Zucchini Bruschetta (or as my kiddos call them Zucchini "Boats")

I made these today for lunch and they were DELISH!  The only way to make them better is to make them on a grill outside!  (I'll post a picture tomorrow.)

Ingredients:

• Zucchini
• Cherry tomatoes
• Grana Padano cheese
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• Diced fresh herbs that you desire
• S&P
• EVOO

1. Preheat the broiler on your oven.
2. Wash and cut the ends off of your zucchini
3. Slice the zucchini long-ways right down the middle.
4. Using a spoon, scoop the "seedy" part out of the center of the zucchini  (You don't need to do too much - just enough to make "wells" in the center)
5. Drizzle some EVOO over the flesh side of the zucchini (into the wells) and sprinkle with S&P to taste
6. Place zucchini skin side down on a cookie sheet (if you're grilling place them flesh side down on the grill)
7. Grill/Broil until zucchini is just tender
8. Meanwhile dice or halve cherry tomatoes & toss gently with 1 clove pressed garlic, more S&P to taste and any other fresh herb you might want.
9. Carefully fill the wells of the zucchini with your tomato-garlic mixture and place back in oven/on grill skin side down until tomatoes are starting to crinkle
10. Carefully sprinkle freshly grated grana padano on top of the tomatoes & place under broiler one last time.
11. Allow cheese to bubble and turn golden
12. Let zucchini cool slightly and serve while still warm!

Roasted Broccolini

I love baby broccoli - or, if you buy it at Trader Joe's "Broccolini."  A crazy lady I used to nanny for used to have broccolini in her house ALL THE TIME and I had to steam it for her kiddos anytime I made them dinner.  If I recall the kiddos never ate the steamed version & now I know why...  BECAUSE ROASTED BROCCOLINI is THE BEST!  :)  This is how I made our broccolini tonight.

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.  Rinse broccolini and pat dry
3.  Take out a cookie sheet and spread rinsed/dried broccolini on cookie sheet
4.  Drizzle EVOO over broccolini - toss with your hands to evenly cover broccolini with EVOO
5.  Sprinkle some good sea salt over EVOO coated broccolini
6.  Place cookie sheet in oven and roast broccolini until crispy (about 15-20minutes) - It's almost like broccolini chippies!
7.  Let cool slightly and serve as a side.

Spaghetti Squash with Veggies and Cheese

Do you love spaghetti squash but run out of inventive ways to cook it for dinner? I ran across this simple recipe today on allrecipes.com and was shocked at how amazing it turned out. I made a few tweaks of my own. The original recipe did not include the sausage, zucchini or green pepper but I think either way it would be delicious.

1 spaghetti squash halved lengthwise and seeded
2 Tb. EVOO
1 yellow onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 zucchini sliced in half moons
1 can diced tomatoes (italian style) drained
1 small can sliced black olives
1 Lb. spicy italian sausage
1 clove minced garlic
2 Tb. fresh chopped basil
4oz cheese of your choice ie: italian mix, parmesan, feta etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350 and place squash cut side down on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 30-40 min. or until skin pierces easily with a fork.
2. Meanwhile heat oil in a large skillet and sautee onions, green peppers, and sausage until sausage is nearly cooked through.
3. Add zucchini, and garlic and stir gently until sausage is cooked through and zucchini is soft and opaque.
4. Add tomatos, olives and basil and heat until warmed through.
5. Remove squash from oven and place aside until cool enough to handle.
6. Remove strands of squash and toss with skillet mixture and cheese (and butter if you're in the mood).

Basil Hummus

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs Simply Recipes and I had to share it because it was so good & super easy!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 cups sweet basil leaves, packed (yes, this is a ton of basil, but its worth it!)
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed then minced
• 2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained*
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Up to 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
• Several dashes Tabasco
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

METHOD

1. Heat the pine nuts in a small skillet on medium high heat. Stir them when they start to brown. When most of them have lightly browned, remove them from the pan into a bowl to cool. (Reserve a few pine nuts for garnish.)
2. In the bowl of a food processor, place the basil leaves and the garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans, most of the pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, tomato paste, and a few dashes of Tabasco. Pulse several times, for several seconds each time, until the hummus is smooth. Add more Tabasco and salt or lemon juice to taste. Add water to the point of desired consistency.
3. To serve, place in a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Sprinkle with a few toasted pine nuts. Serve with pita wedges, crackers, or rustic bread.

Makes about 3 cups

Asparagus Salad

Salty, sweet, and de-lish!  This salad is great for warm summer days because it is light but substantial enough to be dinner, & is served cool!


Ingredients:

• 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 ripe cantaloupe cut into bite-sized pieces 
• 4oz pancetta, baked until crisp and then cumbled
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-sized pieces

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Place pancetta on cookie sheet & bake in oven until crisp.
3. While pancetta is cooking, trim asparagus & cut into bite-sized pieces.  Set aside
4. Cut cantaloupe into bite-sized pieces & set aside.
5. When pancetta is crisp remove from cookie sheet & drain on paper towels - DO NOT discard pancetta drippings
6. Place cut asparagus onto cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
7. Season asparagus with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Toss seasoned asparagus in the pancetta drippings and olive oil.
9. Roast asparagus in oven until crisp tender.
10. Remove asparagus from oven & squeeze 1/2 a fresh lemon over freshly roasted asparagus.
11. When asparagus is cool, pour asparagus (including pancetta drippings, olive oil, and lemon juice) into a bowl.  Toss & combine with cantaloupe, crumbled pancetta, and mozzarella

Serve as a side or as an entree with crusty bread!

Flank Steak with Lime Marinade and Glazed Carrots

For the Flank Steak

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 1/3 cup (about 4 limes) freshly squeezed lime juice
  
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 2 scallions (about 1/3 cup), thinly sliced
  
• 2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
  
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• Coarse salt and ground black pepper
  

Directions:

1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine lime juice, soy sauce, scallions, ginger, and red-pepper flakes. Add steak, and seal bag (place in a dish to catch any leaks); marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, up to 1 hour.
   
2. Heat broiler. Remove steak from marinade, letting excess drip off (discard marinade); season with salt and black pepper. Place on broiling pan.  Cook, turning once, until meat reaches desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing thinly.
   

Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths, halved or quartered if thick
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
  
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
  
• coarse salt
  
• ground pepper
  

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, place carrots, butter, sugar, rosemary, and 1 1/4 cups water; season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until carrots are tender, 10-12 minutes.  (If water evaporates before carrots are tender, add 1/4 cup more.)
2. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Broccoli Tomato Salad

This is a delicious summer time salad, and a nice alternative to a pasta salad! 

Ingredients:

Serves 6

• Large bunch of broccoli
• 1 pint of little tomatoes, I've used cherry or grape both are great.
• 4 green onions sliced thinly
• Cheddar Cheese Chunks, as many as you would like.  
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Cut the broccoli flowerettes off and steam in shallow boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the boiling water immediately and place in a colander.  Rinse with cold water to get the broccoli cooled down.
2. Slice the tomatoes in half, chop the onions, and cheese.  Combine in a bowl with broccoli.
3. Put mayo, sugar, and red wine vinegar in a bowl and whisk together. 
4. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and combine.
5. Serve right away or place in the refrigerator and serve later.  I've even made it a night before and taken it to work for lunch and it still tastes fresh! 

Pennies From Heaven

I think several of the "Dinner-Belles" have made pennies from heaven, but I thought I'd include the recipe/how to do on our blog. Pennies from heaven were created by the kids I nanny, they are a lunch time favorite! I don't remember exactly how the name came about, I think while I was making them one day and I was in a silly mood and told they kids they were pennies. Natalie and Andrew were commenting on how much they LOVED the pennies, that I must have said "they are like pennies from heaven!" The name stuck and to this day they ask for pennies from heaven quite regularly!

1.  Slice your zucchini in semi-thick circles.

2.  Sometimes I chopped the zucchini circles in half, I know, they don't look like pennies anymore but they are easier to flip around in a pan.  So, whatever you prefer.

3.  Heat about 1 Tablespoon of EVOO in a larger pan over Medium-High Heat.  Coat the pan evenly, and add the zucchini.  Fry the zucchini in the pan for about 2 minutes, mixing them around getting them evenly coated with the oil.  Make sure to keep the zucchini moving in the pan our they will burn. 

4.  Add 1/4 Cup of water to the pan and cover.  Let simmer for about 1 min, no more than 2... depending on how "cooked" you like your vegetables.

5.  Serve as a side dish with a little salt cracked over them.

Sweet Potatoes: "We be yammin'!"

I'm excited about sweet potatoes. After recently tasting the scrumptious baked sweet potato fries at Au Naturale Restaurant, I knew I needed to be able to make this treat at home for a fraction of the cost. In searching for recipes and nutrition info., I learned that this homely tuber is kind of like a geode, ugly on the outside, but truly a gem on the inside--a nutritional gem. In fact, The Center for Science in the Public Interest rated it as the best vegetable you could eat. (I don't think that applies if they're smothered in brown sugar, swimming in butter, and topped with a fluffy crown of marshmallows.) If you do a "google search" there's lots of interesting nutrition facts on the web. BTW, when the orange fleshed sweet potatoes entered the market, they were called "yams" to differentiate them from the white fleshed sweet potatoes. However, they are not even in the same botanical family as true yams. Nowdays there are several varieties of sweet potatoes with various colors, so don't be confused if you can only find something labeled "yams" in the produce department. They are really sweet potatoes.

This is the recipe I tried for sweet potato fries. The basic process remains the same, but there are many seasoning combinations you could try, both sweet and savory. Keep an eye on them as they cook. They need to be turned to prevent burning. Also, don't cut them too thin.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 1-2 teaspoons italian spice blend
• 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
• sea salt
• pepper

Method:

• Wash and dry sweet potatoes (if using organics, no need to peel them--amazingly, the price at my local grocery store was the same)
• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
• Cut potatoes in half, then cut each half into uniform sized rectangles, not too thin
• Put potatoes into a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat, sprinkle with italian seasoning, rosemary, salt and pepper and toss again
• Arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
• Bake for 30 min. turning potatoes after 15 min. (watch closely, they burn easily)
• Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauces: (endless variations)

• Equal parts mayo and sour cream or yogurt with a minced garlic clove added
• Equal parts mayo and ketchup
• Mayo with curry powder or paste