Zucchini Corn Bake

 This year I bought what I thought was yellow zucchini. Then I did a little further research and I think they are actually Crookneck squash. They are a little sweeter and can be used just like regular green zucchini but you need to pick them between 6 and 8 inches otherwise they get tough and have raised bumps on their outer surface. 

I have made zucchini bread with them (delish) and got this most excellent recipe from a friend. Makes a good portion and is very tasty. I have picked 45 so far so I need to keep finding more excellent recipes to try. They are great in a stir fry also.

ZUCCHINI CORN BAKE

3 - 7 to 8 inch market size zucchini 

1 med onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon butter

1 (10oz) pkg frozen corn, defrosted and microwaved for 2 minutes 

1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste 

1 Tablespoon butter, melted 

2 slices of white bread, cut in 3/8 inch cubes

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

 Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Wash zucchini; do not peel.  Cut into 1 inch cubes.  Add to a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.  Cook 10 minutes.  Drain.  Sauté the onion in 1 Tablespoon butter till tender.   Combine zucchini, onion, corn, Swiss cheese, eggs ,salt and pepper.  Transfer the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.  Combine the melted butter with the bread cubes and Parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle on top.  Bake 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve.

 

Salad Dressing

I'm not much of a make things up cook. I basically follow a recipe and I've always admired people who can just whip things up. Especially those that can make salad dressing. So when my friend Janice made this during our girl's cottage retreat, I made her write it out for me. What I like best about it is that it uses a very few ingredients which I always have on hand. So in case I lose my copy of her recipe, I thought I would record it here on the blog.

Jannie's Salad Dressing
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Optional: oregano
Put everything in a jar and shake it up. Can store in the
fridge for a few days also.

It doesn't get any easier then that. And doesn't that salad look appealing?

Spiralized Potatoes

When I was on vacation, I spotted the Vegetti at a great price so I picked it up and I haven't looked back. I've been enjoying spiralizing and then I tried it on ordinary potatoes. I don't think the intent is to use it to load up on carbs, but these are so delicious, I can't stop making them.

They are quick and easy to make especially if you have this model...

I have also used it for other veggies including zucchini but that's a story for another day...

Spiralized Potatoes
These amounts are approximate. I usually just make one potato

1 potato
olive oil to drizzle (1/2 to 1 Tbsp)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Seasoning salt (I added this, not necessary if you are trying to watch your salt)

Preheat oven to 425F. Spiralize potatoes. Toss with olive oil, then sprinkle on spices and
stir to coat well. Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread out well. Roast about 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, depending on how crispy you like them.

Zucchini Fritters

I just harvested my NINTH zucchini from my community garden plot. I think its absolutely incredible that you can look one day and they are too small to pick and the next day they have grown exponentially. So I've been trying some different recipes and uses even though zucchini is best in baked goods. (at least that's what I believe)

This recipe uses 4 zucchini and best of all the fritters can be frozen on wax paper on a cookie sheet and then transferred to a ziploc to be reheated in the oven at a later date. They were very tasty but personally I might add a bit of garlic or a little more onion.

Zucchini Fritters
4 medium zucchini
1/2 medium onion
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup flour
2 eggs
Pepper- freshly ground
Oil for frying ( I used olive oil )

Grate zucchini and onion and place in a bowl. Toss with salt and let sit for 10 minutes.
Wring the mixture out by wrapping it in a clean tea towel and twisting over the sink. Try to get out as much water as possible.
Mix together other ingredients and drop small scoops of zucchini into a heated fry pan. Fry until golden brown. Cool and eat immediately or flash freeze for later enjoyment.

I'm off to check the garden again. Maybe it will be time to find a NEW zucchini recipe today.
PS. Just spotted the first change of colour to orange in the cherry tomatoes. Once they hit, its going to be an avalanche.

Cooked Cabbage

So I had a weird encounter at the grocery store the other day. I was stopped chatting with a friend in front of the cabbages and this lady joined in, assuming we were talking about the many uses of cabbage. One thing led to another, my friend bailed on me and I was caught talking to this Polish lady for about 20 minutes. She told me everything I needed to know about cooking cabbage so I felt I had to give it a try.
Tip #1 - use purple cabbage
Tip #2- fry bacon and don't dump out the grease, YIKES!
Tip #3 - add a splash of malt vinegar
Tip#4 - add a tsp of sugar or a few plums (whaat?)
Tip#5- a little bit of grated ginger adds a nice taste
Tip#6 - cover and let it steam
Tip#7- if you get gassy, add some peppermint, if you don't have any, break open a peppermint tea bag and stir it in
You get the idea. I actually ran into her 2 more times even though I was hiding in the pharmacy. I got a small history of Poland while I was doing my grocery shopping. Oh well, I just think she was happy to share her wisdom in the culinary dept etc.

So I kind of based my recipe on this and then added a few of her suggestions....

Cooked Cabbage
1/2 red cabbage coarsely chopped
4-5 slices of bacon
1 large onion diced
1 tsp sugar
salt, pepper, dash of paprika and onion powder/garlic powder to taste

Fry bacon and then add onion and cabbage and spices. Cover and steam and occasionally stir for about 20 minutes or until tender. This was really good and I didn't need to use Tip #7

Parmesan Potatoes

I seem to be on a run in the recipe department. While I have been crafting, its for an event coming up this weekend so I don't want to show off the results of my work until after the fact.

I recently had some company and wanted to fancy up my potatoes to go with the yummy T bone steak and grilled veggies.

Parmesan Potatoes
Baby new potatoes (about 12, just guesstimate how many for your family)
Green onions (2)
Parsley
Red Onion 1/4 cup
Pepper 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil, 3 Tbsp
Parmesan cheese (grated) 1/2 cup

Mix up everything but green onions and parsley (which I didn't have judging from the photo), its only for garnish anyway.
Spread potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with foil and bake at 350F until tender. Stir occasionally to get all the edges nicely browned.
And then garnish (or NOT)