Parmesan Zucchini Sticks

We have an abundance of zucchini from our garden again this year.  I'm always looking for new and tasty recipes to try.  I found this one in a cooking club magazine.  It is messy to make, but very delicious.

Parmesan Zucchini Sticks (4 servings)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
12 oz zucchini (1 medium-large or 2 medium-small), halved crosswise, each half cut into 1/2-inch sticks

• Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.  Combine flour, 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and black pepper in shallow dish.
• Place eggs in shallow bowl.  Combine panko, cheese, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and cayenne pepper in shallow dish.  Dip zucchini in flour mixture, shaking off excess.  Dip in egg, letting excess drip off.  Roll in panko mixture, turning to coat all sides.  Arrange in single layer on baking sheet, spray with olive oil cooking spray.
• Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and tender.  Serve immediately.

Strawberry Smoothie

We went strawberry picking earlier this year and came home with two gallons of strawberries.  My family loves strawberries, so we ate one gallon and froze one gallon.  My family also loves smoothies, so I have been using the frozen strawberries to make them.  The following is a basic recipe that can be modified to fit personal tastes and whatever fruit you have on hand.  I substituted a peach when I didn't have a banana and the result was delicious. 

Strawberry Smoothie

1 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt
1 medium, ripe banana, quartered
1 cup Pineapple juice
1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) strawberries
1/2 cup ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Cover & blend until smooth.

Spaghetti Squash with Sweet Peppers

A delicious recipe that is quick to make utilizing the microwave.

Spaghetti Squash with Sweet (or Hot) Peppers 
Serves 4
Total Time: 25 minutes

1 medium spaghetti squash (2 lbs)
1/2 medium green pepper, sliced
1/2 medium sweet red pepper, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

• Cut squash in half lengthwise & discard seeds.  Place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe dish or plate.  Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10 minutes or until tender.  Cool.
• In a large nonstick skillet, saute the peppers and onion in oil until tender (4-5 minutes).  Add tomatoes and garlic & saute 4 minutes longer.  Add broth and salt & simmer for 3 minutes.
• When squash is cool enough to handle, scrape a fork on the inside of the squash to separate the strands into a serving dish.  Top with the pepper mixture.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

I made an unintentional change to the above ingredients.  You see, my husband brought in some green and red peppers from our garden that looked like miniature sweet peppers.  To my surprise, they were hot red cherry peppers (the green ones were picked early).  Thankfully, I seeded them before slicing and adding to the saute.  It was a very happy mistake as the peppers added just a little kick of spice to the dish.

Rotini & Veggie Skillet

I got this recipe from a Barilla Pasta box.  Luckily, I had most of the veggies on hand.  I made some substitutions:  I skipped the onion and yellow squash and used diced tomatoes instead of the cherry tomatoes.  It was delicious!

Rotini and Veggie Skillet
Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

1 box Rotini pasta
4 Tbsp Olive oil
1 small Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Bell pepper, chopped
1 medium Zucchini, diced
1 medium Yellow squash, diced
1 bunch Asparagus, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, halved
Salt and Pepper, to taste
4 leaves Basil, torn

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onion for 3-4 minutes until translucent.

3. Add garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash and asparagus and saute for 5 minutes.

5. Add tomatoes; season with salt and pepper and saute for 2 more minutes. 

6. Drain pasta and toss with the sauce and basil.

Chicken and Broccoli Bake

We attempted to grow broccoli in our garden this winter.  We were able to get a few florets that I added into our weekly stir-fry.  For this recipe, however, I picked up a broccoli bunch at our local grocery store.

Chicken and Broccoli Bake
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups cubed sourdough bread (6.5 oz loaf)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
3 cups broccoli florets
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup drained chopped roasted red bell pepper (I used an equivalent amount of fresh bell pepper)
3/4 cup Alfredo sauce (I used Ragu)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp dry sherry

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Drizzle butter over bread cubes in a large bowl; sprinkle with cheese and toss well.

Combine broccoli and remainder of ingredients in a large bowl.  Spoon filling into a lightly greased 2-qt baking dish (or 4 individual dishes); top with bread cubes.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes (20-25 for individual dishes) until bubbly and top is toasted.

Mashed Parsnips & Carrots

For those that have never seen one, a Parsnip looks like a white carrot.  Parsnips are a good source of Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate and Manganese.

In an effort to use some of the carrots from our garden and in anticipation of growing parsnips later this year, we tried this recipe found on the Miedema Produce website.  I modified it for my family size and taste preferences.  It is great as a side dish...I paired it with seasoned pork tenderloin and it was delicious.


Mashed Parsnips & Carrots (Serves 8)
3/4 lb carrots, chopped
1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 stick butter, diced and softened
salt & pepper to taste
(the original recipe included a pinch of ground nutmeg, but I omitted that)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add carrots, cover partially, and simmer 5 minutes.  Add parsnips, cover partially, and simmer about 15 minutes.  Drain well.

Return vegetables to pot and stir over medium heat until all excess moisture evaporates.  Transfer to a mixing bowl.  Add butter and use hand mixer to process until smooth.  Season with salt & pepper.

Pickled Banana Peppers

We have reached the end of our garden's growing season.  Over the last couple months we have enjoyed the fruits (mostly vegetables) of our labor.  Similar to the abundance of cucumbers we harvested, we had a huge number of banana peppers (60+) that ripened within the last month.  We made several batches of this recipe, sometimes tripling and quadrupling the recipe because of the number of peppers we had on hand.  We gave some of the jars away to friends and neighbors and most have said they liked them so much they would be willing to buy a jar from us.  So now we've been asking ourselves...what does one charge for homemade goods like this?  Here's your chance to get our "secret" recipe before you have to buy them. :-)  This recipe is for sweet, rather than spicy peppers.  However, you can make them more spicy by increasing the amount (or type) of spicy pepper you use. 

Sweet Pickled Banana Peppers (2 day process)

2 1/2 cups seeded, sliced banana peppers (about 7 peppers)
1 medium green bell pepper, julienned
1 spicy pepper (we used chili and cowhorn peppers)
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup canning salt
12-15 ice cubes
2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

In a large bowl, combine the peppers, onion and salt; top with ice.  Let stand for 2 hours.  Rinse and drain well.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard seed and celery seed.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir just until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over pepper mixture; cool.  Cover tightly and refridgerate for at least 24 hours.  Store in the refridgerator for up to 3 months.

Yield: 1 quart