Summer time makes me happy for so many reasons. I get to spend time at the beach, don't have to wear layers and the farm stands and farmers markets are bursting at the seams with a variety of amazing fruits and veggies! This weekend we were lucky enough to get away without our son (thank goodness for Grandparents!) and I actually had time to veggie shop with out worrying that my 21 month old would choke on a cherry pit or bite into a tomato and then put it back for someone else to enjoy!
One of my favorite summer veggies is summer squash, aka zucchini, not only because it is a great source of fiber, vits A & C along with magnesium but also because it has a high water content which makes it a refreshing choice for summer (man has it been hot!)! Summer squash come in all different colors but I opted for a few green varieties (I don't know it must be the nutritionist in me....green= good) and then started surfing the web for some guidelines on what to do with it besides sautee it or toss it with some whole wheat pasta and good old tomato sauce (remember I don't claim to be a chef but I can fiddle with a recipe).
So yesterday on my one day "out of the office" I decided to whip up a few dishes while my little guy napped so I knew he would have something nutritious to snack on and for dinner when he woke up (that goes for me too!).
For starters I whipped up some Vegan Zucchini Muffins (similar to zucchini bread, just easier to freeze), not because we are vegan but to amp up the nutrition (also great for egg allergies). Trust me these are delicious, taste tested by not only my kid but my husband too! Oh yeah, and a tasty way to "sneak" veggies in where you can!
Vegan Zucchini Muffins (makes 12 large or 24 mini)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wehat flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
6 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup apple sauce or veggie puree, I used Ella's Kitchen pureed fruit & veggie pack, Carrots, Parsnip & Sweet Potato flavor www.ellaskitchen.com
2/3 cup maple syrup
1.5 cups zucchini, shredded or grated (about 2 small zucchinis)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine
Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined
Pour the zucchini mixture into large or small muffin tin
Bake15 minutes for small muffins and 25 minutes for large ones
Cool and serve
Nutrition Facts (per large muffin): 115 Calories, Fat 0.5g, Carbs 25g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 3 g, Sugar 8 g
While the muffins cooled and because I was in my cooking zone (the kitchen was already messy why stop now) oh yeah and I still had 3 large zucchinis left over (OK, OK so I went a little crazy at the market) I decided to make a noodle-less zucchini lasagna for dinner (it serves 10 so we have leftovers for the rest of the week)! I love one stop cooking! This one my husband literally couldn't stop talking about, that is when his mouth wasn't full! And it's perfect for anyone looking to enjoy a tasty, low fat, low carb meal that tastes almost too good to be true!
Zucchini Lasagna
4-6 cups water
6 cups sliced zucchini ( about 3 medium)
1 lb ground white meat chicken/turkey breast (original recipe called for ground round)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups low fat spaghetti sauce (I like Two Guys New Jersey Tomato Sauce, dig local)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
2 cups 1% low fat cottage cheese
1 tbsp dried parsely
1 large egg + 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
½ cup dry whole wheat breadcrumbs, divided
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add zucchini; cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and cool.
Place the chicken and garlic in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium-high heat (add a tablespoon of water as needed to prevent sticking). Cook until browned stirring to crumble. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, salt, basil, and oregano; cook for 3 minutes, remove from heat.
Combine the cottage cheese, parsley and eggs in a medium bowl.
Arrange zucchini slices in a a shallow 3 qt casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle the zucchini with half of the breadcrumbs. Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture over breadcrumbs; cover with half of the meat mixture and ½ cup mozzarella. Repeat the layers with the remaining breadcrumbs, cottage cheese mixture and meat mixture; reserve the remaining mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Nutrition (per serving): 200 Calories, 6 g Fat, 10 g Carbs, 2 g Fiber, 24 g Protein, 3.5 g Sugar
That's it! Dig in!!! Place in the fridge and after fully cooled, slice into portions and freeze for easy and healthy meals anytime!
Until next time....I'll see you in the kitchen! Healthy eating, cooking and living!
