Vegetable Tray with Fiesta Dip

Sometimes when things look pretty, it tricks you into thinking you want to eat  more of it. That was the case with this vegetable tray I made yesterday for my father in laws birthday party. Now if I could only figure out how to NOT make this theory work when it comes to sweets. I mean, sweets don't even have to look pretty and my brain is still tricked into thinking I want more. But thankfully the veggie tray looked and tasted great and so I got to enjoy quite a bit of it. This is such an easy and yet decorative way to serve veggies and dip.

For the vegetables:

1 head Savoy cabbage
Any vegetables you want cut up for dipping

Wash the cabbage head and cut a fairly large circle into the top with a knife. Gently remove the circle and use a melon baller to take out the insides of the cabbage head, leaving enough of a lining to support the dip you will pace inside.
Gently pull back the outer layers of the savoy cabbage.  (If they break off that's ok because you can tuck them under the head of cabbage on the tray to fill with the vegetables) Place the head of cabbage in the center of the tray and fill each "leaf" with your favorite vegetables. Make the fiesta dip and place it into the cabbage head when you are ready to serve.


For the Fiesta Dip:
4 oz cream cheese, softened 
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt  
1/8 cup light mayonnaise  
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped 
3/4 tsp lime juice 
1/4 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce) 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
2-3 Tbsp chopped jarred roasted red bell peppers 
1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion


Place the first 7 ingredients in the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth. Add the roasted peppers and the green onion and pulse the processor just a few times until blended they are blended in.
Place in a bowl and cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Baked Zucchini Fries with Fiesta Dip

I sure wish I would have decided to try this recipe in the summer season when zucchini's were taking over my entire backyard. But leave it to me, to decide to try this, when I have to pay my local grocer for something I can grow myself. Yes, zucchini season is over for me! Well, at least now I know of a great way to use up some of the zucchini I grow next season. Here is the funny part...when zucchini is in season, it's too stinking hot to turn on the oven to cook this, so what is a girl to do? I guess  the answer is crank up the air conditioning in the summer and just make this anyway! Yes it's that good. It's just a new way to prepare zucchini, since I think I have actually tried every other way possible. The dip was so good with it also. In fact, I wanted to just get a spoon and eat the dip, I refrained. But barely!

Recipe Sources:
http://www.funandfoodcafe.com/fried-zucchini/
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fiesta-dip-10000001731425/

For the Fiesta Dip:
4 oz cream cheese, softened 
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt  
1/8 cup light mayonnaise  
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped 
3/4 tsp lime juice 
1/4 teaspoon Sriracha Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce) 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
2-3 Tbsp chopped jarred roasted red bell peppers 
1 Tbsp finely chopped green onion


Place the first 7 ingredients in the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth. Add the roasted peppers and the green onion and pulse the processor just a few times until blended they are blended in.
Place in a bowl and cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


For the Zucchini:
3 zucchini
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 packet Shake & Bake Coating Mix
1 egg

Heat oven to 450º
Trim the ends off the zucchini, then cut crosswise in half, then cut each piece into 1/4-inch sticks.
 In the shake and bake bag, add the shake and bake mix and the Parmesan cheese. Shake to combine. 
Whisk the egg in a large bowl. Add the zucchini slices to the egg and toss to coat the slices thoroughly.
Place 1/4 of the zucchini in shaker bag; close bag and shake to evenly coat. Spread onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining zucchini.
Bake for 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown, rotating the baking tray halfway through the cooking time.
Remove the baked fries from the oven, and serve them with the fiesta dip. 

Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

Pizza without all the carbs? Yes please! This is such an easy way to get all the pizza flavor with less calories and so much healthier. I only used Parmesan on mine, because I am trying to cut down on fats, but you could load this baby  up with Mozarella cheese and I'm sure it would only add to the yumminess of it! I loved how quick this was to throw together and after a day of baking Halloween goodies with  my daughter, I sure needed something quick, yet tasty.

 3 Large Portobello Mushrooms
Pizza sauce
 2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped (or any other medium sized tomato)
1/2- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
6 or 7 leaves of chopped Basil

Heat oven to 400°

Wash your mushrooms thoroughly and twist/pull out the stems. Lay the mushrooms out on a paper towel, cap side up, to drain of any excess water.

In a skillet, heat the 2 Tbsp olive oil. When hot, add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onions are soft. (You don't want them completely mushy....just crisp tender). Stir in the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are somewhat soft also. Stir and season with crushed red pepper flakes and salt.

Drizzle some olive oil in a large baking dish and spread it all over the bottom of the dish.

Using a spoon, place as much  pizza sauce as you desire into your mushroom. (I didn't list an amount because this is such a personal preference. I LOVE pizza sauce so I used about 3 Tbsp on each mushroom) Spread it around. Now fill each mushroom with the filling that is warm on the stove, until it is all gone.
Place each stuffed mushroom into the oiled baking dish. Top each mushroom with Parmesan cheese and basil. Bake at 400° for about 10- 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and they are heated through.

Lemon Parmesan Asparagus

Isn't it amazing that as you get older, you begin to love the vegetables that you used to turn your nose up to? I have loved eating asparagus for a very long time (this should be your first clue that I am getting very old) and it amazes me that my 3 year old grand daughter will also eat it. I know I wouldn't have at that age. Maybe she will have a much  more open minded pallet than I did.
This asparagus dish has just the right amount of "tang" from the lemon, crunch from the asparagus and that oh so yummy Parmesan cheese flavor!

Recipe Adapted From: http://twolovesstudio.com/2013/04/30/olive-oil-lemon-parmesan-asparagus/

1 bunch asparagus
Lemon Infused Olive Oil
1/2 fresh lemon
Zest from 1/2 a lemon
Parmesan Cheese
salt/pepper to taste

You can either roast or steam your asparagus.
If you roast it: Preheat oven to 400° Place asparagus in a large baking pan and drizzle 1 Tbsp of water over the top. Roast for 15-30 minutes, depending how crunchy you like your asparagus.
If you steam it: Place asparagus in vegetable steamer over boiling water and cook until asparagus is crisp tender..

Once asparagus is cooked, remove from the pan and drizzle lemon scented olive oil over it. Squeeze half a lemon over the asparagus. Sprinkle the lemon zest, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper over the top. Serve warm.

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

I am always so thankful to find new tomato recipes this time of year. My garden is bursting with huge tomato plants and there is only so much salsa one girl can make. ;)
So when I stumbled onto this find on Pinterest, I just knew I had to try it. Like everything else, I "tweaked" the recipe a bit to suit my fancy. I was so happy to be able to use up some of the basil and jalapenos growing like crazy in my garden also. Now if I could only think of a way to grow some fresh mozzarella in my garden, I would be ONE happy girl!

Recipe Adapted From:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/baked_parmesan_tomatoes.html

2 large tomatoes, cut into 8 thick slices

8 fresh basil leaves (or you can use dried basil, just sprinkle it on sparingly)

1-2 fresh jalapenos, diced
Italian Seasoning
Salt/Pepper to taste
8 pieces fresh Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Heat oven to 450°.
Place tomato slices on a Pam sprayed cookie sheet. Top each slice with a basil leaf, and a few diced jalapenos. Lightly sprinkle on some Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Top each slice with a thin slice of Parmesan cheese. Repeat with all tomato slices until they are all finished. Drizzle olive oil lightly over each cheese topped tomato slice. Bake in the oven, until tender, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Peking Stir Fry Asparagus and Cashews

Sometimes when it's this hot outside, it's difficult to think of meals to make. I love using my oven and since that is not an option during this weather, I decided to just eat light tonight and only have stir fry asparagus. I wasn't the hungriest and I knew that eating vegetables would be light and yet filling at the same time. I decided to add some cashews to it so I could have a little crunch and a little protein since I was not eating any meat for dinner. This turned out scrumptious and I can't wait to  make it again.

Recipe Adapted From:
http://www.asparagusrecipes.net/peking-style-asparagus.html

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sherry
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cashews

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add asparagus and cook until lightly browned, 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds while stirring.

In a small bowl, stir together the chicken broth, water, soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch. Add this mixture  to the skillet and cook until the sauce is thickened and smooth, 2 minutes, stirring. Add the cashews and cook for 1 more minute. Serve hot.

Buffalo Cauliflower

This morning at the grocery store, I  picked up a head of cauliflower. This isn't a vegetable I cook very often and I'm not exactly sure why. I have always liked it, I just tend to go for the green vegetables more I guess. So when I was planning dinner, I got to thinking, how can I fix this, to jazz it up? I didn't feel like being super creative tonight, as I had a really busy day, so I turned to Pinterest to help me find a good recipe. I'm so glad I did, because honestly I think this will be my new favorite way to serve cauliflower!

 Recipe Source:
http://www.persnicketyplates.com/2013/04/buffalo-cauliflower.html

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower

For the batter:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water
Good dash of Frank's Wing Sauce or Frank's Original Hot Sauce
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion powder

 For the Sauce:

1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce
4 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions

Heat the oven to 450° Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray the foil with Pam. Set aside.

Wash the cauliflower and cut into pieces.
In a medium bowl, mix together the batter ingredients. Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter until evenly coated. Place onto the foil lined baking sheet.Bake for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients. Once the cauliflower have baked for 15 min, remove it from the oven and brush it evenly with the buffalo sauce.Put it back into the oven and bake for 5 more min. 
.

Maplewood Kale Chips

The nutritional info for Kale is quite amazing! One cup of kale contains 34 calories, 6.7g of total carbohydrates and 1.3g of dietary fiber. This is a great way to eat your vegetables and not add butter, cheese and other bad fats to your diet. I have been making these all winter and spring and I am just now getting around to blogging them. I have tried making many different versions, like using salt and vinegar and spicy red pepper. This Maplewood is by far my favorite version.

1 bunch of Kale
Olive Oil
Grill Mates Maplewood seasoning (this is a dry powder seasoning sold in the spice aisle at most markets)

Heat oven to 375°
Wash your Kale. Seperate the leaves from the "spine" of the Kale by running a knife down both sides of the ribbing. Tear or cut your leaves into chip size  pieces. Place the cut leaves  into a large bowl. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top of them. (Don't use too much or the burn a lot easier). Use your hands to toss all the olive oil around the Kale. They should have an even glistening of oil on the leaves. Place the oiled leaves onto a cookie sheet or broiler pan. Place in oven for 15 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chips over. Place back in the oven for 10-15 more minutes or until they are crisp.

Sauteed Kale with Lemon and Parmesan Cheese

Lately I seem to be on a kale kick. I have been making so many different kinds of kale chips. I've added kale to my salads more than usual lately also. There is so much nutrition packed into this stuff. One cup of kale contains 34 calories, 6.7g of total carbohydrates and 1.3g of dietary fiber.So today at the grocery store I picked myself up a few bunches of it and started thinking of a new and fresh way to make it alongside our seafood tonight for dinner. This could quite possibly be one of my favorite ways to eat it!

1 bunch Kale
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 small lemon, juiced
olive oil
Salt/Pepper to taste
3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese


Wash the kale and cut the leaves from the main stem. Throw out the stem and tear the leaves into strips or smaller portions. Place the cut leaves into a large skillet. Cut the garlic into extremely thin slices. Add those to the kale in the skillet. Cut the onion into slices. Add those to the kale mixture. Squeeze lemon juice all over the kale. Drizzle olive oil over the kale mixture. (You can use as much or as little as you like.) Season with salt and pepper and turn the fire onto med-high. Cook until the kale really begins to cook down and then add Parmesan Cheese. Stir and continue to cook until kale is cooked all the way down and is tender. By now your onions should be soft but still somewhat firm. If they aren't then continue to cook for just a a couple more minutes. Serve warm!

Cooked Cabbage Wedges with Spicy Lime Dressing

I'm so thankful I stumbled onto this recipe on Pinterest. It's definitely a winner in my book. I love cabbage and I love anything with a Thai type sauce. So this was a great find. My hubby, who is not particularly fond of cabbage, even liked this one. I am full right now, but I honestly can't wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I'm sure it will be just as good heated up in the microwave. I didn't happen to have any propane for our BBQ so I used my griddle on the stovetop and it worked perfectly. I also didn't have limes but I happened to have a bunch of lemons, so I substituted lemon for lime. It tasted great!! I can't wait until the limes on my tree are ripe and ready and then I can make it like the original.
 I found the original recipe at:
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-grilled-cabbage-wedges-157671
This is a great blog with so  many wonderful recipes. If you get a chance, head on over there and check out some of her wonderful recipes.

Juice of 3 limes or lemons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 head green cabbage
Olive oil for brushing onto the cabbage

In a food processor or blender, mix the lime juice, olive oil, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, salt, cayenne and sugar until thoroughly blended into a liquid. Set aside. Remove one set of outer leaves from the cabbage, and cut the cabbage into 8 evenly-sized wedges. Do not remove the stalk or inner core.  Lightly brush the wedges with olive oil.

If you cook this on an outdoor grill, the recipe says to place the wedges on the grill and cover. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the edges of each layer are blackened and the cabbage is beginning to soften. Turn each wedge over, cover the grill, and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes on the other side. Take the cabbage off the grill and arrange the wedges on a plate. Pour the dressing over top and serve immediately.

If you cook it on an indoor griddle like I did, just lay all 8 oil coated wedges out on the griddle. Cook on med heat for approx 5 min on one side, then flip them all over and cook for about 4-5 minutes on the other side. Place on a plate and serve with the dressing drizzled over it. 

Veggie Salad

This is one of my favorite ways to eat raw veggies. I know, you are probably thinking that your favorite way is to cut up some raw veggies and dip them in Ranch dressing. Well, this is a much healthier way to eat them. Let's face it, Ranch dressing is not the healthiest thing in the world. This salad has nothing unhealthy in it at all. There is no measuring, no cooking, it's basically a slice and stir recipe. So next time you are feeling like you just want something extremely healthy to snack on, give this a try. I think you will be surprised at how great it tastes.

You can include any veggies that you like, but these happen to be my favorite. You can add or take away as you please. Also, I happened to use a gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar that I had at the house, but plain olive oil and balsamic also tastes great on this salad. I didn't include any amounts in the recipe because this is just a "add the amount you like" kind of recipe.

Cucumber
Celery
Fennel
Red Onion
Tomato
Green Onion
Cilantro
Lemon Infused Olive Oil
Peach Cinnamon Balsamic Vinegar
Salt/Pepper to taste

Chop all the veggies. Throw them into a bowl. Drizzle as much or as little olive oil and vinegar as you would like over them. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Corn with Spicy Butter and Lime

Anything with lime and cilantro has got to qualify as a favorite of mine. So when I found this recipe, I just knew it had to be a good one and I was right. Again, I didn't get to enjoy it because corn is no longer on my eating plan, but I did try a bite and was thrilled with the result. The hubby loved it too! This is super quick and easy to make and I'm not sure you could really do it wrong.

Adapted from: http://eatdrinkdaily.com/bbq-corn-mexican-spicy-butter-lime-recipe/

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don't like your food too spicy)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

For garnish:
1/2- 1 lime, juiced
Chopped cilantro

Heat oven to 400°
Thaw out corn on countertop or in microwave. Set aside. In a medium bowl, place the melted butter, lime juice, paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin, garlic, sugar, coriander, salt and pepper.  Put the corn into the butter mixture and stir, making sure all the corn is coated with the butter mixture. Pour out the corn into a greased 9x11 pan. (You could also use a square pan) Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with chopped cilantro and lime juice.

Roasted Red Peppers

I think that roasted red peppers have become my new favorite snack foods. They are nutritious, have an almost sweet like quality when they are roasted, and they are super easy to make.  Since there are only approximately 51 calories in a large red pepper, and the olive oil only adds a few calories, these make the perfect low cal, high nutrition snack or side dish to a lunch or dinner.

 Sweet red bell peppers
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Any seasonings of your choice
*There are no exact measurements for this recipe. It's just "to taste"

Preheat the oven to 400°
Cut the peppers into 1/4's or just slice the pieces as thin as you would like them. Place them into a bowl and drizzle olive oil over the top of them. Use your hands to mix the peppers and olive oil, being sure to coat all sides of the peppers. Spray a cookie sheet or broiler pan with Pam. Place the oiled peppers onto the greased pan. Sprinkle both sides of the peppers with salt and pepper, and any other of your favorite seasonings. Bake at 400° for 25 min. Turn the peppers over and continue to bake for 25-30 more minutes or until completely soft and just beginning to turn dark around the edges of the peppers.

Spiced Brussels

Recently, I have enjoyed making a lot of brussel sprouts. I really like the flavor of them and they are so easy to "spruce up." I even got my grand daughter to eat a bite of one. Granted, it was only a bite, but that's pretty miraculous for a 2 year old. I'm not sure she was a fan, but the hubby and I sure were.

15-20 brussel sprouts
1 lg garlic clove, finely chopped
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp Ancho chili powder (you can use regular chili powder if you don't have this)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cumin

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lime

Preheat oven to 350°. Wash and dry your brussel sprouts. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine garlic, salt, Old Bay seasoning, coriander, chili powder, crushed red pepper  flakes, and cumin. Stir in the olive oil and then put your brussel sprouts into the bowl with this mixture. Use your hand or a large spoon and make sure the brussel sprouts are thoroughly coated with this mixture. Spread the spiced brussels onto a broiler pan or baking pan. Roast for 25 min. (Mine only took 25 min because my brussel sprouts were fairly small.) Adjust your cooking time as needed if your sprouts are larger and you find they are not tender after 25 min. Serve warm.

Asparagus Gratin

As a kid, I despised asparagus. Hated it beyond words. I thought it was the most foul looking and smelling food imaginable....besides meatloaf, but that's another story for another day. Well as a grown up, I have actually learned to like asparagus. I like it steamed, broiled, grilled, just about any way you can fix it. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that this is my absolute new favorite way of eating it. Cheesy, creamy, just the right amount of salty and boy oh boy, you have a wonderful new way of having asparagus as a side dish. Well honestly, I could eat this as a meal, but the hubby always says "gotta have meat to make it a meal" and as much as I disagree with that statement, I always try to keep the hubby happy. After 29 years,  yes, I can still say that! :)

Recipe Source:
http://apronappeal.blogspot.com/2011/06/asparagus-gratin.html

2 pounds thin asparagus

3 cups water

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated and divided

½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler to high. Line broiler safe baking dish with paper towels. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and set both stalks and ends aside.

Bring water to a boil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus ends and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook covered, for 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove asparagus ends and discard. Add asparagus stalks to skillet, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly tender, 2-4 minutes. Transfer asparagus to paper towel lined baking dish. Pour asparagus water into liquid measuring cup. If liquid does not read 1-cup mark, add water until it does. Melt butter in now empty skillet over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in reserved asparagus water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Off heat, stir in ½ cup Parmesan and Monterey jack until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand for 5 minuets. Remove paper towels from baking dish. (most of the moisture should have been retained from the asparagus into the paper towels. Drizzle sauce over the asparagus and top with remaining Parmesan. Broil until cheese is golden and asparagus is tender, 4-8 minutes. Serve.

Lemon Vegetable Salad

After speaking  with my sister on the phone yesterday, she had mentioned that she had friends from South Africa that make a salad called "Sambal". I decided that I just had to have some of it because it sounded so light and refreshing, not to mention delicious! I have always known Sambal to be a chili type sauce, so I decided to change the name to a lemon vegetable salad just in case the title was lost in interpretation or something. There is no recipe, as it just required blending a bunch of vegetables together and tossing with lemon, salt and pepper. So next time you want to have a side salad and you want it to be lighter and hardly any calories  at all, try this one. Super healthy and amazingly tasty!
*Next time I make it I will try adding avocado and some crushed red pepper. 

Cucumber
Fresh Tomatoes
Red Onion
Fresh jalapenos
Cilantro
Fresh garlic
Bell pepper
Lemon Juice
Salt/Pepper to taste

Chop all vegetables into bite size pieces. Toss together with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Spicy Roasted Vegetables

There are no words to explain how happy I am to be off of work for the summer. I am able to spend much more time in my garden, reading and cooking! Today I found out that our city offers a rebate program if you buy a fruit or shade tree. So off to the nursery I went. I wish I could confess that all I came home with was a fruit tree, but of course I picked up some other things while I was there. Me in a garden nursery is almost as bad as my hubby in a Lowes or Home Depot. So after we planted the new peach tree, I picked some zucchini and some jalapenos out of the garden and went inside to make some dinner. This dinner was healthy, yummy and satisfying.

 *There is  no definite amounts in this recipe because it depends how many vegetables you are making. Just use all seasonings to taste. Top with as much Parmesan as you would like

Carrots, thinly sliced or shredded  (I used shredded)
Zucchini, thinly sliced
Onion, thinly sliced
Italian Seasoning
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Salt to taste
Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.
Place thinly sliced vegetables on greased cookie sheet. Shake all seasonings onto the top of the veges. Top with fresh grated Parmesan Cheese. Bake at 375 for approximately 20-30 min, or until the veges are tender. This time will depend on how thin you slice your veges.

Green Bean Bundles

These green beans came directly out of my backyard garden. Yes you heard me right.....right out of my backyard! I am so excited about growing food this summer. I added a lot to the garden this year and I am slowly seeing all my hard work pay off.  As for the bacon....it most definitely did NOT come straight out of my backyard. I am gardening a lot this year and I guess you could call me "Farmer Joni." but just because my husbands name is John and that would make him "Farmer John"....trust me, the bacon came directly from the grocery store! ;)

Green beans that are bundled in a blanket of bacon that has been cooked with brown sugar? Yes please! For those of you that know me and read this blog, you know that I am not a big fan of bacon. I am a big fan of green beans though. I actually loved this dish and this just might be my new "go to" green bean recipe. The brown sugar gives the bacon just a little crunch and the sweetness blends well with the beans.

Green Beans
Bacon (strips cut in half)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400°
Cook the green beans in a pot of boiling water until the are soft. Set them aside. Cook the bacon in a skillet until it is "soft" but done. You do not want it crisp or it will not roll around the green beans. Cut each slice of bacon in half. Roll each half around a small bundle of green beans and place each bundle in a well greased dish. I used 5 in each bundle. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the brown sugar and cook for only a minute or two until the sugar  has been fully stirred into the butter. Use a pastry brush and brush this butter mixture all over the green bean bundles. Place the bundles into the oven for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Oven Baked Zucchini Crisps with Basil Dipping Sauce

I had seen this recipe and have been thinking of trying it for awhile now. Tonight seemed the right time to try it. Thank goodness I did, because they were very yummy. I'm sure glad they were good, because I am going to be needing a lot of good zucchini recipes. I am growing zucchini for the first time this season, and I didn't know that the amount of zucchini seeds I planted, could feed the entire nation. So when they start blooming and producing zucchini, you will all probably get very tired of zucchini recipes! The dip that goes with this is really good too.It's light and refreshing!

Adapted from the original recipe found at: http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/2011/05/oven-fried-zucchini-chips-with-basil-dipping-sauce.html

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

dash of cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup milk

2 small zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch-thick

Preheat oven to 425° F. Grease a large oven-proof wire rack and set it on a baking sheet.

Stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, onion powder, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a medium bowl. Place milk in a separate bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk and then in breadcrumb mixture. Place slices onto the greased wire rack. Repeat until all the zucchini are coated.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with basil dipping sauce.

 

Basil Dipping Sauce

 

1/2 cup Sour Cream

3 tablespoons mayonnaise (like Hellmann’s)

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1/2 clove garlic

1/4 tsp Tarragon

Dash of crushed red pepper flakes

Dash of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

 

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.

Chickpea Veggie Soup

I was going to try to post something clever and witty tonight, but I guess today was one of those days where I apparently used up all my wit and sass at work with students (gotta love those high school students), so I guess you will be stuck reading a boring old post that talks about how good this soup is. But really....how boring can reading about food be? It cant be!! Reading about, cooking, or trying food is to me what walking through Lowe's is to my husband. I don't quite get it, but he can stare at tools all day long. Me? I'm looking at the tools and thinking "oh I could use that to make some kind of fun thing in my kitchen." You think I'm kidding? That is how my brain works. I see something and I instantly try to figure out how I could work it into my kitchen or a recipe etc!
Oh back to the soup...sorry I lost track. But I guess now it's not a boring old post haha! 

It shouldn't even be called soup. It should be called "a bowl of healthy." There are so many reasons that this soup is healthy and yummy, but I won't bore you with them all. It felt so good to eat such a wonderfully healthy dinner. Now if I can just keep from going to the freezer and digging into the ice cream that is calling out my name!!

The original recipe can be found here:
http://www.ediblexperiments.blogspot.com/2012/02/chickpea-veggie-soup-with-smoked.html

I really only added a couple of little things (jalapeno and oregano) to this recipe to change it. Amy Jo over at www.ediblexperiments.blogspot.com did a fantastic job with this soup already, so not a lot of changes needed to be made for my liking!

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
2 cans (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 large red potatoes, chopped into bite size chunks
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (take out the seeds if you do not want the spice)
4 cups hot water
4 chicken bullion cubes (or 4 tsp of bullion powder)
1 zucchini, chopped into bite size chunks
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
lemon wedges


In a large pot, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and the sugar. Stir occasionally. When the onions are soft, add the garlic, paprika, ginger, cumin and oregano. Give it a quick stir. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garbanzo beans, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno, hot water, and chicken bullion. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer until the potatoes are tender. This should take about  20 minutes. Add the zucchini and let simmer for another 5 or 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Taste and add salt, pepper, and more paprika as needed. Serve with lemon wedges. Squeezing the lemon into your soup makes it extra yummy!