Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip

I'm always looking for new ways to use zucchini, especially because my husband is allergic to it and I'm not able to put it into our regular meals. So, I baked these sticks up as part of my lunch instead. I thought these sticks were good, but would be even better with a little kick to the seasoning. If I make them again then I will probably add some cayenne or red pepper flakes to the mix. The dip, however, was fantastic. It was definitely the highlight of this recipe! I know a lot of people tend to have an abundance of zucchini in their gardens during the summer months so try this recipe if you are looking for a new way to serve them!


Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip
Source: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients for the dip:
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium sweet onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I was out of cider vinegar so I just used red wine vinegar and it was fine!)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (I used spicy brown mustard.)
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the zucchini:
3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 3"-long stick
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
scant 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Pizza Seasoning or mixed Italian herbs
olive oil spray
1/2 cup egg substitute; or 2 large eggs; or 3 egg whites

Dip Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the sliced onions. Allow to soften, then brown to caramelize. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the vinegar to the onions once caramelized.

2. Put the onion mixture into a food processor or blender, then add the honey and mustard. Blend.

3. Add the mayo and the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

4. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Zucchini sticks directions:
1. Put the sliced zucchini into a colander in the sink. Sprinkle salt over them and allow to sit for at least one hour. Then rinse the zucchini and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

3. Mix the panko, pizza seasoning and Parmesan cheese in a small dish or on a plate. Crack the egg into a separate dish and beat lightly.

4. Dip each zucchini stick into the egg, then the panko mixture. Put each stick on the prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 12 minutes, flip each stick over, then bake for additional 8 minutes until golden brown.Pin It

Another Fresh Salsa

My mom gave me some tomatoes and peppers from her garden. After ripening on the windowsill, I realized that they needed to be used quickly. I did not have any meals coming up that needed tomatoes so I decided to whip up a quick salsa. I even got to use some of my herbs (that are now dying). Now I did make this a couple of weeks ago so hopefully I can remember everything I put in it!

Multi-colored Tomato Salsa
Source: Original Stef recipe


Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes (I used 1 yellow & 1 red)
2 small peppers (I used 1 jalepeno & 1 garden salsa)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Small handful each of parsley and basil
1 clove of garlic (I didn't have any fresh so I used jarred)

Directions:
Chop tomatoes, peppers and herbs. Mix all ingredients together. Serve with tortilla chips!

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Fresh Salsa

I'm kind of addicted to salsa and tortilla chips. However, I usually just pick up a jar at the store and call it a day. The new Pace pineapple mango chipotle salsa is amazing by the way. I need to figure out how to recreate that. But - if you are looking for a light, fresh-tasting salsa then look no further. Even though this salsa incorporates a can of tomatoes with fresh tomatoes and other vegetables and herbs, it still tastes really fresh. I won't even tell you how many bags of tortilla chips I have bought in the past week. It's a little bit embarrassing. Now, on to the recipe!

Fresh Salsa
Source: Annie's Eats, who adapted it from her friend's recipe


Ingredients:
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1 (28 0z.) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa)
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one lime

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don’t overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

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Garden-Special Primavera

Who doesn't love a good meal with a ton of veggies during the summer? One of my favorite summer activities is to go to the farmer's market on the weekends. I've only been once this summer due to my schedule, but I was able to pick up some fresh beans, zucchini and garlic before the rain started really coming down last Saturday. I impulsively picked up the new Mixing Bowl magazine that Better Homes & Gardens has created and started marking a ton of recipes that I wanted to make. I think I marked more recipes in this magazine than any other that I have gotten - which is quite a feat! So with the combination of these 2 things, I bring you - Garden-Special Primavera! I'm including the original recipe (a little bit adapted), but I did cut the recipe in half and had enough for 3 servings.

Garden-Special Primavera
Adapted from Mixing Bowl Magazine by member Debra


Ingredients:
2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1.5 cups fresh asparagus, trimmed & cut into 2-inch pieces (Omitted since the asparagus didn't look that great - I'm assuming since the season is almost over!)
1 cup broccoli flowerets
12 ounces fettuccine, linguine, vermicelli or spaghetti
1 small red pepper, cut into julienne strips
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise & sliced
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
2 gloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup prosciutto or cooked ham (I actually just sliced up some deli meat ham and it worked great)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh or dried basil

Directions:
In a large saucepan, cook beans and carrots in a small amount of boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Add asparagus and broccoli. Return to boiling; reduce heat. cover and cook 5 minutes more or till vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions. Add sweet pepper and zucchini to pasta in boiling water for the last 3 minutes of cooking. Vegetables should be crisp-tender. Drain and return mixture to the saucepan. Add the bean mixture to the saucepan and keep it warm while preparing the sauce.

For sauce: In a medium saucepan, cook onion and garlic in hot butter over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender but not brown. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.

In a small bowl, stir together whipping cream and flour. Add cream mixture to saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, cooked ham, green onion and basil. Cook and stire for 1 minute more. Pour sauce over pasta and vegetables. Toss gently to coat.

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A Happy Birthday & Baked Onion Rings

First of all, I want to wish my husband a happy birthday! I am going to attempt to make a rhubarb pie (his favorite) for him so hopefully it will turn out & I can blog about it.

I love onion rings so much that I often substitute them for fries at a restaurant even though I know they are fried in oil and not healthy at all. The next best thing? Baked onion rings! I thought these tasted great and have made them a couple of times as side dishes to a meal. Dipping them in barbecue sauce makes them even better! (does anyone else use this condiment for onion rings?)

*I would also like to let everyone know that I have been reading up on photography so I'm hoping that I will have some better pictures on my site! These next few posts will still be pictures I took awhile ago since I have fallen behind on posting.

Baked Onion Rings
Adapted from Delicious Melicious, who adapted it from Cooking Light


Ingredients:
3 TBSP flour
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground allspice (omitted)
1/3 c. milk
2 Large Vidalia or sweet onions, cut into (1/4-inch-thick) slices (use the large outer rings)
1 1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine everything except the breadcrumbs & onions in a large bowl. Dredge the onion rings in flour/milk mixture. Then coat with the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.

3. Place the onion rings in a single layer on a baking sheets (with a few small sprays of cooking spray). Lightly spray the onion rings with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes.

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Apple Coleslaw

This is the second time I've made this, but this time I added dried cranberries since Jon did last time and thought it added something. I like this coleslaw recipe because it's quick & doesn't involve any vinegar for a lighter/different tasting coleslaw.

Apple Coleslaw
Adapted from Kraft Foods


Ingredients:

3/4 cup MIRACLE WHIP Light Dressing

1 Tbsp. honey

1 bag (16 oz.) coleslaw blend

2 medium apples (preferably 1 red and 1 green), chopped
Dried cranberries (our addition)

Directions:

MIX dressing and honey in large bowl.

ADD remaining ingredients; mix lightly.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour.

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Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

I have been in the mood for summer foods lately - most likely due to this bitter winter we've been having! After eating Ellie Krieger's salad, I decided to look through her recipes for something else and found this dish. I really enjoyed it, however Jon only ate the chicken and tomatoes. He thought the fennel was onions and he's allergic to zucchini. Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables too! Anyways, this was a nice healthy meal!

Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Source: The Food Network

Ingredients:
6 Roma tomatoes (about 1 pound) (I used 4)
3 medium zucchini (about 1/2 pound each) (I used 2)
1 bulb fennel
3 tablespoons oil, divided
3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 chicken breast halves skinless, bone-in (about 2 1/2 pounds) (I used 2)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the tomatoes lengthwise into quarters and remove the seeds. Trim the zucchini and cut it in half crosswise and then cut each piece in half lengthwise once if the piece is thin and twice if it is thicker, so that the pieces are relatively uniform.

Remove the outermost layer of the fennel bulb and discard. Cut the bulb in half so that each half retains part of the stem end. Cut each half into 8 thin wedges so each wedge is held together by a little piece of stem.

Put the vegetables into a large baking pan. Toss them with 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Arrange the chicken pieces in the pan with the vegetables.

In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice. Rub the mixture into the chicken in the pan. Season with a few turns of pepper.

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then give the vegetables a stir and add the rosemary. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes more until the chicken is done and the vegetable are tender and beginning to brown.

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Pot Roast & Vegetables

Can you believe I've never made a pot roast? Personally, I've never been a huge fan but I also haven't had it in a really long time. I have also grown to like beef more than I did when I was younger. So I decided to make it for 3 reasons: 1) I got the chuck roast on sale, 2) It's super easy to make and 3) I wanted to give Jon a nice manly meal!

Pot Roast with Vegetables
Source: Stef's Kitchen!



Ingredients:
1 pound chuck roast, sprinkled with salt & pepper
2 medium potatoes & 2 small potatoes, cut into chunks
3 carrots, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef broth

Put vegetables into the bottom of a crock pot. Place roast on top of vegetables. Pour beef broth into the crock pot and dot the tomato paste around the roast. Cook on low heat for 6 hours (but check to make sure you don't overcook the roast!).Pin It

Chicken Pot Pie

I got the Hungry Girl cookbook for Christmas which features recipes made lighter. This is the first recipe that I have tried from it, and will definitely be trying more. Sorry about the picture, but what casserole is actually photographed well? I also forgot to take a picture of my own dish - apparently I was a little too hungry that day!

Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from Hungry Girl

Ingredients:

8 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast; cut into bite-sized pieces

3 cups C&W Ultimate Petite Mixed Vegetables (or any other frozen mixed vegetables)

1 can (10.75 oz.) Campbell's Condensed Soup, 98% Fat Free Cream of Celery (I used Cream of Chicken)

3 servings Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls (unprepared)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute chicken pieces for several minutes in a pan spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, until chicken is light brown/cooked but still tender; set aside. Heat frozen veggies in microwave according to package. Mix chicken, vegetables and soup together and put in a 9" round baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. (I also added some dried rosemary and dried thyme) Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly (stir about halfway through). While dish is cooking, unroll 3 crescent rolls. Combine pieces together with hands to make one large ball of dough. With a rolling pin, roll dough out into a circle to cover top of dish. Add dough to the top of the dish and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serves 4.Pin It

Cheddar-topped shepard's pie

I don't normally make casseroles, but this one looked pretty good so I decided to try it. The combination of flavors in this is great! It didn't taste bland at all which is something I was worried about. It even heated up really well a couple of days later which is nice because I HATE wasting leftovers. Funny, when I lived with my parents I refused to eat them. Additionally, sorry for the crappy pictures but I can't seem to get good light now that it's getting dark earlier.

Cheddar-Topped Shepard's Pie
Adapted from Cooking This and That, originally from Everyday Food


Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds white baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1 1/3 pounds ground beef (I only used 1 pound which was plenty)
6-8 ounces baby carrots, sliced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup whole milk (I used non-fat milk)
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (I used mild cheddar cheese)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove beef with slotted spoon to separate bowl and drain saute pan.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in same saute pan and add carrots, onion, and thyme. Cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add beef back into saute pan. Add 3/4 cup water, corn , and peas. Bring to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain potatoes, return to saucepan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid had evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1/2 cup cheese. Mash until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

Pour beef filling into greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish. (I used an 8x8 pan because I only have a 1.5 quart baking dish) Drop spoonfuls of potatoes over beef; spread to edges with spatula. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling, about 20 minutes. (Topping and filling can be made ahead and stored separately.)

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Reheated 2 days later!

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Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp & Peas

After seeing this recipe for lemon spaghetti, I knew I had to make it because I've had a slight obsession with lemon flavors ever since I made that lemon chicken a couple of months ago. The original recipe was made with parmesan chicken, but we just had chicken a couple of nights ago so I decided to make it with shrimp and some peas that I had in my freezer. This was a good recipe, although I do have some suggestions. First, I made the 1/2 pound as recommended, but I think I could have made a whole pound and still have enough sauce to coat the spaghetti. Then again, I did use thin spaghetti so that could have played a factor. Also, I ran out of lemon juice and only filled a little over half of a 2/3 cup so I supplemented extra olive oil for the lemon juice, but still had a very distinct lemon flavor shine through. I would probably use these amounts next time too.

Lemon Spaghetti
Source: ...and a cookie for dessert, originally from Lovestoeat's blog

So I added a lot of peas! Haha.

Ingredients:
1/2 box spaghetti (I used thin spaghetti)
2/3 cup lemon juice (I used a little over half of 2/3 cup and supplemented olive oil for the rest)
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Whisk all other ingredients together. Toss pasta with the lemon sauce and serve immediately.

For the shrimp & peas mixture - I added some olive oil to a pan and sauteed a clove of garlic, the shrimp & peas until the shrimp were pink and the peas were heated through.Pin It

Laughing Cow Chicken & Brown Sugar Carrots

I feel like I haven't made dinner in awhile. We ate our Halloween party food for dinner on Friday & leftovers on Saturday so today I finally got to cook a real meal again. I finally bought Laughing Cow cheese (after I couldn't find it in the grocery store in the cheese section...it's in the deli section) but I am so glad I did. This cheese is fantastic. I can see why people have been talking it up! I have had a bag of carrots in my fridge for a couple of weeks now and needed to use them up by the expiration date tomorrow so I figured I would test-run a Thanksgiving recipe to see how they would turn out. Wow. These were so good! I'm pretty sure this will be the recipe I use for our Thanksgiving dinner at my in-laws' house.

Laughing Cow Chicken
Source: Love Deliciousness

I could not get a good picture of the chicken! But here is an idea.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)

2 wedges Laughing Cow light cheese (one per breast)

Italian seasoning to taste

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
Handful grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Open each chicken breast up and spread one wedge of Laughing Cow inside the middle. Sprinkle Italian seasoning inside to taste. Fold chicken back over to original shape.

3. Mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Spray each chicken breast with cooking spray and then dip in bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on baking sheet.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (I baked mine for way longer because they weren't done in only 15 minutes - I would say at least 25-30 minutes)

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Source: Southernfood.About.com


Ingredients:
16 ounces baby carrots
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup water
dash salt
pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the baby carrots with remaining ingredients. Stir to blend ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling (uncovered) for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until carrots are tender and the liquid has evaporated.

Here are the carrots boiling in the pot!

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