Instant Pot Applesauce

 I forgot to take a photo.  But it was delicious.  Super easy.

Instant Pot Applesauce

Makes about 4-5 cups

Ingredients:

4 large Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cored, roughly chopped

4 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled and cored, roughly chopped

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Stir water, lemon juice, and cinnamon in Instant Pot.  Add apples and toss to mix.

Cover and pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.  Release pressure quick or slow (doesn't matter).

Stir for a couple minutes or use an immersion blender if you want a smoother texture.  Stir in more cinnamon or add sugar if needed.  Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.  Enjoy warm or cold.  Will keep covered in the fridge for up to 7-10 days.

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.

Grilled Monterey Chicken

We were in the mood to grill, so I made up my own super easy recipe.  Technically, I had Colby-Jack cheese instead of Monterey-Jack cheese, but whatever.  The chicken had good flavor.  It seems very versatile and could be served on its own, or put in a taco, quesadilla, salad, sandwich, etc.  We served ours with cilantro-lime rice and some lettuce and peas from the garden.

Grilled Monterey Chicken

Serves 2-4  

Ingredients:

2-4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, evenly pounded thin.

2-4 Monterey-Jack or Colby Jack or Pepper-Jack cheese slices

Pico de gallo or salsa

Cilantro, chopped

Avocado, sliced or cubed 

Marinade:

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Add all the marinade ingredients to a gallon sized ziplock bag. Seal and shake to mix.  Add the chicken to the bag and turn and massage to coat.  Marinate in fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Grill the chicken over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165º (time really depends on the thickness of the chicken).  During the last minute, place a slice of cheese on each breast and allow to melt.

Serve topped with the pico de gallo, cilantro, and avocado, or whatever you like.