Zucchini Fritters

While perusing recipes and trying to find new ways to cope with the seasonal zucchini overabundance from my mom's garden  I came across this recipe for Zucchini Fritters from Once Upon a Chef, to see the original post, click here. 

 Few notes on the ingredients: I used one SUPER sized zucchini after halving it and scooping out the seeds and overly pithy center. I also used cornstarch instead of flour. I also was VERY generous in my usage of dill and scallion and it didn't take away anything from the fritter, so feel free to be generous in your usage.

They are incredible and are definitely going to be an August staple in my kitchen


Ingredients: 
2. medium zucchini shredded
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
2 large scallions
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 med. garlic clove, minced or finely chopped
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup cornstarch (or flour)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus some more if needed

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Shred your zucchini (I used my food processor to expedite) mix with salt and transfer to a fine-mesh strainer to drain. Allow the zucchini to sit for at least ten minutes. 

I then took the zucchini and wrung it out in a paper towel, the volume of the zucchini shrunk by half after I got all of the water out. 

Beat the eggs, mix in the zucchini, scallions, dill, feta, garlic, and black pepper. 

Add the corn starch (or flour) and baking powder and mix until it is incorporated. 

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Be sure to watch that the oil doesn't become too hot. Drop 2 tablespoon-sized portions into the pan and gently press down into fritters. 

Pan fry until golden brown about 3 minutes per side. 

Transfer the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate. 

Note that your fritters, once cooked may still be "bendy" when you transfer them to the plate. Allowing the fritters to rest for at least a minute or two will help them to firm up before serving. 

I served ours with store-bought tzatziki sauce on the side. 

If anyone knows a good tzatziki recipe, please send it my way I've been on the hunt for a good homemade option. 

xoxox

Hulk Salad Transforms into a Satiating Veggie Burrito

One night I was sitting around trying to figure out what to do for dinner so I texted my fiance (aka fancy-boyfriend) and I asked him, "What do you wanna have for dinner?" 

"Edamame."

~Gulp air quickly, silently panic, and puzzle over the question that immediately popped into my head~ 

How do I make edamame into a meal?  

While they are one of my favorite things to snack on whenever I get the chance, it isn't something I often think about as the mainstay of a meal. 

I asked myself, 'How do I make those little beans into more?'  and I started thinking about it as a combination element in a vegetable-based salad. 

Which ended up as a challenge to myself, can I do this whole thing purely using plant-based ingredients? 

The answer: yes, and hell yes. 

After quickly raiding our freezer and fridge I cobbled together the following ingredients: 

1 steamer bag of broccoli and cauliflower

1 bag frozen edamame 

1 ripe avocado 

First thing I did was to pop the steamer bag of broccoli and cauliflower into the microwave. I wanted the veggies to have some time to cool down before I added them into the salad. 

Then I flash boiled the edamame, quickly putting them into an ice bath and salting them so I could snack as I pulled everything else together. 

I took the broccoli and cauliflower and using my new favorite tool, my mezzaluna salad chopper, made everything into bite-sized pieces.

I set that aside, took my avocado removed the flesh and mashed it thoroughly until its consistency was similar to that of mayo, I added a little squeeze of lime juice to keep the color vibrant (whoever wanted to eat a brown salad? No one that's who). 

Added a little salt and pepper to my 'avo-mayo' and mixed in the edamame and the broccoli and cauliflower. 

It was delicious on a couple of GG Fiber crackers and then I rolled some of it into a burrito for my fancy-boyfriend and added a little bit of cheddar cheese. 

If you would like more crunch, I recommend roasting the broccoli and cauliflower and I personally LOVE adding cilantro to the avocado for a little bit more flavor. 

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken "Pot" Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Topper

One of the beautiful things about cast iron skillets is their ability to go straight from the stove top into the oven. Initially, I had been very intimidated by cast iron skillets because I didn't know how to care for them. It wasn't until I went to Cape Cod for Memorial Day a few years ago and was made one of the most delicious breakfasts I've ever had did I begin to reconsider.
Two of my best friends picked up on this, somehow read my mind, and gave me mine as a Christmas gift last year (xox thanks D&K).

I am now completely obsessed.

What you'll need: 

• Frozen buttermilk biscuits 
• 1 1/2 c. chicken stock 
• 1 c. whole milk 
• 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp. adobo seasoning 
• 1 chopped large onion - I prefer the Spanish onions 
• 2 c. frozen veggies (corn, green beans, carrots, peas, whatever your pleasure) 
• 3 tbsp. butter 
• 2 c. shredded chicken (already cooked) You can use rotisserie or leftover roasted chicken 
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 
• Salt to taste

What you'll do: 

1. Shred your chicken, set aside 
2. Preheat your oven according to the directions on your packaged biscuits, for me, this meant 400 degrees. 
3. Place your burner on medium heat. 
4. Add the butter to your skillet and once it begins to bubble/froth, but before it browns, add your onions. 
5. Cook your onions until they begin to turn translucent and then add the rest of your frozen vegetables. I also added about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. 
6. Allow your vegetables to cook until the onions caramelize, and your vegetables soften, this should take about 2-4 minutes depending on the strength of your burner. 
7. While the veggies are on the stove top, whisk together your chicken stock, milk, flour, and adobo seasoning. 
8. Once your vegetables have softened slowly and gently stir in liquid mixture. 
9. You're going to want to bring your pan to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often, until the mixture begins to thicken, which should take about 7 minutes. 
10. Once your pan begins to reduce, add your shredded chicken and fresh parsley, allow this to cook for about 5 minutes. 
11. Then add your uncooked biscuits to the top of your pan and pop your skillet into the oven on the middle rack. 
12. Cook the biscuits according to their package directions, mine took about 12 minutes watching them so that they won't brown too much. 

Remove from the oven and relish in this comfy, cozy, dinner that only takes a little over a half an hour to pull together.

[Serves about 4-5 people]

If you're terrified of owning a cast iron skillet because you also don't know how to care for it, I would check out this great article from Serious Eats that dispels a lot of the myths surrounding Cast Iron skillets: https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/the-truth-about-cast-iron.html

It's totally worth the little bit of extra effort it takes to upkeep it.

Dragon Tongue Bean Stir Fry

Crunched for time? Try this recipe. 

I kept my stir fry VERY simple with three principle ingredients, Dragon Tongue beans, Mung bean sprouts and Garlic Chives.

Dragon Tongue beans are pretty long beans, so I cut mine into 1 inch pieces. 

Turn your stove to high heat. Add 1-1 1/2 teaspoons of grape seed oil to your pan. 

Allow it to heat. Add the Dragon Tongue beans. 

Get a good sear on the beans, you'll notice that where visible, the beans will change color to a more vibrant green, this only took me a little over two minutes.  Quickly add the sprouts, sauté for maybe one more minute, add the chives, some salt and pepper, and  you're ready to serve!

Caprese salad with kale pesto

Tomato.

Zucchini.

Eggplant.

Get ready for a whole host of recipes focused on these three delicious veggies. If you're like the majority of people with summer gardens, you'll tend to have more of these than you know what to do with.

While the stars of this dish are clearly the mozzarella and tomato, I wanted to try something a little different and I found this awesome Kale pesto recipe that was absolutely delicious! 

Kale pesto (originally from Epicurious):

2 cups torn kale leaves - remove the stems

1 cup basil leaves (pack them in there) 

1 tsp. salt 

1/4 Cup olive oil 

1/4 Cup toasted walnuts 

4 cloves of garlic 

1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions: 

- add all the leaves and salt to a food processor and pulse until the leaves are chopped into small pieces 

- drizzle in the olive oil as the processor is running 

- add the walnuts, garlic, and process until it’s all incorporated  

- add the cheese and pulse until combined 

Use the pesto as you like! 

When I use it on pasta I also like to top it off with a tiny bit of lemon zest or hot pepper depending on my mood 

xoxox

Irish Soda Bread

I wish I had photos for you of the bread but unfortunately, it was all gobbled up faster than I expected. So this post will be accompanied by some photos from the Irish pub we stumbled upon in Peru. 

Ingredients 

* 4 cups all-purpose flour

*3/4 cup white sugar 

* 1 tsp salt 

* 1tsp baking powder 

*1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 cup butter at room temperature (I personally like Kerry Gold Butter) 

1 1/2 cups raisins 

1 1/2 cups buttermilk at room temp

3 eggs 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease and flour your baking pan. 

Mix together all your dry ingredients. 

Begin to cut the butter gently into your dry ingredients until they are well combined and then mix in your raisins. 

In another container, whisk together the buttermilk and the eggs. After they are both mixed together, mix this into the flour/butter paste. 

Place the dough into your buttered pan. 

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour the top of your bread will be golden brown. 

When you remove the pan from the oven, allow it to cool for a little while before removing from the baking pan (10-15 minutes should do it). 

Serve with butter, jam, a Guinness or whatever goodies you have in mind.

Happy St. Patty's to you whatever your altitude!
Have fun! Stay safe!

Feeding the Frat: Noodle Bowls

So I decided to try my hand at a "Ramen" bowl. But, since I didn't have any ramen noodles on hand, I substituted with glass noodles. 

Bowl composition: 

Ground pork - pan fried with ginger and garlic 

Scallions 

Slivered Fresno Peppers

Soft boiled eggs 

Glass Noodles in a  Curry Coconut Sauce

(Optional) Cilantro 

Ground Pork: 

Pan fry the ground pork (2.5 lbs) with 1 teaspoon of garlic, and 1 teaspoon of ginger, in 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil. 

Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

Add 1 handful of cut scallions.

Add Salt and Pepper to taste. 

Glass Noodles: 

Boil salted water. 

When water reaches a boil, add your glass noodles. 

Cook for 5-6 minutes. 

Remove noodles and place in an ice bath immediately to stop them from continuing to cook. 

Curry Coconut Sauce: 

Take 1 1/2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil. 

Add 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon of garlic and 1 cut small onion, cook over low heat until the onions caramelize. 

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

Add Beef Broth (2x 32 oz. boxes).

Add 3 teaspoons of curry powder.

Add one can of coconut milk.

Bring to a low boil and allow to cook at least 30 minutes or until you are ready to plate your noodle bowl. 

The boys liked the bowls and as with most successful sibling evenings, dinner ended with sports, relaxation and a lot of laughter.

Appetizers: I'm putting out, but how much?

Appetizers don't need to be complicated. The cheese board I prepared has drunken goat cheese, Boursin cheese, gluten-free crackers, sliced honey crisp apples with a little bit of rosemary for just a pop of color. 

I normally decide how many appetizers I will be serving based on the number of guests I am having. One of the consequences of growing up in a large family is that I have a disproportionate understanding of how much food is actually needed for a group of adults who are not seven ravenous brothers. For example, I had a group of friends over one night for dinner and I was making my grandmother's raviolis.. unsupervised. 

I was a little nervous about how they would come out so I decided to make a back up dinner incase they didn't hold together, seems practical no? Two full sheets of lasagna, and a successful entré into the ravioli world later, my friend Jake was walking out with a full sheet of lasagna to take home. 

This made me establish some portion rules for myself. 

Appetizers: estimate that the longer they're waiting, the more they'll eat but start with about 5-7 bites per guest, per hour for individual hors d'oeuvres. 

Again, you need to be flexible based on what you're serving, so if you're serving chips and dip and you're expecting 6-7 people it's worth it to buy the second bag of chips because they're easier to snack on.  For a group of ten people I usually have three appetizer options. 

Dinner: if it's just the boys coming over for our sibling dinners [#FeedingtheFrat] then I estimate one and a half pieces of protein per person. You can get more technical and say with a more general guest list you should have 6-8 oz of protein per guest, but I just usually eyeball it. 

For the accompanying side dishes, i.e. vegetables, grains, and starches it depends on who you're eating with. Our family tends to try to avoid starchy carbs, so I try to serve more vegetables, usually about a "palm's worth" of cooked veggies per person. 

Desserts: Don't go crazy. While everyone loves dessert, unless there is something that you know is going to be fought after and hoarded (Grandma's zeppoles or my Apple Cake) you typically won't need a back up unless it is a celebration/holiday of some kind.

Alcohol/Beverages: whatever drink you're serving, a good guideline for a beverage estimate is two drinks, per guest, per hour. 

Even with these guidelines, you know your guests best. 

Always round-up your food estimates, if you're not sure. It's better to have leftovers for lunch than to not have enough food but if at anytime you feel like you're running the risk of not having enough- order a pizza. 

Pizza solves everything. 

Some of my favorite go-to Appetizer recipes: 

Zach's refried bean dip

Guacamole 

Shishito Peppers 

Empanadas 

Flat Bread

"Bagel" Salad with a Lemon Dill Vinaigrette

During yesterday’s snow storm I was going a little stir crazy.
Ok, maybe more than a bit crazy, but then my friend suggested we do a late day Soul Cycle class as the snow was abating which turned out to be a majorly delicious life decision. 

There is something wonderful about leaving a Soul class completely exhausted, drenched but grinning, and feeling like you can do anything.
Endorphins = Everything. 

 I got home and was hungry but not starving. Then after about fifteen minutes I started craving a bagel, which really means I needed some thing savory. 

I didn’t feel like completely erasing all my hard work, so,  I decided to throw together a “bagel salad.” 

A Bagel salad is essentially everything I like on my bagel... minus the cream cheese... and the bagel.  I know it sounds like I'm gypping myself but I promise you it's the perfect substitute. 

Quick, salty, refreshing, and not too heavy this salad completely hits the spot.

Vinaigrette Recipe

Your acid to fat ratio for this dressing is 1/4 acid (lemon juice) to 3/4 fat (olive oil).

Lemon juice (1/2 a lemon)

 Olive oil 

1/4 tsp dill 

1/4 tsp crushed garlic 

1/2 tsp honey 

Whisk the ingredients together vigorously. Reserve on the side. 

This recipe really just needs a touch of dressing and you will definitely have more dressing than you need. Reserve the rest of the dressing for later and use it on your salads throughout the week. 

Salad Base

1 cucumber 

1 oz smoked salmon 

1 radish cut thinly 

1/2 tsp chopped chives 

1/4 tsp black sesame seeds 

Peel the cucumber and remove its seeds. Slice the cucumber into long strips lengthwise before chopping into bite sized pieces. Do the same to the smoked salmon.

Thoroughly wash and then thinly slice the radish. 

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. 

Drizzle some dressing on the side of your bowl, mix into the rest of the ingredients. Start with a small amount of dressing and build to your taste. The idea is that the ingredients are coated but not sopping in the vinaigrette. 

Roasted Chicken Breast with Mardi Gras Veggies: Fat Tuesday, Skinny Eats

Belated Happy Mardi Gras! 

Several of my friends use this period after Mardi Gras as a de facto diet, "giving up" many of the delicious indulgences in an effort to be summer ready. I am equally guilty of this and thus have been trying to clean up my act and my diet at the same time.

One of my absolute favorite dishes my grandmother makes is her roasted red peppers, which she usually serves with her extra thin fried chicken cutlets. 

Just of the thought of them has my tummy grumbling. 

[Crazily enough the store didn't have red peppers so I used the green ones. They definitely were less sweet than my grandmother's and so in the future I highly recommend sticking with the red.]

I wanted to see if I could replicate my grandmother's peppers and serve them with a leaner choice of protein. I had some of the boys over for dinner, as well as one of their beautiful girlfriends who brought the most delicious pastries and one of the most competitive games of Jenga... we had a blast!

Grandma's cutlets while delicious pieces of perfection are not exactly diet friendly. 

As an alternative I roasted chicken breasts in chicken stock with parsley at 325 for about an hour. Halfway through I rotated the chicken on top to keep all of the chicken moist.

Thoroughly wash your peppers and remove any labels or stickers. Place your peppers on a baking sheet.

Since the peppers are going to be broiled, thus exposed to an open flame, make sure there is no paper on the peppers.

Set your oven to broil, rotate the peppers until all the skin is charred.

Check to make sure all sides of the pepper are charred. 

This one needed a little more time.

Once all the peppers are thoroughly charred, place all the peppers in a paper bag and allow them to cool. 

Once cooled, tear open the bag. 

I found that the bag absorbs a lot of the moisture during the cooling process and for the sake of easy clean up I always leave the "paper bag dumpling" in a bowl. 

The skin should peel off easily, use a knife to remove any stubborn skin, the seeds and the top of the peppers. 

Slice the peppers into slivers, and add to a large mixing bowl with garlic, salt, and olive oil. 

Allow the mixture to stand at room temperature until you are ready to serve. 

For the seven peppers I roasted, I used 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 cup of olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic. 

I also served the several other vegetable sides with the chicken. 

Roasted Eggplant with cubed butternut squash, and onions. 

Fresh tomato salad.

Sautéed dandelion greens with eggplant and spicy red pepper. 

The boys came to dinner armed with flowers and wine. 

I have the sweetest brothers in the world. 

My favorites from one of my favorites.

We also had one brother join us via Facetime. 

His perfect attendance record remains technically intact. 

Sibling Dinner: Coconut Beef Noodle 'Stewp'

For last night's sibling dinner I made a curry coconut beef noodle "stewp."
Not quite a stew, not quite a soup. 

Before preparing the broth, mix the meat in the following marinade and allow it to sit for at least half an hour.

Beef with Marinade: 

- 3 lbs. stew meat

- 2 tbsp. cilantro

- Lime juice (1 lime)

- 1 tbsp. chopped garlic

- 1 tbsp. lemongrass paste 

- Generous amount of salt

Mix thoroughly and reserve on the side at room temperature while you prepare the broth.

Don't skimp on the salt during this step-
the salt helps to tenderize the beef.

Because I was pretty generous with the salt during this step, I didn't add any additional salt to the broth. So be sure to use your discretion when seasoning later.

Broth:

- Equal parts bone broth and coconut milk. 

(In my case that was 32 oz. of each)

- 2 cups of diced onions 

- 2 cups julienned carrots/spiralized carrots [you can use the carrot noodles that they sell in Whole Foods as an alternative]

- 3 tbsp. curry powder 

- 2 tsp. cilantro

- 2 tsp. ground ginger

- 1/2 tsp. soy sauce

- 3 drops fish sauce

- 2 tsp. safflower oil 

At the very last moment you will need:

- Thin rice noodles 

Caramelize the onions in the oil before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add the rest of the broth's ingredients.

Allow the broth to come to a simmer while you sear the beef in a separate pan.
Add the meat to the broth. 

Cook at a simmer over medium-low heat for one hour. 

Right before serving add the rice noodles (they only need about 3 minutes to cook). 

I served the "stewp" with several garnishes so the boys could customize each bowl according to their  taste. 

Garnishes: 

Shishito peppers 

Bean sprouts 

Napa cabbage with soy sauce and eggs

Scallions 

Avocado slices

Turkey Day Detox

Stir-Fried Cauliflower

It's that time of year, the turkey's been gobbled, guests stuffed to capacity  have enjoyed the cornucopia of holiday goodies pre and post turkey-time naps.  Leftovers everywhere have gotten the "Ross Geller" special; heading full speed into my Christmas-crazy, tinsel time merry-mania... my full body transition into Buddy the Elf is almost complete, and now is exactly when I feel the need to lighten up my meals.

This usually means that my fridge is greener than my Christmas tree and my diet is predominantly vegetables.  So, when I had a craving for Chinese food instead of ordering fried rice I decided to make some cauliflower stir-fry with whatever I had on hand. 

Ingredients: 

1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil

1 Head small of Cauliflower, finely chopped (about 4 cups)

1 Maitake mushroom

1 medium sweet white onion chopped

1 cup of chopped celery and carrot

1 cup napa cabbage

2 eggs scrambled

2 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tsp fish sauce 

Salt & Pepper to taste 

[ Optional* a drizzle of chili oil or Sriracha right before you dig in]

Heat 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. 

Once the oil is hot add your finely chopped cauliflower to the pan and cook for a few minutes stirring until it develops a bit of color. 

Remove the cauliflower and reserve for later.

Lower the heat to medium-low, add chopped celery, carrots, and chopped white onions until the onions begin to look translucent. 

Chop your Napa cabbage and Maitake mushroom add to your pan. 

After about 2-3 minutes push your vegetables to the side and add your scrambled egg to the pan. Once the eggs are cooked add your cauliflower back into the pan with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tsp of fish sauce. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.