Grilled Zucchini Parmesan

I was inspired by a recipe I saw on Food Network for this dish. I had some large Zucchini that I needed to use up and since my Hubby is doing a Keto lifestyle I thought this would be a good way to use it up without carbs. It was Yummo!

Grilled Zucchini Parmesan

1 large Zucchini, sliced into 1/4 slices (I did about 10 slices)

2 large roma tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

Italian dressing, I used Kraft Tuscon style

Grated mozzarella cheese

Grated Parmesan, or Asiago Cheese

Salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning as desired

I tossed my zucchini in a splash or 2 of Italian dressing, just enough to lightly coat both sides of each slice, then laid out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. I lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper and a little italian seasoning.

Next, I tossed my tomato slices gently with another splash of Italian dressing and little salt and pepper.

Heat grill to medium heat. When grill is hot, place zucchin on grill and cook for 2 mintues. Then add the tomatoes on the grill and turn the zucchini slices over. Cook for 2 more minutes. Turn the tomates over. Turn Zucchini over one more time to get good grill marks. Cook for another minute or two.

Remove veggies from grill. I placed back on my cookie sheet, First the zucchini, then place one or 2 slices of grilled tomatoes on top of each slice of zucchini.

Turn off the grill.

Preheat oven to broil. Then sprinkle a teaspoon or pinchfull of mozzerela cheese, then a pinch full of Parmesan on top of each zucchini, tomoatoe slice. Broil for 2 -3 minutes until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown on top.

Remomve from oven and enjoy. I seaved with grilled steak for a side dish. So good!!!

 

Pad Thai Egg Roll Bowls

I have been trying to eat healthier this winter, from trying Keto, to trying low carb, to more  plant based. But lately I like just eating healthier with less fat and less carbs, no processed foods and not too much sugars and watching my portions.  I ran across this recipe here but I tweaked it just a bit. I found I like adding the Chile-garlic paste to the sauce and again to the turkey as it cooks to add more flavor rather than at the end for a topping. I also buy the Jenni-O ground turkey in the tube. It has a texture more like ground beef than staying separated like some ground turkey I have used before.
We loved this and I'll definitely make it again and again.

Pad Thai Egg Roll Bowl 

yield: 4 SERVINGS prep time: 10 MINUTES 

cook time: 15 MINUTES total time: 25 MINUTES

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 3 Tbs lime juice
• 2 1/2 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 1/2 Tbs rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chile-garlic paste 
• 8 tsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Remaining Ingredients:

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 bunch (about 6) of green onions, chopped (whites only, save the chopped greens for the topping!)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chile-garlic paste
• 2 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
• black pepper
• 14-16 oz of bagged coleslaw mix 
• Toppings:
• chopped greens onions (the leftover green part from above)
• cilantro 
• Cashews, toasted (toast in 350 degree oven on a cookie sheet for aprox. 7 minutes.)
• lime wedges

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chile-paste and honey. Remove 2 Tbs and set aside. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining sauce.
2. In a small pan, scramble your eggs over medium-low heat, then set aside and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
3. Spray a large saute pan with olive oil cooking spray and heat to medium heat. Cook the whites of the green onions until softened, then add the garlic and the ground turkey. Season the ground turkey with some black pepper, a teaspoon or 2 chile-garlic paste and add 2 Tbs of soy sauce to the pan. Break up the meat with your spatula as it browns.
4. Once the turkey is fully cooked, add the coleslaw mix and the 2 Tbs of sauce that you had set aside earlier (the portion without the cornstarch) and cook, stirring, until heated through. Add the remaining sauce (the portion with the cornstarch) and the eggs and cook until the coleslaw mix has just slightly wilted. I like to transfer it to a serving dish so it doesn't continue to cook.
5. Serve with lime wedges (I love that extra squeeze of lime at the end!), the greens of the green onions, cashews, and cilantro. 
6. Enjoy! 

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

I have seen chefs and cooks do smashed potatoes a lot but have never actually made them. I tried it out yesterday to go with grilled steak and asparagus for a different potato side dish . Oh my goodness... so yummy! I used Yukon Gold potatoes since they crisp up nice around the edges but are buttery soft in the center. YUM! we topped with a dollop of sour cream. You could also flavor the butter with a little garlic if you like and top with bacon bits and cheddar cheese for a loaded bake potatoe flavor. I did parmesan cheese and little fresh parsley at the end. Anyway you top them is delish! Enjoy!

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

10 to 12 small Yukon Gold potatoes, washed
3 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Grated Parmesan Cheese, Optional Garnish
Finely chopped parsley , optional garnish

Sour cream for serving, if desired

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Cook potatoes until soft - small ones should take around 20 to 25 minutes, large ones might take 30 minutes. It's ok if the skin splits.

Preheat oven to 350F . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, spray with non -stick cooking spray or olive oil. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes and let them dry in the colander for 5 minutes or so. Or you can leave in the pot with the lid off until you are ready to smash them if you boiled ahead of time.

Place on the baking sheet then use a large fork or potato masher to squish them, keeping them in one piece. The flatter you smash them the crispier they are, If you leave them with a  little more nubbly surface the better crunch!

Leave on the baking sheet to steam dry for 5 minutes or so - makes them crispier!

Drizzle with a spoonfull of butter, then just a bit of olive oil (about 1/4 tsp on each). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes, then sprinkle the top with grated parmesan cheese and fresh Parsley. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes or until deep golden and crispy. Do not flip!

Serve hot, Top with a dollop of sour cream on top if desired. 

YUM!

Grilled Mushroom and Zucchini Carbonara

I love pasta.... most anything made with pasta is delicious! I saw this recipe on the internet, on Facebook maybe? or pinterest? It was made with Asparagus and mushrooms, but since asparagus season was mostly over and my garden was springing forth with zucchini... I substituted.  Love a good Carbonara pasta and this was yummy for sure! Enjoy with a side salad and Crusty french bread or bread sticks!

Grilled Mushroom and Zucchini CarbonaraServes 6 to 8Total Time: 50 minute

INGREDIENTS:
2 Zucchini, sliced into bite size pieces
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound dry spaghetti
4 large eggs
6 slices bacon,  cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Parmesan, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat  your outdoor grill and turn to medium heat
Place the zucchini and mushrooms into a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to evenly coat. Spray a grill tray for veggies with a non stick cooking spray. Place tray on the grill and spread your prepped zucchini and mushrooms over it. Close grill lid and let cook for 10 - 15 minutes until crunchy tender. Stir every 5 minutes so they cook evenly.
While the vegetables are roasting, bring 6 quarts of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, add the bacon to a large sauté pan and cook over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crispy, and most of the fat has rendered off. Turn off the heat and drain all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Parmesan and a generous amount of the pepper until well-combined, set aside.
Return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the sauté pan. Toss in the spaghetti and heat for a few minutes until the bubbling has subsided and much of the water has evaporated.
Temper the egg mixture by whisking about 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water into it. 
Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture to the pasta while quickly stirring. Continue stirring until the egg mixture has thickened, adding additional cooking liquid if the sauce is too thick.
Season with black pepper and salt to taste. Gently toss the spaghetti with the grilled zucchini and mushrooms, and serve immediately. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.  
NOTE
Stirring while mixing the eggs and pasta is very important! If the pasta and eggs are not mixed quickly enough, the eggs will scramble and the sauce won’t be creamy. It helps to temper the egg mixture with the pasta water before stirring into your pasta.

Veggie Saute

I love a good stir fry kind of dish. I have been trying to eat healthier lately and love putting quinoa in with my rice ... I make 1 cup rice cooked according to package directions and 1 cup quinoa cooked according to package directions them stir them together before serving. Love the little pop quinoa gives each  bite. I watched a "good eats" episode one day and they were cooking with oils... one kind Alton Brown used was sesame oil! LOVE the stuff but a little goes a long way, so when he did this recipe on his show I had to give it a try. BUT I tweaked it just a titch and paired it with my asian meatball recipe (click here for the meatball recipe) and served over my rice and quinoa mixture. Delicious!

Veggie Saute
adapted from Alton Brown's Vegetable Saute recipe

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons sesame oil (found with the other asian foods on the asian aisle)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon minced ginger (love the stuff you can get already minced in a tube)
8 to 10 baby carrots,  julienned (or you can cheat and buy the already julienned carrots and use 3/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground Black pepper
2 cups sugar snap peas
half of a bag of Cabbage / cole slaw mix (I like the tri-colored kind, it had carrots and purple cabbage too)
2  or 3 green onions, chopped (both the white and green parts)
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar (found in the asian aisle)
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro (*or you can use the chopped in the tube if you like--see note below)

Directions:
Place the Sesame oil in a large skillet and heat on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, ginger and julienned carrots and sauce for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the salt and pepper while they cook. Next add the sugar snap peas and cook for another minute. Next comes the cabbage / cole slaw mix and the green onions, continue to sauce for another minute or two.
Remove the skillet from the heat and drizzle the rice vinegar over the mixture. Toss to combine.
Now you can garnish with chopped Cilantro.
I served mine on a mixture of Rice and quinoa and topped with my hoisin meatballs and sauce.
Enjoy!

**If you are using the Cilantro in the tube, add with the cabbage and green onions so it gets mixed around with everything.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY and Hasselback Potatoes

Sorry I don't blog so much any more... it was running my life before and I would panic if I couldn't fine a recipe to post every week... plus I gained weight trying so many different recipes... then I took a step back and had to remind myself why I started this blog in the first place. I did it because I wanted my daughter to have access to my recipes while in college and I hate writing things down. Much faster to type. Also I would take desserts to work and parties and people would ask for my recipe and it's much easier to tell them where my blog is or just print it out for them. I took a step back and decided I was doing this for the wrong reason, recognition and praise and that's not why I started it. Sometimes it's easy to get a big head along with wide hips :). I decided to get healthy , exercise and breathe... Life is too short to stress out. So that is why I have backed off a bit. If you like my recipes, I am happy to share them. Hope you enjoy them and love cooking for your family as much as I do.
Today tho, it is Valentines day... I love cooking for my hubby. We bought some chuck eyed steak which I sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and Grill mates Montreal steak seasoning. Then I grill out side on the grill on high heat for 4 or 5 minutes per side, depending on how pink you like them in the middle. I made Hasselback Potatoes and roasted green beans with bacon. I also sauteed mushrooms and chopped onions in butter and balsamic glaze to go on top of the steaks.  Yumalicious!! Me and my hubby would much rather cook and eat at home than go out to eat. Too often we end up disappointed in the meal, and shocked at the cost for what you get. Here is the recipe for hasselback potatoes.. They are easy and look fancy on a plate along side a steak and roasted veggie....

Hasselback Potatoes

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped chives

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Stir together the butter, olive oil, chives, onion powder, garlic powder and some salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Place a potato between the handles of 2 wooden spoons or 2 chopsticks. Slice the potato into thin slices, leaving 1/4 inch at the bottom unsliced; the spoon handles will prevent you from slicing the potato all the way through. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush on the butter mixture, making sure to get in between all the slices. Bake until tender and crisp, 45 to 60 minutes.

Eggplant Involtini

Eggplant Involtini

From America's Test Kitchen 

The classic approach to these cheese-filled eggplant rolls—breading and frying—is tedious, and it obscures the signature ingredient. We ditched both steps for a lighter, less fussy dish.

Serves 4 to 6

Select shorter, wider eggplants for this recipe. Part-skim ricotta may be used, but do not use fat-free ricotta. Serve the eggplant with crusty bread and a salad.

INGREDIENTS

  2 large eggplants (1 1/2 pounds each), peeled 

  6 tablespoons vegetable oil 

  Kosher salt and pepper 

  2 garlic cloves, minced 

  1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 

  Pinch red pepper flakes 

  1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, chopped coarse 

  1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces 

  8 ounces (1 cup) whole-milk ricotta cheese 

  1 1/2 ounces grated Pecorino Romano cheese (3/4 cup) 

  1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 

  1 tablespoon lemon juice 

  1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese for topping

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Slice each eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick planks (you should have 12 planks). Trim rounded surface from each end piece so it lies flat.
2. Adjust 1 oven rack to lower-middle position and second rack 8 inches from broiler element. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and spray generously with vegetable oil spray. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on prepared sheets. Brush 1 side of eggplant slices with 2 1/2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Flip eggplant slices and brush with 2 1/2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake until tender and lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cool for 5 minutes. Using thin spatula, flip each slice over.

Heat broiler.
3. While eggplant cooks, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch broiler-safe skillet over medium-low heat until just shimmering. Add garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.
4. Pulse bread in food processor until finely ground, 10 to 15 pulses. Combine bread crumbs, ricotta, 1/2 cup Pecorino, 1/4 cup basil, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl.
5. With widest ends of eggplant slices facing you, evenly distribute ricotta mixture on bottom third of each slice. Gently roll up each eggplant slice and place seam side down in tomato sauce.
6. Bring sauce to simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until eggplant is well browned and cheese is heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Pecorino  and 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon basil and serve.

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing and a Salad to go with it!

I LOVE salads... and when I ran across this recipe (there are a lot of different versions on the internet, but this is what I liked) I had to give it try. LOVE that's it's made with avocado rather than mayonnaise  or sour cream. You can tweak to your taste. Enjoy on a chopped salad with sliced grilled steak... that's my fav thing to do.

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Dressing
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 avocado
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1-2 garlic cloves (or heaping teaspoon of minced garlic)
1/ 4 cup olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Honey to taste
1/8 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree, adding 1/4 cup or more of water to thin out just a bit.
Remember this is to taste, add the smaller amount of cumin and maybe a teaspoon of honey at first and taste, you can add more cumin, honey or salt to taste BUT remember you can't take it out. Also add as much water as needed to pourable (but not runny) consistency.
Enjoy!

Here's an idea for a salad:
1 large head of romaine lettuce
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup corn (canned, frozen or off the cob)
1-15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 green onions if desired
thinly sliced grilled steak

Directions:
Chopped romaine and bell pepper into desired bitesize pieces. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Dice the green onion.
Place All ingredients in a large bowl (except the steak) and toss to combine. Serve in large salad bowls and place slices of steak on the top.
Drizzle with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing.
If desired you can crush a few Corn Tortilla chips over the top.
Enjoy!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

I LOVE corn on the cob... it's the season for grilling and corn on the cob. We had this  for dinner the other night. I know there are a lot of Mexican corn recipes out there but this was a different recipe, not Mexican, just a yummy grilling recipe. LOVED it and I love Feta cheese. Give it a try.

Grilled Corn on the Cob
4 ear fresh corn on the cob, in the husk but remove most of the silk from the top
1 stick butter, softened
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese, (I like to run mine through my food processor for finer crumb)

Directions:
Place corn in a sink full of cold water and soak for 30 minutes. I like to do this because the water soaks into the corn. It will steam your corn as it cooks--YUM! I also sprinkle in some sea salt or kosher salt to help season the corn just a bit.

After your corn is done soaking, preheat your grill for 5 minutes. While grill is heating remove the corn from the water and shake off just a bit.
When grill is hot, place corn on the grill, turning occasionally. Grill for 15 to 20 minutes. Corn should be cooked and husks should have grill marks on all sides.

While corn is cooking mix the Butter, garlic powder, smoked paprika and a pinch or two of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix until all combined.

Remove the corn from the husks and spread the butter mixture generously all over the corn. Sprinkle with Feta cheese and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Trisha Yearwood

Di's Tomato Soup

I have a couple of Tomato Soup recipes posted on my blog already, which are both good. One is more Italian tasting and the other is more spicy with Orzo in it. After making and liking both recipes, the next time I made Tomato soup I slightly combined the two different recipes to my desired taste using what I liked about them both and this is the recipe I came up with. I found myself using it all the time. Since my daughter LOVES tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and is starting to cook at home... Yahoo!!! I decided I better post the recipe how I make it. Here you go Sarah! Enjoy!

Di’s Tomato Soup

Olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

3 cups chicken broth (I use a whole box of chicken broth, almost 4 cups) 

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon dried parsley (you could use fresh if you have it)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (if desired)

1/2 pint heavy cream

Garnish if desired with:

Seasoned croutons 

Grated Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, heat about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Then add the minced garlic and onion, saute for about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add thesugar, parsley, salt, black pepper, italian seasoning, turmeric, cumin, curry powder and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and let this simmer for about 20-25 minutes more.

This is a slightly chunky soup, if you desire a smooth soup, puree in a blender a little at a time, or use a submersible blender. After blending return to pan.

Then stir in the heavy cream, and heat through. Serve in individual bowls topped with croutons and Parmesan cheese if desired!!  Or serve with grilled cheese sandwiches cut into strips—perfect for dipping. Yummo!

*Note-you can adjust the amount of seasoning to taste… I usually end up adding just a bit more curry and cumin…. Enjoy!

Baked Zucchini Fries

I love Fried Zucchini! It's my favorite appetizer at most restaurants, but they dip theirs in a thick breading and  fry (so delicious!) So when I ran across this recipe on pinterest I just had to try it! It's baked instead of fried and I LOVE Panko crumbs... they stay crispy! Who needs to fry zucchini when you can do this! It's also a lot faster to bake your zucchini all at once than to do different batches of fried--LOVED this recipe. I used a bit more Parmesan cheese and salt from the original recipe, I posted the amounts I used. Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Baked Zucchini Fries

Ingredients

• 1 lb. zucchini squash 
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1 large egg 

Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the zucchini. Cut the ends off and then cut each one into strips, approximately ⅓ inch thick.
2. Place the zucchini strips in a large zip top bag and add the flour and salt. Shake the bag to coat the zucchini in flour.

3. In a wide, shallow bowl combine the Panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. In a second wide, shallow bowl, whisk a raw egg with about 1 Tbsp of water until fairly smooth.

4. Begin to preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and then place two wire cooling racks over top. One by one, take the flour coated zucchini strips and dip them in the egg and then the seasoned bread crumb mixture. Place the breaded zucchini on the wire cooling racks. The wire racks keep the zucchini up off of the baking sheet and allows hot air to circulate underneath, which will prevent soggy bottoms. Also make sure there is a small amount of space between each strip to allow circulation.

5.Once all of the zucchini strips are breaded, bake them for approximately 15 minutes or until they are a medium golden brown color. Cooking time will vary with the thickness of your zucchini strips, so keep a close eye. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce! I like marinara sauce or ranch dressing! enjoy!

Sauteed Green Beans and Bacon

I ran across this recipe on Pinterest... there were a few different versions out there, so I took what I liked from a couple and did mine own thing. These are delicious as a side dish! Isn't everything better with bacon??

Sauteed Green Beans and Bacon 

• 1 pound fresh green beans, ends snipped off and discarded, extra long beans, cut in half if you want

• 2-3 slices of bacon
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• Salt and Black pepper
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice 

METHOD

1 Heat a pot of salted water to a rolling boil (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water). Add the green beans and boil them for 4-5 minutes, until just tender enough to eat (you may have to cook longer depending on the particular green beans you have). Drain and set aside.

2 While the water is heating up to boil the beans, slowly cook the bacon until crispy in a large saute pan set over medium-low heat. Use a slotted spoon or a fork to remove the bacon from the pan. Set the bacon on paper towels to sop up the excess fat. You should have about one tablespoon of fat left in the pan. Pour off any fat beyond 1 tablespoon. (Do not pour the fat down the drain or you'll stop up your drain.) If you have much less fat than a tablespoon left in the pan, add a little olive oil or butter to the pan.

3 Once the green beans are cooked, saute them over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes in the bacon fat. Dice the bacon and add to the pan  along with the minced garlic and saute another minute. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste, then toss with lemon juice and serve at once.

Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish.

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

I love fall... and harvest time and the fact that my garden seems to be exploding with produce. I have an abundance of cucumbers right now. I don't really like to make pickles since we don't eat them that much, but I got this recipe at the kitchen meetings I go to. This was supposed to be a zucchini salad but I thought I'd try it with cucumbers. It was good made with zucchini, but cucumbers are better! Love it! This is a refreshing side dish to serve with grilled meat. I grilled steaks and we had this on the side along with roasted potatoes. YUM! Would be good to take to a pot luck too! Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
Servings: about 7

In a large bowl, empty one (1 oz.) package Dry onion soup Mix.
Pour 1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar over the onion soup mix and let stand for 5 minutes.

Next add:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground Black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil (or olive oil)
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
7 medium cucumbers (each about 5 to 6 inches long) thinly sliced

Toss to coat the vegetables with the vinegar mixture. Chill in refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours--stirring occasionally. Hint--I put mine in a large Tupperware bowl with a tight fitting lid, and every hour I would turn mine upside down, then the next time I'd turn right side up, kept doing that until I was ready to serve.
Drain off any extra liquid before serving.
Enjoy!!

Basil and Spinach Pesto

I LOVE pesto.. it's so easy to make and so good to just toss in pasta, or coat potato chunks in and then bake in the oven, or to use as a spread for chicken panini's... I could go on and on about pesto. I know... it doesn't look too pretty in my picture... but it tastes delish! I had a beautiful Basil plant with tons of big leaves so I just had to do something with it!
They did a mix and match recipe in my Food Network magazine  with different things to add to Pesto... This was my favorite way. I like to use half Basil and half Baby Spinach... not such a strong Basil flavor and a good way to get Spinach in your diet.  I made a couple of batches of Pesto, then I drop it by the spoonfuls on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet and freeze it. Then I take the frozen pesto from the cookie sheet and store in freezer bags in my freezer. When I need it, I grab some out and thaw out in a dish then I use however I need to. YUM!

Basil and Spinach Pesto
1/3 cup Walnuts (can use Pine nuts but they are expensive and walnuts work in Pesto)
3 cups Basil and fresh Spinach (I use half of each)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (optional) I put in one batch I made and it was delicious! I used the kind packed in oil so I used a little less Olive oil

Directions:
First, toast walnuts in a dry skillet until lightly browned. Let cool slightly then pulse in a food processor until finely ground.
Add Basil and Spinach, along with the garlic, salt and cheese. Also add your sun dried tomatoes if you're going to use them. Pulse to combine.
Now slowly pour in the olive oil as you pulse your pesto. Use more or less oil, you want a slightly loose spreadable pesto.
Yum!! You'll have about 1 cup of pesto.... use about 1/2 cup per pound of pasta.
I've also made a chicken, grilled pepper and mozzarella panini sandwich with pesto as the spread.
And I've tossed cut up potatoes with a couple of spoonfuls of pesto then poured out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes and serve alongside grilled chicken or steak.
Also toss with spaghetti or fettuccine and add slices of grilled chicken!. Lots of things you can do with pesto
Enjoy!

Cheese and Chile-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

(sorry, I forgot to take a pic of my mushroom with the garnishes on the top)

Since January 2nd and the holidays were over, I decided to try to lose a little weight just by eating healthier and trying to incorporate a little exercise in my day. My hubby decided to join me, he likes to remove all carbs from his diet to do so, so this gives me a challenge when cooking. As for me, I started with Dr. Oz's 3-day Detox diet... LOVE it, if you can get through the first day, you can find his diet w/ recipes for smoothies here, I lost 6 pounds and felt great!! (Hint... don't put the celery and cucumbers in the lunch smoothie, makes too much and isn't very good, liked everything else in the smoothie and ate the cucumber and celery on it's own). Since I did that and felt great I didn't want to start with eating processed foods again. I still like to eat healthy carbs but find I'm better off eating those in the morning, good carbs that I eat in the evening seem to stick to my hips. But anyway, long story with all that, but I have enjoyed this month trying to find or create healthy recipes. So far this month I have kept my 6 pounds off that I lost those 3 days and lost 2 more!! This recipe was delicious, I love stuffed mushrooms and it was a great side to grilled steak, (or you could serve with grill chicken) rather than having something with creamy sauce or lots of butter (liked baked potatoes). My hubby LOVED it too! I loved using the wheat Germ instead of bread crumbs like some stuffed mushroom recipes call for, worked great. Oh, yes, I have to give credit where credit is due, this recipe was in this month's issue of Food Network Magazine. I did tweak a few things to what I had on hand, but the main idea was there. ENJOY!

Cheese and Chile-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Ingredients:
Olive oil cooking spray
4 medium portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
6 green onions, diced
1 poblano chile pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley  (or 1 Tablespoon dried)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 6 ounces)
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream or nonfat Greek yogurt
1 red or green jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and coarsely chop them. Scrape the gills from the underside of the mushroom caps using a spoon; discard those. Place the mushroom caps on your prepared baking sheet.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, half of the green onions, the poblano chile and garlic and cook, stirring, until the poblano is soft, about 4 minutes. Add the mushroom stems and parsley; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup wheat germ and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat; and season with salt and pepper.

Stuff the mushroom caps with one-quarter of the mozzarella, then one -quarter of the poblano mixture. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon wheat germ and generously spray with cooking spray. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the wheat germ is golden, about 20 minutes. Top with the sour cream, jalapeno and the remaining scallions.

Per serving: Calories 261; Total Fat 15 grams; Saturated Fat 8 grams; Protein 17 grams; Total Carbohydrate 17 grams; Fiber 6 grams; Cholesterol 32 milligrams; Sodium 265 milligrams

Green Bean Casserole with Homemade Mushroom Gravy

I made this Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving dinner, after all you can't have Thanksgiving without green bean casserole. I hadn't made the regular Green bean casserole very often just because it was lacking something, so when I saw this on Guy Fieri's Food Network show, I had to give it a try. I did tweak it a bit, I added bacon.... bacon is good in anything isn't it? Andrew had had green beans with bacon at one place that he worked, he still talks about those, so that's what gave me the inspiration to try it here. I also just used regular button mushrooms, YUM! Even my Mother-in-law said that the Green Bean casserole was excellent. (I love my Mother-in-law, she isn't like the typical mother-in-law that you hear bad things about, she's easy to get along with and talk to, I just threw that in there because it seems most people aren't as lucky as me! ) I'm posting this recipe  because I thought some of you might want to give it a try for Christmas. Enjoy!

Green Bean Casserole with Homemade Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients:
6 slices thick, smoked peppered bacon
1- 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed (I used fresh from the produce department, they have them bagged and trimmed already to go by the bagged salads!)
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced,
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 small container french fried onions
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice the bacon into bite size pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, when hot, add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until cooked and crispy. While your bacon is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook until they just turn bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. (You don't want to cook the green beans through as they will cook in the oven also.) Strain and plunge the green beans immediately in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. When cool, drain and set out to dry on paper towels.
When your bacon is done, remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate, set aside. If there is a lot of bacon grease in the skillet drain, leaving about a 1 Tablespoon in the skillet and add the butter; once the butter is melted add the mushrooms. Cook undisturbed so the mushrooms sear nicely, about 1 minute. Add the thyme and garlic and continue cooking the mushrooms to achieve some nice color. Season with the salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg. Cook 2 to 3 more minutes longer, dusting the mushrooms with some of the flour as they release moisture. Stir with a whisk to incorporate the flour (just like making a roux) and gradually add in the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and add the sour cream and cream. Stir gently and cook over low heat until gravy thickens, 5 to 6 minutes. (Be careful not to boil to hard or the cream mixture will separate and curdle)  Add the blanched green beans and bacon to the pan and fold together so everything is mixed well.
Pour into a 13x9 baking dish, spread out evenly in the dish. Sprinkle the green beans with the grated Parmesan bake until the casserole is bubbly and the top is melted and golden, 15 minutes. Top with french fried onions and continue to cook for about 5 to 10 more minutes. Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

I walked out to my garden the other day (before it froze) and no matter how good you keep checking your zucchini, there are always some that hide and get away from you. I like to pick mine when they are still on the smaller side, like you find in the grocery store, but I had about 3 that were twice the size that I usually like them to get. I thought I would try making some Stuffed Zucchini. I had made some last year and Jim didn't like the recipe I used, so I looked up other recipes and then ended up doing my own thing. This is what I came up with... It was yummy and yes my hubby liked this recipe. It takes a little time, I cooked my zucchini a few minutes before stuffing to get some of the water out. Enjoy!
Stuffed Zucchini
3 large Zucchini, cut in half with the middle and seeds scooped out (save this)
1 pound hot sausage
1/2 pound ground beef
1 green Bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
2 tomatoes, diced 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 Tablespoon chopped, fresh basil) 1 egg 1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 to 2 cups grated Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice your zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle (making a canoe) You can also cut them in half or thirds for better serving sizes. Place on a cookie sheet that you line with parchment paper, scooped side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.

After it's cooked, remove from oven and blot the moisture with a paper towel. Set aside.
While the zucchini is cooking, chop up the middle of the zucchini; then saute in a medium frying pan that has been drizzled with olive oil over medium heat for about 5 to 8 minutes, this will remove the extra moisture out of the filling. Set this aside to cool.
In a larger skillet, cook the sausage, hamburger, onion, bell pepper, and garlic over medium heat until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent. Then add the tomatoes and basil;  cook about 5 more minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg, then pour into your slightly cooled zucchini filling and stir briskly so the egg doesn't cook. Next, add the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese to this mixture; stir to combine. Then add this mixture to the meat mixture and stir to combine. (The breadcrumbs help soak up the juice from the tomato and help bind everything together.) This is what my filling looked like...

Add Salt and Pepper to taste to the meat at this point. Then scoop the filling into your zucchini boats, heaping it as full as possible so all your meat mixture is used. Sprinkle each with grated Mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted and starting to brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes... something about zucchini, it holds the heat and it's really hot when coming out of the oven and you don't want to burn your mouth!!! Serve with a steamed veggies and crusty french bread! yum!!!

Perfect French Fries and Sauces

I love home cooked French fries! They are one of my favorite comfort foods, I have memories of coming home from school to hamburger patties and home made french fries dipped in ketchup. (back then we didn't know about Fry sauce I guess!) But once we discovered French fry sauce there was no turning back! I was surprised that Fry sauce is mostly an Idaho thing... I asked for it at Dairy Queen when we lived in Bremerton, WA and got the weirdest look. I have a regular french fry sauce recipe with this post, as well as the 'Almost Famous Campfire Sauce' (like Red Robin has for their Fries) and then I came up with the Cheesey sauce below. I LOVE the chili flavor Green chili's give the sauce without it being too spicy. I lived in Albuquerque, NM for a while too, and LOVED the smell of green chili's roasting on about every street corner in the fall! They even had a Road Runner pizza at Pizza Hut covered in green chili's that you can't get anywhere else! But anyway, back to french fries! It's Potato harvest time here in Idaho so it's the best time to cook up a batch of French Fries and enjoy! YUM!

Perfect French Fries
Ingredients:
• 5 pounds russet potatoes
• Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
• Sea salt (or any seasoned salt you like!, I used Lawry's)

Directions:
Peel and rinse the potatoes. Then cut them into sticks by cutting the potato in 4 or 5 vertical pieces, and then cutting each piece into sticks.
Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. 
When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry them.
Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300 degrees F. In 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes until soft, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should not be brown at this point! You just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain on new/dry paper towels.

Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 degrees F. When the oil's hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until the fries are golden and crisp. Remove the potatoes from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Sprinkle with sea salt or your favorite seasoned salt while still warm and dive in!

Notes
IMPORTANT: Please be careful when frying with hot oil. Keep the pot on the backburner so little kiddos won't get hurt.

Regular French Fry Sauce
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon white vinegar
• Hot sauce, for spice, optional

Directions:
Measure out the ketchup, mayonnaise, and vinegar into a bowl and mix together with a whisk. If you want it spicy, add dashes of hot sauce to taste. Serve with fries!


Almost Famous 'Campfire' French fry Sauce
Ingredients:
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 3 Tablespoons Bull’s-Eye Brown Sugar & Hickory Barbecue Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce, I like Kraft Chipotle BBQ sauce)
• 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill for about an hour before serving.

Green Chili Cheese Sauce for French Fries
Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1- 4oz. can diced green chili’s
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk (add a little more if your sauce is too thick)
• 2 cups shredded yellow Cheddar Cheese
• 1-15oz. can Ricco’s Nacho Cheddar Sauce (found by the Velveeta cheese at Walmart)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Place a sauce pot on the stove and heat it over medium heat. Add butter and green chilis, heat until butter is melted and bubbly. Add the flour and stir. Cook butter mixture and flour together for 1 minute or so. (This is called a "roux" and it helps to thicken up sauces). Use a whisk to stir as you pour the milk into the pot. Keep stirring until the milk mixture gets thicker. Use a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula to stir in the cheese and canned cheese sauce. When all of the cheese melts, take the sauce off the heat and add a dash or two of salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the fries or serve the sauce on the side if you like to dipping better.

Note:
This Cheese sauce would be great on nachos, or in chowders! I made a potato, chicken chowder with my left over sauce the next day and it was YUMMO!

Spicy Zucchini, Pepper and Potato Soup

I saw this recipe on Rachel Ray's Week in a Day on the Food Network Sunday morning while procrastinating getting out of bed.... It looked so good and a good way to use some garden veggies. I tweaked it a bit with what I had on hand and it was delicious! For the original recipe go here , I didn't have some of the peppers she used, but what I substituted was yummo! I served mine with my Chipotle Chicken Panini Sandwiches, but it would be good with a crusty french bread too! Enjoy!

Spicy Zucchini, Pepper and Potato Soup
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray
Prep Time:30 min
Inactive Prep Time:1 hr
Cook Time:40 min
Level:Easy
Serves:4 servings.

Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper, for roasting
1 large green bell pepper, for roasting

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 1 1/4 pounds small zucchini (about 2 zucchini's) very thinly sliced into discs
1 medium yellow or red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
5 to 6 small to medium red potatoes, very thinly sliced into discs (like potato chips)
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste, use a smaller amount at first then add more if needed)
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
A few sprigs thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped (or a heaping 1/2 teaspoon dried)
5 to 6 leaves sweet basil, chopped (or a heaping 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
2 (14-oz) cans fire roasted or Italian tomatoes (if using Italian tomatoes, cut back on the herbs just a bit)
1 (4-oz) can roasted, diced green Chile peppers
2 to 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Grated Parmesan Cheese, for garnish

Directions
Char the bell peppers over open flame on stove top (I used my outdoor grill) or under hot broiler with oven door cracked to allow steam to escape. Once the skin is evenly charred and blackened all-over, place the pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic until pepper is cool enough to handle. Wipe or scrape the char off the pepper removing the skins. Seed the pepper and thinly slice.

Heat 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil ripples, add the zucchini, onions, potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, basil, crushed red chili pepper and saute the vegetables until tender-crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, canned green chilis and roasted peppers and allow the tomatoes to breakdown a few minutes. Stir in enough stock to desired consistency - as thin or thick as you like. Let simmer for about 10 more minutes until vegetables are tender enough and the flavors blend.
Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!!!

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

I ran across this recipe on Melskitchencafe.com, and since I seem to have 3 or 4 zucchini everytime I go out to my garden I always welcome a new zucchini recipe! I loved this! It's a great side dish to any grilled meat! I happened to serve it along with grilled steaks for my anniversary dinner, and my hubby loved it! Enjoy!

Cheesy Zucchini Rice
from melskitchencafe.com
*Serves 4-6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup long-grain white rice ( I used Jasmine rice since that is what I had)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium or 2 small zucchini, grated on a box grater or with a food processor (no need to peel beforehand)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I had a fiesta mix of grated cheese)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 tablespoons milk, if needed (I used, just makes it creamier

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, combine the rice and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and let the rice simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the grated zucchini, cheese, and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste (don't skip this step - I needed at least 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt to boost the flavor). Add a tablespoon or so of milk to adjust the texture if needed. Serve warm.