Baked Zucchini Sticks

These will definitely be back on the menu. Serve them with Sweet Onion Dip. Recipe from King Arthur Flour.

3 medium-size zucchini, about 9″ to 10″ long
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
scant 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Pizza Seasoning or mixed Italian herbs
2 large eggs

Cut each zucchini into 3″ sticks about the diameter of your finger. Cutting each zuke into 9 sticks lengthwise, then cutting into 3″ lengths, works well. Place the zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt. Let them drain for 1 hour or longer.

Rinse them thoroughly; you want to get rid of any excess salt. Then pat them dry.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and seasoning in a bowl. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Dip each zucchini stick in the egg and then roll it in the crumbs. Place on baking sheet.

Bake the sticks for about 12 minutes, until they’re starting to brown. Remove from the oven, and turn them over; you may actually need to do this one by one, or you may be able to turn several at a time using a spatula. Bake for an additional 12 to 16 minutes or so, until golden brown and crisp.

Quinoa Bake

 I found this recipe on Pinterest. I made it for the first time in New Zealand and had a hard time finding canned chilies. So the one can that I could find were hot! So if you don't like spicy foods watch the chilies and chili powder.

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup onion, diced (about 1 medium)

1//2 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup zucchini, cubed (about 2 small)

1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 4 ounce can diced green chiles

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 lime, juiced

Salt

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit. Add the chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 more minutes.

 

Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl. Add onion mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.

Tomato Soup

This recipe came from our good friend, Ronda Bodily. We love this recipe. I use this  recipe when I make porcupine meat balls, sloppy joes, or stuffed green bell peppers

14 qts. tomatoes
14 stalks celery
14 sprigs parsley
4 Bay leaves
21 cloves
8 med. onions-cut fine
Boil and strain

1 lb. butter
1/2c. salt
1 c. sugar
3/4 tsp. paprika

Mix with a little juice. Then pour into hot juice and cook til thick.

Pressure cook 20 minutes.

Makes 14 qts.

Crustless Zucchini Pie

I keep reading about people that say they wake up in the morning with a load of zucchini on their porch.  That has never happened to me but my two zucchini plants keep me hopping.  I keep trying to find new recipes and here is the latest. I found this recipe on Skinnytaste and Gentry and I both liked it.  Steve ate it but he wasn't a huge fan.  He isn't a fan of quiche either, go figure.  The few changes I made were green onions for shallots, no chives and regular whole wheat flour.  1/6th of pie is 125 calories if fat free milk is used, I had 2% in the house so the calories increased to 129 for 1/6 of pie.

10 oz shredded zucchini, all liquid squeezed out
1/2 cup green onions, chopped - click on link for green onion tip
1/2 cup part skim mozzarella
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp olive oil
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly spray a pie dish with cooking spray. Combine zucchini, onions, and mozzarella cheese in a bowl.
 
Mix flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except Parmesan cheese, to the bowl and blend well. Combine with zucchini mixture and pour it into the pie dish.
 
Top with Parmesan cheese and bake 30-35 minutes or until knife comes out clean from the center. Let it stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Tots

It's that time of year when zucchini starts multiplying like rabbits and we need 501,432 ways to use it.  This recipe The Curious Country Cook was quick and easy and low in calories, just 23 per tot.  I used Panko bread crumbs because they half the calories of regular bread crumbs. I used my cookie scoop which holds 1 tablespoon and they fit exactly into the mini muffin cups.


2 cups zucchini, grated
2 egg
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.

Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- you will be surprised how much liquid comes out but if you skip this part the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy.

In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.

Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

Kitchen Sink Frittata

I have made these frittatas a couple times now and Beau and I love them! I am not a big egg person so I put tons of stuff in them so they're not "eggy." They're perfect when you have a veggie tray that you need to use before it goes bad :)

In this specific frittata this is what I used:

Frozen Hashbrowns

Precooked Turkey Sausage

Cooked Quinoa

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

Tomato

Red Onion

Red Pepper

Celery

Eggs/Egg Whites

Cheese

- Heat oven to 375 degrees.

- In a frying pan, spray with pam. Heat hashbrowns and sausage. Evenly spread across the bottom of the pan. Add quinoa and veggies. You don't stir so evenly sprinkle each item on top.

- Pour eggs on top. I used 5 eggs and some carton egg whites so all the ingredients are in the egg mixture. I used a spatula and poked all around so the egg would get down to the bottom.

- Top with cheese.

(this is what it looks like when it's ready to go in the oven)

- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Until all eggs are cooked. You can check with a toothpick.

It is good to eat with ketchup, hot sauce and salsa.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Jamie received Brussels Sprouts in her Bountiful Basket and gave them to me.  I had heard about them being roasted and I did a Google search.  I found this recipe on the Food Network by The Barefoot Contessa with 5 stars with 229 reviews, I figured it had to be good.  It was very simple and they tasted great!  Steve did have seconds but thought they would taste even better with cheese sauce.  He thinks everything tastes better with cheese sauce:)

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts

3 tablespoons good olive oil

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt, and serve immediately.

Southwest Egg Rolls

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained

4 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free. Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa.

Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

Jamie found this recipe and she adapted it to our diet.  I found it very tasty and would definitely make it again whether I was on a diet or not.  She prefers her soup to not be smooth so after pureeing the soup she adds two more cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes.

1 tablespoon I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, cilantro leaves or Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 teaspoon Splenda
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until onion is crisp-tender.

Stir in tomatoes, broth, 1 tablespoon of the basil, the sugar and pepper flakes. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat; pour mixture into large heatproof bowl; cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

In blender, place half of the mixture. Cover; blend until pureed. Return to saucepan. Repeat with remaining mixture. Heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon basil.

Carolyn's Homemade Tomato Soup

I found another tomato soup that I love! At the end of this post you will see the orginal recipe but I just don't have a pot large enough to make this whole batch so I cut it down to one quarter and it worked out fantastic. Of course there won't be enough to bottle after we eat it for dinner but I can make another batch now that I know what I am doing and buy myself a bigger pot. Below is my version -

6 pounds tomatoes
4 stalks celery with leaves
1 1/2 onion
1 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
6 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon salt

1 heaping teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons sugar

Cut vegetables up into large chunks and put into a large pot. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour. Then blend it in a blender and strain thoroughly. Next combine butter and flour over low heat until the mixture is smooth. Then add the strained tomato mixture to the butter/flour mixture. Stir in the salt, pepper and sugar.

CAROLYN’S HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP

½ bushel tomatoes (approximately 26 pounds)

One bunch of celery

4 – 6 onions

4 green peppers

2 red peppers

Cut all vegetable up and put into a large pot. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour. Then blend it in a blender and strain thoroughly. Next combine ¾ pound butter and 1 cup flour over low heat until the mixture is smooth. Then add the strained tomato mixture to the butter/flour mixture.

¼ cup salt

1 ½ tablespoons pepper

1 ½ cup sugar

Pour into quart jars and process for thirty minutes. Makes approximately 7 quarts

End of Summer Harvest Soup

I found this recipe on A Year of Slow Cooking and on $5 dinners. I loved it because almost everything came out of my garden. I made a couple of changes and it turned out really good and the best part was that when I got home from working all day, it was the first day of the month, I didn't have to think about "What's for dinner?" it was done. Next time I make this I will add more squash and maybe some carrots.

4 cups chicken broth (vegetable stock is fine!)

1 cup water

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 zucchini, washed well and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I had red and yellow)

2 cups green beans

Handful of fresh basil and parsley from the garden

1/3 cup dry Great Northern beans - Cannellini beans were recommended but Albertsons didn't have them

1/2 cup pasta (to add 20 minutes before serving)

salt and pepper to taste

garnish with Parmesan and Romano cheeses - didn't use this but might next time

Wash squashes well and slice in rounds. Place into slow cooker with diced onion, green beans and tomato wedges. Rinse your beans in hot water, and add to cooker. Add broth, herbs, and water. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans have reached desired tenderness. 20 minutes before serving stir in raw pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.

Marinated Tomatoes with Pasta

When I got married many eons ago I was given a cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens Pasta, and this recipe is on the cover and it looks so yummy! This recipe is really great with those fresh out of the garden tomatoes.

4 medium Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup snipped Parsley
2 tablespoons Olive Oil or Cooking Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Basil, crushed
Dash Pepper
8 ounces Fettuccine

Toss together the chopped tomatoes, snipped parsley, oil, garlic, basil and pepper; cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

Cook fettuccine in boiling salted water till al dente; drain. Gently toss tomato mixture with fettuccine till well combined.

Zucchini Bread

Mom got this recipe from her friend Gayle that she used to work with. I really enjoyed it the last time she made it but I thought that I would change a few ingredients and make it a little healthier. I have put the changes next to the regular item so you can make you own choice of how you want to make this recipe. 132 calories based on 12 slices per loaf and made with applesauce and no raisins or flax seed.  You save 80 calories per slice by changing the oil to no sugar added applesauce so you have to decide if you want the carbs or the fat.

Combine:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 cup Oil - Applesauce

Add:
2 cups peeled and grated Zucchini
1 tablespoon vanilla

Add:
3 cups Flour - 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour / 1 cup White Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tablespoon Cinnamon

Add:
½ cup Raisins – optional
1 tablespoon flax seed

Pour into 2 greased or sprayed loaf pans ½ full. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 – 60 minutes or until done. Remove from pan to cool.

Can be made in 5 small greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Fire Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

I do not like canned tomato soup so I was hesitant about eating tomato soup but Jamie had found this recipe on Recipezaar and told us it was so good. I really like it and would prepare it again and now I can because she finally gave me the recipe. These are her alterations...I don't think I ever added Whipping Cream, I just put Sour Cream on top when it was ready to serve. I also bought an extra can of diced tomatoes (doesn't matter if they're roasted or not) and threw them in after I pureed so it was chunky and then garnished with tortilla strips. I never used all of the basil as well.

3 (14 ounce) cans of Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes
5 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 yellow onion (diced)
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tablespoon sugar (optional)
2 ounces olive oil
15-20 fresh basil leaves (Rolled and cut into a Chiffanade )
salt and pepper

In a heavy pot on medium high heat, pour in the olive oil and throw in the onion until translucent. Add the chopped garlic and heat with the onion for about four minutes. Next, add the cans of fire roasted tomatoes including the juice to the pan and cover for about 15 minute make sure you stir your mixture every few minutes.

With the lid off the pan, add the chicken broth and heavy whipping cream and bring the pot to a simmer. The mixture should start to thicken as it reduces. This should take about 10 minutes. If your soup is a bit thin, let it simmer a bit longer while occasionally stirring. When it comes to the right consistency, add the fresh basil (reserve some for a garnish) and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Lower your heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes more.

Now it's time to get out your blender. With a ladle, place the soup mixture in the blender and puree until smooth. You can do this in batches as well. Please use caution when handling the mixture and blender as it could burn your hand as you press down on the lid. I suggest using a small kitchen towel to prevent this. After the soup is smooth, pour the soup back into the original pan and check for consistency.

Serve with a small sprinkle of the reserved basil as a garnish. Excellent with crusted bread or toasted crustinis.

Baked Potato Soup

I found this recipe on the internet. Another of our favorites and so easy and quick to make.

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
4 cups milk
6 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup sour cream

Microwave potatoes until done. While potatoes are cooking make a roux over low to medium heat. Mix butter, margarine or light olive oil and flour. DO NOT BURN THE ROUX. When roux is thickened a bit, gradually blend in milk. Continue cooking over low to medium heat while preparing potatoes. Peel and cut up potatoes. Add potatoes to the milk mixture. Blend in sour cream. Serve with all your baked potato favorites - chopped green onions, grated cheese, bacon bits and sour cream.

Midwest Chowder

It is rainy and I had to turn on the furnace yesterday so it seems appropriate to post one of my favorite soup recipes. This recipe is so quick and easy and tastes so good. This is another great recipe from my friend, Jana Davis.

2 cups boiling water
2 cups chopped potatoes
1/2 cups carrots, sliced
1/2 cups celery, sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 17 oz. can cream style corn

In large pan, combine water, vegetables and seasonings. Cover; simmer 10 minutes. Do not drain. Make a white sauce with margarine, flour and milk. Add cheese; stir until melted. Add corn and undrained vegetables. Heat; do not boil.

For variety, add one cup ham cubes, chopped cooked chicken or turkey, or flaked cooked cod or haddock.

Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie

This is a recipe from my friend, Jana Davis. We have found that this doesn't make for good leftovers unless you want to eat just the filling. The crust, crescent roll dough, gets soggy.

4 cups thinly unpeeled zucchini

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1/2 cup margarine

1 tablespoons parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sweet basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon oregano leaves

2 eggs beaten well

8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

8 ounce can crescent rolls

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Saute zucchini, onion and butter until tender. Stir in parsley and other seasonings. Blend egg and cheese; stir into vegetables. Separate dough and place in bottom and sides of 10" pie pan, spread mustard evenly on crust. Pour vegetables into crust. Bake at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes. Insert knife, should come out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Sukiyaki

Steve gave me Betty Crocker's International Cookbook the Christmas before we were married. I love this book, it has so many fun easy recipes and it worked great when my kids were in school and needed food for a country they were studying.

In Japan's early history, when peasants were forbidden to eat meat, savvy farmers quickly cooked on the spot what game they could find. Suki means hoe - the trademark of the Japanese peasant; yaki means to broil. According to legend, the farmers used their metals hoes as skillets!

Our only complaint is that it seemed too salty. This isn't the first time we have made this but I don't remember that complaint so it just might be the brand of soy sauce that we have, it is what we usually buy. I think that I will buy the lite soy sauce, it is supposed to have 50% less salt.

1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon
1/2 cup hot water
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 pound beef tenderloin or boneless sirloin,* 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 stalks celery, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/8-inch slices
1 bunch green onions, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1 can (about 8 1/2 ounces) bamboo shoots, drained
4 ounces spinach, stems removes (4 cups)
Hot cooked rice

Dissolve bouillon in hot water; stir in soy sauce and sugar. Reserve. Cut beef into 1/8-inch slices. (For ease in cutting, partially freeze beef about 1 hour.) Heat oil in 12-inch skillet until hot. Place half each of the celery, carrots, green onions, mushrooms and bamboo shoots in separate areas in skillet. Pour half the reserved soy sauce mixture into skillet.

Simmer uncovered until vegetables are crisp-tender, turning vegetables carefully, 8 to 10 minutes. Push vegetables to side of skillet; add half each of the beef and spinach. Cook beef to desired doneness about 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining vegetables and beef. Serve from skillet with rice and additional soy sauce.

*1 large whole chicken breast (1 pound), boned and skinned, can be substituted for the beef. (For ease in cutting, partially freeze chicken about 1 1/2 hours.)

Tempura

Recipe from Betty Crocker's International Cookbook. Tempura - an assortment of fish and vegetables dipped in batter, fried and served with a special sauce. Do not let the long list of ingredients discourage you from trying Tempura; select, according to personal preference and recipe instructions, those that most appeal to your taste.

We were supposed to eat this last night but elk hunting got in the way so we enjoyed it tonight. We ate Sukiyaki as well as Tempura. I prepared the Sukiyaki and brought it to the table, while we were eating we cooked our shrimp and vegetables. When Steve blessed the food he asked that we would all be safe around the dinner table and we had no mishaps. We also added two vegetables that were not on the list, zucchini and yellow squash.

Shrimp with tails, shelled and deveined
Scallops, cut into halves
Fish fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup 1-inch pieces asparagus
1 cup 1/4-inch slices carrots or celery
1 1/2 cups cauliflowerets
1 1/2 cusps 2 x 1/4-inch eggplant sticks
1 cup 2-inch pieces green beans, partially cooked
1 cup 2-inch pieces green onions
1 green pepper, cut into 1/4-inch rings
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 bunch parsley
1 cup pea pods
1 sweet potato, cut into 1/8-inch slices
Vegetable oil
Tempura Batter (below)
Tempura Sauce (below)

Choose 1 pound seafood (about 4 ounces per person). If servicing shrimp, make several crosswise slits on undersides to prevent curling. Choose 3 or 4 vegetables from selection above. Pat seafood and vegetables dry; arrange attractively on platter. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Heat oil (1 to 1 1/2 inches) in wok to 360 degrees. Prepare Tempura Batter. Dip seafood and vegetables into batter with tongs, fork or chopsticks; allow excess batter to drip into bowl. Fry a few pieces at a time until golden brown, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes.

Drain. Serve with Tempura Sauce.

Tempura Batter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cold water
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients with fork just until blended. Batter will be thin and slightly lumpy.

Tempura Sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1/4 soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Heat all ingredients until hot. Serve in small individual bowls.

Potato Pancakes

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled
2 tablesppons minced green onion
1 tablepoon all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Shred potatoes into medium bowl. Squeeze out excess moisture.

Add green onion, flour, egg, salt and perpper; mix well.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of potato mixture into skillet; flatten to form thin circles.

Cook until browned on bottom; turn and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes total cooking time.