all mothers, she is always thinking of how to ensure that her children eat well and stay healthy. So, the other day, when I was with her, we talked about what food she can cook that can be frozen when she visits her daughter next week. Her love and devotion for her children led me to think of the following quote by Washington Irving.

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”
-- Washington Irving

Although this is a common dish, everyone has their own version, and this is the QPC version. Once you make a batch of grilled vegetables, you can use it in so many ways. For example, it can be used as the filling for grilled cheese sandwiches, it can be tossed with pasta, or served simply as an anti pasto with an Italian meal. Grilled vegetables can be frozen and it will stay good for at least 3 months. A favorite of mine is a grilled vegetable omellete. It is delicious if you add some to your green leafy salad. Put it in a nice bottle and it makes a great gift. Grilled vegetables are tasty, pretty, and healthy. What more can you ask for?

Ingredients:

1 yellow squash

1 green capsicum

1 orange capsicum

2 red capsicum

4 heads of garlic with skin

1 medium white onion 3 tbs balsamic vinegar (can be more according to individual taste)

(A)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 ts salt

½ ts freshly grinded black pepper

½ ts dried basil

Method:

Wash and dry all the vege. Grill all the capsicum in whole in a microwave oven set to grill for 20 mins. After 15 mins, put in the garlic. Leave them in the oven till they are cold enough to touch before removing the skin and seeds. Grill yellow squash in a grill pan for about 8 mins till it is soft but not mushy. On a frying pan sautee white onion till they are translucent and put them in a mixing bowl. In a sauce pan simmer the balsamic vinegar from 3 tbs to 2tbs and set aside to let it cool. Put all grilled vegetables in a big mixing bowl. In another medium bowl add reduced balsamic vinegar and (A). Whisky slightly to be ready to pour over the grilled vegetables. This dish taste better the next day. To be served at room temperature.