Baked Zucchini

I was craving something au gratin tonight.  I had some nice zucchini from the store, but then I had second-thoughts.  Even the lighter versions of au gratin have high-ish calorie counts, and I didn't want to go there tonight.  So I decided on a simple, easy zucchini bake.  Yum yum!

I used 1/2 cup parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella tonight, and it was a bit much.  I've decreased the cheese amount in the recipe below, but how much you use would ultimately depend on your tastes and the size of your zucchini.

Baked Zucchini


Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4" discs.
• a large pinch of dried basil
• a large pinch of dried thyme
• a small pinch of dried rosemary
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 1/3-ish cup shredded parmesan
• 1/3-ish cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a medium baking dish with olive oil.  Set aside.
• In a small skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil, then add sliced onion and cook over medium heat until soft.  Pour into a large mixing bowl.
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl, reserving a couple of tablespoons each of the cheeses.  Toss everything until well incorporated.  Pour the zucchini mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and return the dish back to the oven for another 5 - 10 minutes until the cheese melts.

Off Topic - Decorated Cookies - Trains, Valentine Hearts, Leprechauns and Shamrocks, Easter Eggs ,Bunnies and Chicks, Teacher Appreciation

As some of you already know, I've been decorating cakes as a hobby since I was 10 years old.  My mom even bought me my own decorating tool caddy with, like, a dozen different tips to use, a handful of couplers, flower nails, and those oh-so-fun-to-clean piping bags.  Every so often I'd pick up a copy of the latest Wilton decorating magazine and I had a blast, it always felt good to be able to zone out in front of a blank cake canvas and get my creative juices flowing.

Nowadays, 30 years later, I still do decorate the occasional cake, but it seems like the chore of cleaning grease-based frosting from tips and couplers (at least we have disposable piping bags now, or else I'd have completely quit a long time ago) over-rides my desire for creativity.

Earlier this year, as I was planning my little one's first birthday party, I was trying to come up with a fun party favor when I came across decorated sugar cookies online.  Well, sure, I've seen lots of them before, but never gave them much thought until I decided to make some for little one's party.  The flooding part is different than frosting a cake, but the piping technique is very similar.  And royal icing, unlike buttercream, is just sugar, water and meringue powder, no grease and easy to clean!

So here's what I've done over the past 4 months.

February - Train cake and cookie favors for little one's first birthday party
Still learning about icing consistency, it was too runny but the cookies still turned out cute. Can you believe I baked and decorated 60 trains?!  Crazy first attempt at decorating cookies.  5 dozen vanilla sugar cookies.
 

February - Valentine's Day playdate; heart cookies
Much better icing consistency.  These were time consuming but so much fun!  1 dozen chocolate sugar cookies.
 

March - St. Patrick's Day playdate; leprechaun and shamrock cookies
1 dozen chocolate and 1 dozen vanilla sugar cookies.

 

April - Easter brunch at in-laws; bunny, baby chick and egg cookies
18 chocolate sugar cookies.



 May - Teacher Appreciation Week for big one's teachers; square and daisy cookies
1 dozen chocolate and 1 dozen vanilla sugar cookies.

 

That's it for now.  I'm having so much fun with this that I wish I had more time to do it more often.  I'll post more as I make more.  I need a place to keep these pictures for reference, and I can't keep up with two blogs, so they'll make the occasional appearance on here.  Thanks for bearing with me.

Mashed Cauliflower

A South Beach Diet staple.  This is great in place of mashed potatoes or grits.  Make sure you cook the cauliflower until it's fall-apart tender, otherwise the texture will be gritty and not creamy.  There are many versions out there, but this is how I make it.

Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, washed and chopped
• water
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 2 tablespoons Smart Balance
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

Directions:

• Dump the cauliflower into a large pot and add water until it covers the cauliflower.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to medium and cook until it is completely soft, approx 15 - 20 minutes, depending on the amount of cauliflower and size of your cut pieces.  Drain and add the cooked cauliflower back to the pot.
• Add 1/4 cup of milk, Smart Balance, parmesan, and TSSS and TSGG to taste.  Heat through over medium heat to melt the SB and cheese (don't scald the milk!).  Using an immersion blender, puree until creamy.  Add more milk as needed.

Note: Start out with just 1/4 cup milk, even though it might sink to the bottom and not look like enough.  You'll get a better idea of thickness after you puree the cauliflower and can add more milk afterwards if it's too thick. If you add too much milk up front, you can add a little more cheese to thicken it up a bit but it's hard to fix if it's soupy.

Chicken with Spinach, Mozzarella and Roasted Red Peppers

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  I did mine on the stove top instead of on the grill, making it a one-pan, one-method dish.

Also, I bought a beautiful jar of virgin unrefined coconut oil that I'm going to start cooking with, just to see what all the hype is about.  So far so good.

Chicken with Spinach, Mozzarella and Roasted Red Peppers
Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 4 chicken breast cutlets
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• a large handful of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 4 tablespoons shredded part-skim mozzarella
• roasted red pepper strips

Directions:

• Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Season both sides of each chicken cutlet with TSSS and TSGG.  Sauté them on both sides until just cooked through.
• Divide the spinach on top of the cutlets, followed by the cheese and red pepper strips.  Cover the skillet and turn off the heat.  Let sit for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and spinach and red peppers are warmed.

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Orange

Huge, sweet navel oranges are still in season.  So yummy!

Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Orange

Ingredients:

• a 1-lb. pork tenderloin all visible fat removed
• olive oil
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• dried rosemary
• dried basil
• 1 large navel orange, peeled and segmented
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil.
• On a cutting board, slice the tenderloin length-wise (like you're unrolling a cinnamon bun) a few times until you get an open rectangle of meat that is about 1/2-inch thick.  Drizzle some olive oil on it, sprinkle some TSSS, rosemary and basil, and give everything a good rub.
• Arrange the orange segments (make sure to remove all membranes, which become a little bitter after being cooked) in a single layer on top of the open seasoned tenderloin. Roll the stuffed tenderloin up and lay it seam side down onto the baking sheet.
• Drizzle the rolled stuffed tenderloin with olive oil and sprinkle with TSGG and TSSS.
• Roast in pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing on a diagonal.

Goat Cheese Alfredo with Roasted Red Peppers, Artichokes and Kale

ETA on 5/21/13 - I made the basic recipe today (no artichokes or kale) and used the immersion blender to puree it.  O.M.G. sooooo good!  Blending it really brings out the sweet roasted red pepper flavor.  I will be pureeing this from now on.

Sooooooooooooooo good.

As usual, I made some changes from the original recipe:  fat free evaporated milk instead of half & half because that's what I had on hand, 12 oz. instead of 1 cup because a can of evap milk is 12 oz. and I didn't want to store leftover milk.  5 oz. goat cheese instead of 4 oz. because the log I bought was 5 oz., and again I didn't want to store a smidge of leftover cheese.  Since this increased the amount of sauce, I added an extra pepper.  14 oz. artichoke hearts because that was the size of the can.  And I added some leftover roasted kale I had in the fridge.  I didn't use the immersion blender (too lazy to find it and pull it out) so I minced the roasted red peppers on my cutting board.  Because I added so much extra, this easily serves 4.

Goat Cheese Alfredo with Roasted Red Peppers, Artichokes and Kale
Adapted from this recipe.

 Ingredients:

• 3 red bell peppers
• 1/2 lb. whole wheat fettuccine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (12 oz.) can fat free evaporated milk
• 1 (5 oz.) log of goat cheese
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan (plus more for topping)
• 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2 cups roasted kale
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.  Roast the peppers for 30 minutes, turning them halfway through.  Remove from oven and cover with foil.  Let sit for 10 - 15 minutes until cool enough to handle, then peel and discard the skin and discard the core.  Mince the roasted peppers and set aside.
• Prepare pasta to al dente, per package instructions.  Drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft.  Add the evaporated milk and goat cheese.  Stir frequently until cheese is melted.  Add parmesan and continue stirring until melted.
• Add the minced roasted peppers, chopped artichoke hearts, roasted kale and TSSS to taste.  Stir until combined and well heated.  Add the cooked pasta and toss.
• Serve topped with more parmesan.

If you want a deeper red color, add the peppers, then puree the mixture with an immersion blender before adding in the artichokes and kale.

Tequila Lime Shrimp

I was rummaging through my liquor cabinet and found a lonely bottle of tequila in there with only about 2 tablespoons of goodness left in it.  Who would leave that in there?  That's not even enough for a shot!  That's like leaving a drop of milk in the milk carton and stashing it back into the fridge.

Tequila Lime Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 2 tablespoons tequila
• juice of a lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• 2 tablespoons Smart Balance

Directions:

• Place all the ingredients, except for the Smart Balance, into a plastic zip bag and let marinade in the fridge for about an hour.  (Shrimp is usually naturally salty to begin with, so go lightly on the TSSS.)
• Melt the Smart Balance in a skillet over medium heat.  Remove the shrimp from the marinade and sauté in the skillet, a minute or two on each side.  Transfer the shrimp to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Pour the marinade into the skillet and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for several minutes until the sauce is reduced by half.
• Plate the shrimp over brown rice and drizzle with the sauce.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

This made the house smell A-MAZING! I'll add some capers towards the end next time.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore
Taken from this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 12 oz. tomato paste
• 6 oz. sliced mushroom
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

Directions:

• Place the onions in the bottom of the crockpot.  Layer the chicken over the onions
• In a large bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over the chicken.
• Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.  (I did 8 hours and it was a bit dry b/c I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Next time I will probably reduce it to 6 hours.)
• 1/2 hour before the end of cooking time, roughly shred the chicken with two forks, then stir to combine.

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Spinach and Prosciutto

Using up what's in the fridge.

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Spinach and Prosciutto


Ingredients:

• 2 1-lb. pork tenderloins, all visible fat removed
• a large handful of big spinach leaves
• 3 oz. thinly-sliced prosciutto
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• olive oil

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil.
• On a cutting board, slice each tenderloin length-wise (like you're unrolling a cinnamon bun) a few times until you get an open rectangle of meat that is about 1/2-inch thick.  
• Arrange half of the spinach in a double-layer on top of the open tenderloin.  Then arrange half of the sliced prosciutto in a single layer on top of the spinach.  Roll the stuffed tenderloin up and lay it seam side down onto the baking sheet.  Repeat with the second tenderloin.
• Sprinkle each stuffed tenderloin with TSSS and TSGG.  Drizzle with olive oil and massage.
• Roast in pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing on a diagonal.

Roasted Kale

This recipe came as an accident while I was making kale chips one day.  I overcrowded my pan because I was too lazy to spread the kale out over two pans.  So the leaves ended up crisp in some parts, and chewy in others.  The combo of textures was awesome.  The next time I made this on purpose, I cut way back on the salt, added some garlic, omitted the parmesan and spritzed it with a little lemon juice, which made it even more awesome.

Roasted Kale

Ingredients:

• a giant bunch of kale
• olive oil in a mister
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• 1/2 lemon

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Tear the kale into bite-size pieces.  Wash thoroughly and spin dry.
• Place the kale onto a baking sheet.  Mist with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with TSSS and TSGG, and spritz with the juice of 1/2 a lemon.  Toss everything with your hands until evenly coated. 
• Spread the kale out across the sheet, but you don't need a single layer.  It's fine (and actually preferred) if the kale is just mounded on there, that way you'll have some crispy pieces (from the corners and outer edges), and some chewy pieces (from the center and bottoms).
• Roast in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.  (10 minutes if you prefer it mostly chewy.)