Grilled Zucchini for the 4th!

Happy Independence Day!

Do I have a treat for you!

I had a ton of zucchini from my garden so I decided to grill it up for a family 4th of July barbecue yesterday and boy am I glad I did!

Wow!

This really surprised me. Not only is this a healthy meal.... it is a vegetable and it is amazingly delicious! Grilling it just brought out the delicious flavors in the zucchini especially in the skin. Mmmm..... now I want some more.

So if you have a bunch of this:

You can make this:

Drooling yet?

Grilled Zucchini

Ingredients:

Zucchini

Italian Dressing

Slice up your zucchini so it is 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick and put it in a zip-lock baggie. Pour the Italian dressing over the zucchini. {I just bought a small bottle of Italian dressing and used the whole thing but I probably only needed half the bottle or about a 1/2 cup or so.} Seal the zip-lock and shake the bag to evenly coat the zucchini. Let it marinate for about 15-20 minutes while you are heating up and prepping your grill as necessary. 

With the grill on low-medium, place all the zucchini on the grill so it doesn't fall through the grates. Allow to cook for about 4-5 minutes then flip the zucchini over with tongs. Allow another 4-5 minutes to cook. The zucchini will be done when soft and somewhat bendy. I think it is best when it has softened slightly but not enough to become floppy. The longer you cook it, the softer and floppier it will get so cook to your liking. Serve and enjoy! Mmmm!

Giada's Roasted Vegetables

I  made some roasted vegetables the other day and LOVED them. They are my new favorite way to cook vegetables because they are super easy and delicious. I posted the recipe below. They had a great texture after 40 minutes. I do like my veggies to have a slight crunch so I might try 35 minutes next time and see how they are.

Caution: I used the actual amount of seasoning that it said and it was WAY too much. (I should have gone with my gut) I must not have made enough vegetables for it to cover even though I made a ton. Next time I am only going to use 1/4 of the amounts of seasoning (as well as reduce the number of veggies I make). I also don't like that much pepper. These had a real kick to it. 

Of Note: I LOVE these brussell sprouts. These are the best I have ever had. They were my favorite vegetable of the group.

Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

40 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium carrots (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick circles
• 1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts (about 1/2 pound), halved
• 4 cups red bliss potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 3 medium parsnips (about1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 cup sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices (I didn't use these)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Place vegetables in baking sheet and add the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. Add more oil if the vegetables seem dry
Spread the vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

I just made this delicious Chicken Parmesan and had to post it before I forgot. This is definitely something I will make many more times. It is definitely restaurant quality. Try it out! It's Baked!

I used storebought spaghetti sauce. It was crunchy and wonderful.

Lighter Chicken Parmesan
from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Kitchen

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs (I used regular breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
2 cups tomato sauce, warmed (store-bought or homemade (see recipe below))
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (I left this off since I didn't have any.... I don't think I missed out)

Place the chicken on a cutting board. Working with one breast at a time, place your hand on top and use a sharp knife to cut the breast in half horizontally, to make two thinner chicken cutlets. (Don't worry if they're not perfectly even, mine never are!) Place each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat mallet or skillet to pound to 1/4-inch thickness.
Preheat oven to 475 F. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and spray the rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
Add the panko and oil to a 12-inch skillet, and stirring frequently, toast the breadcrumbs until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a wide, shallow dish and allow  cool briefly, then add the Parmesan and stir. In a second shallow dish, mix the flour and garlic powder. Finally, add the egg whites and water to a third dish, and beat with a fork until frothy.
Pat the chicken dry then season both sides with salt and pepper. One at a time, dip the cutlets in the flour, then the egg whites and the panko mixture. Press the panko onto the chicken to completely coat. Transfer the cutlets to the wire rack you sprayed earlier.
Spray the tops of the cutlets with cooking spray then bake for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken registers betwen 150 and 160 F on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the oven, and top each piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons each of sauce and mozzarella. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and the chicken is cooked through (160-165 F), about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with the basil before serving. Serves 6

Quick Tomato Sauce
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Add the tomatoes and their juice to your food processor and pulse until broken down (you can make it as smooth or chunky as you like your sauce). In a medium saucepan, cook the garlic, tomato paste, oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until the tomato paste starts to brown. Add the tomatoes and let the sauce cook until slightly thickened and reduced, about 20 minutes. Add the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 2 cups

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

Here is an easy Irish recipe for you to enjoy at your Irish feast on this jolly green day.

Salmon Chowder

3 Tbsp Butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups diced potatoes

2 carrots, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dill weed, fresh (can substitute dried)

3 fresh salmon fillets (I thawed the frozen fillets from costco)

12 oz can low-fat evaporated milk

15 oz can creamed corn

1.5-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 Tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in some water)

All of these portions are "approximates". Go ahead and throw in more of whatever you like or make substitutions.

You can prepare all the ingredients ahead of time and just throw them in at the right time and have this done in about 25 minutes.

Melt butter in large stockpot over medium heat. Saute the onion, celery and garlic until onions are tender and translucent (about 5 min). Stir in the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper and dill. Drop in the whole fresh salmon fillets. They will break up as they cook and you stir. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low-med, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the evaporated milk, corn and cheese and cook until thoroughly heated. Enjoy with french bread for dipping or make some fries to go along with it. Yum!

{Adapted from Salmon Chowder recipe by Allrecipes: Kenulia}

Shrimp Scampi Linguine

For Ben and Steve's Birthday back in December, I made Shrimp Scampi and it turned out delicious! I am posting the recipe below for your viewing pleasure. I modified the recipe to reflect what I did or would do differently. I put this in my recipe catalog and will make this again.

Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

Ingredients

• 1 pound linguini
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (Fresh or cooked, thawed)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or 1 cube chicken boullion in 1/2 cup water)
• Juice of 1 small lemon (or slightly less)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves

Directions

Remove tails from shrimp if needed. Boil the linguine according to package. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Saute the shallots and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. If using fresh raw shrimp, season with salt and pepper and add them to the pan. Cook until they have turned pink for a few minutes and then remove them from the pan and set aside, keeping warm. If you are using cooked shrimp then skip this step.

To the pan, add the chicken stock, and last 2 tablespoons of butter and oil. Allow the liquid to reduce down for about 10 minutes until it becomes thicker. Add the lemon juice to taste. Bring to a boil and add the cooked shrimp, parsley and pasta. Stir using tongs and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil if needed. Enjoy while hot!