Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

I guess September’s theme is using up what is growing in your garden or what you can pick up at the farmer’s market. I’m good with this! Veggies are so yummy and I love finding new ways to use them. I didn’t grow cucumbers in the garden this year. I remembered that they have little prickles on them and I didn’t want little one to get hurt trying to pick them in the garden. After planting pumpkins and discovering how prickly their vines are I will definitely reconsider the cucumbers next year. My dad did plant cucumbers and gave me a few pounds so I needed to find a way to use them up.

I wasn’t interested in cucumbers swimming in a creamy sauce (think yogurt or ranch dressing). Then I went to tour a CSA farm with one of my friends. Before the tour we were treated to a dinner featuring produce from the farm. There was this incredible cucumber salad with a vinegar base. It was so good and I just knew it was how I wanted to make my cucumbers. As usual Pinterest came to my rescue. I found a few recipes that sounded similar to what we had at the farm. I picked the easiest one to make with the fewest ingredients. I do love a recipe with fancy ingredients but cucumbers should be simple.

Our family adores these cucumbers. I have made these several times over the summer. We love them so much a bought a huge basket of cucumbers at the Minneapolis farmer’s market. The cucumbers taste great after sitting in your fridge for two hours but if you are a fan of pickles let them sit for a few days. The flavor intensifies to a light pickle flavor that is just amazing. These are great for snacking. I would fill up a ramekin of cucumbers and snack on them whenever I needed something with a little crunch. Use any cucumbers you want but the ones with a smaller circumference work better.

Enjoy!

1 ½ lbs. English cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt

½ cup distilled white vinegar

3 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Place sliced cucumbers in a colander in the sink and sprinkle cucumbers with salt and toss. Let rest for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. While cucumbers are resting, whisk together vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl. Drain cucumbers and pat dry. Toss cucumbers in dressing, cover bowl, and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Serve cold.

http://www.newtothetable.com/2014/04/sweet-and-sour-cucumbers.html

Waffled Zucchini-Parmesan Fritters

Do you have a zucchini sitting around and you have no idea what to do with it? If you have a garden or if you know someone that does, the odds are that you have a spare zucchini. You could go the easy route and make some zucchini bread but that’s a little boring. How about pulling out your waffle maker (I hope you have one) and waffle your zucchini!

Before my Grandma Jenny passed away last summer she moved out of her condo and moved to Colorado. She had the opportunity to spend the last months of her life constantly surrounded by family. Since she was moving in with my uncle and his family she no longer needed most of the things in her home. During her move all of grandma’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren where given items from her home that she was able to select. I was blessed to receive some beautiful stemware, a glass apple and a few things for my kitchen. The waffle maker was included and I am happy to say that I use it a few times a month. Each time I use the waffle maker I think of my grandma.

I love this recipe because it’s a great use of zucchini and the other ingredients are always on hand. I love that it’s a savory recipe so there is no sugar overload. At this point I’m not sure what to serve the waffles with. I’m considering a meaty tomato sauce or some type of beefy gravy. Husband enjoyed them plain. Try them and let me know what you would top them with!

Enjoy!

2 cups shredded zucchini (roughly 2 medium zucchini)

1 large egg

¼ cup milk

½ cup grated Parmesan

½ cup flour

Salt

Black pepper

Place the shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with about ¼ teaspoon of salt. Let the salted zucchini sit for about 30 minutes. Then rinse well with cold water and press out as much of the water as possible. Blot dry with a lint-free towel or paper towels.

Preheat the waffle iron to medium and the oven to its lowest setting.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and half of the Parmesan. Add in the flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Mix in the zucchini and toss until everything is well-combined.

Coat the waffle iron with nonstick spray or brush it with a neutral oil. Place rounded tablespoons of the batter on the waffle iron, leaving room for the fritters to spread slightly. Close the lid and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer finished fritters to the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining fritters. Serve topped with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

http://food52.com/recipes/30514-waffled-zucchini-parmesan-fritters

Spinach and Feta Quesadillas

This year I finally started using my gym membership the way it was meant to be used. When I first got my membership I would drop little one off at the on-site child care center and get on the elliptical for an hour. I did this a few days a week. I enjoyed the alone time this gave me and I loved that little one was getting a chance to play with lots of other kids. As a stay at home mom my gym membership meant a lot to me. Then one of my good friends (today’s birthday girl!) asked me to pick a class for us to take together. I picked a Zumba class and away we went. Well, WE went to one Zumba class together. My good friend always had a reason she couldn’t make it to Zumba after the first class. She wasn’t a fan. She’s a yoga girl and after a long day at the office I think she needs that quiet time to relax. I, on the other hand, have become a Zumba girl. I found an instructor I loved and I started going to class twice a week. I have been having the best time in class and I look forward to Tuesday and Thursday nights.

My favorite Zumba instructor teaches only in the evenings. This means that twice a week I need to come up with quick meals to feed my family. This little gem of a recipe fits my needs perfectly. It came together in just a few minutes so I was able to get out of the door and to the gm with no worries. Little one thought this was super yummy which is another win for me. All the ingredients are easy to find and are usually in my pantry/fridge. I had extra dip left over so I put it in the freezer and I look forward to testing out what else I can use it for.

Enjoy!

 

6 oz. roasted red peppers, drained

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper

12 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup shredded mozzarella

4 oz. crumbled feta

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 large flour tortillas

In food processor, puree the roasted red peppers and the crushed red peppers. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine spinach, cheeses and garlic. Spoon mixture onto half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half and press to close. In large dry skillet, working in two batches, cook quesadillas over medium until golden, about three minutes per side. Cut each into four pieces and serve with the pepper dip.  

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/spinach--feta-quesadillas/

Slow Cooker Cuban Black Bean Soup

I conquered a task in the kitchen that has been eluding me for years: using dried beans in a recipe. I use beans frequently in the recipes I use for dinners so I find myself buying multiple cans of beans each time I go to the grocery store. Beans are delicious, nutritious and easy on the food budget. Canned beans aren’t expensive by any means but dried beans are a much better value. I always want to use dried beans but I have never been able to get them to soften. I couldn’t figure out why. Women all over the world are able to do this so why couldn’t I?

I found this recipe in a magazine that Kraft Foods sends out. Since our family is such a fan of beans I decided to give it a shot. I soaked the beans for 24 hours before I put them in the crock pot. I know that you are supposed to soak the beans overnight but I decided that I needed the extra soak time since I have never had luck with dried beans.

I used Kraft’s Zesty Italian Dressing because I couldn’t find their Italian Vinaigrette. The original recipe calls for you to put the ham in with the beans. I’m sure this is to help with the flavor of the soup. I followed the recipe and the soup tasted great but the ham didn’t stand out at all. In the future I will add the ham during the last hour of cooking or right after blending the beans. Part of the “Cuban-ness” of this soup is the ham so I want to make sure it stands out. Make sure your slow cooker is large enough to accommodate all your ingredients. Mine was too small so I ended up using two slow cookers.

I served this to my family with corn muffins and a green salad. Husband and I also added a little lime juice to our bowls. With the weather starting to cool down I think your family will be happy to see this in their soup bowls at the end of the day.

Check out those soaking beans!

Enjoy!

¼ cup Kraft Italian Vinaigrette Dressing

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

15 oz. petite diced tomatoes, drained

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

1 lb. dried black beans, soaked

6 cups chicken broth

7.5 oz. cooked ham, chopped

2 bay leaves

Heat dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add peppers and onions and cook until vegetables are crisp tender, stirring frequently. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables to the slow cooker. Stir in beans, broth, ham and bay leaves. Cover with the lid and cook on low for ten hours (or on high for five hours).

Remove and discard bay leaves. Blend half the soup in blender until smooth. Return to remaining soup in slow cooker, stir to combine and serve.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/slow-cooker-cuban-black-bean-soup-162267.aspx

Indian Pizza

Hello friends! Are we ready to do this? Goodness knows I am.

This year little one wanted to grow pumpkins. There was already an existing small garden space on one side of our house so I didn’t see any reason why we couldn’t plant a few pumpkins. I decided having a small garden would be the perfect summer project for him. We planted two pumpkins, one watermelon, two tomatoes, one zucchini, two bell peppers, six cabbages, six cauliflowers, some kale and some herbs. It has been wonderful watching him discover his veggies growing. Sadly, I don’t think he will get any pumpkins this year. The pumpkin plants aren’t producing any fruit. Hopefully we’ll have better luck next year.

We have been lucky and have been able to eat fresh tomatoes, zucchini and peppers out of the garden. I feel pretty smart because I only planted one zucchini plant. If you have any experience with this plant you know it will produce zucchini in abundance. I didn’t want to get stuck with more zucchini than our family could eat. I have found some wonderful recipes that have helped me use our bounty of zucchini in some original ways.

So far this year we have had chicken enchilada zucchini boats, summer squash carbonara, grilled, zucchini, zucchini waffles and Indian pizza. All delicious. All filling. All not sugar loaded zucchini bread. Husband is a little skeptical each time I tell him that the main dish that night is centered around zucchini. I get it. No one ever says zucchini is their favorite vegetable. I like to think that I have made some wise choices when it comes to end of summer zucchini season.

I was excited to come across this recipe. Husband and I love Indian food and I may be addicted to pizza. I made my own pizza dough since I find that it’ is easy to do and is a little cheaper. I didn’t change the recipe in any way. The ingredients are simple and easy to find. Little one gobbled it up. He was unsure about the zucchini at first but when I told him he grew it in his garden he was more than happy to eat it.  I recommend making two pizzas as one just isn’t enough!

 

1 lb. pizza dough, at room temperature

¼ bunch cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

¼ cup olive oil

4 oz. mozzarella, shredded

1 ½ tsp. curry powder

½ lb. ground turkey

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise ¼ in. thick

¼ red onion, sliced

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees . 

Oil a baking sheet and stretch the pizza dough to fit the pan.In a food processor, pulse the cilantro, jalapeno and two tablespoons olive oil until a paste forms. Spread the paste on the dough, and then sprinkle with cheese.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the turkey and sauté until just barely cooked, about two minutes. Top the pizza with the turkey, zucchini and red onions. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the crust is golden, about 20 minutes.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/budget-recipes/indian-pizza