Greek zucchini fritters

I saw this recipe in the NY Times a few days ago and although I've made zucchini fritters (think potato latke) these have some delicious Greek additions. I ate it with tzatziki and a salad. Kirk and I liked them, but the kids-not so much...

Here's my adaptation of Greek zucchini fritters:

2 large zucchini, trimmed and grated on the wide holes of a grater or food processor
Salt
2 eggs
2 cubes each- frozen dill and parsley
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Greek (or Italian) seasoning
1 tsp. celery salt
3/4-1 C. breadcrumbs
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 C. crumbled herbed feta
All-purpose flour for dredging

vegetable oil for frying

1. Salt the zucchini generously and leave to drain in a colander for one hour, tossing and squeezing the zucchini from time to time. Take up handfuls of zucchini, and squeeze out all of the moisture. Alternately, wrap in a clean dish towel, and squeeze out the water by twisting at both ends.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and add the shredded zucchini, frozen herbs, cumin, celery salt, Greek seasoning, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste and feta. Mix together well. Take up a small handful of the mixture; if it presses neatly into a patty, it is the right consistency. If it seems wet, add more breadcrumbs or a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour. When the mixture has the right consistency, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or longer.

3. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large frying pan until rippling, or at about 275 degrees. Meanwhile, take up heaped tablespoons of the zucchini mixture, and form patties. Lightly dredge in flour.

4. When the oil is very hot, add the patties in batches to the pan. Fry until golden brown, turning once with a spider or slotted spoon. Remove from the oil, and drain briefly on a rack, or keep warm in the oven.

Super Bowl skins and chili

I must admit that although I am not a big fan of the sport, I love the commercials, and nothin' says Super Bowl in my book more than a big ol' pot of chili and some potato skins.

Here's my recipe for both vegetarian and regular chili and some super tasty mini potato skins!

Enjoy.

Mini potato skins.

3-4 Tbs. Olive oil
8-10 baby yukon gold and/or red new potatoes
Smoked sea salt or Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
scallions

Preheat oven to 425. Drizzle olive oil on an aluminum foil lined or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Wash potatoes and slice in half lengthwise. Using a melon baller, gently scoop the inside out of each potato, leaving a good portion of each side and the bottom in tact. Save the little potato balls to roast as well. Toss the potatoes (and balls) in olive oil, smoked salt and pepper. being sure to coat both the inside and outside of each potato.

Place the potatoes skin side down on the cookie sheet so they are not touching and add balls in remaining areas.

Roast for 15-20 minutes until skins are crisp and golden brown.

Before removing from oven, sprinkle potatoes with shredded cheese and broil for 30 seconds.

Remove and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a pinch of chopped scallions.

Vegetarian Chili:
1 large diced onion
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 C. diced button mushrooms
1 can black beans
2 cans pinto/red beans
3 cans diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
2 C. frozen roasted corn (from Trader Joe's, if you can't find it, regular frozen is fine)
4 Tbs. chili powder (or 1 packet chili seasoning)
1 diced zucchini
1 large peeled and diced sweet potato
kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. cornmeal

Saute onion for 2-3 minutes in olive oil in a large pot. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for another minute. Add drained beans and tomatoes. Stir to combine and add frozen corn and chili powder. Finally, add zucchini and sweet potato, and a good pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer on medium low for 25 minutes. Season to taste, add cornmeal and continue cooking until ready to serve.

I served this with a side of jalapeno corn bread and homemade guacamole. If you like it spicy, add a little Tabasco sauce before serving.


Beef or Turkey Chili:


1 tbs. olive oil
1 diced onion
1 lb. 90% lean ground beef or turkey
1 C. frozen roasted corn
1 small can pink beans rinsed
1 small can kidney beans rinsed
1 large can diced tomatoes -I found fire roasted ones, and they were yummy.
3 tbs. chili powder
1 tbs. cumin
a good pinch of 2 of kosher salt
optional- red hot sauce

Heat olive oil on medium high in a deep pot. When it begins to sizzle, add onions and saute for 3 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden brown. Add beef and break up in pot with a wooden spoon so you don't have big chunks. Saute for 5-6 minutes until beef is almost cooked through. Add corn, 2 cans of beans and tomatoes, stir to combine. Add chili powder, cumin and salt. Stir to combine, lower heat to medium, cover and cook for at least 25 minutes to let flavors combine.

Mushroom pate

I made the most delicious hors' d'oeuvre tonight, I had eaten something similar a while ago, and was anxious to try to replicate it at home.

Don't let the name fool you, mushroom pate is simply sauteed mushrooms that have been finely chopped in a Cuisinart to make it spreadable.

Bring this to your next party, it will be devoured!

Here's my recipe for mushroom pate.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 C. diced shallot or onion
3 cubes frozen garlic
1 lb. total of assorted mushrooms, I used crimini, poratbello and shiitake, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. celery salt
pinch of black pepper
1 Tbs. Madeira or sherry

**Optional- process 1/4 C. toasted pine nuts and 1/4 C. goat cheese to the mixture.


Saute shallot in olive oil on medium high heat for 1 minute in a large nonstick pan. After about a minute, add garlic cubes and stir to combine. Next, add washed mushrooms, oregano, celery salt and black pepper and saute to 2 minutes. Once mushrooms have begun to release liquid, add Madeira and continue cooking for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until all liquid has evaporated.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add mixture into a Cuisinart and pulse until texture has become finely chopped but not completely smooth.

Add a dollop to a thin slice of baguette or cracker and garnish with a shaving of Parmesan or Manchego and a bit of parsley. Can be eaten either hot or cold.

Spanish quiche torta- for non-quiche lovers!

We have a ton of eggs from our little chickens and can't believe they are still laying through the winter. We even got a double yoked giant the other day!

I decided what better use of these yummy eggs then to make a quiche torta. It's similar to the one's I've made in the past, but I added a few different ingredients.

This recipe makes 2 and freezes beautifully..

2 pie crusts
3 yukon gold potatoes
1 C. shredded cheese
1 1/2 C. frozen chopped spinach
1/2 C. frozen sliced roasted peppers (I bought these from Trader Joe's)
1 package of thick cut bacon
1 c. sliced mushrooms (crimini work well, but use whatever you've got)
1 diced onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
8 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 pie plates with a pie crust. Bring a pot of water to a boil, while the water boils, peel and dice potatoes in the Vidalia chopper on the small dice, and boil potatoes for 4 minutes. Remove from water and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Set aside. Add frozen spinach, peppers and shredded cheese.

Using kitchen shears, cut bacon into small pieces and cook in a pan on medium high heat until crisp, this should take about 8 minutes. Drain and add to the potatoes. Remove bacon drippings from the pan, leaving about 1 Tbs. remaining. Saute onion in pan for 2 minutes and add mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms have browned, about 3 more minutes. Remove and add to bowl.

Crack eggs into a separate bowl and season with salt, pepper and a little Italian seasoning. Whisk until well combined and add to vegetable mixture. Stir gently to combine, and pour equal amounts of mixture into each pie plate.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is set and feels firm to the touch.

I love this torta because I am not a big fan of very eggy quiches, this one is full of vegetables and the finely diced potatoes add body to the dish. We ate it with a side of fruit salad.

This dish could easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon.

Greek shrimp with rice pilaf and green beans

My kids love shrimp so I made a recipe I did last month when I did What's Cooking on News 12. The kids devoured the shrimp and we had to claim a few for ourselves before they ate the all!

Here's my recipe for easy and delicious Greek Shrimp.

1 bag frozen, peeled, cleaned and deveined uncooked shrimp
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp. Greek seasoning
3 tbs. olive oil
3 cubes frozen garlic
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to broil. Move an oven rack to the top third of the oven.

Defrost shrimp in a bowl of hot water for 2 minutes. While shrimp defrost, combine lemon juice, Greek seasoning, 2 tbs. olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add shrimp to bowl and toss to coat. Add shrimp to an aluminum lined cookie sheet and broil 2 minutes per side.

Stuffed chicken tacos with cilantro salsa

We had eaten these from Trader Joe's a while back and I figured they would be fairly easy to make. Here's my recipe for stuffed chicken tacos.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (diced)
3 Tbs. taco seasoning
1 C. finely diced onion
1 C. shredded cabbage
1/4 c. water

1/2 C. shredded cheese
8-10 small corn tortillas
1 C. vegetable oil

Finely chopped lettuce
diced tomato

For Salsa:
2 cubes frozen cilantro
1 cube frozen garlic
juice from 1 lime
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 C. olive oil

Heat a large nonstick pan with a lid on medium high heat. Add diced chicken and onions and saute for 1 minute. Add taco seasoning and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes until beginning to brown and add cabbage. Add water, reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add chicken to a cuisinart and pulse a few times until chicken is finely chopped but not pureed. Remove chicken into a bowl and add shredded cheese. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, add oil to another nonstick pan and heat on medium high heat. Heat oven to 350 and line a plate with a few sheets of paper towels to place tacos.

Add a few tablespoons to 1 side of each corn tortilla. Gently place in pan and fold other side over to cover. Press down with a spatula and turn after about 20 seconds, each side should be nicely browned. Remove from oil, dry on paper towels, then keep warm on a cookie sheet in the oven.

To make cilantro salsa. Add all ingredients to a jar, shake to combine.

Serve tacos with a big handful of shredded lettuce, tomato and a drizzle of the cilantro salsa on top.

You could also serve with a dollop of sour cream and or guacamole.

Enjoy!

Homemade (low fat) granola

We are a granola loving family, however we don't eat it frequently as 1-it's generally very high in fat and calories and 2- it's very expensive.

I have a friend who makes it often and it was a lousy day yesterday, so I decided I too shall make granola. I was amazed at how easy it is. Basically mix the stuff in a bowl and let it bake slowly in the oven until it dries out. Cool and enjoy!

Here's my recipe for basic granola with a whole mess of optional mix-ins.

Let me know what you add.

Enjoy!

4 C. old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
¼ C. sweetened shredded coconut
½ C. sliced or slivered almonds, pecans or walnuts
2 tsp. apple pie spice
pinch of salt
¼ C. maple syrup
¼ C. dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. apple juice or water
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
Optional add-ins:
¼ C. sesame seeds, sunflower seeds
¼ C. wheat germ
1 tsp. vanilla, orange or almond extract
To be added in after baking:
½ C. dried: cranberries, cherries, blueberries, dates, apricots, apples, mango
¼ C. finely diced candied ginger


Preheat oven to 300 F.

Stir together oatmeal, almonds, coconut, apple pie spice and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, apple juice and vegetable oil; pour over oatmeal mixture and stir to coat thoroughly. Any other optional ingredients except dried fruit and ginger should be added in now.

Spread mixture in an even layer onto a Silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. Granola should be tan, but not dark.

Cool mixture before adding dried fruit or ginger. Store granola in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.