Chorizo & Zucchini

I don’t know about you, but one zucchini plant can yield more product than I can deal with. As a result, I end up both giving it away and looking for creative ways to use it.

Recently, I stumbled across this combination and with with a few “tweaks” it ended up being a dish my guests kept coming back for!

The Chorizo I used came from a source that I trust and know their farming practices. If you are interested, a link has been provided for you.

Chorizo & Zucchini

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1 pound loose chorizo

• 4 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

• 1 lime, zested and juiced

• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, roughly chopped

• Salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the olive oil over a medium-low heat in a large skillet and add the chorizo. Cook for 5 minutes, until the fat has rendered out and the chorizo is slightly crisp. Transfer the cooked chorizo to a plate, but leave behind the oil.

2. Add the cubed zucchini to the hot skillet and increase the heat to medium. Sauté the zucchini, tossing occasionally, until browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro and cooked chorizo. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Summer Minestrone Soup

What is a person to do with all the zucchini and yellow squash that seems to take over the garden and our kitchen counters? One solution is to make a summer soup. Even the worst gardener seems to be able to grow squash and zucchini. Believe it or not, zucchini is very good for us. One medium zucchini provides as much as 14% of our daily allowance in potassium and 58% of our daily allowance of vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to support the immune system and greatly reduce chronic diseases, according to the Mayo Clinic. Besides that, zucchini is a low carbohydrate food, yet provides both fiber and protein, making it one of the best vegetables to include in your health regimen. Enjoy this soup on a busy work night or a relaxing weekend with friends.

Summer Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 4 cups vegetable broth or water

• 1 carrot, diced

• 1 medium zucchini, diced

• 1 medium yellow squash, diced

• 3 fresh garden tomatoes, diced

• 1 15 ounce can, cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

• 8 ounces of pasta of choice (I use gluten free)

• salt and pepper to taste

• Prepared pesto

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add a little water, diced onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.

2. Add broth or water, carrot, zucchini, and squash. Cook for about 5 minutes.

3. Then add tomatoes, beans, and pasta of choice.

4. Continue cooking until pasta is done. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Divide into serving bowls and top with a spoonful of prepared pesto.

Summer Vegetable Medley with Polenta

The season is just right for summer squash and eggplant.  When I think of those two vegetables, I think Italian. Most people associate eggplant with the popular parmesan, but that requires breadcrumbs along with cheese.  Although this recipe is vegan and gluten free, it doesn’t have to finish that way.  There is the option to use Parmesan cheese in the polenta and can be sprinkled on the top just like spaghetti.  The zucchini and the eggplants were purchased from the farmer’s market.  I also added shitake mushrooms, garlic and onions that I had on hand.  The tomatoes I used were from my own garden, but feel free to used canned tomatoes in its place.

Polenta is a quick and easy grain to use in the place of pasta.  Since most corn is a GMO substance, I strongly recommend using an oganic, non-GMO corn meal. Once it’s finished cooking, I placed mine in a. 9x12 casserole dish to let it cool and give it some shape. If there is time, place it in the oven to allow the top portion to dry out a little giving it some crunch. The best part of cooking is there are lots of options. Eat well, feel better.

Weather outside is sunny and very humid, temperature is currently 83 degrees.

Listening to Lauren Daigle Radio on Pandora

Scent in the diffuser today is Lavender

Summer Vegetable Medley with Polenta

Ingredients:

Polenta:

• 4 cups water

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 TBS olive oil

• ½ tsp dried oregano

• ½ tsp crushed red pepper

• 1 ½ cups organic cornmeal

• (½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, optional)

Mixture:

• 1 medium sized onion, sliced and cut in half

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• 1 large eggplant, diced

• 1 large zucchini, diced

• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cut into pieces

• 1 tsp basil

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 cup tomatoes 

  • Or one can of diced tomatoes, with juice

• ¾ cup prepared marinara sauce (omit if using can tomatoes with juice)

Directions:

1.  Put the water, salt, olive oil, oregano, and red pepper flakes in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil.  Whisk in the cornmeal as you pour into the boiling water in a steady stream. Bring back to a boil; reduce the heat to a very low simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the texture is smooth and creamy, 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese, if using.

2. While the water is boiling, place onion and garlic in a large skillet with a TBSP of water on medium heat.  Sauté for several minutes.  Add the eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms until nearly soft.

3.  Add tomatoes (fresh or canned) along with the sauce, basil and salt.  Cook an additional 5 minutes.  Keep warm.

4. Place polenta onto a place and top with vegetable medley and cheese if desired.

Can be served with a side salad or soup.

Curry Quinoa

I stumbled upon this recipe as a means to use up some excessive squash my garden was producing.  I had given away zucchini and squash, but as you know, there are still more that come.  Because I love both quinoa and curry, this mixture was sure to win big.  I doubled the recipe below so there would be left overs to take to work.  What I like most about curry dishes is the longer it sets (to a point) the better the flavors are.

Curry Quinoa

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock, divided
• 1/2 zucchini
• 2 carrots
• 1 round yellow squash
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 small purple onion
• 8 slices of ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 TBSP red curry paste

Directions:

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a medium pot.
2. Add 2 cups vegetable stock and 1/4 tsp. salt to the pot and bring to a boil.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, prep the veggies for the curry.  Chop zucchini, carrots, squash, bell pepper, and onion evenly in size.
4. In a separate pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1/2 cup vegetable stock. Once pan is heated, add the onion.  Sauté the onion until fragrant and then add the vegetables except for the ginger.  Let cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the coconut milk, curry paste, and ginger, stir, and cook on medium heat with lid on until completely warm.
6. Remove from heat and transfer into quinoa pot and mix well.

variations:

•  add 1 cup frozen then thawed peas in with the vegetables
• add 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro in with the ginger

Serves 4

adapted from THE CHINA STUDY COOKBOOK

Vegetable Lasagna

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Here is a recipe that I go back to time and time again. Lasagna is hearty and usually full of fat and calories.  This version is no different, but the heartiness comes from all the beautiful vegetables instead of meat. If you are lucky, you'll have leftovers, which are more flavorful the next day. Feel free to mix up the vegetables and add ones your family likes. Sometimes I'll use cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese.

Vegetable Lasagna

• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 1 cup chopped yellow pepper (about 1 medium)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
• 2 (8-ounce) packages of cremini mushrooms, sliced 2 cups
• (8-ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup (2-ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 5 cups marinara sauce, divided
• 12 precooked lasagna noodles (about 8 ounces)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add peppers and next 3 ingredients; sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and liquid evaporates. Add garlic, sauté 30 seconds.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, ricotta, 1/4 Parmesan, and egg, stirring well.
4. Spread 1 cup marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, top with 3 noodles. Spoon 1 cup marinara evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third of ricotta mixture and one-third of vegetable mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with 1 cup marinara. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
5. Cover and bake at 350º for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes. Yield 8 servings.

Calories: 378; Fat 11.4g; Protein 22.9g; Carb 46.5g; Fiber 5.9g; Chol 55mg; Iron 2.6mg; Sodium 667 mg, Calc. 434mg

Low Fat Chocolate Zucchini Bread

When my youngest daughter was small, she would ask for "bikini" bread! My mother was always kind enough to accommdate this small request and enjoyed declious, sweet bread.  Most sweet bread recipes call for a lot of oil, which turns me off in baking this type of bread for my family.  However, because of the addition of applesauce in the recipe, the fat is marginal in this moist dessert.  The chocolate satisfies those cravings for those of us who need a little chocolate from time to time. Enjoy!

Low Fat Chocolate Zucchini Bread

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 TBSP vegetable
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup applesauce
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
3. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating until just moist. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 350º for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean.
4. Cool before serving.

Pasta Mediterranean

This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light.  It's basically a one-pot meal.  Using a dutch oven, I cook the pasta first, drain and set it aside.  While the water is boiling and pasta is cooking, I prep the vegetables.  Ready to serve in 30 minutes, this a family favorite that is low in fat and overall calories. The original recipe calls for mozzarella cheese, but I substituted fresh Parmesan cheese to keep things lighter.

Pasta Mediterranean

• 1 pound pasta of your choice (I have used penne, rigatoni, spirals)

• olive oil

• 5 1/2 cups diced, peeled eggplant

• 6 gloves garlic, minced

• 2 cups diced onions

• 2 medium or 1 large zucchini, halved and sliced

• 1/4 cup fresh basil

• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 can (28-ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes, undrained

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to the directions in large dutch oven.

2. While pasta cooks, prep vegetables for use.

3. Drain pasta and set aside.

4. In same pot, add 2 TBSP olive oil.

5. Add eggplant to pan and sauté 3 minutes over medium/high heat.

6. Add garlic and onion, zucchini, cook additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Add basil and next three ingredients.

8. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

9. Add pasta and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

10. Transfer to serving dish.

11. Add additional 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Yields: 10 servings

Summer Chili

Even though the title of this recipe is summer, our family eats it all year long.  When fresh out-of-the-garden tomatoes are unavailable, I use petite diced canned tomatoes. Consider serving with Cornmeal Cornbread for a gluten-free dinner!

1. Summer Chili

• 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 TBSP chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cups juicy, chopped fresh tomatoes (or canned)
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup chopped white or portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, packed
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in medium pot.
2. Add onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin.
3. Saute over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Add remaining ingredients (except garnishes) and stir.
5. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
6. Add more liquid if needed.
7. Serve over rice if desired.
8. May garnish with cheddar cheese, guacamole, or fresh cilantro.