Showing posts with label Zucchini. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zucchini. Show all posts

Friday, June 13, 2014

Easy Zucchini Bake



When I say this is easy--it really is.  This picture was snapped in a hurry as my family was waiting to consume the dish.  It is one of our favorite quick meals.

I use this recipe for my leftovers in the refrigerator.  It is not uncommon for my kids to eat pasta with "red sauce" at least 3 times a week.  They love it.  Red sauce is any kind of Italian sauce. We make ours from scratch but using a jar brand is okay too.

I always have zucchini in the fridge.  We use them for our spiral salad, as noodles (see the marinara recipe) and in smoothies.  I just find that when I get down to two zucchini's it is almost not enough to do much with them.

I ground one pound of hamburger with 1/4 cup diced red onion, 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic and salt/pepper at the beginning of the week. This saves me a ton of time on busy nights to have this combination already pre-made and ready to go. With this basic ground beef mixture, I can whip this casserole up, add taco seasoning for taco salad, add it to a soup or make a quesadilla for the kids lunch.

Do you find yourself using left overs to make casseroles?  I feel like my Mom.  LOL

I know that some may find that a casserole is cheesy and creamy.  Well, I love those types too but we are trying to cut back on that and so this is the closest I get to cheesy--a little bit melted on top.

Whats with the guacamole?  Again, another leftover in the icebox.  It was awesome with each bite.  The zucchini had a bit of a bite and the guacamole was smooth and creamy.  Hey, there is that casserole yumminess right there, in the guacamole.

Easy Zucchini Bake

Serves 4

4 fresh small zucchinis, washed and halved
2 cups of cooked ground beef, seasoned (see comments above)
2-3 cups red sauce (homemade or store bought)
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
guacamole, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a small casserole dish (7X11) line up the halved zucchinis on the bottom of the pan.

3.  Sprinkle the meat, then pour the sauce, and add the cheese.

4.  Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.  The idea is to steam/cook until the zucchini is tender.  The zucchini will produce a small amount of water at the bottom of the dish when baking is complete.

5.  Remove from heat, serve and top with guacamole.

Written by Sherron Watson


Monday, May 26, 2014

Asian Style Spiral Salad with Chicken




I bought myself a new toy for the kitchen: a Spiralizer.  I can't stop using it.  I tell you it is freaking awesome!

My kids can't wait to use it too.  They  eat more vegetables.  Heck, I am eating more vegetables.

The best new vegetable we have learned to LOVE LOVE LOVE-- are yellow beets.

They are my favorite.  Way better for a beet virgin like myself than the red beet.  Sorry red beet! I do love marinated red beets just not raw red beets.  Yeah, say that fast 10X's.


Maybe I am crazy and there is not a difference in flavor, but in my mind, the yellow beet, taste better.  It is a bit sweeter and not so earthy.

Before I went gluten free and started reading labels,  we used to eat this salad that had cabbage and a bag of Top Ramen.  I sort of miss that salad.  I miss the crunchy noodles, the crispy cabbage and the seasoning  from the packet.

After I made this salad I asked Cory if it reminded him of anything we have had before and he brought up the Top Ramen salad.  I had the same thought.

For some reason the dressing, the crunchy almonds and the spiraly vegetables made us believe that we were eating a very similar salad to the one we loved from our early days of marriage.  And you know that was a long time ago-- wink..wink

I added chicken for some protein and to help fill us up for dinner.  We are trying, and failing miserably on some nights, to not snack late into the night.

I committed a while back to eating more salads and this is one salad that the whole family has asked for several times.  It is a great way to involve your kids in meal planning, get them to try new vegetables and get creative.  Use any vegetable you want.

If you do get a Spiralizer (this is not a paid post-heck-they don't even know I bought one) I would recommend saving the tails.  When you put the vegetable onto the spiralizer you push and crank with one hand and hold the bowl with the other. The vegetable is being pushed through a metal tube and cut at the same time.  You are left with an assortment of "tails".  I tossed them into a baggie and froze them for when I make a vegetable broth or chicken noodle soup next.

This is a fun salad.  It is simple, and yet, you can do so much with it to add that gourmet flair.  I threw some black sesame seeds into ours for fun.

Enjoy!




Asian Style Spiral Salad

Makes 4 adult servings
Prep Time:  25 minutes
1 carrot, peeled
1 red or green apple
lemon juice (for apple)
1 yellow beet, peeled
1 zucchini, peel left on
4 large red radishes, peel left on
toasted almonds, optional
black sesame seeds, optional
cooked chicken pieces, optional
Meat is optional for this dish.  Chicken, beef or shrimp work well.  This is a great salad to use any leftover meat in the refrigerator from the night before, this is what we do.
Dressing:

Makes 1/4 cup 
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
2 tablespoons Mirin.  
Mirin is a japanese sweet cooking rice wine.  It can be found in the asian section of most grocery stores.

1.  Spiral all of the vegetables into a large bowl.

2.  Prepare a small bowl with 1 cup of cold water and juice from half a lemon.  Spiral the apple and add to the lemon water.  This will prevent the apple from turning brown.

3.  Combine the two dressing ingredients into a jar with a lid.  Shake.  Pour over salad and toss.
4.  Salad is best served immediately.  Everything is crunchy and crisp.   Add any optional ingredients and toss again.  Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator and will soften a bit as it sits in the dressing.



Written by Sherron Watson

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