You know how they say that necessity is the mother of invention? Well, the necessity to use some ingredients before they went bad was how I came up with this dish. I had two huge zucchinis from my weekly Hungry Harvest delivery and about 16 ounces of left-over ricotta that I didn't want to go bad, so I put them together with a few other ingredients and viola, stuffed zucchini was born!
2 large zucchini
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1/4 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano or romano cheese
1/4 cup of bread crumbs
3 large cloves of garlic, grated or minced
6-7 sundried tomatoes, cut into slivers
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg
Cut the zucchini in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds and the interior so you form a "canoe" out of each half of zucchini.
Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Stuff the zucchini with the mixture, and it's great if it heaps up over the top of the zucchini. If you'd like, you can sprinkle with a little more grated cheese so it forms a bit of a crust when cooked.
Put in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes. Let them sit covered tightly with foil for 5-10 minutes before serving so the cheese can set.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Friday, October 18, 2019
Corn and Coconut Bisque
I can't really take credit for this recipe. Two of my best friends and I recently dined at a lovely restaurant in Rehoboth Beach, DE and we had the most delicious soup. And of course, I went home and tried to recreate it and found it very easy to do! All you need is a few ingredients to make this yourself. This will be best with fresh corn, bought in season. But if you can find a good quality frozen corn, you could use that too.
32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth (homemade is best, but if you use store bought, go for a low sodium broth)
1 can of coconut milk (the low-fat variety is fine)
4 large ears of corn or 3-4 cups of good quality frozen corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Crab meat, green onion, and/or bacon for garnish (all optional)
Add the broth, coconut milk and corn to a pot and bring to a low boil. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Strain out about 2/3 cup of corn and then using either a blender or immersion blender, puree the rest of the corn and liquid.
Taste the pureed soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Go easy on the pepper -- this is a pretty delicate soup and you don't want to overwhelm it.
When it's ready to serve, you can garnish with crumbled crab meat, crumbled bacon, minced green onion, or whatever else may strike your fancy!
32 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth (homemade is best, but if you use store bought, go for a low sodium broth)
1 can of coconut milk (the low-fat variety is fine)
4 large ears of corn or 3-4 cups of good quality frozen corn
Salt and pepper to taste
Crab meat, green onion, and/or bacon for garnish (all optional)
Add the broth, coconut milk and corn to a pot and bring to a low boil. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Strain out about 2/3 cup of corn and then using either a blender or immersion blender, puree the rest of the corn and liquid.
Taste the pureed soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Go easy on the pepper -- this is a pretty delicate soup and you don't want to overwhelm it.
When it's ready to serve, you can garnish with crumbled crab meat, crumbled bacon, minced green onion, or whatever else may strike your fancy!
Monday, July 15, 2019
Mojito Marinade
When I'm on vacation, I like nothing more than a cool, refreshing mojito. For those not familiar with this drink, it's a delicious concoction of mint, lime, rum, a bit of sugar, and seltzer. As I was thinking about one yesterday, it occurred to me that I could make good use of all the mint leaves growing in my backyard and feed my craving with dinner. So I put together a marinade using the ingredients in a mojito (plus a few other things), soaked my chicken thighs in it before grilling, and voila, another new recipe was born!
Though I put this on chicken, I could see it being just as delicious on pork, shrimp or scallops, or even a cut of beef like tri-tip or skirt steak. I also sliced up some zucchini, soaked it in this for about 30 minutes, and grilled it -- the veggies were just as delicious as the meat! And I'd bet that tofu would soak up this marinade beautifully.
It's as easy as can be -- put the following ingredients into a blender or food processor of some sort, puree the whole mixture, and you're ready to go!
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
4 cloves of garlic
Juice and zest of 2 limes
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
Enjoy!
Though I put this on chicken, I could see it being just as delicious on pork, shrimp or scallops, or even a cut of beef like tri-tip or skirt steak. I also sliced up some zucchini, soaked it in this for about 30 minutes, and grilled it -- the veggies were just as delicious as the meat! And I'd bet that tofu would soak up this marinade beautifully.
It's as easy as can be -- put the following ingredients into a blender or food processor of some sort, puree the whole mixture, and you're ready to go!
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
4 cloves of garlic
Juice and zest of 2 limes
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
Enjoy!
Sunday, December 9, 2018
Oatmeal Scotchies
Those who know me know my love of oatmeal cookies and my deep hatred of ruining a good cookie with raisins! So imagine my delight when I was folded into the Dunn family for my first Christmas season and discovered Oatmeal Scotchies -- a simple oatmeal cookie with butterscotch chips in it. So simple and so perfect!
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
2 cups of oatmeal
1 11 ounce bag of butterscotch chips
First, cream together the sugars and butter. Once that's done, add the baking powder and soda, salt and vanilla extract. Once that's incorporated, add the eggs, one at a time.
Then slowly mix in the flour and the oatmeal. And finally, fold in the butterscotch chips.
Refrigerate the dough for an hour or two so it becomes firm. Roll a heaping teaspoon into a ball and place it on a cookie sheet with room in between to spread out.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. The bottom should be lightly brown, but the top and middle still a little soft. After taking them out of the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. When they're cool, they should be nice and crisp on the outside and still soft in the middle.
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
2 cups of oatmeal
1 11 ounce bag of butterscotch chips
First, cream together the sugars and butter. Once that's done, add the baking powder and soda, salt and vanilla extract. Once that's incorporated, add the eggs, one at a time.
Then slowly mix in the flour and the oatmeal. And finally, fold in the butterscotch chips.
Refrigerate the dough for an hour or two so it becomes firm. Roll a heaping teaspoon into a ball and place it on a cookie sheet with room in between to spread out.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. The bottom should be lightly brown, but the top and middle still a little soft. After taking them out of the oven, let them sit on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire cooling rack. When they're cool, they should be nice and crisp on the outside and still soft in the middle.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Italian Wedding Soup
If you've never had this before, you're in for a treat. It's a hearty soup full of little mini-meatballs, and is a lot of fun for kids in particular. They always seem to love the meatballs and all the pasta in the soup.
To make the meatballs, mix the following together in a bowl:
1 pound of ground chicken
1 small onion, diced
1 egg
1/4 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Then form into meatballs so small they are one-bite size for a child. (Pro-tip -- the mixture is pretty sticky; in order to roll them into a nice shape, you should wet your hands. When the meat starts to stick, it's time to rinse your hands again.) Put them on a non-stick cookie sheet and into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
While they are baking, bring one gallon of your favorite chicken broth (either homemade or your favorite store bought brand) to a simmer.
To it, you can add a variety of vegetables -- it's really up to you. I always add carrots, sliced into roughly the same size as the meatballs, and depending on what you like and what's in your fridge, you can add zucchini, celery, some chopped spinach or other leafy vegetable, the stems of broccoli, or anything else that appeals to you. As with most Italian style soups, they're not about precision; they're about using what's available.
Let the veggies simmer until they are soft and add the meatballs when you take them out of the oven.
Finally, cook up about 1/2 pound of pasta in a separate pot, so as not to have the pasta absorb all the broth while cooking. Small tubes are traditional, but again, it's really up to you. I like orzo or shells. When the pasta is done, drain it and add to the soup and then serve it up with some nice crusty Italian bread.
You can also garnish the soup with a sprinkling of grated cheese if you'd like to make it extra savory.
Buon appetito!
To make the meatballs, mix the following together in a bowl:
1 pound of ground chicken
1 small onion, diced
1 egg
1/4 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Then form into meatballs so small they are one-bite size for a child. (Pro-tip -- the mixture is pretty sticky; in order to roll them into a nice shape, you should wet your hands. When the meat starts to stick, it's time to rinse your hands again.) Put them on a non-stick cookie sheet and into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
While they are baking, bring one gallon of your favorite chicken broth (either homemade or your favorite store bought brand) to a simmer.
To it, you can add a variety of vegetables -- it's really up to you. I always add carrots, sliced into roughly the same size as the meatballs, and depending on what you like and what's in your fridge, you can add zucchini, celery, some chopped spinach or other leafy vegetable, the stems of broccoli, or anything else that appeals to you. As with most Italian style soups, they're not about precision; they're about using what's available.
Let the veggies simmer until they are soft and add the meatballs when you take them out of the oven.
Finally, cook up about 1/2 pound of pasta in a separate pot, so as not to have the pasta absorb all the broth while cooking. Small tubes are traditional, but again, it's really up to you. I like orzo or shells. When the pasta is done, drain it and add to the soup and then serve it up with some nice crusty Italian bread.
You can also garnish the soup with a sprinkling of grated cheese if you'd like to make it extra savory.
Buon appetito!
Monday, October 1, 2018
Applesauce
Peel and core 8-10 of your favorite apples. They should be firm in texture and at least a little tart.
Check out my recipe for Apple Tea so you don't let those peels and cores go to waste -- http://judyfoodislove.blogspot.com/2018/10/apple-tea.html.
Cut them into small cubes and put them in a pot big enough to hold all of them with at least a few inches to spare.
Add:
1/3 cup of sugar (or agave syrup if you want something less sweet)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Optional: a pinch of ground cloves or ground nutmeg
1/4 cup of water
Bring this up to a low boil, cover the pot tightly, and turn the heat to low. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally just to make sure nothing is burning. If it's low on liquid, add a few drops of water as needed. By the end of 30 minutes, the apples should be broken down and can be mashed into the desired consistency with a potato masher.
Let it cool and serve as a side-dish or snack. It will last for close to 2 weeks in your refrigerator but I bet it gets eaten up before that!
Check out my recipe for Apple Tea so you don't let those peels and cores go to waste -- http://judyfoodislove.blogspot.com/2018/10/apple-tea.html.
Cut them into small cubes and put them in a pot big enough to hold all of them with at least a few inches to spare.
Add:
1/3 cup of sugar (or agave syrup if you want something less sweet)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Optional: a pinch of ground cloves or ground nutmeg
1/4 cup of water
Bring this up to a low boil, cover the pot tightly, and turn the heat to low. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally just to make sure nothing is burning. If it's low on liquid, add a few drops of water as needed. By the end of 30 minutes, the apples should be broken down and can be mashed into the desired consistency with a potato masher.
Let it cool and serve as a side-dish or snack. It will last for close to 2 weeks in your refrigerator but I bet it gets eaten up before that!
Apple tea
If you've ever traveled to Turkey, you know that everywhere you go, you can get apple tea. It's absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I always make a batch after I make applesauce or apple pie so that even my cores and peels don't go to waste.
Take all the peels and cores and put them into a large pot. Cover it with water and add about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Bring to a boil and slowly simmer for about 10 minutes. Then cover it tightly, turn off the heat, and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Strain out all the apple cores and peels and let it sit for a few minutes so that the cinnamon falls to the bottom and slowly pour out the clear liquid into a pitcher, leaving the cinnamon at the bottom of the pan.
You can add sugar or sweetener to taste, but it's already pretty sweet.
This can be served hot or cold and is very refreshing either way.
Take all the peels and cores and put them into a large pot. Cover it with water and add about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Bring to a boil and slowly simmer for about 10 minutes. Then cover it tightly, turn off the heat, and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Strain out all the apple cores and peels and let it sit for a few minutes so that the cinnamon falls to the bottom and slowly pour out the clear liquid into a pitcher, leaving the cinnamon at the bottom of the pan.
You can add sugar or sweetener to taste, but it's already pretty sweet.
This can be served hot or cold and is very refreshing either way.
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