Zucchini Part 3: Rosemary Zucchini Soup

Yes, it's another soup recipe.  Yes, I'm aware that it's now August.  Sorry!  But you know, soup is good any time of year, really.  It doesn't have to be piping hot to be good.  And this soup- is GOOD.  I got this recipe from Epicurious several years ago, when I had way too much zucchini going on in the garden.  It was something different, and I appreciated that, and still do!  This soup is good enough to make even if you are not overrun by zucchini.  It is light and simple and very flavorful.  Summer in a bowl, this is.

Rosemary Zucchini Soup, Adapted from Epicuirious.com

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium-large zucchini, diced
1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 quart chicken broth, plus water if necessary
salt/pepper to taste

1.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2.  Add garlic and rosemary and continue to cook about 1 minute more.

3.  Add chicken stock and potato and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and add zucchini.  Simmer until tender, 10-15 minutes, adding water if necessary.

4.  Blend with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender or food processor, and return to pot.  Heat to a simmer, and add water, if necessary, and salt and pepper to taste.

The original Epicurious recipe has some croutons and fried zucchini as a garnish, but I usually do not bother with that- I don't have time.  Honestly, this soup is quite flavorful as it is, and though it is yummy with the additions (which I have tried before), it doesn't need them to be good.

So, have we had enough zucchini recipes yet???  I still have a couple more!  I'm on vacation for the next week, so I'll see what I come up with after that.  But in the meantime, if anyone has a burning desire to make baked zucchini fritters or a Greek-style chopped salad with zucchini, let me know- I think I can help!

Zucchini, Part II- Italian Turkey Meatloaf

Well, this post was supposed to be a salad recipe, but my husband decided to take my camera on a day trip to Mt. Hood with the kids, so I can't shoot any photos of it!  Arghhh!  Well, lucky that I already have some pics of the lovely Italian turkey meatloaf that I made yesterday- I *might* forgive him in the next week (or 2)!

I love meatloaf- grew up with it, probably ate it at least once a week for many years.  However, in this day and age, I don't cook with ground beef too much- I have substituted ground turkey or chicken for a lot of dishes that I once made with ground beef.  Meatloaf, though, has been an exception....it has been difficult to make a turkey meatloaf that meets the standards of a regular beef one in terms of not only flavor, but also texture.  Recently, I was browsing the Foodgawker site, and happend to see a turkey meatball recipe that caught my eye, because it contained ricotta cheese.  The recipe promised a moist, tender texture to the meatballs, so I figured, why not try it with meatloaf?  The verdict:  GREAT idea!  It really helps the turkey to retain moisture and tenderness, without compromising the stability of the meat.  I will definitely use this again!

This is kind of a standard meatloaf recipe, other than the fact that it uses ground turkey instead of ground beef.  I used 93% lean ground turkey, rather than the ground turkey breast (which is 99 % lean) because, well, this is meatloaf.  It needs some fat.  I went with an Italian theme, because as previously noted, I have lots of zucchini to get rid of, and this was a good use of it.  And honestly, you don't even notice it in this dish.  I have made Italian meatloaves before, and usually in those, I use jarred spagetti sauce in place of ketchup.  Here, instead, I used tomato paste, along with the usual Italian spices, to balance the moisture brought by the ricotta.  You only want to go so far with moisture in a meatloaf- otherwise, you have meatmush.  This produces a tender, moist, flavorful, and light meatloaf.  You can always play with the herbs and spices to change it up a bit, if you want.

Italian Meatloaf

Serves about 8

1/2 onion, chopped
1 package ground lean turkey (93% lean)
1 zucchini, shredded, pressed through a strainer/colander to remove water
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup jarred spaghetti sauce


1.  Sautee onion in 1 tbsp. vegetable oil until soft.

2. Place ground turkey in a mixing bowl.  Add zucchini, ricotta, 1/4 cup parmsean, onion (cooled), and egg, and mix to incorporate.  Add seasonings, tomato paste, and bread crumbs and mix well.

3. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.  Place meat mixture on sheet and form into a loaf.

4.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees at deepest point.

5.  Pour spaghetti sauce over the top of the meatloaf.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Bake for additional 5-10 minutes.

6.  Remove from oven and cool.  Slice and serve.

Zucchini, Zucchini Everywhere, Part 1

I have a garden.  It's a rather messy garden, because while I like the part where you plant stuff and harvest it, I'm not a big fan of what comes in between- namely, the weeding.  With the warm, wet beginning of summer that we had, it's like a jungle out there!  Part of me had given up- I was feeling a bit dejected because less than half of the green bean seeds I planted came up, so I haven't even bothered to go out there and check things out much.  I finally started seeing some color on the tomato plants though, so late last week, I ventured out there to pick a few of the little orange cherry tomatoes that had suddenly ripened.  I was pretty surprised to see a fully grown zucchini on the nearest zucchini plant, ready to be picked!  I planted two zucchini plants and one yellow squash, and the zucchini plants have really grown fast.  The yellow squash plant does not get as much sun, so it is slower going there.  So I've had this one zucchini on my counter for a couple of days, and finally this morning I diced and cooked it up with some onion to have with breakfast alongside my fried egg and toast.  Whew, I thought- so glad to have used that up before it went bad!

Then I stepped outside to water the garden, and to my astonishment, there were 5 MORE zucchini ready for picking!  Funny how it happens all at once, isn't it?!  So my challenge today was to use as much of the zucchini as I could, so that I was not faced with the task of trying to cook that much zucchini during the week.  I managed to use 3 of them, so that's not too bad!

So what did I do with these lovelies?

Well, I did several things, and as such, it is going to take me more than one post to document it all!  So this is Zucchini, Part 1.  Stay tuned for more later!

Italian Egg Bake

This was SO easy.  I managed to clean out my crisper a bit for this dish too, and used up some random onion pieces and a few mushrooms that were nearing their use-by date.  This is so simple to make, I won't even bother with a recipe- just a method of putting it all together.  This is so yummy, and bursting with fresh veggies and Italian flavors.

1.  Shred one zucchini.  Put in a colander over a bowl and salt liberally, tossing to mix in the salt.  Leave for 20 minutes or so.  Press water out of the zucchini through the colander and set aside.

2.  Sautee some chopped onions and mushrooms in a bit of oil or butter until soft.  Add zucchini for the last couple of minutes of cooking, tossing to incorporate all the veggies.

3.  In a bowl, crack 6 eggs and beat.  Stir in 1/2 lowfat cottage cheese and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, a few fresh basil leaves chopped, and a clove of garlic, finely minced.  Add cooled veggies and stir to incorporate.  Pour into a 9x9 square pan sprayed with nonstick baking spray.

4.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with a tablespoon or 2 more parmesan cheese and put back into oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes before cutting into 3x3 squares.

This crustless quiche is really tender and flavorful, and omitting the crust makes it a lot healthier too!  You could reduce the fat by replacing half of the whole eggs with 2 egg whites for each whole egg.  I know the cottage cheese may seem like a strange ingredient, but trust me- it melts right into the dish and you don't even know it's there, and it contributes to the tender, delicate texture of this dish.  Garnish with fresh basil if you want- mine was fresh right out of my garden!

Stay tuned for Part 2, and possibly Part 3 as well- I have no idea what other lengths I will have to go to to use up all this squash!

Summer Chicken and Grilled Corn Chowder

Ok.  I know.  Soup...in JULY??  Especially when most of the country has been dealing with 100+ degree temps for the last week plus??

Yeah, sorry.  Here in the Pacific NW, the summer has not been so harsh.  (Yet.)  Don't quote me, because in a couple of weeks I will probably be cursing myself for being so smug.  Yes, our warmest day so far was yesterday, which was about 90.  Really not so bad, by comparison.  I grew up where it routinely got to be 105 or more in the summer...with no central A/C.  So, yeah, this is still pretty livable (so far.)

Anyway.  Last week was the Fourth of July.  We spent the holiday with friends barbequing, hanging out, and doing fireworks in their cul-de-sac.  We potluck most years to their house, and this year I got off easy- a veggie tray with dip, some soda, and a dessert.  So I went to the store on the 4th for the veggies.  Holy cow, was it busy!!  While strolling through the produce section, I noticed the 6/$1 corn sale.  I had no plans to bring corn to the barbeque, but we all like corn, so I took advantage and bought 6 ears for $1.  I grilled some of it over this past weekend for dinner, but was left with 3 ears after that, just languishing in my kitchen.  Yesterday (Sunday) was fridge clean-out day, and I was faced with what to do with these last 3 ears of corn.  I decided to throw them on the grill, and figure out the rest later.

Later came today.  It's Monday...back to work, and I'm too tired to make a complicated dinner night.  Hubby took the kids out to grab dinner and a movie, and I pondered the grilled corn, as well as some other stray fridge ingredients, wondering if I could conjur up something out of them into something special...or at the very least, edible.  The answer, it turns out, was surprisingly simple.  This soup showcases fresh grilled corn, with a backdrop of creamy potatoes and a subtle hint of chicken.  The chicken is not the centerpiece here- that belongs to the corn, as it rightly deserves.  The chicken is just barely there, to provide a little structure and substance to an otherwise light, summery soup, making it seem more like a meal than a snack.  The flavor that comes from the grilled corn cannot be faked, so don't even think about substituting frozen or canned corn here- you will not get the same delicious results.  This is a light, yet substantial soup that delivers the essence of summer, right to your tastebuds.

To grill corn on the cob, remove husks and corn silk.  Wrap in foil and grill over a medium flame, turning occasionally, for 20 minutes.  Unwrap and cool, then cut corn from cobs.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Summer Chicken and Grilled Corn Chowder

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
 About 3 cups grilled fresh corn, cut from cob
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste
chopped chives for garnish (optional)

1.  Heat vegetable oil in a large pot.  Add onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent.

2.  Add corn and heat through.  Move vegetables to the side, and add chicken to the middle of the pot.  Brown chicken on one side, then turn and brown on the other.

3.  Add chicken broth and potatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

4.  Remove chicken from soup and set aside.  Using a hand-held blender, blend soup for just a few seconds at a time.  You don't want to puree the soup, just blend it a bit so that there are still whole pieces of corn and potatoes. 

5.  Shred chicken with a fork, and return to the soup and stir in.

6.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in half and half.

7.  Serve in bowls topped with chopped chives.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

 Well, I was not going to post this on this blog, because honestly, there's nothing healthy, easy, or particularly "common sense" about it.  However, not everything in life has to be, right?  And your son only turns 16 years old once, and if he happens to share your affinity for chocolate/peanut butter desserts, you are well-justified in making something like this (and blogging about it) once in awhile.

And also, my friend Jill asked me to share the recipe after I posted pictures on Facebook.  So, this is for you, Jill!

 I researched a ton for this cake.  I knew exactly what I had in mind for it, and I couldn't find any one recipe that was "it" for me.  So, as I usually do with these things, I combined elements from different recipes to make what I wanted it to be.  I also did not make the cake from scratch- I went for convenience, and used a boxed cake mix.  It was still really darned good!  This cake is incredibly rich.  It was so heavy, I had to weigh it, and it was over 6 pounds!  Make sure to cut thin slices of this to serve.  I gave generous slices of this to three teenaged boys, and they all complained that they could hardly finish them.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Birthday Cake

Cake:
1 box devil's food cake mix and ingredients included on package directions
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Mix cake mix according to package directions.  Stir in peanut butter and chocolate chips.

2. Bake according to package directions in two 9" round cake pans.

3.  Cool 10 minutes in pans, then remove cake from pans and allow to cool completely on wire racks.  (I refrigerated mine to speed up the cooling process.)

Filling:
1.5 cup creamy good quality peanut butter, NOT natural or reduced fat
4 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup heavy cream (plus more if necessary)

4.  Mix peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer in a large bowl until it resembles coarse crumbs.

5.  Add cream and mix until it is a thick, fudgy consistency.

6.  Spray a 9" round cake pan with nonstick spray.  Press peanut butter mixture into the bottom of the pan, smoothing to the edge of the pan bottom .

7.  Freeze for 30 minutes.

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature (softened)
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp heavy cream, or enough to achieved desired consistency

8. In a large bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar.  Mix with an electric mixer until it resembles coarse crumbs.

9.  Add 1 tbsp of cream at a time and continue to mix, until frosting is soft and creamy and at the desired consistency.

Chocolate Ganache:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

10.  Place chips in a heatproof bowl and set aside.

11.  Heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer.

12.  Remove from heat and immediately pour over chocolate chips in the bowl.  Allow to sit for 1 minute.

13.  Whisk mixture with a wire whisk until smoothe.

Topping:
15 mini Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, coarsly chopped
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Cake Assembly:

14.  Place one cake round on cake platter upside down.

15.  Remove pan of peanut butter filling from freezer.  Add about 1 inch of warm water to a shallow pan, and put pan of peanut butter filling in it.  Allow to sit about 1 minute to loosen the filling.

16.  Run a knife or rubber spatula around the edge of the filling to loosen from pan, and pry up gently to pop it out of the pan in once piece.

17.  Place filling on cake layer, then add the other cake layer on top of the filling, right side up.

18.  Frost cake with peanut butter frosting.

19.  Prepare ganache.  Pour over the top of the frosted cake.  Use a rubber spatula to gently spread the ganache to the edges of the cake so that it drips down over the sides.

20.  Sprinkle chopped peanut butter cups and chips over the top.

Halibut Tacos

Fish tacos.  Back when I was in college, I worked part time in a bank, and across the street was a Del Taco.  I remember once going to work and looking at the reader board at the Del Taco and seeing the words "Fish tacos", and was completely disgusted by the idea!  Of course, I was young and a bit narrow-minded back then, and to me, tacos meant one thing: ground beef seasoned with a taco seasoning packet in one of those hard shells that taste like cardboard.  I had only recently been introduced to the idea of soft chicken tacos and was still getting used to that concept, and fish tacos was just way too outside of the norm for me.  I never even tried fish tacos until about a year ago.  We were over at the Oregon coast and went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch, and they had halibut tacos on the menu.  I had to try them.  They were amazing- and I couldn't believe I'd waited so long to try them!

These tacos are light, delicious, and easy.  The marinade comes together in a snap, the fish fillets marinate for only 10 minutes, and they cook under the broiler in about 10 minutes.  I love halibut so that's what I used here, but you could use any mild, white fish.  Tilapia would probably be lovely.

Halibut Tacos
Serves about 4

2  halibut fillets, about 4 oz. each
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced finely
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped, divided
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 scallions, sliced thinly
Salsa, homemade or store bought
1 package corn tortillas

1.  Preheat broiler on high heat.  For the marinade, combine lime juice, lime zest, half of the cilantro,  olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a large ziplock bag.  Add fish fillets.  Marinate 10 minutes.

2.  While fish is marinating, shred cheese, lettuce, chop cilantro, and slice scallions.

3. Place fish fillets on a wire rack over a foil-lined shallow pan.  Broil about 10 minutes or until cooked through.  Thicker cuts of fish may take longer.  If fish begins to brown on top, cover with foil and continue to cook until done.

4.  Wrap tortillas (2 per taco) in a tea towel.  Microwave about 40 seconds just before serving.


5. When fish is cooked, remove from rack to a wide, shallow bowl or plate.  Use a fork to break the fish into large chunks.


6.  To serve, place two tortillas stacked on top of each other onto each plate.  Spoon fish in the center of each, then top with salsa, cheese, lettuce, cilantro, and onions.

Broiled Salmon With Garlic and Herbs (Gremolata)

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we enjoy a very short season wherein Copper River salmon are available.  The Copper River in Alaska is nearly 300 miles in length, and the salmon that run there become strong and robust, unlike any other salmon on the market.  Their peak season is mid-May to mid-June, and the season is so short that you have to jump on it before it is gone.

I love salmon, but I don't love its price: on average, it costs $10 per pound.  Hard to justify, when I can get chicken for $2.49 per pound or less.  Still, salmon is a delicacy, and one with immense health benefits.  I refuse to buy farmed salmon anymore.  Just do the research on it, and you will see why.  So when the Copper River Salmon hits the local grocery stores, I take advantage of it.

This is a recipe I have made for many years.  I did not always like salmon, or even fish in general- in fact, growing up, I did not much like fish at all.  I never had fresh fish though- my exposure to fish in my younger years was limited to the frozen fish sticks that pervaded the American market in the 1980s.  As such, I was not left with a favorable impression.  As an adult, I had salmon in restuarants, and was immediately won over.  It is so easy to cook at home too, and very versatile- it is delicious steamed, broiiled, or sauteed.

This recipe utilizes a basic gremolata, which is a paste made from garlic, lemon, and herbs.  It is a flavorful addition not only to fish and meats, but to vegetables, sauces, and anything else that can support the strong garlic and herb flavors.  It is excellent with steak, or in salad dressing.  It is a perfect match for the bold flavor of the Copper River salmon.  Try making some ahead and using throughout the week- you can add instant flavor to any dish.

Broiled Salmon with Garlic and Herbs (Gremolata)

Serves: 2

2 salmon filets
4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1/2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp grill seasoning
1 tsp olive oil or more as needed

1.  Preheat broiler.  Combine garlic, herbs, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl to make gremolata.  Set aside.

2.  Pat salmon filets dry and place skin side down on wire rack on a baking sheet.

3.  Spread gremolata (garlic and herb mixture) onto salmon filets.

4.  When broiler is hot, put salmon into oven.  Broil 7 minutes.

5.  Place a sheet of foil over salmon and continue cooking for 5 more minutes.

6.  Test salmon for doneness.  If not done, continue to cook, covered with foil, in 4 minute increments, until done.

7.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.