Breaded Zucchini Bites

I actually used gray squash for this because that's what I had on hand; really this works for any Summer squash.

Breaded Zucchini Bites

2 zucchinis, washed and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup milk
1/4 - 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
Spray olive oil (I like the spritzer-type bottle)

Spray one large cookie sheet with olive oil. Take out 4 small bowls. To the first bowl, add milk. Combine flour with seasonings in the second bowl. Crack and whip an egg into the third and the last bowl will hold your bread crumbs. Dip each zucchini slice into the milk, then coat thoroughly with flour mixture. Carefully dip into the bowl with egg until flour is covered, then coat with bread crumbs and place onto greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all zucchini is breaded. If you'd like to, spray the tops of the zucchini pieces with the olive oil for a little extra crunch. Bake at 425 F for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. These are great dipped in marinara sauce, ranch or bleu cheese dressing.

Broiled Tuna-Noodle Casserole

Make one of these for dinner, and one for a friend or to put into your freezer for later. This is our go-to meal when the hubby's out of town. He's not a big fan of Tuna Casserole, but me and the kiddos LOVE it!

Broiled Tuna-Noodle Casserole
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pounds wide egg noodles or bowtie pasta
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups skim milk
4 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in olive oil, drained
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 lb broccoli, lightly steamed and chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan


Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly oil two 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until 2 minutes short of al dente; drain, and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add bell peppers, broccoli and zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a simmer.Remove from heat; add mixture to noodles in pot, along with tuna, and green onions. Season with salt and pepper, and toss. Divide between prepared baking dishes, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes or place under a HOT broiler for 5-7 minutes.


To freeze: Prepare above recipe with the exception of baking; cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and freeze up to three months.

To bake from frozen: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake, covered with foil, until center is warm, about 2 hours. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes more.

To bake from thawed:Thaw overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake, covered with foil, until center is warm, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake until top is browned, about 20 minutes more.
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for baking dishes

Spinach and Feta Omelet

A few weeks ago eggs went on sale for $.50 per dozen around here. I bought 10 dozen eggs. We don't normally go through that many eggs, but I figured I could cook some things for the freezer. It is that time of year, afterall, when I hardly have any time to spare during the week.

Here is a quick and simple omelet recipe. The key to this way of cooking an omelet is the small cast-iron griddle. If you don't have one, you are missing out! It's a necessary "ingredient" for all the best tortillas, grilled sandwiches, pancakes and omelets. By the way, omelets freeze great! Just re-heat on high in the microwave for about 60 seconds and you've got a tasty and filling breakfast when you need something quick.

Spinach and Feta Omelet

3 eggs

1 Tbsp water

1 small tomato, diced

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

2 Tbsp feta cheese

1/2 small zucchini, chopped

Non-stick cooking spray

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup whip eggs, water, and a dash of salt and pepper. (The water helps the eggs to be fluffy.) Pour onto a pre-heated cast-iron griddle (about 350 F) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow eggs to cook about 30 seconds or until slightly set. Sprinkle vegetables and feta all over eggs. Set oven to broil on High. Move griddle to oven about two inches from heat and cook 1-2 minutes more or until eggs are firm. Loosen from griddle, roll omelet and serve with fresh salsa if desired.

Zucchini Bread

It really is getting close to the end of gardening season. Usually this time of year people are trying to ditch their surplus garden produce left and right especially zucchini. I'm usually a taker though. I love, love, love the stuff. I eat it raw in salads, steamed with some basil for a quick and easy side dish, grilled, grated, diced, stuffed. MMmm! So for you who are a little less enthusiastic about your mounds of zucchini, I put together a few zucchini recipes- check the labels on the right, scroll down and enjoy!

Another one of those recipes that I've been working on to get the best tasting bread possible. Unfortunately this one was made when my camera was on the charger and it didn't last until the battery was full. Whoops! This bread is great for an afterschool snack, for breakfast or for dessert. Sometimes I add a thin sugar glaze on top when I really have a sweet tooth (which is often). I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Zucchini Bread

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed banana or applesauce
1 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, applesauce/banana, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. (If you try to slice this before it's completely cool it will fall apart. I know this from experience- I don't think I've ever been able to let it cool completely before diving in!)
 

Zucchini Lasagna

Wow, I'm just terrible sometimes at remembering to take a picture! This is an old standby recipe that I use at the end of every Summer to use up some zucchini. I also make it because it's delicious... (We LOVE zucchini around here!) In fact when I make this one, if I have enough squash, I make several to freeze so I can enjoy this yummy recipe even when zucchini is so expensive over the winter.

Zucchini Lasagna
2 large zucchini
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup tomato paste
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup Marsala cooking wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
hot water as needed
1 egg
1 (16 ounce) container low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
10 ounces chopped greens (I use chard because that's what I have in my garden but you may also use frozen spinache, thawed and drained or any other green)
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (I substitute canned, drained, if fresh are too expensive)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato sauce, wine, basil, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 20 minutes or until desired consistency, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, stir egg, cottage cheese,  and parsley in a bowl until well combined.

To assemble lasagna: spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

To freeze: assemble as directed into a prepared foil pan or line a 9x13 pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Allow to freeze solid then remove foil "pan" from 9x13 dish and cover completely with an airtight seal of heavy duty aluminum foil. If you are using a foil pan you may wrap the entire thing before freezing solid.
To reheat: Allow to thaw overnight in your refrigerator. Cook as directed above except increase initial baking time to 60 minutes. If you forget to thaw overnight, you can add it frozen to the oven, but then be sure to at least double baking time while lasagna is covered.

**If I'm short on time when I'm preparing this recipe, I use some of my pre-made sauce that I keep in the freezer.

Chicken Zucchini Bake

Here we are, another month gone by. My bedroom is making progress, although it's been slow this past couple of weeks. I've finished my quilt (I'll never make a king-sized quilt again! Holy cow!) painted the nightstands, purchased a headboard, made a few decorative pillows, and rearranged furniture. Now all I need to do is paint and put it all together. The problem with painting is that I spent all the rest of my grocery money last month on... well, groceries! Since I've been trying to cut back and pay for all my improvements out of the grocery budget that means painting will have to wait until next pay day. Which is almost upon us, hooray!
Last night's dinner was a fun one for me to make. I just went into the kitchen and got creative! I started off making pizza crusts because my 5-year-old has been begging for pizza for the past week or so. But then, looking in the refrigerator and seeing all my eggs and zucchini staring back at me changed my mind about just a simple pizza. I was also feeling hot and icky yesterday so turning on the oven was the last thing I wanted to do. I made my dinner on the grill, but it would work in the oven as well. Here's what I made:

Chicken Zucchini Bake

1 prepared pizza crust recipe
1 Tbsp mustard powder
1 Tbsp honey
3/4 cup white sauce mix
3/4 cup water
4 cups sliced zucchini
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast meat (I used a pint jar that I'd bottled)
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C) or preheat outdoor grill to 400 (med-high). Generously grease the inside of a large cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup course cornmeal all over skillet. Press the edges of the pizza dough into and up the sides of the pan to make a deep crust. Bake (or in my case, grill) for 12-15 minutes or until edges pull away cleanly from the sides. If you are grilling, the top will not fully brown so be sure not to overcook your crust. Meanwhile, chop and slice your vegetables.Place the zucchini and a few tablespoons of water into a saucepan over medium heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook the zucchini until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set the zucchini aside. Place the onion and pepper in a large skillet with butter over medium heat, and cook and stir until the onion is translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir the cooked zucchini and chicken into the onion, and mix well. Let the mixture heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water, mustard powder, honey and white sauce mix. Allow mixture to boil and thicken. Spread the zucchini mixture in an even layer over the crust. In a bowl, beat the eggs with salt, black pepper, basil, oregano, and garlic powder; pour the egg mixture over the zucchini. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Turn oven to broil on HIGH. Place cast-iron pan into oven a couple inches from top broiler and allow to cook until eggs are set and cheese is browned. Allow to cool about 5 minutes before serving.

I know this recipe looks a little complicated and the ingredient list looks long but it really wasn't too bad. From start to finish (excluding making the pizza dough) this dinner took me less than 30 minutes.

Pizza Crust (made with zucchini of course)

I pack a lunch for my husband every day. He has a nifty little red cooler (I think it was meant for sodas, but a traditional lunch box is just too small for my 6'3" guy) that I fill to the brim with sandwiches and goodies every day. The only problem with our system is that we only have one ice pack and sometimes we forget to put it back in the freezer when he comes home from work. Then I get to rummage through our freezer the next day looking for something that will keep his lunch cold. Yesterday I chose a bag of frozen, shredded zucchini thinking I'd make zucchini bread with it that night. Meh, long story short my waist-line couldn't handle another treat so I added the zucchini into my pizza dough instead. Keep in mind, whenever I cook I always make a lot of food so I can have an easy day later on so this recipe makes a lot of dough. It was easily enough for me to make 5 large pizza crusts.

Green flecked Pizza Crust

3 tbsp Saf-instant yeast
1 Tbsp salt
6 cups whole wheat flour
6 cups Bread flour
2 cup hot water
1/2 cup honey
2 cups shredded zucchini (warm it up don't add it cold)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add water, honey, zucchini, yogurt and olive oil. Mix thoroughly and allow to rest about 5 minutes. Stir in 4 cups of the remaining flour and mix until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It will still be sticky. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead in remaining 2 cups flour until dough is smooth and elastic. Be sure to knead about 8 minutes. Divide dough into 5 sections. Spray 5 pizza pans with oil and dust each with about 1/4 cup coarse corn meal. Roll each dough section a little larger than each pizza pan. Place dough onto pan and roll edges up slightly to form edge of crust. Cover and let rise 25 minutes. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 F for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Turkey Zucchini Meatballs and Swedish Meatballs

"Of course... you had to add zucchini" Betcha can't guess which of my little darlings said that? These are seriously so good, though. Don't trust me.. make them and see for yourself. They are moist and tender and so flavorful. When I make these meatballs, I usually use beef but Summer needs something a little lighter. At least for me... the guys at my house could eat a steak or a burger for dinner every night with no complaints.

For the following recipe feel free to use dried herbs in lieu of the fresh, just be sure to halve the amounts. Fresh herbs can get pricey which is why I love to grow my own!

Turkey Zucchini Meatballs

2 lbs 90% lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 cup zucchini, grated and liquid squeezed out
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small red onion, grated
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped 
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine turkey, egg, zucchini, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion, and herbs.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Using a cookie baller (or your hands) form each meatball into a golf ball sized ball. If using your hands, try spraying a little Pam (or just rub some oil) onto your hands before handling the meat. Meat will be sticky. Line a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and arrange meatballs on top. You can place them close together if needed just so long as they aren't touching. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through. Makes about 48 meatballs.

When I make this recipe I like to double, triple, or even quadruple it so I have meatballs available for easy meals later on. To freeze: Allow meatballs to cool completely. Freeze individually on a large cookie sheet and then transfer to zip-top freezer bags in meal-sized portions. To reheat: Reheat in the oven at 350 F for 15-20 minutes or in the microwave for about 3 minutes per dozen. You can also add them to soups, stews, crockpot meals, etc and allow them to re-heat while cooking the rest of your meal. Some of my favorite ways to use meatballs are: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Swedish Meatballs, Meatball Subs, Sliced and used as a pizza topping or Appetizers.

So after making my massive batch of meatballs, I wanted something quick and easy to serve for dinner. It doesn't get much easier than Swedish Meatballs. Especially when you already have all of the ingredients pre-cooked. On Sunday we had roast and mashed potatoes (big surprise for those of you who know me, right?) so I made extra potatoes knowing that I'd use them later in the week. I also had a quart of chicken gravy in my freezer from the last chicken dinner I made. (See! I tell you to save your gravy for a reason!)

Swedish Meatballs

30 meatballs
3-4 cups chicken gravy
2 quarts homestyle mashed potatoes (or you can use cooked egg noodles)
1/2- 1 cup berry preserves

Heat gravy in a 2 qt. sauce pan over medium heat. Add meatballs and allow to cook until heated through. (You can heat them in the microwave to speed things up if you'd like). Meanwhile warm your mashed potatoes. Serve gravy and meatballs over potatoes with a dollop of berry preserves on top if desired. (I always serve my jam on the side so I can mix it into each bite.) Serve with a fresh garden salad.

See how I tell you to serve with a fresh garden salad and then I don't do that? Unfortunately, salad becomes food fight fodder at my house.. which is why I try to sneak veggies into just about everything I cook!

Squash Crust Pizza

Not only does this recipe use a massive amount of Summer squash (Ok, maybe not massive.. but a lot for this year since my garden hasn't been producing zucchini up the wazoo like it normally does) but it tastes great, is a low-carb pizza option, and it is nice and savory for you sweetened squash haters.

Squash Crust Pizza

4 cups shredded Summer squash (like zucchini, yellow crookneck, scallop, etc)

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 large tomato, diced

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 tsp basil (even if your Italian seasoning has it in there, I always like to add extra)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Directions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place the squash in a colander and sprinkle with salt; let drain for 15 minutes then squeeze out the moisture. Combine the squash, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 1/2 cup mozzarella in a large bowl. Press the mixture into a greased 12 inch pizza pan. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. I used a pizza pan with holes in it so my crust would be sure to get crispy all the way through. Knowing that the zucchini would continue to drain as it was being cooked, I placed a sheet of aluminum foil under the pan (on the next shelf down, not directly under) to catch the drippings.

While the crust is baking, combine the tomato sauce, basil and Italian seasoning. Spoon the sauce mixture over the baked crust. Top with the bell pepper, tomato, onion, crumbled bacon and the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Increase oven temperature to 425. At this point you should be safe to remove the foil from the oven (I did, and everything was fine). Return pizza to the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

I didn't clue my family in that this was a different kind of pizza. Of course they knew once they bit into it, but that way they didn't have any preconceptions. I was a little nervous about how this one would go over. But they all liked it! My husband had three helpings! And even my 14-year-old neice who is a self-proclaimed squash hater licked her plate clean.

Just a note about the crust: I made a few crusts, two for dinner and one to snack on. The snacking crust got cooked a little bit longer until it was nice and crispy. I then broke it up into "crackers" which were promptly devoured by my girls.

Zucchini Brownies

"Zucchini in brownies! Gross mom!"

The words of my 15-year old son when he saw me sneaking 2 cups of shredded zucchini into my brownie bowl. But I went ahead with my plan anyway. After they came out of the oven ...
"These are amazing!" (Ha! told ya so!)

Zucchini Brownies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 1/2 cups brownie mix
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


For the frosting:
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, mix together the brownie mix, oil, eggs, baking soda and zucchini vanilla until well blended. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. My brownies were done in 28 minutes. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares. I actually cut my brownies first so the frosting would goop over the sides when serving. Not as neat, but I love that effect!

Zucchini Cookies

These cookies are great for both rotating food storage and using up some of your surplus zucchini. They are light and sweet and delicious. And if your kids are like mine... when whole grains and vegetables are shaped like a cookie they don't ask questions... They just chow down! Mmmm

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup shredded zucchini, lightly drained
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dry powdered milk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (to make your own, finely grind soft white wheat)
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine shortening, zucchini, sugar and dry milk. Mix until well combined and creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if desired). Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Allow to cool on cookie sheet about 1 minute then transfer to cooling rack.

Grilled Veggies

I cooked some of these vegetables on the fire last night, but because we had SO much to cook, I threw several packages of veggies on the grill as well to save time. You can put just about any vegetable (or fruit) into these foil packets before grilling. I'll just tell you what I put into ours. They really turned out great!

Grilled Veggies

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp Mrs. Dash type seasoning (I used Bragg)
1-2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
about 5 asparagus spears
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
1 stalk of celery, cut into chunks
1/4 cup onion, cut into chunks
1/2 small zucchini, cut into large chunks
    (Summer squash cooks quickly so be sure to cut them bigger than the other vegetables)
1 Tbsp Miso

Cut a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Arrange vegetables in the center of the foil. Be sure you have enough foil on either side of the vegetables to fold completely over vegetables so you can be sure to get a tight wrap. Sprinkle miso over vegetables followed by Mrs. Dash. Add a pat of butter to the top of the pile and fold foil over, completely enclosing vegetables in a tight package. Heat grill to about 500 F. Arrange foil packets in a single layer on grill and close lid. Grill 10 minutes. Turn packets and grill an additional 8-10 minutes. If wrapped tightly, vegetables will stay hot for up to an hour giving you plenty of time to finish cooking your meal before serving if necessary.

Hobo Dinners

This is not so much a recipe as it is an event. We invited some friends over the other night to share this one with us. We all had a great time and enjoyed some delicious food! My family loves it when we have Hobo dinners (aka Foil Dinners) because, of course, that means roasted marshmallows for dessert. Not to mention that they all get to "make their own dinner." My 15-year-old even got to start the fire!

Here's how it works...

Step One:  Start a big fire. (In a fire pit, not your kitchen please.)

Step Two:  Chop a variety of vegetables. There is no set thing that you must include, but here is what we used: onions, potatoes, peppers, asparagus, zucchini and yellow squash. We also used peas and carrots from the garden (yum!). You can add anything you like such as: spinach, corn on the cob, broccoli, etc..

Step Three: Chop one or two (or three) meats. We used ground beef, chicken and Linguica (Portugese sausage- the best!). I lightly marinated the chicken in some sesame oil and rice vinegar just a few minutes before assembling the meals.

Step Four:  Grab an assortment of spices and sauces. We used Bragg (like soy sauce), Tapatio (hot sauce), pepper, Mrs. Dash type seasoning and Montreal Steak Seasoning. I also got out some butter to add to any meals if necessary.

Step Five:  Assemble meals in Heavy Duty Aluminum foil. Let each person assemble their own if desired. Make sure not to overfill and wrap foil tightly so juices don't spill out onto the fire. You can write names onto the foil to easily identify each meal once cooked.

Step Six:  Break up your fire, getting a nice big pile of hot (not flaming) coals. Set the meals directly onto hot coals in a single layer.

Step Seven:  Cook for about 15 minutes, turning once. Check each meal for doneness before serving. If the potatoes and carrots are soft, the rest of the meal (including meat) should be fully cooked.

Step Eight:  Dump onto a plate or eat straight from the foil. Recycle your foil when you are finished.

Minestrone Soup & Pesto Dip

Here's another one for the Crock-Pot on hot days. In my bountiful basket Saturday, I bought the Italian pack add-on which had a bag full of herbs. I used some to season my soup and the rest I used for a yummy pesto sauce to spread on my bread to go with dinner. Some of the herbs are growing in my garden also, so I had lots of oregano and rosemary to make a strong pesto instead of an all-basil version.

Minestrone Soup

1 large onion
1 lb cooked ground beef (optional- we didn't use it)
2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
3 cups water or vegetable broth (I used the vegetable broth I saved from blanching my veggies on Saturday)
2 c. beef broth (again, leftovers from the last roast I made- it's been int he freezer)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 large cloves garlic
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
1/2 lb fresh green beans, cut (or 1 15 oz can)
1 (15oz) can kidney beans
1 cup. uncooked pasta
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 cup fresh spinach, optional

Chop and slice onions and carrots into bite-sized pieces. Add to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients except pasta, zucchini, and spinach. Mix thoroughly. Cook on LOW 6 hours. Add pasta, zucchini and spinach if desired. Cover and cook 1 hour longer until pasta is tender. Serve with hard rolls and fresh pesto.

Strong Italian Pesto
1/4 cup roasted whole almonds*
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 oz. (about 2 cups packed) fresh Italian herbs
    (I used a combination of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjarom)
1 medium fresh tomato, quartered
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or more if desired)

Process the almonds and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the herbs, cheese, tomato and salt and process until thoroughly combined and the consistency you like. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil through the chute. Add more salt to taste if necessary and more olive oil if desired. This will keep several days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it. Pour it into an ice cube tray to freeze, then transfer pesto cubes to a heavy-duty freezer bag.

*If using raw almonds, spread them on a baking sheet and place in a 350 F degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Use your toaster oven if possible.

Vegetable Lasagna for the Crock-pot

It's still much too hot to turn on the oven so I converted this lasagna recipe for the Crockpot. For this veggie lasagna you can use any kind of vegetable. I used about 1 cup broiled eggplant, 1 cup steamed Swiss Chard, and 1 cup zucchini- all chopped and mixed together before assembling. You can also use shredded carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes or whatever you like best!

Veggie Lasagna (in the Crock-Pot)

28 ounce pasta sauce
8-12 ounces lasagna noodles
16 oz part skim cottage cheese
3 cups lightly steamed vegetables
8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of CrockPot. Cover with a layer of noodles (3 or 4 noodles should be enough). Spread 1/3 of the cottage cheese over the pasta (you can use a cake spatula). Spread 1/3 of the remaining pasta sauce over the cheese. Spread 1/3 of the vegetables over the sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella over the veggies. Repeat twice starting with the noodles and ending with the mozzarella. Sprinkle parmesan on top. Cover and cook on Low 4 hours. Remove cover and allow to stand 5-15 minutes before serving.

To prepare eggplant:

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise then slice into 1/4 inch slices. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle 2 Tbsp lemon juice and dried basil (if desired)on top. Put under a hot broiler for 8-10 minutes until eggplant is golden brown. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
 
*You can use any lasagna recipe in the Crock-pot. Just don't pre-boil the noodles and assemble as usual. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Fried Rice, Eggs Fu-Yung, More Smoothies

The boys are back in town! I had grand plans of preparing amazing rice and vegetable dinners while they were gone but turns out we went super simple instead. I did do some cooking (like homestyle MacNcheese, Veggie burgers, gnocci, fried rice and eggs fu-yung) but for the most part we ate leftovers (like stir-fry from the freezer that I cooked earlier this month) and LOTS of smoothies. In fact, it seemed like every other meal last week was in smoothie form. And I did serve granola for dinner... but just once and it was on the last day of my week without the boys.
Here are a few of the smoothies that we had:

Orange Cream Smoothie
1 orange, peeled and segmented
1 cup orange juice

1 cup crushed ice

1 cup water

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp dry milk powder

Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie
1/2 cup fresh strawberries (one of my neighbors shared her harvest with me!)
3 Tbsp dry milk powder
1 cup crushed ice
1 Tbsp flaxseeds
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Spinach Berry Smoothie
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 cups orange juice
2 cups spinach greens
2 Tbsp. honey

Add ingredients to blender putting softest ingredients (like fresh berries) in first. Pour liquid in last. Blend until smooth.

Last week we also had Eggs Fu-yung using some of the stir-fried vegetables I had in the freezer. There's no picture on this one as I used up my camera battery on one of our fun outings! Eggs Fu-Yung is another meal my dad used to make when I was a kid. It's an awesome way to make a meal out of leftover Chinese food.

Eggs Fu-Yung
Sauce
1 cup Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1/4 cup water
Egg Mixture
6 eggs
4 cups cooked stir fried vegetables
   like onions, sliced, bean sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower
2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix broth and soy sauce. Heat to boiling. Mix cornstarch and water. Stir slowly into the broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Keep warm while cooking egg mixture. Beat eggs until very thick and light. Fold in vegetables. Heat oil in frypan over moderate heat. Pour egg mixture by 1/2 cupfuls uinto the pan. cook until lightly browned on one side; turn and brown the other side. Serve sauce over the patties.

Egg Fried Rice
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 eggs
1 cup chopped vegetables (I used snap peas from the garden and diced zucchini from the freezer- you can also use carrots, onions, etc)
1/4 cup light soy sauce or Miso
1 tsp Mrs. Dash type seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat oil over moderate heat in a large fry-pan. Add rice and vegetables. Stir-fry until vegetables are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Push rice to the side leaving center of pan open.

Crack eggs into center of pan and allow to cook until set.

Scramble the eggs in the center of the pan. When eggs are cooked, mix with the rice and add seasoning and soy sauce, adding soy sauce 1 Tbsp at a time (up to 4 Tbsp) to taste.

Veggie Burgers

For the vegetables in these patties, I used 2 1/2 cups of the stir-fried vegetables that I cooked earlier this month. They've been in my freezer. It was a mix of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, peppers, onions and mushrooms. You can use 1 green bell pepper, halved and seeded plus 1 onion, quartered and  1/2 cup sliced mushrooms as a substitute. Or use whatever you have on hand.

Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1 cup water
2 (16 ounce) cans beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 cups cooked vegetables
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, or as needed

Directions

Bring the brown rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes.

Add drained beans and cooked vegetables to a 2 qt food processor or blender. Process until thick and pasty; set aside.

Place the brown rice and mozzarella cheese in the food processor, and process until combined. Stir the mixture into the black beans.

Preheat a cast iron skillet for medium high heat. Whisk together the eggs, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and hot sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the black bean mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs, adding additional bread crumbs as needed until the mixture is sticky and holds together. My vegetables were extra moist and I didn't drain my beans all the way, so I ended up using about 2 cups bread crumbs instead. Divide into large patties.

Spray skillet lightly with Pam. Place patties onto the prepared pan, and cook until browned and heated through, about 5-8 minutes per side.

 

To bake the patties: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet. Place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.
 

I ended up with a lot of mixture. I used more vegetables than the recipe calls for and an extra can of beans. So I turned the remaining mixture into Veggie "meat"balls. Drop by teaspoonful onto greased pan and bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Use these in soups such as Minestrone or cook into some spaghettie sauce and serve over pasta for some easy pastafazool.

Oh! and did you notice the sprouts in the first picture? I've been sprouting my own seeds these last couple weeks. Pictured are sunflower sprouts (one of my favorites!) which are SO good. They take about 4-5 days to sprout so when you are using sprouts you do need to plan ahead. I've got 3 batches of sprouts going at once, all at different stages so I can usually always have some fresh sprouts available when I want them. If you get into the habit of eating sprouts everyday then you never have to worry about all your hard work going to waste. I love them on sandwiches and burgers instead of or in addition to lettuce. They have so much more flavor!

Garden Veggie Quiche & Berry Yogurt Smoothie

It was a nice warm day today. After working in the yard all morning, nothing sounded better than a yummy smoothie for lunch. Mmmm. We rounded it out with a few of the mini muffins that were in the freezer from Saturday. Perfect! By the way- you've probably all seen the "Smoothie kits" in the store... this is basically what's in those kits but about 1/4 of the price. (Costco has good prices on their frozen berries right now.)

Berry Yogurt Smoothie

2/3 cup plain yogurt
2 cups frozen berries
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp honey

Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

I was actually planning to have stuffed peppers today for dinner, but I got a coupon in the mail today with a picture of a quiche on it... It sounded so good that I changed my plans for dinner!

Garden Vegetable quiche
6 cups hashbrowns (I shredded 10 small potatoes- should have shredded 8)
2/3 cup melted butter
8 eggs
1 cup milk
1 small zucchini
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped chives (or use green onions- they're cheaper if you don't have a garden)
1 roma tomato- chopped
1/2 lb shredded cheddar cheese

Press the hashbrowns into two 9-in pie plates all over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Drizzle 1/2 melted butter over each pie dish. Bake at 425 F for 25 minutes. In the meantime, chop vegetables and shred cheese. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium bowl. When potato crust is finished, sprinkle a layer of cheese along the bottom of each shell. Then layer vegetables. Pour egg mixture over the top and sprinkle cheese over the top of each quiche. Return pie plates to oven for another 25 minutes until egg is firm.

And what did I do with the extra hashbrowns that I shredded? Uh.. I cooked them while my "crust" was baking and I ate them of course. Yum!

Dinner: Veggie Stir-fry with Rice and Egg Drop Soup

Today was a little chilly, at least it felt like it after a couple of hours of pulling weeds in the rain… So I thought chicken noodle soup sounded good for dinner. I opened the refrigerator, though, and changed my mind after seeing all the produce I bought yesterday! So instead I decided on Veggie Stir-fry, Rice, and Egg drop soup.

Veggie Stir-fry


5-6 medium carrots
½ bunch celery
½ onion
½ lb broccoli
½ bell pepper
½ lb cauliflower
8 oz mushrooms
1 small zucchini
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Mrs. Dash type seasoning (I used Bragg Organic Seasoning Blend)
1 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp Paprika
¼ cup Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
1 Tbsp corn starch or 2 Tbsp flour
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp oil

Heat oil in Wok. Chop veggies and add to Wok in this order: carrots, celery, onion, broccoli, pepper, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms. Carrots take the longest to cook so chop those first and allow them to cook as you chop and add each additional vegetable. When veggies are almost tender, mince garlic and add to the mix. Stir and add additional seasonings. Mix corn starch (or flour) with water until smooth and then add to veggies. Stir until sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.
 
 

My kids love to snack on carrots and peanut butter so I peeled and cut into carrot sticks a few extra carrots for that. I did the same with the cauliflower so they’ll have a couple options for snacks.


I also decided to peel, chop and steam some extra carrots and celery for some quick chicken noodle soup on Monday (if I feel like soup that is…). I let the extra carrots and celery steam while I got my stir-fry dinner going. Also, I doubled the amount of all the veggies in the stir-fry so I could have enough for another meal down the road.
 

While my veggies were cooking, I started some rice on the stove. For those who are unsure how to cook rice, it’s very simple. Rice : water = 2 :1 So, for every 1 cup of rice, you’ll add 2 cups water to your pot. Wipe some butter around the rim of the pot and lid to help keep rice from boiling over. Turn the stove to medium hot and bring rice to boiling. Then simply turn stove all the way to low and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes. You’ll know when it’s time to remove from heat when water no longer bubbles up through the rice.

When the extra carrots and celery were done steaming, I saved the water I used for my egg-drop soup base- throwing in a few pieces of carrots and celery before I bag it all up.

When the veggies were about 90% finished cooking, I took half of them and put them in a freezer bag to save for later. I purposely didn’t add seasoning for two reasons: 1. I may decide to use them for a different recipe later on. I’m constantly changing my mind about what to cook. And 2. Seasonings lose potency in the freezer anyway, so I’d rather just season them when I finish cooking them for another meal. Now to add the seasonings to dinner. I always say in just about any recipe you can substitute fat for flavor! Mmmm!

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups chicken broth (For mine I used 2 cups vegetable broth from steaming carrots and 2 cups chicken broth. I used 1 tsp chicken bouillon per 1 cup water for my broth)

½ cup cooked diced vegetables or peas
1 egg, beaten
1/8 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp paprika
½ tsp dried parsley
4 oz egg noodles. (I used 2 lasagna noodles leftover from the other night. I just broke them up into small pieces first)

Heat broth to boiling, add noodles and vegetables. Let soup return to boiling and cook 7 minutes. Slowly pour beaten egg into broth, stirring as you pour. Allow to cook one minute more. Remove from heat and add seasonings. Serve hot, sprinkled with cayenne pepper if desired.

I thought dinner turned out terrific, but in true man fashion, my son and husband both asked where the meat was.. by 7:00 they were eating burgers at Arctic Circle... oh well! I try!