Zippy Zucchini Bites

I made these zippy zucchini bites for my coworker's birthday (along with these). I call them zippy zucchini bites because I couldn’t remember the name from the original recipe I found on Pinterest when my coworkers asked me what they were. I called them zippy because they have sweet mint, spicy harissa, zesty lime & tangy goat cheese all rolled up into one little tasty bite, hence the original name. To me that warrants the name zippy, which is also just fun to say & who doesn’t love some alliteration(? <— nerd alert).

I’d make these again. You can make them ahead of time. I chilled mine overnight & then served them at room temperature. I think they’d be a perfect fresh bite for pre-Thanksgiving appetizers because they’re not heavy & really easy to eat! They're also gluten-free & a great non-carb to have on the table. Plus, any kind of rolled appetizer always looks super pretty & fancy, so your guests will be super impressed.

Veggie Lasagna

My grandmother only makes lasagna on Christmas because my dad will be there to eat it. Lasagna is a labor of love & reserved for very special loved ones.  My friend Ashley was up visiting from Texas this past weekend. She is a lasagna worthy friend.  I even whipped up some homemade lasagna pasta sheets to make it extra special. You can of course skip the homemade pasta part & use the boxed lasagna noodles but whatever you do, make this for someone you love sometime really soon, preferably on a lazy Sunday when you have just as much time to make it as you do eat it in really great company.

Zucchini Butter

Zucchini is a veggie (or is it a fruit?) that I always have in my shopping basket & during the summer I grab as much zucchini as I can. It’s a great grilling veggie but it’s also great when you slow cook it into this yummy zucchini butter. While it’s ‘slow-cooked’ it’s also really easy to make. You can cook it ahead & store it in a jar & then toss it with pasta, farro or smear some on toasted bread.   I tossed ours with some linguini, a little bit of pasta water & topped it with some grated cheese. It was tasty!

Grilled Zucchini with Chickpeas, Raisins & Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

I'm definitely a creature of habit. I like what I like. I usually like to eat at the same handful of places for lunch, if I haven't (responsibly) packed one.  When I go grocery shopping I usually buy the same ingredients with a little variation here and there depending on sales and seasonal things.  Last night I was in the mood for something familiar but different. I've been eating zucchini all week. I love it and I rarely get tired of it. According to the Today Show it's in season - so there you go - now is the time to zucchini it up.  I usually just sauté it with some other veggies like I did here but after finding Caroline Wright's recipe on food52.com's under $20, in under 20 minute meals I was on my way to buy some more zucchini.

This grilled squash with chickpeas, raisins and garlic-yogurt sauce hits all different bells and whistles that I think would be served somewhere exotic, like Morracco.  The chickpeas have a bit of pop to them in texture and even more so with the hot and sweetly warm spices.  The grilled zucchini is toothsome and even better with grill marks.  To top it off there's creamy garlic-yogurt sauce.  For those of you who think eating vegetarian food is for the birds, try this hearty dish and you'll be singing a different tune.

I am definitely adding this dish to my regularly scheduled programming.

Mushroom Ravioli with Sautéed Veggies

After a long weekend of being spoiled by deliciously decadent wedding festivities and meals we came home to a nearly bare fridge.  So this dish is actually whatever was left in my fridge/freezer plus some fresh ingredients I picked up at the market up the street on my way home from work.  It's kind of a nod to these melting tomatoes  plus some other veggies. The mushroom ravioli as well as the s‪autéed‬ mushrooms make this dish a meaty meatless dish.

Zucchini Pasta e Fagioli

I've always been a fan of pasta e fagioli (often butchered by Italian-Americans like myself as something that sounds like pasta fazool).  In plain English it's pasta with beans. My mom used to make it with tomatoes, garlic & those short cut noodles or tiny elbow macaroni.

When I have a fridge full of produce I try to use it so I don't lose it. We had some zucchini in the fridge which lead me to this new (to me) take on pasta e fagioli, I call it zucchini pasta e fagioli. I left the dried pasta in it's box & shaved my zucchini into wide noodles instead (similar to here) - making it gluten-free pasta my friends (& Auntie Pat).  It's a very rustic dish which is code for it's not super pretty but it tastes really good, so serve it just after sunset when the light is that cool blue color & you're too hungry to care about how it looks.

Hearty Minestrone

Seems as though the beginning of this week will be almost springish but, le sigh, January will return by the week's end.  So with the big chill on the horizon I see lots of warm soups in my near future.

Try this minestrone soup on for size, I did. (Photos & recipe after the jump!)

Shaved Zucchini, Asparagus & Pea Salad

 

I think the easiest way to make something look and taste fancy is with a vegetable peeler. No. Really it's true.  This salad looks so fancy pants your dinner guests will never know that it was so easy to make!

Learn how you can look like a fancy pants salad maker after the jump!