Zucchini Fries

 

As I mentioned in the previous post with the Zucchini Cheddar Hush Puppies, I had two zucchinis grow in my garden this year.  With one left, I decided to make up a batch of zucchini fries.  No real recipe needed, just an egg mixture to coat them and some breading to make them crunchy.  What really made these was the spicy siracha dip.

Best of all... the entire tray of fries was about 200 calories.  And no one eats and entire cookie tray.  Well, probably not.

INGREDIENTS

1 large zucchini, cut into 3-inch sticks

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut up the zucchini and let them rest in a colander for 5-10 minutes.  Give them a rinse and then add them in small batches to the egg-milk mixture to coat.  Carefully (without dripping globs of egg) transfer to the breadcrumb bowl and toss gently to coat.

 

I hate when the crumbs stop sticking halfway through.  I'll have half of the zucchini still to go and the crumbs just don't stick!  This is because I've gotten the crumbs too wet with the first half and ruined it for the rest.  Because I'm so sloppy I usually make the bread crumbs half a batch at a time, adding fresh bread crumbs halfway through the process so that all the zucchini is coated properly.

Layer the zucchini onto a cookie sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, carefully flipping once when they start to brown on the bottom.  

VERDICT

 

Pretty quick and easy, and they are delicious with the dip.  But make sure you cook them enough to get crunchy.  Soggy zucchini is not the goal here!

For the dip:  Greek plain yogurt mixed with siracha sauce.   Spicy AND low-calorie!

Broccoli cauliflower casserole

Vegetables are vegetables, and I'm usually not terribly adventurous.  We either steam them up or toss them in stir-fry.  But I attempted a variation on the usual dinner side dish with this casserole.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
1 package (16 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 package (16 ounces) frozen cauliflower florets, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/4 cups milk
4 ounces (1/2 package) cream cheese, cubed

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning in small bowl. Set aside. Cut up any large broccoli or cauliflower florets into bite-size pieces.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour, remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Add milk; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; cook and stir until cream cheese is melted. Add vegetables; toss gently to coat. Spoon into 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle top evenly with crumb mixture.

3. Bake 40 minutes or until heated through and top is lightly browned.

VERDICT

 I don't think I'd exactly bring this to a family picnic (no one wants to be that person who brings broccoli when all the cool moms bring cupcakes!) but it was a great addition to our dinner. Which, by the way, was also great!  You can find the Jalapeno Popper Chicken HERE.

Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro

Tonight was a healthy dinner.  Fish, cauliflower... and I would usually throw in rice or pasta as a side. Instead I tried out another spaghetti squash recipe.  You can find a previous attempt HERE.

What is spaghetti squash?  If your grocery store carries it it's a large oval squash that produces long spaghetti-like strands when cooked. 

INGREDIENTS

1 large spaghetti squash, halved lenghtwise
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, minced (1/2 cup)
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper 
1 large clove garlic minced (or 1 TBS jarred)
1 small sprig fresh rosemary, whole  
1 28 oz can tomatoes, chopped 
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp parmesan cheese, or fresh grated 
10 basil leaves, thinly sliced (whoops- forgot this!) 

DIRECTIONS

Place squash, skin side up (one half at a time), on microwave-safe dish; cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH, 10-12 min, until tender. Let rest covered, 10-15 min, until cool enough to handle; carefully remove plastic wrap to avoid steam.

While waiting to cool, prepare sauce. 

Heat oil in skillet  on MEDIUM-LOW; add onion and pepper flakes; cook 5 min, or until onion is translucent but not browned. 

Add garlic; continue to cook another 2 min. Add rosemary and tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Simmer on LOW 10 min. Remove and discard rosemary.

Run tines of fork lengthwise over cut surface of squash to loosen spaghetti-like strands; scoop out strands.  (Scoop out and toss any seeds and yucky looking strands!)

Add spaghetti squash to sauce; toss quickly and gently to heat through. 

Top each serving with 1/2 tsp cheese and garnish with basil.

 

VERDICT:

We've tried making spaghetti squash a couple different ways.  This was definitely the most spaghetti-like.  It was a hit in our house!  A little labor-intensive for a side dish, but definitely a healthy alternative to real pasta.

Source:  Wegman's 

Sesame Glazed Cauliflower

 

The Buffalo Cauliflower faux-wings were a huge hit- we make them nearly every time we order pizza.  So when I saw this recipe for sesame glazed faux-wings... we had to try it.

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:

• ½ c soy sauce
• ¼ c honey (or agave or maple syrup for vegan)
• ½ T grated fresh ginger
• 1 T sesame oil
• ¼ c rice vinegar
• 1-2 sliced scallions
• 1 T sesame seeds

For the cauliflower:

• One large head cauliflower
• ½ c flour
• ½ c milk of choice (I used almond milk)
• ½ t garlic powder
• Optional additional sesame seeds and/or scallions for garnish, if desired

DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat your oven to 450°F, and spray a baking sheet with oil or cooking spray. Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a bowl.  Toss the cauliflower in the batter until thoroughly coated.

Arrange the cauliflower on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly less done than you want them.  Remove from the oven and pour the sauce over the cauliflower.  Return to oven for another 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and gently flip and toss the cauliflower in the sauce on the sheet.

Return to the oven for another 5 minutes.  Place the cauliflower on a serving plate or bowl, and if desired, sprinkle with some additional scallion and/or sesame seeds.

 

VERDICT

I loved these.  They have great flavor.  They're definitely not as crunchy as the Buffalo wings, so you're not really going to be able to fool anyone into thinking they're boneless Buffalo wings... but they are good.

My husband was less impressed.  He wants his Buffalo cauliflower back!  

Credit:  Cupcakes & Kale