Zucchini Bake

I mentioned on my Random Recipe Spicy Italian Chicken post that with the chicken I had served a zucchini bake and would be sharing the recipe. This side dish far outshone the Spicy Italian Chicken. Using the just-add-water cornbread mix made this dish super easy. I have no complaints about it at all and will definitely make it again.

I like to make my vegetables super full of carbs. What can I say?

Zucchini Bake
(source)

Ingredients
2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cornbread mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350.

2. In a large bowl toss all the ingredients together. Spread the mixture into a baking pan.

3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.

* serves 4
* shared with Full Plate Thursday & Catch A Glimpse Party

 

Mocha Zucchini Bread

This has been a horribly rough week. Last Monday I found my cat bleeding from the stomach. After taking him to the emergency vest and having him undergo surgery, he died on Wednesday October 10th in the early morning. It’s been emotionally tolling. And it’s even harder because while grieving, I till have to go to school and work. I’ve really just been not having the best of semesters, with the ankle sprain and now my kitty . . . Law school on top of my personal life is proving to be torturous.

When I get stressed, I bake. I always have. So to cope with the loss of my little cat I made zucchini bread.

It was a nice way to keep me distracted, to keep me from crying, and it’s made some good breakfasts.

Mocha Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
1 zucchini
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp cocoa
1 packet Starbucks’s mocha Via
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9×5 inch baking dish. Set aside.

2. Place the grating attachment into your food processor. Grate the zucchini. Place the grated zucchini between two paper towels and squeeze out the excess water.

3. In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, cocoa, mocha Via, salt, and baking soda. Beat until combined.

4. By hand, stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Then add in the flour until moistened. Do not over mix.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared dish. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

* Shared with Mix It Up Monday & Mealtime Monday

Roasted Vegetable Orzo

 

I always forget how much I love orzo until I eat orzo. And then when I eat it I inwardly question why I don’t eat it more. I’m sure you know, but despite looking like rice orzo is actually a noodle. While the word orzo, also known as risoni, is also called “big rice,” and even “barley,” orzo is not a grain. It’s a short-cut macaroni. And it’s so versatile. I can’t believe how often I forget orzo exists. I need to load my recipe list up with orzo recipes just to force myself to make it more because . . . YUM!

This recipe using orzo reminded me of my love of the pasta. It made a good vegetable dish, a good pasta/orzo dish, and was generally pretty easy to make.

I paired it with a chicken dish, but really I think this recipe could stand alone.

Roasted Vegetable Orzo
(source)

Ingredients
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 red onion, cut into chunks
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch sugar
salt and papper, to taste
4 tsp chicken bouillon
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 (16 oz) package orzo
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Place the zucchini, squash, onion, asparagus, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add in the garlic, olive oil, and sugar. Mix to coat the vegetables. Spread the vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.

3. Roast the vegetables, for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.

4. While the vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the bouillon, wine, and orzo. Cook the orzo until al dente, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

5. Stir the roasted vegetables and Parmesan into the orzo.

* serves 6
* 369 calories per serving
* Shared with Presto Pasta Nights & What’s Cooking Wednesday,

Egg Noodle Casserole

I don’t really have any commentary on this post. It was an easy pasta dish that tasted great.

Egg Noodle Casserole
(inspiration)

Ingredients
2 cups egg noodles
1 egg
1/2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 green onion stalk, sliced
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cucumber, diced
1 1/2 oz ground beef
1 sausage link, of your choice

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease a casserole dish.

2. Boil noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

3. In a small pan, saute sausage, ground beef, and zucchini until the meat is cooked and the zucchini is soft.

4. In a small mixing bowl, mix eggs, cream, mustard, and some salt and pepper.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, add noodles, sausage, ground beef, zucchini, green onion, cheddar, pepper jack, half the parmesan, and the egg mixture. Mix well so everything is covered with the egg mixture. Top with the remaining parmesan.

6. Bake for 30 minutes.

* serves 3
* Shared with Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Culinary Vibes

Chicken Nuggets and Zucchini Sticks

My favorite website of all time is called myfitnesspal. Not only has the website helped me lose a lot of weight (almost 50 pounds), it also provides a great support system. The website has this message board that provides excellent sources of friends and information. On the boards, some other members and myself created a group called RECIPE SWAP. On RECIPE SWAP each week, two of the members share recipes for the rest of the group to share.

This nugget and zucchini fry recipe came from the kitchen of ElyzahMoore.

Nuggets and french fries are the epitome of childhood recipes. When I was little, on the rare occasions my mom would take me to McDonalds or Burger King, I would without a doubt get the chicken nuggets and french fries.

But holy shoot. The McDonalds Happy Meal has roughly 420 calories. The Burger King children’s meal has about 360. This recipe has 385 calories, for a lot more than 4 nuggets. Fast food restaurants should consider baking as opposed to deep frying.

Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients
16 oz skinless boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp whole wheat Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tbsp crushed Saltine crackers
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil spray

Directions

1. Cut up chicken into bite sized pieces.

2. Place olive oil in one bowl and combine the dry ingredients in another. Dip the chicken pieces in the oil oil and then into the dry ingredients to coat. Place on cookie sheet and mist lightly with olive oil spray.

3. Bake at 425 degrees (about 10 minutes per side) or until cooked through.

* serves 4

Zucchini Sticks

Ingredients
3 medium zucchini (sliced into 3″ x 1/2″ sticks)
1 large egg white
1/3 cup crushed Saltine crackers
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
cooking spray
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt
fresh pepper
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 small bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions

1. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Beat egg white in small bowl with salt and pepper. Combine bread crumbs, cheese, and garlic powder in a zip lock bag. Dip zucchini in the egg, and then place in the zip lock. (You can do a couple sticks at a time.) Shake a few times to coat and then place zucchini on greased cookie sheet. Spray the top lightly with cooking spray.

3. Bake at 425 degrees for 20- 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

4. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat, then saute the garlic until golden. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

* serves 4