Zucchini Fritters (or pancakes)

Another recipe from my favorite recipe blog, and this one is a big winner. I hate zucchini, but these were delicious. I even ate way more than my share. It wasn't a chore at all to swallow this zucchini down and it was significantly healthier than making bread with the squash.

My mom made something like this when we were kids, that we called zucchini pancakes. I don't think it had the Parmesan cheese in it though. We would douse those in malt vinegar and gobble them up. It's been decades since I've had her version, and had actually forgotten about them until this tasty treat popped up online.

For the record, I'm doubling their recipe here because that's how I made them and we ate every last one.

8 C. grated zucchini (one medium-large and one regular sized zucchini got me there)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese
1/2 C. sliced green onions
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp. flour
1 egg + 1 egg white
Olive oil

Place shredded zucchini in a strainer over a bowl or in sink.  Toss with salt and let sit for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press zucchini down with hands to expel liquid through strainer.  Transfer zucchini to several layers of paper towels and place another layer of paper towels on top of it.  Press and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.

Place zucchini in a bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Toss together.  

Heat a large, non-stick skillet to medium-high heat.  Add enough olive oil to coat the pan.  Drop zucchini batter by 2-tablespoons full (I used an ice cream scoop) into pan and lightly spread/flatten.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisp on one side and then flip.  Continue cooking until golden and then transfer to a wire rack with a paper towel on it.  *note cooking time greatly varies due to pan type, stove, etc.  Go by color and cook until they’re nice and golden-crisp.  

 Nutritional Info (per 1 fritter): Cal: 27, Fat: 1, Carb: 2, Pro: 2, Fib: 0

Quinoa Couscous Salad

This is a good basic quinoa salad recipe. It's easy to add or take away from this and have it still taste good. I really like the addition of the couscous, which gives the salad a much lighter texture.

1 C. cooked quinoa
1 C. cooked couscous
2 stalks chopped green onions
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/4 C. pinenuts
1/2 C. corn
1/4 C. raisins
1/8 C. parsley
lemon juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Greek Quinoa Salad

2 C. uncooked quinoa
4C. chicken broth
1 cucumber
1 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
crumbled feta cheese
1 jar artichoke hearts, chopped
olives
cherry tomatoes halved

Dressing:
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
1/4 C. olive oil
black pepper to taste

Bring quinoa and broth to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Chop remaining ingredients. When quinoa is done let it cool. I put the pot in a sink full of ice to speed this process up. Toss all ingredients together and enjoy

Curried Lentils

As always, credit goes to OurBestBites. Not only is this super yummy, but it's also super  healthy! My kids had no idea that their second helpings nearly made me so happy I could cry.

Ingredients: 

2 cups red lentils (if you can find them…check the bulk bins or a Middle Eastern market)
10 ounces spinach (fresh and chopped or frozen and thawed)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want to go vegetarian/vegan)
1 tablespoon curry powder or paste (I prefer curry paste)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

*I also added a jar of canned chicken

Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
Handful of chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish if desired

Additional yummy toppings include shredded coconut and chopped hard boiled eggs

Instructions: Combine all ingredients except for the lemon (or lime) juice and cilantro in the pot of a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours (or bring to a boil on the stove top and then simmer, covered, on low for 1 hour). Before serving, add the lemon juice and cilantro. This is delicious served over rice. Weight Watchers says this makes 6 servings, but I’d say it’s closer to 8-10.

For 8 Servings:
Calories: 87.3
Fat: .6
Carbs: 15.7
Fiber: 5.7
Protein: 6.6
Weight Watcher Points: 2

Butternut Skillet Shells and Cheese

I made this and was totally prepared for the fight it would take to get my kids to eat it, especially since they watched me make it and knew what was in it. Boy was I surprised that each of them gobbled it up and asked for more! It didn't taste like mac 'n cheese, but my youngest was convinced that's what it was by the look of it. And, p.s., this made plenty for two meals' worth. 

Here's the site I got it from...

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/10/easy-butternut-skillet-shells/

3 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta shells (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
4 cups 1/2-inch cubed uncooked butternut squash (I used two medium squash)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups skim milk (or unsweetened almond or coconut)
6 ounces freshly grated fontina cheese
2 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted brown butter
2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
fresh chopped herbs for garnish (sage, basil, cilantro, thyme)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare water for pasta and once it comes to a boil, cook pasta according to directions, then drain.

While water is boiling, heat a large cast-iron (or oven-safe) skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil, then toss in squash with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add stock and cover skillet, cooking for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is soft and can easily be mashed. Remove cover and reduce heat to low. Mash squash with a potato masher or forks, smoothing it out with a spoon to remove all of the chunks. Add in milk, 4 ounces of fontina and all of the parmesan cheese, stirring until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. If mixture still seems way too starchy, add in additional milk 1/4 cup at a time, stirring for a while. Stir in brown butter, 

To brown the butter: Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add butter. Whisking constantly, cook butter until bubbly and until small brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan – about 5-6 minutes. Watch closely and immediately remove the butter from the heat, whisking for an additional 30 seconds or so.

again mixing for a minute or so until incorporated. Taste and season additionally if desired.

Fold shells into the sauce, taking a few minutes to fully toss the shells so they are all coated. Top with remaining fontina cheese (or as much as you see fit) and breadcrumbs and bake for 15 minutes. If a bubbly, golden topping is desired, broil for 1-2 minutes on high after cooking. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve!

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

This one came from here...

1 pint grape tomatoes cut in halves

1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped

2 ears of fresh sweet corn

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

Juice of 1 lime

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp honey

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of cayenne pepper

Slice the tomatoes in half. Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.

Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle. Enjoy.

Zucchini Bites

We made these today and were pleasantly surprised that everyone liked them. It made a great afternoon snack and had no sugar in it. Wahoo! I think I'd go ahead and double this batch next time just to have a bunch to eat.

Recipe adapted: The Naptime Chef

yields: 24 mini muffins

2  cups zucchini, grated (frozen and thawed works great!)
2 egg
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan work the best) (I used some smoked cheddar and it was great!)
1/2 cup bread crumbs - I used Italian style
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach; if you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.
4. 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.

Asian Noodle Salad

1 pkg whole wheat linguine cooked and cooled
Head of green cabbage shredded
Head of purple cabbage shredded
(I sometimes just buy 2 bags of coleslaw)
Bag of spinach
Red yellow and orange bell peppers thinly sliced
4 green onions
1 peeled and sliced cucumber I use a half because they are not my favorite
Little chopped cilantro
1 can of cashews

Dressing
Juice of 2 limes
1 cup olive oil
4 T sesame oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
6 T fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic
2 jalapeño

Blend the dressing together in food processor

This is a large salad I cut everything in half if I'm making it just for my family!

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

Recipe by Our Best Bites.

4 C mashed Sweet potatoes (4 med sweet potatoes or abt 2 large sized cans)
6 Tbs Sugar
4-6 Tbs butter (no margarine), softened or melted
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (eyeball it)
1 t vanilla

Topping:

1 C brown sugar
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
6 Tbs melted butter

Note: You can make these up to a day or two ahead of time, just keep them well covered in the fridge and don’t put the topping on until just before baking.If using fresh sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick each sweet potato with a fork and place on foil in the oven. Cook for 40-60 minutes or until tender.
Once they’ve cooled enough to handle, slice in half and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl. Or peel, cut into squares and boil about 20 minutes until they're soft enough to mash.

To the mixing bowl add in sugar, butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Your butter should be soft enough to blend up easily so nuke it in the microwave before you add it to the bowl if you need to.
You could mash it all up by hand, but an electric mixer works great. I don’t like it completely pureed, so I mix it just until everything is incorporated but there are still some sweet potatoes in larger chunks.
Spread this mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 pan.
For the topping, combine brown sugar and coconut and then pour melted butter over and combine. Mmm…
Take a pinch of the buttery-sugary mixture and put it in your mouth. Chew. Swallow. Then sprinkle the rest evenly over the sweet potatoes in the pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes. It will be more or less depending on the size of dish you use, whether you double the topping, etc. But the top should be nice and browned and bubbly so just keep an eye on it.

Roasted Eggplant Spread

Finally a way I actually like to eat eggplant!

Recipe lightly adapted from Ina Garten (taken from OurBestBites.com)

1 medium eggplant
2 red bell peppers
1 medium red onion
3-4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste or pureed oven-roasted tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside. Chop eggplant, peppers, and onion into 1″ cubes. Smash the garlic. Toss together the vegetables and then drizzle them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat the vegetables and then spread them over the prepared baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven and roast the vegetables for 20 minutes. Flip/stir the vegetables with a spatula and then roast for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Place the roasted vegetables along with the tomato paste or roasted tomatoes into a blender or food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is reached. Serve warm with slices of sourdough bread, pita chips, flatbread, or Rosemary Focaccia. You can also toss this sauce with hot pasta for a light vegetarian meal.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
1-2 C. cream (optional but yummy)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions
1.Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. (It smells soooo good at this point!)Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

2.Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Add cream, if desired.