Zucchini Parmesan

I tried eggplant parmesan for the first time last week. It was delicious! I had a bunch of extra zucchini laying around so I decided to try my hand at a zucchini based recreation. I was very pleased with the way that it turned out.  Add this dish to my zucchini-harvest repertoire.  

Zucchini Parmesan
Source: Adapted from Handle the Heat

Ingredients:
3 large zucchini, sliced into 1/3-inch coins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated and divided in half
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs (I used panko bread crumbs with italian seasoning)
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 bottle marinara sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese

1/2 package spaghetti linguine noodles, cooked & drained

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. Coat a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Blot zucchini coins with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place zucchini in a medium bowl and drizzle with olive oil, turning to coat each piece. In a separate bowl, combine half the parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Dip each zucchini coin into the parmesan mixture, turning to coat and pressing the breading slightly to ensure it sticks. Place breaded zucchini coins in one even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and crisp. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 400. Place noodles in bottom of a 9x13 baking dish and toss with half the marinara sauce. Place a layer of remaining marinara sauce over the top of the noodles. Layer one third of the crisp zucchini coins over marinara, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle zucchini layer with mozzarella, cheddar and the remaining parmesan. Repeat the layers until the zucchini is gone, depending on the size of your baking dish, ending with a sprinkling of cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.

Steak Bites

I had some leftover sirloin steak to use and I came across this recipe from the pioneer woman. Oh my good gracious. She calls them her gourmet steak bites and they taste better than the last 5 steaks I've bought at a restaurant put together. Melt in your mouth goodness. (I didn't even use A1 sauce when eating them if that tells you anything.) I paired this with some garlic mashed potatoes and you would have thought that David was in H-e-a-v-e-n.

Steak Bites
Source: The Pioneer Woman (check out her page for beautiful pictures and some great tips)

Ingredients:
1 pound sirloin steak
Salt & pepper, to taste

Season salt, to taste
2 Tablespoons Butter

Directions:
Cut steak into 1-inch cubes cutting off any fat or gristle as you go.Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and season salt. Toss the meat around a bit to thoroughly coat with the seasonings.

Heat a skillet over medium high to high heat. As the pan heats, add about 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Allow the butter to melt, then brown, before you add the meat.

Place some of the meat in the pan in a single layer. It should sizzle loudly when it hits the pan – if it doesn’t, the pan isn’t hot enough. Don’t stir or disrupt the meat for 30-45 seconds. You want it to sizzle and brown on one side. Scoop as many steak bites as you can with your spatula and flip them over. Repeat until all the meat is turned. Cook for an additional 30 to 45 seconds—just long enough to sear the outside of the meat but NOT cook the inside.

Remove the meat to a clean plate. Add a little more butter to the pan and repeat the cooking process with the next batch just as before. Lastly, when all the meat is nicely browned and removed to the plate, pour all that browned/blackened butter all over the meat.

Serve with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. 

Chicken & Zucchini (tex-mex)

I'm always looking for good zucchini recipes for our summer zucchini harvest (or in cases like this year, my parents zucchini harvest that they have been so generous to share with us). I like this one because most of my zucchini dishes are pasta-based, but this is a delicious & fresh use for that yummy zucchini.

Tex-Mex Chicken & Zucchini
Source: Adapted from iFoodReal

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb boneless & skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1 tbsp cumin, divided
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
1 large zucchini, diced
1 cup Tex Mex or cheddar cheese

optional, top with:

1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped

(The original recipe also calls for: 2 medium bell peppers, chopped and 14 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed. I didn't have these on hand when I made the dish, and it was still super yummy. But next time I think I'd definitely make sure to add in the black beans.) 

Directions:
Add olive oil to large skillet and heat to medium. Add onion and garlic, then saute until translucent. Add bell pepper and saute for a few more minutes. Move mixture to a side of the skillet and add chicken. Sprinkle with 1 tsp cumin, salt and black pepper. Saute until golden brown, about 5 -7 minutes.

Add corn, beans, tomatoes, chili powder and remaining cumin. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add zucchini and stir. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Top with green onions and cilantro. Serve hot.

BBQ Pasta

Okay. I will be the first to admit that this doesn't sound all that appealing. I don't know why, but the thought of barbecue sauce on pasta doesn't make us jump up and down with excitement. But I've made this dish several times and it's always super delicious. I'm telling you, even as I type this up - it doesn't sound amazing, but it really is good!

BBQ Pasta
Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 package campanelle pasta (I've also used spaghtetti or linguine noodles for this and it was great.)
2 cups shredded pork
1 cup corn
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 bottle BBQ sauce
Cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta, drain, and place in 9x13 pan. Add in corn, tomatoes, pork and mix. Toss with BBQ sauce and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until dish is heated through and cheese is melted on top.

Middleton Tacos

Our friends the Middletons make the most amazing tacos. We begged for their recipe so we could add it to our repertoire. Toasted corn tortillas, melted cheese, tender marinated meat, and a avocado pico for the top. Mmmmm. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. When the Middletons invited us over for dinner, they didn't know that their name would forever live on in our dinner rotation - because we call this dish "Middleton Tacos." (Chicken tacos doesn't seem to do the dish justice.) 

Middleton Tacos

Source: Mike and Ali Middleton

Ingredients: 

Chicken

Marinade - equal parts, garlic powder, cumin, season salt, pepper, paprika, coriander, chili powder, and Caldo de Tomate, and lime juice + enough vegetable oil to coat/cover the chicken. 

Corn tortillas

Cheese

Lettuce

Avocado Pico - equal parts diced tomatoes, onion, avocado, and cilantro

(For three chicken breasts, I used about one teaspoon of each spice for the marinade and about 1 1/2 -2 cups of oil. I also used 2 tomatoes, 2 avocados, and one onion.) 

Directions: 

The night before, slice chicken breasts into tenders (allowing more of the meat to come into contact with the marinade). Combine marinade spices and oil.  Pour marinade over chicken in a tupperware container and thoroughly coat chicken. Let sit overnight. 

Grill chicken until cooked through. Slice into thin strips (or you could shred). 

Place corn tortillas on a griddle, toast on one side (abt. 1 minute) then flip and cover with cheese. When cheese is melted, add chicken, pico mixture, and lettuce - and serve! 

*When making this for a group of people, you can start crisping up the tortillas and melting the cheese right before serving, then place the tortillas on a cookie sheet. You can cover them with parchment paper and then add a second layer of tortillas for people to grab as they start making their tacos. But don't use wax paper or the cheese will stick. It's also good to have someone manning the griddle to keep the warm tortillas coming.