Parmesan Herb Roasted Acorn Squash

 

This was a delicious way to serve Acorn Squash.  I really liked the Parmesan crust.  The natural sweetness of the squash came through without any added sugar.  This recipe is a keeper for a good side dish.  

Parmesan Herb Roasted Acorn Squash
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash, small-medium sized

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

pinch black pepper or to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425ºF.   Slice the top and bottom of the squash, then place on a flat end and slice in half.  Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard seeds.  Slice each half into slices about 1-inch thick.

Add the squash to a large mixing bowl along with oil and herbs.  Toss all the ingredients until well mixed.

Place squash on foil-lined baking sheet.  Press any remaining parmesan mixture on the tops of squash slices.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy!  (Note: the squash skin is edible)

Meatball Zucchini Boats

This is a fun and easy way to use your garden zucchini as a main dish.    I used frozen cooked meatballs for convenience, but you could also make your own meatballs which would be even tastier.  The meatballs we had on hand were pretty big, so I could only fit 3 in each zucchini boat.  I used lots of fresh herbs from my garden in the sauce.

Meatball Zucchini Boats

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

1 Medium zucchini, halved lengthwise.

Olive oil

salt and pepper

Italian seasoning 

Frozen cooked meatballs (# depends on size of meatball)

~1 cup marinara sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

fresh chopped basil

fresh chopped oregano

fresh chopped parsley

shredded mozzarella cheese (~1/4 cup per boat)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F.  Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.  With a spoon, scoop out the center seeds to make a boat.  Place the zucchini, cut side up, on a baking sheet pan lined with foil. Drizzle each half with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle Italian seasoning over each half.  Bake at 350º for about 15-17 minutes until mostly tender.

Meanwhile, heat the meatballs and sauce together in a small pot over medium heat.  I recommend adding garlic and herbs to the sauce.  

When the zucchini is ready, place the sauced meatballs in the boats and spoon any remaining sauce over top.   Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top.   Return to oven and Broil for about 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted.   Garnish with fresh chopped basil.

Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies

This recipe was a great healthy way to use the zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers in my garden.  You can add or substitute various other veggies too.  

Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small onion, sliced or chopped

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 bell pepper, cut into strips

1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Toss the chicken and veggies with olive oil and add all the seasonings.  Toss to mix.   Place the chicken and veggies on a rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray or lined with nonstick foil.  Bake at 400º for 20-30 minutes until chicken is done.

Veggie Appetizer Pizza

 

I've made this recipe many times as a potluck item.  It's a winner.  I switch up the veggies I use depending on my whim.  It's versatile.

Veggie Appetizer Pizza

Ingredients:

2 (8-oz) packages refrigerated crescent roll dough 

1/2 cup Miracle Whip  (or 1 cup sour cream works too)  

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (1-oz) package ranch seasoning mix (optional)

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2 teaspoon onion salt  

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Chopped fresh veggies (choose your own adventure):

fresh broccoli florets

cauliflower florets

red bell pepper

tomato

shredded carrot

zucchini/cucumber

onion

radishes

olives

green onions

etc. etc. etc.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray.   Press the crescent roll dough evenly into the pan to form the crust.  Let stand a few minutes.  Pierce all over with a fork.  Bake at 350º for about 10 minutes until crust is golden brown.  Let crust cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, cream cheese ranch, dill, onion salt, and garlic powder.   Spread mixture all over cooled crust.  Arrange chopped veggies over the pizza.  Cover and chill a couple hours.  Cut pizza into squares to serve.

Pickled Radishes

We had a lot of radishes in our garden, so I decided to try Pickled Radishes.  We added them to our BBQ Pork Sandwiches.  They were just okay--not sure if I would try again.

Pickled Radishes

Ingredients:

1 bunch radishes, cut into thin slices (~1/2 lb)

1/2 cup white or apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

Directions:

Place radishes in a hot, sterilized 1-pint mason jar.   In an enameled saucepan, bring everything else to a boil.  Pour or ladel hot contents of saucepan over the radishes in the jar.  Center lid on jar.  Apply band and close tight.  Let cool on wire rack for an hour, then in fridge for at least 6 hours before serving.  Store in fridge for up to 4 months.

Blackened Cod with Avocado-Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Really good.  I made up my own little recipe, throwing spices together to make a rub and tossing some veggies together for the salad.  The fish was perfectly flaky and flavorful and the salad was a nice cooling bite.  

Blackened Cod with Avocado-Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Serves 1

Ingredients:

Cod Fillet

Olive oil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon oregano

Salad:

Cucumber, chopped

Tomato, chopped

Avocado, chopped

Jalapeno pepper, chopped

Green onion, chopped

cilantro, chopped

olive oil

lime juice

salt and pepper

Directions:

Combine all the dry ingredients.  Generously rub all over the fish.   Heat oil in a hot skillet and cook fish a few minutes on each side until done.

Put chopped veggies in a bowl and toss with oil and lime juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place in fridge until ready to serve with fish.

Grilled Chicken with Avocado-Cucumber Salsa

 

I found this photo on my camera and realized I forgot to post the recipe which I no longer remember.  Looks good though.   

If I remember correctly, for the salsa, I used cucumber, avocado, tomato, radish, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro (and maybe fresh dill?), and I tossed that mixture with olive oil and lime juice.

Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce (with Meatballs and Zoodles)

I have a lot of big ripe tomatoes in my garden so I decided to make this veggie-rich homemade pasta sauce.  I used some of it to serve with zoodles and meatballs and froze the remainder for another night.  The sauce was much thicker until I put the zucchini noodles in the pot and then they released a lot of water into the sauce and thinned it out.  I should have cooked the zucchini separately.  It was still really delicious.  

Homemade Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

6 beefsteak tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion

1 green pepper, seeded and minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup beef or chicken stock

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary 

1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano 

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Directions:

Cut the tomatoes in half and place cut-side down on a lined baking sheet.   Roast at 450º for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and use a tongs to peel off tomato skins.

While the tomatoes are roasting, heat olive oil in a large stock pot and cook the onions and peppers until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir for a minute.    Pour in the wine, stock, and herbs, and stir well.  Cook over medium heat until the liquid has reduced by half.

Add the roasted tomatoes to the pot, stirring and mashing up any really big chunks.  Stir in the tomato paste.   Simmer over low heat for 2 hours.  Use a handheld immersion blender to blend the sauce for a few seconds to get a less chunky sauce (this worked out wonderfully for me).

Serve with pasta or zoodles.

Zucchini Bread

My zucchini plant is having a record year and giving me a fresh zucchini almost daily.   I made two loaves of zucchini bread, one regular and one with chocolate chips.  Delicious.

Zucchini Bread

Makes 2 loaves 

Ingredients:

2&1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Grease and flour two 8x4" loaf pans.  Preheat oven to 325ºF.

In a large bowl, beat sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla.  Sift in the dry ingredients and beat well.  Stir in the zucchini and nuts or chocolate if desired.  Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake at 325º for 45-60 minutes until tester comes out clean.  Let cool for 20 minutes then remove bread from pan and let cool completely.

Zucchini Skillet Meal

This was a great fast and easy one-pot meal that used up a bunch of my garden vegetables (zucchini, tomatoes, green pepper).  The recipe made more than expected, so we had leftovers for a couple nights.  If I made it again, I'd spice it up a little more with more chili powder or cayenne or something.  Jeremy put Tabasco sauce on his serving. 

Zucchini Skillet Meal

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey or ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1-2 zucchini, diced (I used 1 large zucchini)

2-3 large tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cup uncooked instant rice

1/4 cup water 

shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)

Directions:

Cook ground turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Add in the onion and peppers and cook for a few minutes to soften the veggies.  

Stir in the seasonings, zucchini, tomatoes, rice, and water, and bring to a boil (the zucchini will release more moisture).  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over everything and let melt a bit.

Chicken with Basil Tomato Butter Sauce

 

It's now tomato time in our garden.  We have some monster-sized tomatoes that are ripe so I needed a recipe to use up a bunch at once.  This was a really good one, basically just making a fast and easy buttery tomato sauce.  I would definitely make it again.

Chicken with Basil Tomato Butter Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, no more than 1" thick

salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

5-6 roma tomatoes, diced (I used 3 large beefsteak tomatoes)

3 cloves garlic, minced

fresh oregano leaves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

fresh thyme leaves (about 1/2 teaspoon)

1/4 cup butter

handful of fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

pasta or zucchini noodles

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet.  Cook for several minutes on each side until browned and completely cooked.  Remove chicken to a plate temporarily.

Carefully add the diced tomatoes to the leftover oil in the skillet.  Stir in the garlic, oregano, and thyme.  Simmer for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked down to a chunky sauce.  Add the butter and stir until melted.   Add the chicken back into the skillet to soak in the sauce for a couple minutes to reheat.  Stir in the basil just before serving.   Serve over pasta.

Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups

 

I felt like trying a new zucchini recipe.  This was delicious and I didn't miss the pasta at all.  The only time-consuming part was rolling up the zucchini.  They didn't roll as tight as I wanted because of the sausage.  Also, it would have helped to use a square pan with straight sides instead of my casserole dish with rounded ones. Next time I might make it in the style of traditional lasagna and just layer the zucchini ribbons flat to make it easier.  It might also be fun to try it with pepperoni and make pizza roll-ups.

Zucchini Lasagna Roll-Ups

Makes 4-6 servings 

Ingredients:

2 large zucchini, trimmed and sliced lengthwise into about 24 ribbons, 1/8"-thick (a mandolin is helpful)

salt and pepper

~1/2 lb ground Italian sausage

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

1&1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:

Lay zucchini ribbons flat on paper towels.  Sprinkle each side with salt and let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook Italian sausage in skillet over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes, crumbling it as it cooks.  Transfer sausage to a medium bowl.  In the empty skillet, sauté the green pepper for a minute or two. Transfer to the bowl.

In the bowl with the sausage and peppers, add the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

Spread 1 cup marinara sauce into a square or circular baking pan or oven-proof skillet.

Spread 1-2 tablespoons ricotta mixture evenly over each zucchini slice.  Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese.  Roll up and place in the baking pan.  Top with remaining marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 400º for 25-30 minutes until heated through and cheese is beginning to brown. Enjoy!

 

Zucchini, Herb, and Roasted Tomato Frittata

 

I have more zucchini in my garden than I can deal with. I felt like trying something different than my usual zucchini breads and muffins.  It was a bit time-consuming to make, but the end result was worth it. I threw in a bunch of herbs from my garden.  It turned out better than expected and I enjoyed the taste, despite it being very veggie-forward.  

Zucchini, Herb, and Roasted Tomato Frittata  

Makes 6-8 servings

Roasted Tomato Ingredients:

1/2-1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic

1-2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (from 2 sprigs)

drizzle olive oil

salt and pepper

Frittata Ingredients:

8 large eggs

1/4 cup milk or half and half

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (plus extra for garnish)

~1-2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves

~1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

~1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

~1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon oil

1 zucchini, sliced

1 shallot, minced

Directions:

On a foil-lined baking pan, drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and garlic.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano leaves.  Roast at 400º for 15 minutes.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, herbs, and salt and pepper.

In a 9 or 10-inch oven-proof skillet (I used my cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil.  Add the zucchini and shallot and a dash of salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Pour the egg mixture over the zucchini.  Arrange the roasted tomatoes on top. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the sides are set but slightly runny on top.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake at 400º for 10-15 minutes until the center is cooked through.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese if desired. Cut into wedges.

Zucchini Waffles

Another Zucchini recipe... Waffles!  Loved them.  They taste like regular waffles but with some extra nutrition.  And they're super convenient because you can freeze the waffles and pop them into the toaster to heat them up quickly.  I also made a batch with chocolate chips added to the batter.

Zucchini Waffles

Makes 8-12 waffles

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, shredded (1-2 cups) (or use large holes of box grater)

1&1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1&1/4 cups milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Add zucchini and toss to coat.  

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla.  Add to the flour mixture and stir to combine.

Preheat a waffle iron and spray with cooking spray.  Spread batter and cook about 5 minutes or as directed by waffle maker.   Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with maple syrup, butter, fruit, or whatever you like on your waffles.

Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

It's zucchini season!  I've had a fresh zucchini to harvest from my garden almost every day.  Here's a delicious recipe I made to use up one zucchini. If it has fruit AND a veggie, that makes it healthy, right?! hah

Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

Makes ~12 muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1&1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1&1/2 cups shredded zucchini 

1/2-1 cup fresh blueberries

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, egg, and vanilla.  Add the flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and stir until combined.  Fold in the zucchini, blueberries, and lemon zest.

Grease a muffin tin or use cupcake liners.  Fill each 2/3 full with batter.  Bake at 350º for ~20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean.

Balsamic Honey Brussels Sprouts

 

We harvested one of the two Brussels sprouts plants in our garden for dinner.  The plants didn't do as well as last year.  The sprouts were smaller and fewer.  We planted them in the back garden this time where it's a lot shadier so that might be the reason.  Anyway....  This recipe was amazing.  Yummy sweet sprouts. Definitely will use this one for my future sprouts.  

Balsamic Honey Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels sprouts, stemmed and halved

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Toss the sprouts with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake at 425º for 20 minutes until tender and golden brown.   

In a small bowl, combine the honey and vinegar.  Drizzle or spoon over the sprouts and toss to coat.  Adjust seasonings if necessary.  Enjoy.

Ginger Carrot Soup

The only things left in the garden are lots of carrots and a couple brussels sprouts plants.  On the advice of friends, I decided to try making carrot soup.  This was an easy recipe.  I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would--which is good because the recipe made a lot of soup.   I cheated and used squeeze bottle ginger instead of grated.  It still tasted fine. It didn't need extra salt, but we did add pepper.

Ginger Carrot Soup

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons butter

2 onions, chopped

6 cups chicken broth

2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1 cup whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until soft, stirring often.  Add broth, carrots, and ginger.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer to a blender in batches, filling no more than halfway.  Blend until smooth.   Return soup to pot and add cream.  Stir and heat until hot.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Garlic Roasted Carrots

 

We plucked some carrots from the garden to give ourselves a break from the green beans and tomatoes we've been having every night.  This was a tasty side dish (you know, for a vegetable).

Garlic Roasted Carrots
Serves 2

Ingredients:
~3-4 carrots, split in half lengthwise if large

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, garlic, and thyme.  Toss carrots in oil mixture until well coated.  Place on a lined baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Bake at 375º for 35-40 minutes until tender.  Serve garnished with parsley if desired.

Tomato Jam

Another day, another bowl full of tomatoes.  I decided to try something a little different and made tomato jam.  I smeared some on crostini for a delicious snack.  I think adding some cheese and basil would be even better.  Or maybe as a topping for avocado toast. Delicious. 

Spiced Tomato Jam

Ingredients:
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon peeled and grated or minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Add everything to a heavy bottom saucepan and bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened to a jam consistency, about 1 to 2 hours. (Mine took 90 minutes)

Let cool and store jam in a glass canning jar.  May keep refrigerated in sealed container for up to 2 weeks.

Easy Chicken Fajitas

Our garden has an abundance of bell peppers right now, so I figured this would be a tasty way to use the peppers and also incorporate a tomato salsa with our many tomatoes.  The chicken seasoning was really tasty and the tomato salsa I added as a topping helped prevent the fajitas from being too dry.  It was a super fast and easy recipe which I appreciated.

Easy Chicken Fajitas
Makes 4 servings (2 fajitas/serving)

Ingredients:

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, sliced 

3-4 bell peppers (depends on size), sliced 

1 lime

tortillas

Optional toppings:  diced tomatoes/salsa, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, etc

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine seasonings.  Add chicken strips and toss to coat.   

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook chicken in skillet until done, about 5 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.  Heat another tablespoon of oil in the now empty skillet and add peppers and onions.  Cook 3-5 minutes until they start to soften.  Add the chicken back into the skillet, and squeeze the lime over everything. Stir to combine.  

Serve chicken mixture in a tortilla with toppings of your choice.