Zucchini Cakes

I found this recipe in Relish Magazine (which comes with the newspaper), and since I had two big zucchini sitting in the fridge and we always have trouble using them, I decided to give it a try. These were delicious and didn't taste too zucchini-y (the recipe claims they taste like crab cakes but I don't know what crab cakes taste like). As usual, I didn't have everything: I substituted a Old Bay spice blend substitute I found online for the Old Bay Seasoning and some white onion for the green onion.

Zucchini Cakes

3 cups coarsely grated zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from a baguette)
1 egg
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain yogurt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
1 teaspoon butter

1. Place grated zucchini in a colander; sprinkle lightly with salt and let stand 30 minutes. Press with paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Zucchini should be fairly dry, and you should have about 2 cups. Place zucchini and remaining ingredients (except oil and butter) in a bowl. Mix well. Form into 8 patties the size of crab cakes. Chill.
2. Heat oil and butter in a skillet.
3. Add patties to skillet and cook on both sides until browned. Drain on paper towels.

Clam Chowder

This recipe makes an awesome clam chowder. I used 'fat free" half-and-half (what is that anyways? I thought it was the fat content that determines whether it is milk or heavy cream or half-and-half, etc. Anyone know?) and it still thickened up just fine and tasted great. Also I substituted apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar. The vinegar really makes the flavor pop so don't leave it out! Last time I made it I added extra onion, potatoes, celery, carrots and 4 cans of clams, making it a little heartier but still very delicious, without needing to increase the sauce (besides the added water to cover the veggies while cooking).

Clam Chowder

3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
bacon (optional)

Pour juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water if necessary to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.

Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies

I know many people aren't big fans of squash, but this is a recipe that even my squash-hating husband enjoyed. I chose this recipe because it has lots of other flavors that do a pretty good job of covering any squash taste. I did make a few modifications: I used half spicy sausage and half ground beef, used a second green pepper and some red pepper flakes instead of the red pepper, used some fresh tomatoes in addition to a small can of tomatoes, and substituted some of the cheddar with mozzarella. This smells delicious baking! Enjoy.

• Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies
• 
  
• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 40 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool, and shred pulp with a fork.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a casserole dish.
4. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in the green pepper, red pepper, red onion, and garlic. Continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
5. Mix the shredded squash and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Remove skillet from heat, and mix in 2 cups cheese until melted. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
6. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and continue baking 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Green Smoothie

This healthy smoothie is delicious and nutritious and the spinach isn't overpowering.

1 banana, cut in chunks
1 cup grapes
1 (6 ounce) tub vanilla yogurt
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves

Place the banana, grapes, yogurt, apple and spinach into a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth, stopping frequently to push down anything stuck to the sides. Pour into glasses and serve.

Yummy Bok Choy Salad

In our Farmer's Market Co-op this week, we got some baby bok choy. I had to search online looking at pictures of leafy green vegetables before I could identify it by picture. I decided to go for it and made this salad. It was very good!

Yummy Bok Choy Salad

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bunches baby bok choy, cleaned and sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/8 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 (6 ounce) package chow mein noodles

1. In a glass jar with a lid, mix together olive oil, white vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce. Close the lid, and shake until well mixed.
2. Combine the bok choy, green onions, almonds, and chow mein noodles in a salad bowl. Toss with dressing, and serve.

I'm not sure how you're supposed to cut up bok choy so I just broke the leaves off at the base and cut them into bite sized pieces, including the white lower leaf, which tasted fine so I figured you were supposed to eat that part too. I didn't have chow mein noodles so I substituted fried onions and it was pretty good. Also, the dressing makes like 10 times too much so I made a Chinese chicken/cabbage salad and put the rest on that and it was enough dressing for the entire med/small head of cabbage.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup

4 cups chicken broth
½ (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup chopped onion ++
1/4 cup chopped celery ++
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ pinch ground white pepper
1 cup milk
2 T + 2 t cornstarch (or inst. potatoes)
2 tablespoons water
1 ½ cups fresh broccoli florets, cooked
¾ cup shredded American cheese
¾ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In large saucepan, combine broth, cream of mushroom soup, onion, celery and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. (If not cooked already, start your broccoli cooking.)

After 20 minutes, add milk to the cream mixture and bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until cornstarch is completely dissolved.
Gradually add mixture to soup, stirring constantly. Simmer for 5 minutes and then add broccoli and cheeses, mixing until melted.

If you want, you can add extras like shredded carrots, chopped potatoes, etc. or substitute some for the celery.

Spicy African Yam Soup

from AllRecipes.com

We have eaten a lot of soup recently and most of it has been very delicious. I was honestly not expecting this soup to be very good when I found the recipe. I just searched for a recipe that used sweet potatoes and zucchini (which we had and needed to use up) and this was one of the few results. Honestly I was shocked there were any of that weird combination. We are not big eaters of either of these vegetables so I started this soup with very low expectations. Compound this with a few bad experiences with peanut butter in soup and it seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. Surprise! It was tasty and delicious and even Jeran liked it. I just love cumin.

Also this was the recipe that caused me to discover that garbanzo beans are the same as chick peas. And they are delicious. It ends up being like a tasty vegetable chili. Enjoy.

Spicy African Yam Soup

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup chunky salsa
1 (15.5 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained (aka chick peas)
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup cooked rice
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1. Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Saute onion, sweet potato, and garlic until onion is soft. Turn down heat if necessary to prevent burning.
2. Stir in the chicken broth, thyme and cumin. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in salsa, garbanzo beans and zucchini. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in the cooked rice and peanut butter until the peanut butter has dissolved. Serve hot with pita chips and a green salad.

Can add some ginger and paprika if you want.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Toasties

from AllRecipes.com

These tasty little bites are perfect for parties, snacks, or just using up those cucumbers in the fridge. We have had them on crackers when we didn't have baguettes.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Toasties

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
½ - 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian dressing mix
¼ - ½ cup mayonnaise
1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick circles
1 cucumber, sliced
2 teaspoons dried dill weed

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, dressing mix and mayonnaise.
Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on a slice of bread, and top with a slice of cucumber. Sprinkle with dill. Repeat with remaining ingredients.