Oven Baked Zucchini Chips

Oven Baked Zucchini Chips
recipe and image from Nutritionist in the Kitch

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup dry whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (you could also use milk)
2 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices zucchini
cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl stirring with a whisk.
3. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
4. Place coated slices on an oven proof wire rack coated with cooking spray; plac rack on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and crisped.

*I've been looking for some creative ways to serve vegetables to my kids. Oh these were really yummy! My kids thought they were great dipped in ranch and fry sauce of course. 

Baked Zucchini Fries

Baked Zucchini Fries
recipe and image from Our Best Bites

INGREDIENTS:
About 1 lb. zucchini
1/2-1 cup Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)
2 eggs

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside. (If you don't have or can't find any Italian-style panko bread crumbs, just add 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp. onion powder to plain panko bread crumbs and you'll be good to go.)
3. Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.
4. Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves.
5. Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield "meatier" fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel or put all cut zucchini in a plastic bag with flour and shake. The flour will help the bread crumbs stick better.
6. Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don't want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they'll soak up moisture from the egg and won't stick to the zucchini.
7. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with pizza sauce or ranch. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

*These were really yummy! We served them as a side dish with Grilled Turkey Sandwiches, yum!! I actually gave them to my kids with fry sauce and they liked them!

Asian-Style Green Beans

Asian-Style Green Beans
recipe and image from recipezaar

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, ends trimmed (I actually used frozen)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional or adjust to taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
black pepper
salt
cornstarch (mixed with cold water to thicken sauce)
sliced almonds or sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook the green beans in a pot of boiling salted water until JUST crisp-tender (about 3 minutes) plunge into an ice water bath to cool completely.
2. Drain well and pat the beans dry using paper towels.
3. Heat sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat; add in garlic and chili flakes (if using) stir-fry 1 minute.
4. Add in beans and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
5. Add in soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and black pepper; cook until the sauce reduces slightly and coats the beans (about 1-1/2-2 minutes longer).
6. If you want a thick sauce mix a small amount of cornstarch with a small amount of cold water and add in towards the end.
7. Add in the almonds or sesame seeds; toss to coat and transfer to a bowl.

If you are going to have to eat vegetables, might as well make them taste good, right? My husband doesn't really like green beans but both of us agreed that these were delicious! They had so much flavor! I also cut this recipe in half.

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus
from The Sister's Cafe

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch thin asparagus, ends trimmed*

1 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Spread out asparagus spears in a large shallow roasting pan or cookie sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shake roasting pan gently so asparagus is completely coated in oil.
4. Roast in oven until spears are just tender. Cooking time will depend on thickness of asparagus, about 10 minutes for medium-thick asparagus. You may need to shake pan halfway through cooking time to keep spears from sticking.

(*Trim ends of asparagus by snapping off the bottoms of the stalks. They will break off naturally right where the woody part starts.)

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Broccoli and Cheese Soup
from Klisa Plicka

INGREDIENTS:
3 (10 oz.) bags of frozen broccoli, chopped
3 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
6 TBS butter or margarine
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 cup milk
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed
½ pound shredded cheddar cheese
Season with salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Simmer chopped broccoli in chicken broth for 15 minutes. (After simmering, you can blend half of the broccoli mixture if you don't like the soup too chunky. Blend it and then just add it back into the pot.)
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in pan over medium heat. Saute onions in butter for 5 minutes or until desired consistency.
3. Add flour and stir to make paste.
4. Slowly stir in milk until thickened. Pour into broth mixture.
5. Put cubes and shredded cheese into soup, stirring until melted. (Careful not to boil cheese mixture- it will break down the cheese.)
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*This soup was definitely the best homemade broccoli and cheese recipe I have made! It definitely makes a difference if you do not let the soup boil. Thanks Klisa!

Nutritional Information for 1 serving:
8 total servings
Calories 487 Calories from fat 297 Total fat 33g Saturated fat 20.7g Cholesterol 103mg Sodium 1612mg Total Carbohydrates 23.6g Dietary Fiber 3.2g Sugars 10.7g Protein 25.4g

Tomato and Basil Pasta

Tomato and Basil Pasta

recipe and image from The Sisters' Cafe

INGREDIENTS:

2 large ripe, firm tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)

1 TB fresh chopped basil or 1 tsp dried basil

1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1.8 tsp pepper

shredded Parmesan cheese

6-9 oz mutli-grain or wheat thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix together the diced tomatoes, chopped basil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Let "marinate" on counter for 30 minutes.
2. Cook the pasta al dente.
3. Drain and toss with the tomato mixture.
4. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

This was so yummy, healthy, and surprisingly full of flavor!

Spicy Sauteed Mushrooms

Spicy Sauteed Mushrooms
from The Sister's Cafe

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound mushrooms
2/3 cup butter (3/4 cube)
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 TB Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Melt butter over medium heat in pan.
2. Add mushrooms, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to coat mushrooms.
3. Saute until mushrooms are caramelized and lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Drain excess butter and serve immediately.

Shishkabobs

Shishkabobs

INGREDIENTS:
chicken breasts, marinaded and cubed
1 can pineapple chunks
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 purple onion
a few mushrooms

DIRECTIONS:
1. Marinate chicken for a half hour to an hour. (I use Yoshita sauce or teriyaki sauce.)
2. Build shishkabobs.
3. Grill.

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 bunces of fresh broccoli
10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbles
2/3 cup raisins
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup mayo
1/3 cup sugar
2 TB red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Toss broccoli, bacon, raisins, and onion.
2. Beat mayo, sugar, and vinegar.
3. Pour dressing over salad and toss.
4. Refrigerate.

Variations:
1/2-3/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
grated mozzarella

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers

INGREDIENTS:
4 green bell peppers
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup cooked rice
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix beef, onion, rice, and seasonings.
2. Cut tops of peppers and hollow out any seeds.
3. Stuff peppers with beef mixture.
4. Place in crock pot and cover with sauce.
5. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or until beef in cooked through and peppers tender.