Spring Vegetable and Goat Cheese Lasagna

This was AMAZING. I would serve this for a brunch/light lunch or as a side dish with dinner for company. Even Chuck loved this, which is big because it A. contains lots of green vegetables and B. does not contain meat.

I subbed in four green onions for the leek.

Spring Vegetable and Goat Cheese Lasagna

Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad

I wanted to post one last pasta salad before the cold weather overtook us for good. This recipe was in an article of Everyday Food that discussed making big batches of food and using it for several different dishes. This was a good weeknight pasta salad, and I liked the technique of salting the zucchini to drain the excess water out of it.

Since this recipe was for a big batch (calling for one pound of orzo, which, since orzo seems to multiply in magical fashion, is a LOT) and I only wanted to use it for a side dish and then some lunches, I only made a third of the original recipe, which was still a lot. Other notes I have about the recipe:

• Red onion seems to lose it's color when mixed into a dressing after awhile. If you need to make this over 12 hours in advance, I wouldn't add the red onion until right before serving.


• For the small amount of jalapeno that was added, it contributed a big flavor to the salad. Not a spicy one, but one that I didn't really enjoy, so next time I will leave this out.

Here's the link...and good-bye summer!!

Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad

Penne with Grilled Summer Squash, Sweeet Corn, and Shrimp

I think it's pretty obvious that we love pasta in our house. This recipe from a recent issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray used delicious summer vegetables and one of my favorites - ricotta cheese. I made it into a main meal by adding some shrimp to the mix. Chuck and I both agreed that this dish needed more flavor. The original recipe did not call for cooking the tomatoes, but my version below suggests sauteeing them a little with the garlic to add a little more depth.

Penne with Grilled Summer Squah, Sweet Corn, and Shrimp
adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray
makes about 3 servings

1/2 pound penne pasta
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 yellow summer squash (just under a pound), halved crosswise and then cut into 3 thick slabs
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tomato, chopped
3/4 cup corn kernels (1 ear or use frozen)
1/2 of a 15-ounce contained ricotta cheese
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon chopped thyme

Preheat a grill to medium-high or a grill pan on the stove over medium-high heat.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted, boiling water according to package directions. During last 3 minutes of cooking, add shrimp. Drain pasta and shrimp, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Brush the squash pieces with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt. Grill, turning once, until charred, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly, then coarsely chop and put in large bowl.

In small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, then add chopped tomatoes and cook until slightly softened, 3-4 minutes. Add to squash, along with ricotta cheese and thyme. Add the pasta and stir in some cooking water if needed.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Mother's Day Dinner 2011

This year for Mother's Day, Chuck and I had our families over for dinner to celebrate. I enjoyed spending my second Mother's Day with Abbie as well as with my fantastic mother and fabulous mother-in-law. I wanted dinner to be easy to put together beforehand and asked all the siblings to help with appetizers and dessert. Everyone brought something delicious and we all had a good time eating, drinking, and blowing bubbles with Abbie. :)

Mother's Day Dinner 2011

Appetizers

• Brie-stuffed mushrooms


• Spinach artichoke feta dip with pita chips


• Bacon appetizer crescents


• Assorted cheese and cracker platter

Dinner

• Grilled chicken with barbecue sauce or honey dijon marinade


• Cavatelli salad with artichokes and goat cheese


• Southwestern layered cornbread salad (without the chicken)


• Zucchini and yellow squash gratin
  

Dessert

• Bakery cupcakes


• Cookies and cream cheesecakes


• Assorted cookies

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

I was hosting a little ladies' lunch with some friends and saw this in a recent issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. There is a zucchini bread I make that I really like, so I figured if you add chocolate it just gets even better!

This was a very tasty little snack cake, but personally I would stick with serving it at lunch and not after a fancy dinner party. It was a pretty dense cake, with a nice chocolate taste, and the only way you could tell there was zucchini in it was the texture. A little on the dry side, I would definitely recommend serving it with the vanilla yogurt as pictured and suggested in the recipe. If you don't have espresso powder, ground coffee will do just fine; and I used the more neutral-tasting canola oil instead of olive oil. Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Snack Cake

Zucchini, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Mozzarella Tart

This recipe is an old favorite of mine - it has an impressive presentation that doesn't really take a lot of work. And it has a lot of my favorite flavors, all laid out for you in the title! The sun-dried tomatoes add a nice bite and the mozzarella cheese complements the zucchini nicely.

As with the mushroom quiche I just posted, if you are making this in advance, I recommend baking it right away, otherwise the crust will get soggy. Then just reheat in a 250 degree oven covered with foil until warm, or you can just serve it at room temperature. My pictures show the tart before reheating, hence why it is still in the tart pan, but be sure to remove to a serving platter before eating.

I haven't made any changes to the original recipe from Bon Appetit/Epicurious.com:

Zucchini, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Mozzarella Tart

Lemony Orzo Salad

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I am a huge fan of making pasta salads during the summer. They are so easy to prepare in advance, and when I am serving a group of guests, I love just taking it out of the refrigerator and putting it on the table when we are ready to eat.

I love to use orzo for a nice light pasta salad - a little bit goes a long way and it can be combined with virtually everything! All amounts of the add-ins are approximate - add more or less of whatever you'd like! This particular salad has great flavors, with the lemony vinaigrette paired with fresh veggies and salty olives and feta cheese. Yum!

Lemony Orzo Salad

adapted from Cooking Light, found on Aggie's Kitchen

Makes 8+ servings

3/4 pound uncooked orzo

1 medium zucchini, diced.

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1 tablespoon minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil

6 tablespoons good quality olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1/3 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olived, sliced in half lengthwise

Cook the orzo according to package directions to al dente. Drain well and rinse with cool water.

Combine orzo, zucchini, and onion in a large bowl; toss well. In a small bowl, whisk together parsley and next 5 ingredients (through pepper).

Stir into orzo mixture; add tomato, cheese, and olives, tossing gently to coat. Refrigerate 4-24 hours.

Zippy Turkey Bake

The time has finally come for me to start making meals that I can freeze and then use after the baby is born. We love casseroles in our house, so it's a fairly easy task. I got this recipe from a cookbook my mom had and played with the amounts of ingredients so that I could get two dinner-sized dishes out of it - one to eat now and one to freeze.

It turned out very well for a weeknight supper. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef, but you could use either (I didn't think Zippy Meat Bake had quite the right ring to it though). Chuck and I both enjoyed this slightly spicy, creamy, cheesy dish with just the right amount of hearty vegetables.

Zippy Turkey Bake
adapted from Taste of Home
Makes 6-8 servings

1 1/3 pound package lean ground turkey
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 medium zucchini or yellow squash, halved vertically and sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups rice, cooked (I measured out 3 cups uncooked rice, not 3 cups cooked rice)
2 (4-ounce) cans diced green chilies
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9 or two 8 x 8 baking dishes.

Cook turkey over medium heat in large skillet, drain. Add butter, zucchini, mushrooms, and green onions; cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Drain if necessary. Stir in chili powder, salt, and garlic powder. Remove from heat.

If the skillet is big enough, add rice, green chilies, sour cream, and 1 cup shredded cheese to turkey mixture and stir to combine. If not, add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix.

Turn mixture into baking dishes. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until heated through and slightly bubbly.

Orzo with Grilled Summer Vegetables and Pesto Vinaigrette

I don't think I even need to tell you again how much I love pasta salads, especially those made with orzo! My cousin Michael invited Chuck and me over for dinner and asked us to bring a side dish. So when I saw this recipe for an orzo salad, I printed it out right away and changed it a bit for what I needed.

As you can see here, I did not grill the zucchini (or the peppers for that matter) on the actual grill, since I was home by myself and didn't really want to turn it on. My grill pan did a very nice job, and you could use a Foreman grill or panini press as well if that's what you have.

This salad is nice at room temperature but you should definitely leave some time to chill it beforehand so that the flavors meld together. Enjoy this summery, fresh-tasting pasta salad!

Orzo with Grilled Summer Vegetables and Pesto Vinaigrette

adapted from epicurious.com

Makes 6-8 side dish servings

8 ounces orzo

4 tablespoons good quality extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided

kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 large zucchini, halved and cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices (just cut it so that it's easy to grill)

1 red bell pepper, quartered

2 1/2 tablespoons pesto

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

1 medium tomato, diced

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into bite-sized cubes

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add orzo and cook until al dente, 8-9 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.

Heat grill to medium-high heat, or heat a grill pan to medium-high. (If you use the grill pan, add a little olive oil to the pan.) Whisk 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar in small bowl. Brush zucchini and bell pepper on both sides with oil mixture, season with salt and pepper. Grill 3-4 minutes per side for zucchini and 4-5 minutes per side for pepper. Remove from heat and coarsely chop. Add to orzo.

Whisk together pesto, lime juice, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar in small bowl. Add to orzo mixture along with tomato, cheese, and basil. Toss to combine, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chill for 4-24 hours. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Zucchini Bread

My mom has been making this bread for as long as I can remember. Some people may turn up their noses at zucchini being in a sweet quick bread, but it really adds a nice flavor and you can't really taste it as "zucchini". See, it's not even green ;)

When I make this I leave one loaf out for us to snack on and freeze the other loaf so that we can enjoy it again! I like to eat this warmed up with a little butter or cream cheese on it.


Zucchini Bread
from Jo's Kitchen
Makes 2 loaves


3 eggs
1 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups raw, peeled, grated zucchini (2 small zucchini)
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 loaf pans. (9 x 5 pans are fine too, your loaves will just be a little shorter.)


Beat eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer until foamy. Add oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in zucchini.


Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add into zucchini mixture and beat on low until combined.


Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Run a butter knife around the edge of the loaves, cool for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

When I saw this recipe in the June issue of Everyday Food, I knew I had to make it. We don't have gnocchi that often and to make a dish with delicious summer vegetables was just what I had in mind for dinner. I served this alongside broiled flounder topped with lemon-pepper seasoning and garlic powder.

I changed around the amounts a little bit, because for my purposes there would have been way too many vegetables if I used the original recipe. Also, when I saw this over on Reservations Not Required, she mentioned how lovely the sauce was, and I wanted enough to coat all the gnocchi s I pared down the veggies a little bit.

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables
adapted from Everyday Food
Makes 3-4 side dish servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 zucchini or summer squash, quartered and sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 package (15 to 16 ounces) frozen gnocchi
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Reserving 1/4 cup or so of cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to create a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, butter, and lemon juice. Serve garnished with more cheese if desired.

Penne with Shrimp, Zucchini, and Tomatoes in Vodka Sauce

This dish kind of came about from what I had left in the freezer and refrigerator, and also changed direction as I was making it! Originally I thought I had enough vodka sauce left over to properly cover all of the pasta, but I was sorely mistaken. Luckily I had a can of diced tomatoes in the pantry to add to the mix.

We ended up liking this a lot though. Lots of great flavors, and don't be shy with the garlic and onion because that really adds a lot to the dish. If you don't like ricotta cheese, you can leave it out, but even Chuck, who doesn't like ricotta, agreed that it was quite tasty in here.

As usual when I am making my own creation, all ingredient amounts are approximate, so feel free to add more or less of any ingredient. Enjoy!

Penne with Shrimp, Zucchini, and Tomatoes in Vodka Sauce

from Colleen's Kitchen

Makes 3-4 servings

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium zucchini, quartered vertically and cut into thick slices

kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 cup vodka sauce

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

8 ounces penne pasta

8 ounces (about 16-20) large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion, saute until just beginning to turn golden, 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium and add zucchini, season with salt and pepper. Continue to saute until onion and zucchini are cooked through, 3-5 minutes more. Add vodka sauce and diced tomatoes with juices, heat through.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add penne, cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add shrimp to pasta pot. Drain pasta and shrimp.

Add pasta and shrimp to zucchini and sauce mixture. Add ricotta and gently mix all until combined. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

Sauteed Zucchini and Tomatoes

My mom has been making this wonderful side dish for as long as I can remember. It's simple to make, doesn't need the oven in case you have other things baking in there, and is a way of getting your vegetables along with some cheese! I had an extra regular tomato that I used in these pictures, but I recommend using cherry or grape tomatoes, they keep their shape much better while cooking.

The ingredient amounts below are enough for Chuck and I to have a large serving each, so just double, triple, or more for a larger crowd. I wouldn't recommend making this in advance, because it will most likely get soggy while waiting in the refrigerator.

Sauteed Zucchini and Tomatoes

from Jo's Kitchen

Makes 2 servings

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 medium zucchini, cut into approx. 1/4"-1/2" slices

a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in halves

1/2 cup (approx.) shredded mozzarella cheese

kosher salt and coarse ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, season with salt and pepper. Let cook until golden brown on one side, about 3-5 minutes then flip and cook on the other side, 3-5 minutes more.

Add the tomatoes and heat through. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and heat until cheese melts. Season again with salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

Parmesan-Crusted Zucchini Sticks

When I choose appetizers to serve at a get-together, I often turn towards the hot dips or something heavy with carbs and/or cheese (who doesn't like that, right?). So when I was planning my Pizza Night menu, I knew that I wanted to do something a little lighter since the actual meal was basically carbs and cheese itself!


These little guys popped up in my Google Reader and they looked perfect - veggies PLUS served with a tomato-based sauce to fit into the pizza theme. They were a great little snack coated with bread crumbs and cheese (ok so I can't totally get away from that!). The only things I would do differently next time is season the zucchini more before coating them and drizzle with a little olive oil before baking so they don't turn out as dry.


Parmesan-Coated Zucchini Sticks
slightly adapted from For the Love of Cooking via Closet Cooking
Makes 4-6 appetizer servings


1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
1 pound zucchini (about 2 large)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg (lightly beaten)
olive oil
marinara sauce, either store-bought or homemade


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.


Slice the washed zucchini into wedges, then pat wedges dry so all excess moisture is removed. Season zucchini liberally with salt and pepper.


Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and oregano in a shallow bowl. Place egg in another shallow bowl. Dip zucchini in the egg, then the bread crumb mixture, place on baking sheet.


Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Eggplant, Tomato, and Zucchini Stacks

This dish is very impressive to serve to company because each person gets their own little individual stack of vegetables. Each vegetable really pops out at you, so you have to like all three in order to enjoy this! But the layers of vegetables in addition to the herbs and cheeses make a very nice accompaniment to any meal.

I changed a few things from the original recipe, namely the amount of onions. The original recipe calls for 4 onions, with only 8 servings, so that means each person is eating half of an onion! I knew that wouldn't fly with my family, so I brought it all the way down to one and it still had a nice onion flavor. Additionally, I felt that the "stack" as a whole was a little dry, so I am adding some more cheese to this version of the recipe (can't hurt, right?!).

Onions and herbs

Eggplant, Tomato, and Zucchini Stacks

adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Makes 8 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 yellow onion, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
10 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 16 slices
4 medium tomatoes, sliced into 16 slices
4 small zucchini, sliced into 48 slices

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat an oven to 425°F.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, basil, oregano and parsley and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat.

Drizzle one tablespoon olive oil over the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. Place 8 eggplant slices in a single layer in the pan and season with salt. Top each with 1/2 tsp. onions and 1 tomato slice and season with salt. Top each with 3 slices of zucchini, then 1 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layers: eggplant, salt, onions, tomatoes, salt, zucchini, mozzarella cheese.

Drizzle each vegetable stack with olive oil. Bake until the vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

Sprinkle each stack with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and bake for 7 to 10 minutes more. Let the vegetables rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Eggplant ready to be stacked:

First layer complete (without mozzarella):

And ready to eat!

Kerchief Pasta with Caramelized Squash and Fresh Herbs

I would like to apologize in advance for the craptastic pictures that will be coming your way soon. I tried my best to take photos of everything going on with our dinner; but by the time it was ready to sit down for dinner all I wanted to do was EAT. So you get my orangey, low-light pics of the final product!

Anyway, this pasta was delicious! I am not usually one for sweet tastes in my main meal, but the copious amount of butter, onions and herbs really made gave the pasta many levels of flavor.

Krista and I opted out of making fresh pasta like the recipe called for since we were making so many other things at the same time, so we bought some fresh lasagna noodles and cut them into wide ribbons. We also conquered another one of our fears (well, maybe just my fear), peeling a butternut squash:

Super easy! Just cut off the ends and use your vegetable peeler. Then cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon. The squash took considerably longer than the recipe calls for to brown as well, so cook it until you see it browning, but don't leave it too long or it will be too soft.

Kerchief Pasta with Caramelized Squash
from Williams-Sonoma
Makes 4-6 servings

9 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 kabocha or butternut squash, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons finely diced shallots
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pound fresh pasta sheets, cut into 2-inch squares
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until browned underneath, about 6 minutes. Stir the squash and cook until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes more. Add the sugar, broth, salt and pepper, cover and cook until the squash is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the squash is dark brown and glazed, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the squash mixture to a bowl.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 6 Tbs. butter until light brown spots appear, about 2 minutes. Add the shallots, nutmeg and sage and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the squash.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and the reserved cooking water to the squash mixture and toss to combine.

Transfer the pasta to a warmed large, shallow bowl and sprinkle with some of the cheese. Serve immediately and pass the remaining cheese alongside.

Stuffed Zucchini

Chuck made fun of these and called them old-fashioned "zucchini boats". I would like to take the more elegant road and call them "stuffed zucchini". I got the inspiration for this recipe from my previously mention basics book, Better Homes and Gardens. Taste-tester Chuck thought there was way too much zucchini taste and not even stuffing taste.

So the way I am going to write out this recipe includes my changes I will make next time. (Notice the absence of tomatoes in the pictures, and there are only 2 zucchini.) If you try these and add anything else, let me know! This is one of those dishes that have endless variations, so have fun with it!

Stuffed Zucchini
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
Makes 4 servings

4 medium zucchini
1 slightly beaten egg
1 cup soft bread crumbs
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
2 teaspoons dehydrated minced onion
1 tablespoon fresh chopped or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add zucchini and cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Remove pulp with spoon, leaving about a quarter inch shell. Reserve pulp.

Coarsely chop the pulp and place in medium bowl. Stir in egg, bread crumbs, 1/2 of the cheese, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Fill zucchini shells with pulp mixture. Place in shallow baking pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more or until heated through.

Zucchini Pie

Amy, over at Dinners for a Year and Beyond, is a personal chef and basically has my dream job. She is able to spend her days cooking for others and then comes home and cooks more amazing meals for her own family. I asked her about what it takes to become a personal chef and received some great advice back from her. Maybe one day!

Her blog is one that I often save recipes from, and this recipe for Zucchini Pie looked delicious so I couldn't wait to try it. It comes together fairly quickly and is a great blend of vegetables and cheeses. I apologize for the horrific picture of the fully baked pie, but my guests were waiting to eat and I only had a second to get a photo!

Zucchini Pie
Dinners for a Year and Beyond
Makes 8 servings

1 pie crust, unbaked
Dijon mustard
1/4 cup butter
4 cups sliced zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini)
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese, I used a combination of mild cheddar and mozzarella
2 large eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line a pie plate with the pie crust and brush with Dijon mustard. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large saute pan and add zucchini and onion. Saute for about 8 minutes. Add the parsley, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic salt. Toss to coat.

Cool slightly and then add cheese and eggs and mix. Pour into the prepared pie crust and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. Cool slightly before serving

Before

After...and in a hurry to eat!

Summer Veggie Pasta Saute

On Monday (re: pre-blog) I made a fabulous pasta dish from my friend Mollie over Reading, 'Riting, and Recipes. Hence, no pictures, but it was too good not to share! It was a beautiful dish to look at and the creamy cheese really gave the sauce depth without adding too much fat. My changes in pink italics.

Summer Veggie Pasta Saute
Mollie’s Collection
Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6-8 ounces hot Italian sausage, crumbled
1 ½ - 2 cups sliced zucchini I used one zucchini, halved it vertically; then sliced
1-1 ½ cups fat free low sodium chicken broth
1-2 large shallots, sliced
3-4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 pint (2 cups) grape or cherry tomatoes – halved
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon Penzeys Pasta Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, oregano, and thyme
8-10 fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons I omitted
3 wedges laughing cow cheese
10 unces pasta of your choice – 1 cup of pasta water reserved (or 4 servings of filled pasta of your choice) I used 8 ounces spinach fettuccine

Heat a large pot of well salted water and cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat half of the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. I did not use the oil to begin with and instead added the crumbled sausage to the heated pan, cooked through, and removed from the pan. Now add the oil. Add the zucchini and season with salt. Stir occasionally until it begins to brown. Remove the zucchini from the pan and set aside.

To the leftover browned bits in the bottom of the pan, add the remaining olive oil. When heated, add the shallots and garlic, cooking until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth, being sure to stir up all the bits from the bottom of the pan with a flat wooden spoon. When it begins to simmer, add the tomatoes. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by at about half. Season with more salt, crushed red pepper and the pasta sprinkle seasoning.

When the sauce has thickened, turn the heat down to low and add the cheese and stir as it begins to melt. Add in the cooked pasta and the reserved zucchini and toss to combine, making sure to coat everything with the sauce. Use some of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce and help with melting the cheese. I did not need to do this. Sprinkle with the basil and season again to taste.

Serve immediately.