Zucchini Cakes

1 small zucchini (shredded and drained)

1 Jiffy cornbread mix

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Let batter stand for 5 minutes.  Heat oil in pan and drop large tablespoons of the batter into the oil.  Cook 1 1/2-2 minutes per side.  This will make approximately 14 cakes.

Chicken w/ mushrooms & tomatoes

Serves 4

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 1 1/2 pounds
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large (5-quart) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Cook chicken, turning when it easily releases from the pan, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  2. Add mushrooms; cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, and oregano. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until tomatoes have broken down, 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan; cover, and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken to coat with sauce, and serve.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of sweet corn

1/2 cup milk

Enough tater tots to cover the top of casserole

Brown beef.  Combine beef, soup, milk, and corn in bowl.  Put mixture in a casserole dish and cover with tater tots.  Sprinkle a seasoned salt over top, if desired.  Cook on 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until thoroughly hot throughout.

Shortcake

2 c. flour
5 T. sugar
4 T. butter, softened
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. milk

Mix dry ingredients and work butter in with a pastry blender. Add milk and stir. Press into a well-greased 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan, sprinkle top with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the top begins to (ever so slightly) turn golden brown. Will be the texture of homemade biscuits. Cut into slices and serve warm.

Creamy Horseradish Dill Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

1/4 cup prepared horseradish

2 T. milk

salt

2 T. fresh chopped dill

In a mixing bowl, beat together all ingredients until fluffy.  Salt to taste.  Serve with dippers (veggies, chips, etc.)

Gazpacho Salsa

2 tomatoes (seeded & diced)

1 sm. yellow bell pepper, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients, salt & pepper to taste and serve with dippers (veggies, chips, etc.).

Greek Cigars

8 oz ground beef

1/2 cup minced onion

1 pkg frozen spinach (thawed/drained/chopped)

1/2 tsp each salt and ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp pepper

3 oz feta cheese

3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped

1 roll fillo, thawed

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup plain yogurt

Brown hamburger and onion.  Add spinach nutmeg, pepper and 1/4 tsp salt.  Remove from heat, add feta and 1 tablespoon dill, stir until well blended.

Heat oven to 400.  Unfold fillo.  Fold and cut down dough until it is 6″x4″ rectangles.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling along a short side of one rectangle, roll up into tight cylinder.  Place on baking pan, seam side; brush with butter.  Repeat.

Bake 12 minutes or until golden.  Meanwhile, stir remaining 2 tablespoons chopped dill and 1/2 tsp salt with yogurt in small bowl.  Serve cigars with yogurt-dill sauce.

Potato Cake

1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, diced

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 green onions, minced

salt & pepper, to taste

Boil potatoes until tender, drain.  Melt butter and oil together in an iron skillet.  Mix in potatoes, onion, and salt & pepper.  Press potatoes into pan, crushing them slightly.  Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until the edges are browned and pulled away from the pan edges slightly. Once cooked, run spatula around edges and underneath as much as necessary to loosen from pan.  Place serving plate over top of skillet and invert to remove cake from pan.  Cut into wedges and serve.

This recipe can easily be transformed using herbs and seasonings.

The original recipe idea is from Everyday Food, issue #1

Zucchini Bread

  • 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

Directions

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.

Awesome Basic Bread Recipe

1 cup warm water (very hot tap water should be the right temp for the yeast)

1/3 cup sugar

1 package of dry active yeast (or 1 tablespoon)

2 tablespoons of canola oil (or whatever oil you have handy)

3/4 teaspoons salt

2 1/4 cups All-purpose flour

3/4 cup ground flax seed  (I just ground a bit of flax seed in my coffee grinder, placed the flax in my one cup measure and finished filling it with flour in order to make a total 3 cups mix of flax and AP flour)

Using a bread machine.

1. Dissolve sugar in warm water and stir in yeast. Mixture should stand about 15 minutes (until creamy foam appears).  Put into bread machine pan and add oil. Swish around to mix them together.

2. Add flour & flax seed on top, and salt on top of the flour. Set machine to dough setting and start.

3. When dough is made and has risen the first time (the bread machine should beep to tell you when the dough setting is complete), take it out of the bread machine pan and work it lightly in your hands to get the air bubbles out.  I just cover my hands with flour then pick up the dough and work it lightly on the counter for a few moments.

4. Form into a loaf and put in a greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 30-45 minutes, until almost doubled in size.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until done. If loaf is browning too quickly, cover top loosely with foil. When bread is finished, take it out of the oven and allow it to set for 5 minutes. Remove from pan, place on wire rack, and cover until loaf is cool.