Tag: Recipes

I made this delicious zucchini recipe last night, much to the dismay of my dieting conscience.. and I gotta tell ya….. as my mother would say… Food For The Gods!!   With the growing season on the near horizon, this is a great recipe, a meal in itself! .. for all that summer zucchini

Ingredients:
3 large Zucchini
1/2 large onion, chopped fine (I used onion powder instead)
1 Tbsp butter
5 – 6 slices crispy bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder  (we don’t like curry, I left it out)
1  tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves ( I used dried)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese – ( don’t be bashful)
fresh cracked black pepper

(you can also make these vegetarian and take the bacon out or use a meat sub. or replace with some olives or any other veggie)

Wash the Zucchini – Slice in half lengthwise. Leave the ends on to keep the filling in. Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller or a spoon. Leave a ledge of zucchini around the edges. Arrange the zucchini boats in a baking dish. Chop the zucchini flesh as small as you like.  I put it in a blender.

Finely chop half a sweet onion (or use onion powder).  Chop up some good smokey bacon. Add the curry powder (or not)… cook until desired doneness of onions and remove from heat (unless you’re using onion powder). To the zucchini flesh, add sour cream.  Rough chop some fresh thyme leaves (or use dried Thyme). Mix onion and bacon  with other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the tomatoes.  You don’t want the filling to be all runny, so you might want to seed the tomato (I didn’t) . Add some parmegiano to the mix… Refill the zucchini shells with the filling mixture.

Grate some good aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top and sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.  

( This is my variation of a recipe found on FB – origin- someone named Crafty Witch )

  The spring-like weather had me in a garden state of mind yesterday, so  I made an Heirloom Tomato pie recipe for dinner, along with Dad’s swedish meatballs   The men in the house would not be satisfied with Tomato pie alone.  This recipe is an adaption from a recipe posted on the Food Network, but I think I found it last year on someone elses blog.  Let me know in the comments if you are the someone.

Ingredients:

Pie crust, either store bought or home made (I used stored bought – the shame of it! )
3/4 cup  shredded manchego cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup sour cream
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 1/4 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes ( I bought what the store had since it’s not garden season yet)
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme ( I left that out, not a fan)

Directions:
Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

To make the filling: in a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

Thinly slice the tomatoes and toss with 1 teaspoon  salt in a colander. Let drain, gently tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Combine the manchego, mozzarella, sour cream, breadcrumbs,  2 tablespoons parsley, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper and the sauteed onion in a bowl. Spread into the crust. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are browned, about 50 minutes. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.   YUM~ try it! you will not be disappointed.

Oat Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Maple Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
(I doubled this recipe for a family of four, using chicken cutlets)

1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
1 1/4 tsp of salt
1 cup of old fashioned oats
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tbsp of rosemary
1 tbsp of thyme
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan, plus more for garnish
1 egg
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 lb)  ( I used thin cutlets, we like them much better)
2 tbsp of olive oil
Arugula (optional)

Place sweet potatoes in a medium lidded pot; cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain, return to pot and mash. Stir in butter, milk, maple syrup and 1/2 tsp of salt.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine oats, garlic, rosemary, thyme, 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper. Pulse several times until all ingredients are roughly chopped. Pour into a bowl and add parmesan. In a second bowl, beat egg with 2 tbsp water. In a third bowl, blend flour and 1/4 tsp of salt.

Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness. Coat each breast on both sides with flour. Dip into beaten egg, allowing excess to drip off chicken. Finally, coat with oat mixture and place on baking sheet. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 of the chicken breasts; cook for 4 minutes. Flip over and reduce heat to medium; cook for 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and 2 chicken breasts.

Top chicken with parmesan and, if desired, drizzle with warm maple syrup. Serve with sweet potatoes, and, if desired, arugula.