Things to do with Zucchini

Last summer we decided to start a garden. We planted zucchini, jalapenos and watermelon. Our watermelon plant died pretty quickly but the other two thrived. We can talk about the jalapenos in another post because this post is solely dedicated to our zucchini plant. We weeded and watered as needed and by the end of the summer we harvested over 2 dozen zucchinis big to small. So anyone else ever been in the same boat of what on earth to do with all that zucchini?! Well, we definitely got creative.

Here's my list of things to do with zucchini:

Sliced thinly:
Saute them in olive oil and garlic salt
Ratatouille (I didn't attempt but I thought about it!)
Oven baked with butter, salt and pepper
Oven bake chips
Fried zucchini
Pasta noodle alternative (large cheese grater or they have a veggie noodle device)

Sliced not so thinly:
Fries! (these turned out pretty tasty. Just dip in an egg and then a flour/breadcrumb/Parmesan mix and bake!)
Raw with veggie dip
Grilled (brush with olive oil)
Stuffed zucchini

Pureed/Grated:
Bread
Muffins
Pancakes
Baby food
Fried patties (with cheese and onion and other Pinterest recipe stuff!)

AND you can freeze your grated zucchini! My freezer currently has 7 cups of frozen zucchini...

Hope these ideas help or inspire you! If you want any additional information on recipes or techniques just ask! I will be happy to make additional posts that are more descriptive.

Spice Up Your Veggies

My father- and mother-in-law used to get food from this one food truck all the time and he had great veggies so they asked how he made them. She shared the recipe with us and it is so good! I find that I have to make twice as many veggies as I used to because everyone loves them so much!

Here is how they are made:

Ingredients:
veggies (I used four squash/zucchinis in two batches that I sliced before started)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1-2 Tbsp of olive oil
1/2 Tbsp dried onions
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

Start by heating up the oil in your pan on medium/high heat. Place the bouillon cube in to dissolve. Once that is heated up add your vegetables (see list of veggies that could work below).

Cook for around 5 minutes stirring frequently. I waited until my squash was starting to darken and get translucent. I then added the onions and garlic. Make sure you wait to add these because they will burn.

I made these last night for dinner and they were delicious! If you make them in smaller batches they cook more evenly and don't get soggy. Doesn't this look like the perfect summer meal?

Veggies that would work with this recipe:

• Green beans- frozen works better but we have also made this recipe with canned. Just make sure to use no salt added. 
• Asparagus
• Squash/zucchini
• Corn (same as green beans with the no salt added) We used butter instead of olive oil and they tasted just like roasted corn on the cob
• Broccoli

What other vegetables do you think this would work with? 

"Faux"-tatoes? (and easy Parmesan chicken!)

A couple weeks ago, I came across a dinner recipe I knew I wanted to try: Parmesan chicken and "faux"-tatoes.

The "faux"-tatoes were made from cauliflower. I had visions of fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes made with a less starchy and presumably more healthy vegetable (which my kids might not eat as readily).

You steam the cauliflower in the microwave, then you're supposed to be able to mash it with a potato masher.

This is where I should have figured out my dreams were not going to come true. My potato masher has a round, flat bottom, and didn't do anything to the cauliflower. I resorted to the food processor pretty quickly.

I added the recommended sour cream and pepper into the food processor, and while it tasted good, there was something missing. (In addition to any resemblance to potatoes.) I thought of real potatoes and added milk, butter, and salt, and continued food processing. It did get smoother and fluffier.

The last step is to mix in some cheese (I used shredded Parmesan), put it into a casserole dish, top with more cheese and bake until warm and golden brown.

It looked perfect!

It tasted like little tiny bits of cauliflower in a tasty sauce. Which is tasty enough, but my poor dreams of healthier "faux"-tatoes were sadly shattered.

The Parmesan chicken turned out pretty well, however, and because this is a recipe on the Internet, I made it with a few changes ;) . Which is to say, I did whatever I wanted. (Wayward, hello?)

I mixed some breadcrumbs with a spice mix we got at the North Carolina state farmer's market and dredged the chicken in them, then broiled them for a couple minutes. After I flipped them, I added shredded Parmesan on top and broiled them for a couple minutes again.

For the sauce, I used a can of diced tomatoes with sweet onions. I poured about half the 14-oz can into a 8x8 baking dish, added the remaining breadcrumb/spice mix and some minced garlic and stirred.

Once the chicken was ready, I placed the pieces in my sauce, poured the rest of the tomatoes over the top and topped with mozzarella. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and enjoy!

We really liked the texture of the diced tomatoes instead of a traditional pureed marinara, and the flavor had a great kick.

What wayward or wonderful recipes have you tried lately?

Sauteed Veggies

One of my favorite ways to prepare veggies is to saute them. It's pretty easy. I like to get a mixed bunch of vegetables. I typically get broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and snow peas. It works best if you  have pan with a nice fitting lid. This will help trap in the moisture. On medium heat, add some olive oil to the pan. Then throw in your veggies. Make sure the vegetables get coated in the olive oil. You can add more oil on top of them as well. I found wooden spoons to help in mixing up the veggies the best. I like to add a touch of garlic or garlic salt. It enhances the flavors but don't put too much in that it over powers tastes. Add some regular salt as well. Stir every once in a while. It really depends on how much you're cooking as too how long you need to saute the veggies. Make sure you keep the lid on as much as possible. When the veggies have turned a brighter green (minus the cauliflower) then they are ready to go!

*The broccoli is what turns the brightest green. I usually gauge if they're done or not by the color of the broccoli. And yes, that's homemade fried chicken as well :)