Roasted Marinated Zucchini

It's Zucchini Time! Here's a simple, easy recipe for all that zucchini that seems to be piling up in the fridge.

1 Large Zucchini
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
Fresh ground pepper

Slice the zucchini into long narrow strips.

Combine the remaining ingredients into a jar with top and shake until the olive oil is emulsified. Pour the dressing over the zucchini, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Lay the zucchini over a baking sheet. Place on the top rack of the oven and roast 7 minutes or until edges start to brown.

Enjoy!

The roasted strips can be eaten straight OR a great sandwich or wrap filling.

Yogurt Veggie Dip

I thought I bought Vanilla yogurt but I bought plain! So I decided to make a dip so I could eat all the veggies I got this weekend at the Cherry Creek Farmer's Market.

1 cup Plain Yogurt
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1 scallion chopped.
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp lemon

Mix together, chill and enjoy with vegetable crudite.

Baked Jasmine Rice with Chicken and Black Beans

I bought a rotisserie chicken from Safeway yesterday, it was on sale for $5. I made a sandwich which was delicious and then shredded the rest of the chicken. I made chicken stock out of the chicken bones which yielded 12 cups of stock. Then I made the following the recipe. Note - I still have almost a cup chicken left that I'm going to put in my famous "big" salad tomorrow for lunch. So this is really what is called "stretching your dollar".

Baked Jasmine Ric with Chicken and Black Beans

3/4 cup yellow onion chopped
1 garlic glove minced
1/2 chili pepper chopped (optional)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper
1/2 cup black beans
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (white and dark meat)
3/4 c. jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat olive oil over medium. Saute onion, garlic and peppers for 5 minutes, add spices, salt and pepper. Add black beans and chicken, stir until combined. Lower heat Do not overcook. Stir constantly about 3 minutes. Put into 8 x 8 glass casserole dish. pour rice over chicken mixture. Pour chicken broth over entire dish. Make sure rice is covered throughout.
Cover with aluminum foil tightly. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Serve hot.
Enjoy!

Spicy Veggie Tofu Soft Tacos

I was very absent in May so I will make up for it in June. Here is a great tofu recipe and very healthy. When I get back from Sayulita, Mexico next week, I will be blogging my face off about Mexico food and hopefully lots of different spices and flavors I have yet to learn.

These are great, quick and healthy. I love cooking new things that combine zucchini and tofu that are not your typical stir fry. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices (about 2 cups)
1 cups sliced mushrooms (I used button, whatever you have on hand is great)
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, cut into 1/4″ strips
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-oz. can of tomato paste or 6 oz. from cooked can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin or 1/4 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 pkg. 12 oz Tofu Extra Firm, cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 2 cups)
3 plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 1 cup) or 1/2 can tomatoes from puree
10 soft taco wheat tortillas

Optional: avocado slices for garnish.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Heat olive oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine tomato paste (or cooked tomato puree), water, chili powder, hot pepper sauce, cumin and pepper in a small bowl; add the mixture to the skillet.
5. Gently stir in the tofu cubes and plum tomatoes. Reduce heat to low; cover and heat through, about 5 minutes.
6. To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup of mixture into each of the heated tortillas.

Baked Couscous with Herbed Summer Squash

I'm into baking grains these days. It started a month ago with doing baked rice. The flavor is much more intense.

Ingredients

• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth or water, divided
• 3/4 cup uncooked couscous
• Cooking spray or 1 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 cups sliced yellow squash (about 2 small)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions - about 2
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 egg beaten
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 - 6 small fresh mozzarella balls (optional)
  

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Bring 1 cup chicken broth/water to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in uncooked couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray ot olive oil. Add squash, onions, basil, oregano, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until squash is tender. Set aside.

Combine couscous, squash mixture, and half of cheese mixture in a large bowl; stir in remaining chicken broth/water, egg, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese mixture. Place fresh mozzarella balls randomly on top if you using. Bake at 400° for 35 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Veggie Bean Corn Tortilla Casserole

I am always surprised and encouraged by what I can come up with just looking into the refrigerator. Tonight I made something by connecting some great dots in the form of what I had on-hand. The red enchilada sauce in the 'frig has been there for awhile and this was just the time to use it, considering I had black beans, cheese and corn tortillas. The bonus is that I had some fresh veggies to add huge flavor and made it super healthy. I hope you try and enjoy!

8 (6)-inch white corn tortilla, I used La Mariposa from Denver cut in half
1 jar, you'll need 8 oz. of Red Enchilada sauce, I used Fronterra
1/2 medium yellow onion diced
1 large clove garlic minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot sliced thin about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup yellow squash
1/2 cup green zucchini
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1 cup canned black beans rinsed well
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil over medium heat, saute garlic and onion until transparent about 5 minutes, add carrot, yellow squash, zucchini. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Saute about 5-7 minutes, until flavors mesh. In the meantime, cut tortillas in half. Poor about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in bottom of 8 x 8 casserole dish. Take each tortilla half and soak on both sides in sauce then lay on bottom of dish to create a layer of tortillas (about 4 half moons per layer) with a bit of the sauce still on the bottom. When saute is finished scoop about 1/2 the veggies onto the tortillas sprinkle 1/2 cup of black beans over veggies, then layer gently 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Continue the same process with the next layer, soak tortillas in sauce, layer veggies, black beans then cheese. Finally, layer last 4 half-moon tortillas and the remaining 1/3 cup cheese, any remaining enchilada sauce over the entire dish and cover with Aluminium foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately. Optional, serve with salsa, sour cream, or both.

This is an excellent way to get more veggies into your diet and not additional fat.
Substitute shredded chicken for black beans. And green chili for red.

Serves 4.

Carmelized Onion, Red Pepper, Mushroom Frittata

Happy Easter 2009 - Easter Frittata

1 Tbsp. Olive Olive
1/2 medium onion sliced very thin
1/4 cup sliced red pepper
2 large white mushrooms sliced thin
5 Eggs Beaten
1 tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. shredded cheese (I used Colby Longhorn)

Pre-heat over 350 degrees.
In an overproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and carmelize for about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, red pepper and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 - 7 more minutes. Lower heat just a bit and add the beaten eggs. Let cook and set for about 6 minutes with the cover on. Remove cover and sprinkle shredded cheese over frittata. Put in over for 3 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven, losen the frittata with a spatula around the sides. Cut into 4 pie slices and serve with toast.