Zucchini Lasagna

Well here we are several years later and the weight I feverishly fought so hard to get rid of (and did get rid of) is back on this bod like white on rice! When I found out I was preggers in 2009, I swore I would still go to the gym….that did not happen. I always saw this woman at my gym super cute, tiny, and a baby belly bump. I thought well that will be me soon, but it wasn’t and it never was.

Now my son is 2 1/2 and I have yet to return to the gym, don’t you know how easy it is to get away with an infant, then a toddler? Not to mention my 4 other kids. So they gym was not in the cards for me and I guess in my own mind I gave up. Sad really. I worked so hard to get rid of years of weight that I had gained for no real reason. Then in the blink of an eye I am close to being back to “that” person again, I vowed I would never let that happen. Before my clothes don’t fit and before I lose any more self respect, I am back in the game folks!

I have signed up to be in a 5K run that is so popular around here I found my MOJO. I gave myself enough time to train and get in shape before hand, so as not to feel like a dweeb when that day comes. In honor of my new goal I have made lasagna…I know lasagna is not low fat or low cals, but this one is 😀 The very thought of taking away food one loves, is the very reason people don’t stick with eating healthy. Here you can have your good stuff and eat it too! No carb, no noodles, gluten free, low fat, low cal lasagna

~YOUR WELCOME~

By the way…VEGETARIAN? Lose the chicken 😀

INGREDIENTS

1 cooked chicken breast, cooled and diced
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 medium Zucchini or Squash, sliced ( I used 2 green 1 yellow)
1 garlic clove, minced (I used the microplane)
2 cups of your favorite red pasta sauce
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
2/3 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

1. Over medium heat, saute onion, garlic, and 1/2 of the salt/pepper until golden.
2. Add zucchini and remaining salt/pepper and saute until fork tender.
3. Pull off stove and set aside.
4. In a 9″ x 9″ glass Pyrex dish begin layering zucchini in rows until the bottom is covered.
5. Next add a layer of sauce, then diced chicken, then mozzarella cheese and repeat until all zucchini is used. Leave enough mozzarella cheese for the top.
6. Top with remaining mozzarella, parmesan, and bread crumbs.
7. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Serves 6

I decided to include the nutritional information for the dish. It will change slightly based on what type of red sauce you choose. I am not a dietitian or a Doctor, but this is one yummy dish! I used Calorie Count to find the nutritional information for the dish.

Broccoflower Fritters

Normally when you hear the word “fritter” you, or at least I, think of a nice warm gooey apple fritter! Sadly not much nutrients in one of those, but in my veggie fritter, you will get a ton of them. From cancer fighting agents to helping fight those nasty cold buggies searching your immune system for a place to live. There is no end to the wonderful benefits of broccoli. You can make this recipe with just broccoli, or just cauliflower, I used a combination of broccoli and a broccoflower I found at the store that looked beautiful. This cross-breed between broccoli and cauliflower is it’s sweeter counterpart. You can eat it raw as is, or cook how you would broccoli or cauliflower. I love the taste of both so I decided to have the best of both worlds 😀

The crispy exterior of these fritters mixed with the tender interior with the nutty parmesan cheese and rosemary flavors really blend well together. Bringing a well-rounded side dish to your meal or just to eat as a snack.

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 stalks rosemary, toasted and chopped
1/2 c flour
2 stalks brocoli
1/2 broccoflower
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt/pepper to taste
rosemary oil to cook in

DIRECTIONS

Steam your broccoli or broccoflower until fork tender.

In a medium sized bowl combine; eggs, parmesan cheese, cornmeal, rosemary, flour, red pepper flakes, salt/pepper (if using).

Add steamed broccoli or broccoflower and mash away. Using a potato masher works wonders for this process. You don’t want the consistency of mashed potatoes, you want a chunkier mixture with pieces of the vegetable throughout. 

In a skillet heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 sprig of rosemary. Heat on medium low to infuse the oil with the rosemary flavors. About 5-7 minutes.

Using a tablespoon, scoop 1 tablespoon of fritter batter into the hot rosemary oil and flatten with spatula.

Cook until brown on edges about 3-4 minutes, then flip over and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.

Remove from oil and place on paper towel and give a light dusting of parmesean cheese & salt (optional). I omit the salt from the recipe and use it here instead.

Recipe makes approximately 15 fritters depending on the size you make them. They can be stored in an airtight ziplock or container in fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for 2 weeks.

Best served warm.  If re-heating, warm oven to 375 degrees F. Take a cookie sheet with a wire rack and place on cookie sheet, place fritters on rack and bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through. 

Featured at: Foodie Friends Friday

Zucchini Fries

That moment in the day when you’ve realized you haven’t taken anything out for dinner, it’s too late to un-thaw anything…now what? Luckily I have a large zucchini from my mom’s garden on the counter, because I don’t know what I’m going to make with it, but THAT is dinner tonight! 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup fine whole wheat bread crumbs 
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
salt/pepper
3 tbsp Italian garlic and herb seasoning
2 eggs
1/2 lemon or lime juiced
2 med sized zucchini, washed, sliced into fries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In one dish combine whole wheat bread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese, pepper flakes, poppy seeds, salt/pepper and Italian seasoning. Mix well until all combined.
3. In a second dish combine 2 beaten eggs and juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime.
4. Take a cookie sheet and line with foil drizzle olive oil over it.
5. Take zucchini pieces and dip in egg mixture, then dip in bread crumb mixture.
6. Place on cookie sheet and continue until all are coated.
7. Drizzle olive oil over top of zucchini fries and place in oven for 25 minutes turning 1/2 way through or until fork tender. 
8. Serve hot and dip in Chipotle Ranch Sauce.

My kids and hubs HATE and I mean HATE zucchini. I have tried so many ways to get them to eat it, by disguise by coating it, by any means possible. They won’t have it and some…(clearing throat) hubs, won’t even try it anymore. Ok, it’s either my cooking or he just doesn’t like it. Since I KNOW I am a good cook, I prefer to think the latter of the two 😀

I decided to hurriedly cook these so that my kids wouldn’t see what I was doing.  Chopping, washing, dipping, and coating in a serious hurry. A mess? YES! But I was unseen by the kids, whew! I will trick them into calling these yummy things into veggie fries! Yes, I’m a genius, VEGGIE FRIES!

I get them all cooked and set out nicely on a plate and sit them on the table and continue with the rest of the meal. My younger son, Max comes in and sees the plate and asks, is it dinner time? I say, in a minute. He sees the plate on the table and I hear him mumble…MMMMM. I am thinking ok, I wonder what he thinks these are right?! My daughter comes in and say OH what are these, my first instinct is to say they are fries, ok I go with it..FRIES I reply. WAITING…WAITING….finally, she says can I try 1? I say, sure! She takes a bite and I hear it again…MMMMM. Inside my head I am SO doing the happy dance. She says, these are good, but I don’t think they are fries. I say, well they are veggie fries. She says ok, I like them. Now out of all the kids, her and my other son I mentioned before, Max are the ones that are going to HATE these. So I am feeling really good right about now. I call everyone now to the table, excluding the hubs, he is working. They all try the veggie fries and devour them in nothing flat. I didn’t even have time to get out the dipping sauce. I ask them, so…were the veggie fries good? My oldest son, Chris says ya, I really liked the zucchini. IMMEDIATELY I am like WHA? Wait SSSSHHHHHH! the rest of the table says, MOM, we knew they were zucchini. I guess I’m not nearly as smart as I think I am at concealing  the fact this was zucchini, but I was pretty smart to come up with a recipe that finally was a hit for the picky ones in  my home. Not 1 crumb, not 1 zucchini bite left standing. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!