Baked Zucchini and Tomato Casserole

Okay, I know zucchini season is almost over-- or it's done, but I had to share this recipe.  I found zucchinis in the bottom of my fridge and scrambled to make something to use them before they went bad!  I did a quick search, found this recipe from LaaLoosh, and adapted it slightly.

It was a wonderful meal.  It can be a main dish and filling or a side dish too.  Very versatile, simple, but oh so delicious!

Baked Zucchini and Tomato Casserole

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini, peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 medium summer squash, peeled and sliced lengthwise
4 large plum tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Italiuan style breadcrumbs
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and spray 13 x 11 cooking dish with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, combine basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

In the cooking dish, place a layer of zucchini/squash along the bottom of the pan.  Evenly sprinkle seasoning mix and then add a layer of tomatoes.  Repeat until there are no zucchini/squash and tomatoes left.

Cover and bake for 25 minutes.  Top casserole with cheese and breadcrumbs, and lightly spray top of casserole with cooking spray.  Bake uncovered for another 20 minutes.

Serves 6.

Kale Chips with Love

We have been wanting to try kale chips for a long time-- but have always used kale for something else first.  This week, we received kale in the CSA basket, and Austin grabbed it to make kale chips immediately.

Here are Austin's kale chips with love (recipe from Food Network.

Kale Chips  

Ingredients
1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried
2 tbs olive oil
Salt, for sprinkling

Directions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Bake for 20 minutes.  Turn leaves and bake for another 20 minutes, until crisp.  Enjoy!

I just liked to this picture and had to share it :) 

Fried Green Tomatoes

More tomatoes!!!  This time, they are green.  One of my favorite movies is Fried Green Tomatoes, but can you believe that I have never eaten a fried tomato.  Seriously.

The CSA basket came with gobs of green and red tomatoes, so I decided to try my hand at green tomatoes.  I didn't have all the ingredients at home, but since the recipe I used was already adapted from a Paula Deen recipe by her sons, I figured I could adapt it a bit too.

I thought they were tasty, but of course, I had nothing to compare it to.  Oh, and see the last picture in the post- now I know why you should only fry green tomatoes and not red ones :)

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients
1/2 cup low-fat whipping cream (original recipe called for buttermilk)
1 egg white
10 drops hot sauce (about 1/2 tsp)
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbs vegetable oil
3 large green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray.  Combine whipping cream, egg white, and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Mix cornmeal and salt in another bowl, like a pasta bowl. Dip the tomato slices into the liquid mixture, then into the cornmeal, gently turning to coat.

Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the tomato slices in a single layer and cook until browned on one side, about 4 minutes.

Transfer the slices, browned-side up, to the cookie sheet.

Lightly spray the tomatoes with nonstick spray. Bake until the tomatoes are golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes. Serve hot.

Whoops- here's a picture with the red tomatoes.

Roasted Tomatoes

The Sunday before our wedding, Austin went into the kitchen and came out hours later.  Here's what he presented:

Huge brownie points to the future hubby (as if I wasn't going to marry him in 6 days anyways)!!  Sirloin steak and tomatoes from the CSA and toasted couscous.  There is nothing better than a meal like this on a Sunday afternoon.

Hope you enjoy this simple tomato recipe that Austin found and adapted from the Food Network.

Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients
24 large cherry tomatoes (in red and orange), halved lengthwise
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle the garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper over the tomatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are concentrated and beginning to caramelize. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Risotto in a Lemon Cup

When I saw this recipe while perusing the internet, I knew I had to make it....it's so cute!  Risotto in a lemon cup; yes please!!  I love the presentation of this and hope you do too.  It's adapted from the Food Network, based on what was in my pantry and fridge.

Risotto in a Lemon Cup

Ingredients
2 cups low-sodium beefbroth
2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 diced onion
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbs grated Parmesan, plus 1 Tbs
2 tablespoons skim ricotta cheese
1/2 a lemon, zested amd juiced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 lemons, for serving

Directions
In a medium saucepan bring the broth and 1/2 cup water to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

In a medium, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, ricotta cheese, the lemon zest and juice, and the salt and pepper.

To serve, cut 1/4-inch off the bottom of each lemon so they stand on their own. Take 1-inch off the stem end. Using a grapefruit spoon scoop out the flesh of the lemon and discard. Fill each lemon with about 1/2 cup of risotto. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Grilled Avocados with Salsa

Found this great recipe from Buns in My Oven- love to grill and it felt a little more tropical...like maybe I can eat it in Jamaica?!?

What do you think we're eating and drinking on our amazing honeymoon?  Post a comment below...

Anyways, here's this simple but great recipe!  We paired it with grilled chicken breast :)

Grilled Avocados with Salsa

Ingredients
2 avocados, halved and pitted
1 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup salsa (homemade or store-bought)- we did store bought
salt, to taste

Directions
Preheat the grill to high heat.  In a small bowl, whisk the juice of the lime with the olive oil.  Brush the lime and olive oil combo on the avocado.  Grill for 5 minutes or until grill marks appear and the avocado is just warm.  Remove from the grill and fill the whole with salsa. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Italian Veggies

Austin and I came home from the gym last night (Yes- we are going to the gym- hurray!), and we had no idea what we were going to make for dinner.  I don't do well without plans, and all Austin wanted was pasta.  As you know, there is nothing I LOVE more than a carb-filled plate of pasta, but wouldn't that negate my workout at the gym??

I thought so, hence a compromise.  We would make pasta but it would only be half a meal.  I rummaged around my fridge full of veggies and found a great way to add to the pasta :)

The pasta was whole-grain penne with Trader Joe's vodka sauce- so yummy!

Italian Veggies

Ingredients
2-3 summer squash, sliced
3-4 red potatoes, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
basil, oregano, Italian seasoning

Directions
Coast pan with olive oil.  Cook onions, potatoes, squash, and spices until onions are translucent and potatoes can be pierced with a fork.  Drizzle with balsamic.

Serves 4, 4 points a serving.

And here's the amazing thing-- while my dinner was still Points Plus friendly, I was too full to finish my plate.  AND, I stopped eating instead of stuffing myself- that's progress :)

Zucchini Tots

Last week, we got our first CSA produce for the season.  I was so excited!  I knew I was going to make chicken for dinner the night we picked up the produce, but I didn't know what else I was going to add to the meal.  I had to wait until the basket came home....no plan for a complete meal makes me nervous...

When the CSA basket came, there were so many goodies; I had no idea what to choose to make as the side dishes.  I decided on fresh green beans with almonds and zucchini tots from Emily Bites.  Getting all these fruits and veggies each week will definitely keep me on my toes when it comes to cooking, but I'm looking forward to eating more fresh foods this summer :)

Zucchini Tots

Ingredients

1 cup shredded zucchini, or 1 medium to large zucchini (using grated)

¼ onion, chopped

1 egg

¼ cup dry bread crumbs (Italian seasoned bread crumbs)

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 12 cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients.  Fill the 12 muffin cups evenly and press down the filling to make compact.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the tops are beginning to turn golden. Run a knife around each cup to help the tots come out.

I LOVED these tots- Austin was sad they weren't made of potatoes, but that could be for next time :)

Each tot is 1 point- score!

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

I didn't know what quinoa was until a few years ago when I stayed with a friend in Seattle, and she made one delicious meal after another during my visit.  I loved them all, but my favorite was a recipe with this mysterious grain:  quinoa.  The recipe she got from Epicurous became a staple for me.

While I have become more adventurous with quinoa, I still wanted to share the recipe that sparked my love of quinoa :)  Enjoy!!!

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Ingredients
2 tsp grated lime zest
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp sugar
1 cup quinoa
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced (I've also used a large can of diced tomatoes, drained)
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach (can also use cilantro)

Directions
Cook quinoa according to package instructions.  After it's cooked, add rest of ingredients to quinoa.  Serves 4, 7 points a serving.

*The orginial instructions had more steps but it's tastes the same by making it simple :)

Double Trouble- Mexican Shepherd's Pie and Jalapeno Cornbread

Remember our Fiesta?!?  As you know, we had so much extra ground beef and tortillas that we made many recipes out of leftovers.  Here's another one...don't worry, we didn't leave this in the fridge until now.  I made the recipe a while ago but decided no one wanted three Mexican recipes in one week!  Although,  you could freeze the ground beef and use it again no problem too!

Enjoy the last fiesta themed recipe- Mexican Shepherd's Pie (adapted from The Gracious Pantry) with delicious jalapeno cornbread (from food.com)...now, I'm hungry!!

Mexican Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, peeled
1 Tbs minced onion/onion powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup skim milk
1 cup chicken broth (fat free, reduced sodium)
1 pound ground beef
1 taco seasoning packet
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 bag frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions
Boil the potatoes in a large pot until soft and easily pierced with a knife or fork.  While the potatoes boil, cook ground beef with taco seasoning.  Drain grease.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mash potatoes with milk, chicken broth, garlic powder, minced onion, pepper, and salt.

In 9 x 13 casserole dish, spray with cooking spray.  Spread half of the potato mixture at bottom of pan.  Next, layer ground beef, followed by the tomatoes, corn, and black beans.  Sprinkle cheese over top.  Spread rest of potatoes over top.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 8, 7 points a serving.

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Jalapeno Cornbread

Ingredients
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons canned jalapeno peppers, diced (Be careful with the jalapenos.  My biggest fear is that I will touch jalapenos and then touch my eye- ouch!!)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions
Combine cornbread mix, egg and butter in a mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients. Combine well. Mixture will be thick and lumpy.

Place cornbread in a greased muffin tin, mini muffin tin or 2-quart casserole dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until cornbread is golden brown.

Serves 8 generously, 4 points a serving.

Guacamole Macaroni and Cheese

Love, love, love avocado!  My former job had me in California almost two months a year, and I’m pretty sure I had something with avocado in it every day.  Now that I’m based mostly in Virginia, I crave avocado.  This recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod hit the spot!  Austin thought Guacamole Mac and Cheese sounded better since it really did taste like pasta, cheese and guacamole.  What could be more delicious?

Guacamole Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients
10 ounces dry elbow macaroni
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 tbs fresh lime juice
¼ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper
1 tbs butter
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1 cup skim milk
¼ cup light sour cream
1 ½ cups grated Gruyere cheese
Fresh avocado chunks, for garnish

Directions
Cook pasta in pot and set aside.  While the pasta is cooking, make the avocado sauce by placing the garlic, avocados, lime juice, sour cream, salt and pepper into a food processor.  Process until smooth.

For me, this was the tricky part because my time management with the chopping of the garlic and avocados was a little off.  To make the cheese sauce, place butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste (mine was very paste like, but it ended up turning out okay). Whisk in milk until smooth. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken. Add in cheese and stir until cheese is melted.

Add pasta and avocado sauce.  Stir until mixed. Garnish with fresh avocado chunks.
The lime juice is supposed to keep the avocado from browning, but that didn’t quite work.  The next day, and mac and cheese was still delicious but not very appealing to look at.  Any suggestions to help our mac and cheese keep its color?

Serves 6, 9 points a serving.  We ate this with a salad full of veggies to keep the total meal points down.

Prosciutto Asparagus Spirals

This recipe has been on my pinterest board since I started using the site.  They looked so delicious and very easy to make.  They are meant to be more of an appetizer, but they seemed like a perfect side dish for our steak dinner!  I used reduced fat crescent rolls and Laughing Cow cheese, but the recipe comes from Pepperidge Farm.

Prosciutto Asparagus Spirals

Ingredients
1 package reduced fat crescent rolls
2 light Laughing Cow cheese, sun-dried tomato flavor
8 slices prosciutto
2 bundles asparagus spears, trimmed

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Unfold crescent rolls.  Spread cheese over crescent rolls.

 Spread out prosciutto.  Cut into strips based on the number of pieces of asparagus. (I ran out of asparagus and just made some regular prosciutto rolls).

Wrap 1 pastry strip around each asparagus spear, prosciutto-side in.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.

4-5 points per asparagus....a little high in points but worth it!

Roasted Pesto Tomatoes

This is a quick, easy side that really spices up an otherwise generic meal (for us, it was steak and couscous).  The tomatoes also tasted great with the couscous.  I found it on the blog, 400 calories or less, so that made me feel good that it still healthy.  Enjoy!

Roasted Pesto Tomatoes

Ingredients

12 plum tomatoes, cut lengthwise and quartered
1/2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (you can use less spice if you don't want your tomatoes to have a kick)
1/4 cup pesto (I bought low-fat jarred pesto)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Mix the tomatoes with oil, salt, pesto and the pepper flakes and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Scalloped Potatoes and Onions

Another great recipe from All Recipes and a lot lower in fat and extra calories than many other scalloped potato recipes!

Ingredients
5 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Paprika

Directions
In a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish, layer potatoes and onion.

In a saucepan, melt the butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth, mayonnaise, salt and pepper; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika.

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours or until tender.

Quinoa with Roasted Asparagus, Artichoke Hearts, and Spinach

Yay for spring!  Although right now, it feels a little like summer.  Either way, I was ready for something light and fresh.  I found this recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod, and it was perfect spring/summer salad to pair with chicken cooked on the grill.

Quinoa with Roasted Asparagus, 

Artichoke Hearts, and Spinach

Ingredients

3 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup quinoa
1 bunch (about 14) asparagus spears
1/2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
1 jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle at end
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Make quinoa according to the package and set aside.  While the quinoa is cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put asparagus spears on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, a bit of lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until spears are tender. Cut into one-inch pieces.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, asparagus, artichoke hearts, and spinach. Pour lemon juice, salt, and pepper over the salad and mix. Serve.