Tag Archives: zucchini

Ground Beef, Summer Squash, and Rice Skillet

12 Oct

I recently acquired a zucchini and a yellow squash at a Kiwanis Club meeting. I have made plenty of different meals with zucchini and yellow squash, but wanted to try something new. So, I used what I had on hand, and came up with this combination. Even my little one liked it, and she’s been rather picky lately! It also took little time to put all together, which was nice with the busy nights we tend to have lately.

Ground Beef, Summer Squash, and Rice Skillet

Ground Beef, Summer Squash, and Rice Skillet

What you need:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash, sliced
1 cup cooked rice (I made it in my rice steamer)

How to make it:

In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat. Add in onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent. Next, stir in Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, tomato paste and beef broth. Add sliced zucchini and yellow squash. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until squash has softened. Stir in cooked rice and serve.

Tags: , , , , ,

My Version of Bulgogi

5 Sep

Last week, we discovered a Korean restaurant in town, Sunna’s Korean Restaurant.  In fact, we liked it so much for lunch one day, that we went back for dinner the next day!  Super nice staff, go out of their way to take care of you and say thank you when you leave, plus delicious, fresh food.  Both times I ordered the Bulgogi, which is Korean barbecued beef.  Since I had a flank steak in the freezer, I decided to give it a try making it myself.  I looked at a few different recipes, and settled on a marinade that I liked, so here it is!  I have no idea how authentic it is, but it turned out really good.  I marinated just the meat and onions, then added the other vegetables after cooking the meat and onions first.

Beef Bulgogi

 

Bulgogi

What you need:

1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 pound flank steak, cut into thin slices
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Vegetables of your choice to serve with, if desired (I used carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and zucchini)

How to make it:

Stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, and ginger.  Pour over the sliced steak, onions, and green onions.  Cover and marinade in the refrigerator overnight.

Steak and onions marinading

 

Heat a grill over high heat.  Place meat and vegetables on a piece of foil on the grill, or use a grill basket.  Cook until beef is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

 

Alternatively, you can add 1 tablespoon of oil to a wok and heat over medium-high heat.  Cook beef and onions in the wok until meat is cooked through.  Add in any other vegetables and cover, continuing to cook until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

Serve with rice, if desired.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Summer Squash, Sausage, and Egg Bake

26 Jun

This time of year, summer squash, like zucchini and yellow squash, seem to be in abundance.  One of my all time favorite dishes to make is Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie, either with just zucchini or a mix of zucchini and yellow squash.  However, my husband isn’t real fond of the crust.  So, I had experimented with a mashed potato crust, but still got mixed reviews from the family.  So, I decided to make it crust-less, using this recipe for inspiration.  I decided to use different cheese and not any additional seasoning since I added sausage.  We loved it!  Plus, I’m already working on other variations, no sausage, possibly ground beef, use oregano and basil to season, try out different cheeses.  It’s very versatile to be able to use what you have on hand!  I will hopefully update on my future combinations, but for now, here is the one I made last night.

Summer Squash, Sausage and Egg Bake

 

Summer Squash, Sausage, and Egg Bake

What you need:

1 pound sausage (I used Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage)
1 small onion
1 medium size yellow squash, cut into thin slices
1 medium size zucchini, cut into thin slices
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs, well beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large skillet, brown sausage.  Do not drain fat.  Add onions, yellow squash, and zucchini, and cook until soft and translucent.  Stir in cream cheese until well blended.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together eggs, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese.

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour the squash/sausage mixture into the dish.  Mix in the egg and cheese mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until sides are bubbling and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Zucchini & Yellow Squash Quiche with Mashed Potato Crust

14 May

What do you do when you don’t want to make a regular pie crust for a quiche?  Make one with mashed potatoes!  I had made a similar quiche a while back, but used broccoli as the vegetable.  Since I have a few bags of zucchini and yellow squash in the freezer, I decided to use that.  I also used up the last of my shredded mozzarella cheese from Basicfarm7.  It’s a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes and then add in your favorite veggie, meat, and cheese combination.  Think broccoli, spinach, ham, bacon, cheddar cheese, etc.  Not all together of course, but ideas for ingredients to use in different combinations!  Or, when you have leftovers at Thanksgiving, use leftover mashed potatoes for the crust, and have chopped turkey and cheese for the filling!

Zucchini & Yellow Squash Quiche with Mashed Potato Crust

 

Zucchini &Yellow Squash Quiche with Mashed Potato Crust

What you need:

For the crust:
2 cups mashed potatoes OR about 2 pounds of potatoes, peeled, boiled, mashed and mixed with 1/4 milk
Olive oil

For the filling:

1/4 olive oil
2 cups zucchini and yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Lightly oil a 9″ deep dish pie plate.  Press mashed potatoes into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.  Brush with more olive oil.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add zucchini, yellow squash, and onion to the skillet, and cook until soft.  Stir in parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.

In a bowl, mix together the beaten eggs and shredded cheese.  Stir in the zucchini and yellow squash mixture.  Pour into the mashed potato crust.  Return to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tags: , , ,

Roasted Vegetable Medley

16 Dec

Roasted Vegetable Medley

 

I have made a vegetable medley in the past, but it was a different mix, sweet potatoes, carrots, red peppers, parsnips, Mexican grey squash, and asparagus.  This time, I used what I had just gotten from Bountiful Baskets and some things I had in my fridge, red potatoes, rainbow carrots, radishes, red onion, Mexican grey squash and yellow squash.  It ended up really good this time too, the veggies got a very sweet taste to them.

 

Roasted Vegetable Medley

What you need:

2-3 red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (I left on the peels)
2-3 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1 bunch radishes, cut in halves or fourths, depending on size
1/2 of a red onion, cut in larger wedges
1 zucchini, or Mexican grey squash, sliced into thin rounds
1 yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Olive oil

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray or brush with olive oil.  Place potatoes, carrots, and radishes on the baking sheet.  Drizzle or spray with olive oil and season with half of basil, oregano, garlic salt, and pepper.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Then, add the zucchini, yellow squash, and red onion to the baking sheet.  Drizzle or spray with olive oil, and season with the remaining spices. Bake again for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables have all softened.  If desired, splash vegetables with balsamic vinegar before serving.

Tags: , , , , ,

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

26 Aug

 

I love zucchini, and I love finding new ways to use it in recipes.  I am a big fan of Zucchini Brownies, but I wanted to try out more of a bread this time.  Since I have trouble getting breads to cook all the way through and it doesn’t seem to get eaten as well in our house, I like to make muffins instead.  So, I looked up a bread recipe and decided to add chocolate chips to still get the chocolate flavor.  And, well, the results are great!  I don’t think these muffins will last long in my house, my kids are all over them.  You can see a little green in these, although it’s hard to really tell in the picture above, but they don’t seem to care.  To them, it’s a muffin, and it’s good!

 

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from Zucchini Bread recipe here

What you need:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips until well combined.

Line with paper liners or spray a 12 cup muffin pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Repeat for the rest of the batter.  Yields 24 muffins.

Tags: ,

Zucchini Brownies

13 May

My kids loved these!  Aside from seeing a little zucchini on the top, you can’t even tell it’s in there.  Frosting would easily hide that, but I just didn’t have the time for frosting yesterday.  And, these don’t really need frosting, they are very good on their own.  This recipe doesn’t use eggs, and trust me, you don’t need them.  They bake up well without and are very moist.  Even if you aren’t a fan of zucchini, these are worth a try!

Zucchini Brownies
Original recipe here 

What you need:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar and vanilla until well blended.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Slowly stir the flour mixture into the oil and sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until brownies spring back when touched gently.  Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

 

Optional frosting:

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Tags:

Moussaka and Pastitsio all in one!

23 Feb

 

I tried to think of a new name for this, but with the migraine I have, I’m not feeling too creative at the moment.  This is a combination of 2 of my favorite Greek dishes, Moussaka and Pastitsio.  I got the Italian themed veggie pack from Bountiful Baskets this week, and it had an eggplant and a zucchini.  Not really enough to make Moussaka or something like Eggplant Lasagna, so I decided that adding some pasta, like in Pastitsio, it would make a great meal.  I was right, it turned out great.  I put the pasta on the bottom, then the zucchini and eggplant, then the meat sauce, then the bechamel sauce.

 

Moussaka and Pastitsio All in One

What you need:

Filling:
1 eggplant, cut lengthwise, 1/2 in  width
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise , 1/2 in width
Salt
Olive oil
1/2 lb macaroni (supposed to be long macaroni noodles, but they are hard to find, so elbow macaroni or a noodle like penne or ziti works too)
1 eggs
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 lb ground beef or lamb (for meatless, use diced mushrooms, zucchini or eggplant)
1 medium onion
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Grated Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Romano cheese

Cream sauce (krema):
2-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set on paper towels for 15-20 minutes to let them drain.  Pat tops with a paper towel.  Spray or brush each side of the eggplant and zucchini slices with olive oil and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes, flip slices over and bake for another 10 minutes, until they are tender and slightly brown.

Boil macaroni according to package; drain; return to pan.  Melt the 1/4 cup butter, beat in egg, and stir in with macaroni.

In a skillet, brown onion and ground beef or lamb.  Add tomato paste, and seasonings.  Cook for 5 – 10 minutes.

Make cream sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour in 1/4 cup flour; brown slowly. Beat 2 eggs with 2-1/2 cups milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into butter and flour mixture very slowly; mix well. Cook over low heat until it thickens.

To assemble, grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Add macaroni mixture to pan and press down with a piece of wax paper.  Sprinkle generously with the grated cheese.  Lay out eggplant and zucchini in a single layer.

Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Spread the meat sauce evenly.  Pour cream sauce evenly on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Freezes best unbaked, thawed for 1/2 hour, then baked as above.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Baked Ratatouille

31 Jan

 

My oldest daughter thought it was so cool to make Ratatouille like in the Disney movie, Ratatouille.  I used the eggplant from the Asian themed veggie pack I got this week, a zucchini I had left in my fridge, rosemary, oregano, and parsley from the Italian themed veggie pack a few weeks pack, and tomato and onion from this week’s basket.  It tasted really good, but my presentation needs some work.  I had wanted to use a round casserole dish, but it wasn’t fitting right, so I put it in a 13 x 9 pan instead.  But, then it was all spread out too much, but it still cooked fine.  Also, most recipes also call for peppers, which I have, but just didn’t add in since my husband doesn’t really like cooked peppers.

 

Baked Ratatouille
Based on recipes here and here

What you need:

1 large onion, cut into rings
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2″ slices
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
3 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
2 tsp fresh chopped oregano
Olive oil

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, mix together Parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, rosemary, and oregano.

Grease a medium-sized casserole dish with olive oil.  Make a layer with the onions.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and spice mixture.  Repeat this process for the remaining vegetables.

Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 45 – 60 minutes.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Moussaka (Eggplant Casserole)

16 Jan

Moussaka is a dish that I have never helped make nor have I made it myself.  It’s been on my list of recipes to try for a while, and I knew it was close to Pastitsio, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.  When I got eggplant in my Italian themed veggie pack from Bountiful Baskets, I decided it was time to give it a try.  Normally, you would need more than one eggplant, but I decided to make it as an eggplant and zucchini casserole since zucchini was on sale at the grocery store this week.  I also wanted to use the mushrooms I got in my basket, so I incorporated them into the meat sauce.  It turned out amazing, I’m very happy with the results!  It’s somewhat lighter than Pastitsio, because it’s vegetables instead of pasta.  Next time, I think I may come up with a mix of the eggplant, zucchini, and noodles.

If you would like to make this meatless, substitute another package of mushrooms, diced, or some diced zucchini and/or eggplant for the 1 lb of ground beef or lamb.

Moussaka

What you need:

Filling:
1 eggplant, cut lengthwise, 1/2 in  width
3 zucchini, cut lengthwise , 1/2 in width
Salt
Olive oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 lb ground beef or lamb (for meatless, use more mushrooms, or diced zucchini or eggplant)
1 8 oz package whole mushrooms, diced
1 medium onion
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Grated Kefalotiri, Parmesan, or Romano cheese

Cream sauce (krema):
2-1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set on paper towels for 15-20 minutes to let them drain.  Pat tops with a paper towel.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown eggplant and zucchini slices.  Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown onion and ground beef or lamb.  Add mushrooms, tomato paste, and seasonings.  Cook for 5 – 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make cream sauce. Melt 1/4 cup butter and pour in 1/4 cup flour; brown slowly. Beat 2 eggs with 2-1/2 cups milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into butter and flour mixture very slowly; mix well. Cook over low heat until it thickens.

To assemble, grease a 9 x 13 pan.  Sprinkle bread crumbs to cover the bottom of the pan.  Lay out eggplant in a single layer.  Spread half of the meat sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with grated cheese.  Lay out zucchini in a single layer.  Spread the remaining meat sauce over the zucchini.  Pour cream sauce evenly on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Freezes best unbaked, thawed for 1/2 hour, then baked as above.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries