Vegetables

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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What to with all the fresh zucchini in your garden or at the farmers market? This easy kid-friendly meal will chase away the what’s for dinner summer blues.., and is a healthy use for your abundance of squash.

Here’s what you’ll need for these delish Stuffed Zucchini Boats

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Tools

9×13 Baking Pan

Melon Baller- or small spoon to scoop out zucchini

Delish Tip: I like to chop up some of the insides and add it to the ground turkey

 

 

Filling Ingredients

  • One pound of ground turkey (85% lean, or lean beef or shredded cooked chicken)
  • One cup of diced onion
  • One tablespoon of garlic
  • One teaspoon smoked paprika
  • One teaspoon of cumin seed
  • One teaspoon of salt and pepper
  • One teaspoon of chili powder
  • 8 oz of shredded cheese like Colby jack
  • 6-7 small zucchini cut in half
  • Chopped Green onions and fresh cilantro for garnishZucchini for boats

 

Directions

Turkey

Brown the turkey in a tablespoon of oil. Drain if oily. If it’s just juice/broth don’t bother.

Add spices and onion, cook for a few more minutes, and then set aside

ENCHILADA SAUCE

  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons flour1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder – or fresh
  • 1 teaspoon dried herbs- like oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth – low sodium
  • 1 teaspoon of vinegar – any kind

Heat the oil, sauté, or “bloom” the flour and spices. Cook for about a minute.

Stir it in the tomato paste and then pour in the broth and whisk it all together

Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until mixture thickens

Adjust seasoning if you think you need to 😊

STUFF THE BOATS
Place a scoop full of sauce on the bottom of the pan and spread around.

Line up your zucchinis -Delish Tip: I sometimes find it easier to alternate them stem to tail to fit easier.

Stuff the boats with meat mixture.

Spoon a bit of sauce over each boat and top with cheese

Bake

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minute

Take off the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until bubbly and cheese is a little brown.

Stick a knife through zucchini and make sure it pierces easily

Garnish with green onions and cilantro

Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash with Onions and Pine Nuts

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My experience with winter squash has often-times just been split in half and baked in the oven. It’s a classic preparation but a bit boring. I’ve also made Butternut Soup once in a while which is delicious but I decided to try out a new recipe and it’s quickly become a new fall favorite. The roasting gives the squash pieces a crispy edge that adds wonderful texture to this dish. One could easily serve this as a main course because it is very hearty.

Tools

  • peeler
  • cutting board
  • large sharp knife
  • paring knife
  • half sheet pan
  • Aluminum foil
  • small omelet pan
  • serving bowl or platter

Ingredients                                                                                                             

  • butternut squash

    Butternut Squash

  • one onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted
  • 2 teaspoons dried herbs
  • One tablespoon finely minced fresh basil and sage*
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper

Recipe

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees, depending on your oven.

Cut the top off your squash and peel it. Split in half and scoop out the seeds* and cut the squash into 2-inch cubes*. Pour the olive oil onto the half sheet pan and toss the squash until it’s well coated. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Roast for 15 minutes remove from oven and use the spatula to loosen and turn the squash cubes over to evenly brown. This is when I add the chopped onion to the tray. Roast for 15 minutes and check cubes for doneness by sticking your paring knife into the center.  If it goes in easily the squash is ready. If it’s not quite done roast for 10 more minutes tossing the cubes and onions around on the tray. While the squash is finishing, toast the pine nuts in a small dry pan. Toast on medium heat shaking the pan around. Pine nuts have A Lot of oil in them and will BURN quickly so don’t walk away from them. Take them off the heat and add them to the squash and onions. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and then drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the squash and top with the minced fresh herbs.

DELISH TIP 1:  I like squash seeds even better than pumpkin seeds! I soak the “guts” in water and separate the seeds. I put them on a tray and lightly salt them and bake them for 20  minutes or until I hear them popping in the oven. YUM!!

DELISH TIP 2: I don’t measure the cubes when I make this dish, just make sure they are all relatively the same size so they cook evenly.

DELISH TIP 3: Fresh sage is really strong so it’s important to chop it up really well. I would NOT suggest using dried sage as a sprinkle at the end.

 

butternut squash with onions and pimenuts

Yummmm Roasted Butternut Squash with Pinenuts

Baked Beans

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I have many friends that are great cooks! They are kind enough to let me share this recipe! My friends Erin and Maryann are sisters. They come from a large family and I learned this recipe from them. They both have helped me with their recipe when I’ve wanted to make it for my family. This baked bean recipe is delicious, and easy to make too. You can make half the recipe for a small crowd of five, or double for a large crowd of 20 which I have often done when I cater. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Tools

  • 9×13″ foil pan
  • saute’ pan
  • spatula
  • cutting board
  • container to drain grease
  • 1/2 cup measure

Ingredients

  • Three (3) 28 oz Bush’s Original Baked Beans (yes, try to use Bush’s they are the best!) 🙂
  • 1 cup of diced white onion
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 1 pound of mild italian sausage*
  • 1/4 cup of ketchup
  • 1/4 cup of yellow mustard

Instructions                                                                                                               

Brown your ground beef and sausage over medium high heat until no longer pink.
Drain your meat and cool slightly. I like to break up the the meat into small crumbles.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add your cooked meat and your chopped onions into the foil pan.
Add your cans of beans, ketchup, mustard and stir to combine well.
Sprinkle the top with the brown sugar and bake uncovered until bubbly and the top is browned. Usually takes 45 minutes.

*DELISH TIP 1: If you like spicy then use a hot sausage instead of plain sausage.

*DELISH TIP 2: If you don’t eat pork then use Turkey Sausage instead It’s still Delish! You can make it Vegan by using Vegetarian Beans and Seiten too!

Roasted New Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

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This dish has all the textures and flavors you could want. Crispy, sweet, nutty, crunchy, smooth and satisfying. I made this dish again the other other night with some broiled pork chops and my daughter ate it has her main dish! It’s very easy to make and you could double or triple the amounts to serve a crowd. This dish serves 4.

Tools

  • half sheet tray
  • Spatula
  • saute pan
  • paring knife
  • parchment paper (optional)

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of redskin potatoes
  • 1 pound of Brussel sprouts
  • 8 ounces of bacon** frozen and diced.
  • 3 Tablespoons of Olive oil
  • 1.5 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of dried herbs

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut each potato in half. Toss with 2 teaspoons of olive oil spread out onto your half sheet tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the ends off of the Brussel sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise. When the 15 minutes is up, use your spatula and move the potatoes around they should be starting to brown a bit. Add the Brussel sprouts with the potatoes adding the rest of the olive oil. Retoss the vegetables on the pan coating all the vegetables. Bake for 15 more minutes. While the vegetables are cooking dice up your frozen bacon and sauté in the pan. Check your veggies. Add the bacon and tossed it all together. Cook 5 minutes more if the Brussel sprouts are not browning yet. Serve while hot.

 

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

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My family and I live in The Midwest. Stuffed cabbage has been a big part of my and my husband’s life since we were little children.  Southeast Michigan has a large Polish population too and the food is pretty popular around here. My mother’s side of the family is Romanian and my mother, aunts, and grandmother all made stuffed cabbage at the holidays. I looked forward to it every holiday. There would be a HUGE roasting pan full of theses steamy, meaty, rolled up cabbage leaves, enough for 40 adults and children. Fast forward to adulthood. I HAVE made rolled stuffed cabbage but it is  a lot of work to do yourself. So I REALLY wanted stuffed cabbage so I thought shoot! Why don’t I just chop everything up and make soup instead?

I’ve been making this for more than ten years, and I think it’s my parents favorite soup I make for them. It’s great to make for friends on a winter day after snowmobiling or ice fishing. This soup makes around 8 quarts! I know it’s a lot but I’m the the type of person if I’m taking the time to make it I want to eat it, share it and freeze it for later. It’s a pretty easy soup to make. Once you brown your meat you just add the other ingredient and simmer. I put some Delishtips at the bottom of the recipe I hope you find them useful!

Tools

  • 8-10 quart stockpot
  • ladle
  • long spoon
  • cutting board
  • can opener
  • colander
  • glass bowl

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds of ground beef and pork*
  • 1 medium white onion, diced-about 1 1/2 cups
  • 1 cup of shredded carrot*, diced
  • 4 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt**
  • 2 teaspoons of pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
  • 1 cup of long grained rice
  • 1 large head of green cabbage
  • 2- 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes-No salt added
  • 24 ounces of low sodium beef broth
  • 12 ounce beer
  • 2 quarts of low sodium V8 juice*

Recipe

Brown the meat mix until brown. Chop your onion, garlic and shredded carrots. Use your colander to drain the meat into the glass bowl. Add your vegetables, spices, meat, rice all the liquid and then chop the cabbage into small chunks like 1-2 inch squares. Add them to the soup. Stir and simmer on low for an hour stirring occasionally. Make sure you are at a simmer not a rolling boil as the rice and meat might stick to the bottom of your pot and burn. Cook until rice is done and cabbage is soft.

DELISHTIP 1: If you can find Meatloaf Mix buy it. Some grocery stores have it or you can get it from your butcher. It has beef, pork and veal and it’s great! I can’t always get it so I use ground beef and pork.

DELISHTIP 2: I buy organic shredded carrots for this recipe and I throw the leftover in salads. If you don’t have it don’t worry about it!

DELISHTIP 3: I buy canned products with low sodium or no salt, that’s why it calls for a Tablespoon of salt. If you use SALTED products start with a teaspoon of salt. You can always add but you can’t take it out.

DELISHTIP 4: If you can’t find V8 or a Vegetable juice you can try adding tomato juice. The flavor may be a little flat so you might want to add a few teaspoons of dried herbs.

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