Baked Zucchini Chips

Ingredients

·         1/4 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

·         1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·         1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1/8 teaspoon black pepper

·         2 tablespoons fat-free milk

·         2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat an oven-proof wire rack with cooking spray then place on a baking sheet.
 

2.     In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Place milk in a shallow bowl.
 

3.     Dip zucchini slices in milk then coat with bread crumb mixture.
 

4.     Arrange coated zucchini slices on wire rack and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Recipe shared by Karen.

Balsamic Veggie Kabobs

Picture from Serious Eats

Balsamic Veggie Kabobs

·         10 (10-inch) metal or wooden skewers

·         1/4 cup olive oil

·         1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

·         1 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon black pepper

·         1 medium-sized yellow squash, cut into 20 chunks

·         1 red onion, cut into 20 chunks

·         1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into 20 chunks

·         20 large mushrooms

1.     If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; mix well.
 

2.     Alternately thread 2 chunks each of yellow squash, onion, and zucchini, and 2 mushrooms onto each skewer. Place skewers on a 10- x 15-inch rimmed baking sheet and pour oil-and-vinegar marinade over vegetables. Marinate for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.
 

3.     Preheat grill to medium-high heat and grill kebabs 8 to 10 minutes, or until fork-tender, basting occasionally with marinade.

Recipe shared by Karen.

Joe's Special

(photo from popsugar.com because they take much better pictures than I do!)


One of my favorite food blogs is called Budget Bytes. The author posts simple and tasty recipes and I like that her motto is "My stomach is full and my wallet is too." One of her recipes we love and ate tonight is Joe's Special.  After a little research I discovered that this is a recipe started in the 1920's at a San Francisco restaurant called Joe's (hence the name). You can find lots of variations on the internet, but I've only tried this one so far. We've had it with both ground beef and ground turkey and both work well. We think the thing that makes this so great is the feta cheese. What's not to love about feta? We eat this with toast and a little sriracha sauce because the budget bytes author is obsessed with sriracha and suggested it. 

Joe's Special 

(click here for original recipe)

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp	olive oil
1 small	yellow onion
2 cloves	garlic
1 lb.	ground beef
1.5 tsp	dried oregano
1/2 tsp	salt
1 Tbsp	worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb.	frozen chopped spinach
6 large	eggs
2 oz.	feta cheese (optional)
2 Tbsp	grated parmesan

STEP 1: Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Cook both in skillet with olive oil over medium heat until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). 
STEP 2: Add the ground beef, oregano, salt, and worcestershire sauce. Cook until the beef is no longer pink, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks (7-10 minutes). 
STEP 3: Once the beef is fully cooked, add the frozen spinach. Cook and stir until it has thawed and heated through, breaking up clumps as you go.
STEP 4: Briefly whisk 6 eggs in a bowl. Push the beef and spinach mixture to one side of the skillet (or make a well in the center) and pour in the eggs. Gently scramble the eggs until they are cooked through, but still moist. Try not to mix them into the meat as they cook or you'll have beef coated in egg, rather than clumps of cooked egg. Once the egg is cooked, stir it into the beef mixture and turn off the burner.
STEP 5: Crumble or roughly chop the feta cheese and sprinkle it over the skillet. Also sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Stir to combine, taste, adjust the salt if needed, and then serve. 

Recipe shared by Carolyn.