Zucchini Bake

On Christmas morning we are going over to my sister in laws house to watch Lily open her presents.  Jennifer (Carolyn's mother in law) is making her delicious scones, so I told Carolyn I would make a quiche or something to go with them.  I have been trying to decide what would be perfect and I remembered this zucchini bake recipe, which is one of my all time favorites. (When I lived alone, I would make one and Megan would come over, we would eat the zucchini bake, drink wine and watch The OC.  Could there be a better night?)  I digress, this is simple and just as good at night as it is in the morning!
3 cups grated zucchini 
2 shallots , chopped 
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1 cup grated provolone or swiss cheese 
3 eggs, beaten 
1/4 cup vegetable oil 
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan 
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil, rosemary or thyme (if you don't have access to any of these, I use 1 teaspoon mix Italian herbs, re hydrated in 1 teaspoon of white wine) 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon Cavender's
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, save1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Spoon the zucchini mixture into a 10-inch round glass pie plate (Remember Mary Ellen says glass is best!)  that has been coated with vegetable cooking spray. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with the reserved Parmesan. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

  I like a little Tabasco with mine for some heat, if you like spice and all your fellow diners agree, I would chop a jalapeno in to the mix.

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

I stumbled across this recipe on 101 cookbooks. Heidi Swanson the author of the site sums up her site by saying: When you own over 100 cookbooks, it is time to stop buying, and start cooking.

I am always searching for a new savory cheesecake recipe to try, I am a huge fan of the Parmesan Cheesecake at Uncorked in Scottsdale. So I had to try this one. This is the recipe straight from Heidi's site, I will make my notes in green. If you make this let me know how it turns out for you.

To shred the zucchini use a box grater - most micro planes are too fine, you want shredded zucchini, not mush. I used my micro plane and liked the results. Feel free to play around with the "add-in" ingredients - for example, use whatever chopped herbs you like. My favorite cooking philosophy! Make it your own. I had dill on hand, and I like how it tastes with summer squash, so dill it was. I suspect anything from chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or chives, to spices, chopped spinach, or corn could work here. Also, when I have the time and inclination I'll drain the ricotta through cheesecloth to get even more moisture out of the cake, but to be honest, most times I won't bother. I did drain my ricotta because the version I love at Uncorked is not moist. Lastly, I use a springform pan here, but you could use an equivalent baking dish or deep tart pan as well. If you don't have a springform pan, next time you are invited to one of those Pampered Chef parties, pick one up. They have a great one.

2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (I substituted my favorite Cavender's here)
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I used the low fat)
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan. (Pam with flour, works like a charm!)

In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.

In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, shallots, garlic, dill and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. If there is any moisture left on top of the cake at this point, carefully use a bit of paper towel to dab it off. Now sprinkle with the goat cheese and return to the oven for another 20 -30 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted and the cake barely jiggles in the center (it will set up more as it cools).

At this point, if the cake is baked and set, but the top isn't quite golden, I'll zap it with the broiler (just about a minute) to get a bit more color on top. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a few sprigs of dill.

Zucchini Bread

My friend Andrea made me a loaf of banana bread the other day, it was delicious. I started thinking about banana bread, and my mom made it when we were kids but we ate more zucchini bread, banana bread's cousin. I think the reason was that my dad is very allergic to bananas & my mom would never make something he couldn't eat. (Yes that is my cute Mom & Dad) This recipe is Paula Dean's, you can always trust her recipes because she is a Southerner. :)

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup water

2 cups grated zucchini

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Shrimp, Feta & Zucchini

Friday night's dinner was a variation on my chicken & zucchini saute.
This actually was just as good if not better than my chicken recipe. As we were eating I was thinking I need to make this for my family when we go to Colorado in May for my cousin Kaitlin's graduation from CSU. With my eyes still not focusing so well (By the way, if you have your eyes dilated it can take up to 48 hours for them to return to normal) I decided not to run to the store to make dinner. Fortunately I have some staples on hand for nights like this. Here is what you will need.
1 1/2 pound bag of medium sized shrimp can be frozen
3 medium sized zucchini (sliced as thin as you can)
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

Cavender's (enough to season the shrimp)

2 tsp. oregano
1/3 cup feta

1/2 cup white wine

Rice to serve the shrimp over

In a skillet heat the olive oil & saute the garlic, season with oregano. Add the zucchini, cook a few minutes. Add the shrimp, season heavily with Cavender's, turn until they change to pink. Add feta & wine, saute 2 more minutes. Serve over rice. This is a great quick & easy dinner.

Chicken,Feta & Zucchini Saute

We went to buy our groceries this week & there were the smallest zucchini. I remember my mom telling me that the small zucchini are better so I grabbed some. This was one of my made up dinners, but it turned out great.

2 chicken breasts (trimmed & pounded flat)

Cavender's

Italian Seasoning

garlic

olive oil

2 zucchini sliced thin (as thin as a quarter if you can)

1/3 cup feta

1/2 cup white wine

In a large saute pan, heat2 tablespoons olive oil, saute garlic. Add pounded chicken breast, season with Cavender's. Cook 4-6 minutes per side depending on the thickness. Remove chicken breast cover with foil to keep warm. Add another tablespoon of olive oil, add zucchini, season with Cavender's & Italian seasoning. Saute zucchini about 2-3 minutes. (the slices are thin so they will cook fast) Add the chicken breasts back to the pan, add the feta & wine. Saute another minute or 2. Serve over rice.

Zucchini Gratin

I laughed so hard when I saw this picture, my mom being a horticulturalist always says to get the small zucchinis because the large ones get tough. This pictured zucchini is obviously Napoleon complex!!! Back to the serious matter of side dishes. I love zucchini, it is my favorite vegetable, but even those who don't like vegetables like them with cheese!

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for topping
1 pound yellow onions, cut in 1/2 and sliced
(3 large) 2 pounds zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Gruyere

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a very large (12-inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.
Combine the bread crumbs and Gruyere and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Dot with 1 tablespoon of butter cut into small bits and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Cavender's Greek Seasoning

The number one spice I use in our kitchen is Cavender's Greek Seasoning. It is sold at Safeway in Arizona but if you can't find it, you can order it. When we grill we shake it onto meats. I add it to salad, just about anything. With it being summer if you grow squash or zucchini you probably have a ton of it. Here is a yummy side made with the seasoning. (And something vegetarian for my friend Carol)

Stuffed Squash

• 4-6 medium yellow squash (crooked neck) or Zucchini
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp. "Cavender's Greek Seasoning"
• 1/2 cup Bacon Bits
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup plain breaad crumbs
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Boil squash in lightly salted water for 10-15 min. Cut into lengthwise pieces, place on greased baking dish. Scoop out squash and mix this with Bacon Bits, eggs, and cracker crumbs and shredded cheese. Put this mixture back into the squash halves and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 10-15 min. until slightly browned.