VEGETABLE

 CAJUN STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Ingredients:

4 med or 3 large sweet bell peppers orange, red or yellow

1 lb. of ground beef or 1 lb. ground turkey/sausage blend

1 cup of cooked rice

2 Tbsp minced or chopped dry onion

1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (I use Slap ya Mama)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 can of Rotel tomatoes, drained

1 10 oz can tomato puree

2-3 tablespoons of fresh, dry or panko bread crumbs

6-8 very thin slices of cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the peppers lengthwise and scrape out seeds and ribs.

Mix together rice, onion, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, cajun seasoning. Add 1/2 can of the tomato puree and 1/2 can Rotel.

Add this mixture to raw ground beef or ground turkey and Mix Well.

Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom baking dish and place peppers in the dish. Scoop the beef and rice mixture evenly into each pepper half, topping each off until you use all of the filling.

Mix the remaining 1/2 can Rotel tomatoes with the remaining tomato puree, and spoon evenly over the tops of each pepper and sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp panko bread crumbs (can use 1 tsp if desired).

Bake tightly covered at 350 degrees F for 60 minutes, or until peppers are tender and filling is cooked through. Remove, add 1 slice of cheese to top, and return to oven until cheese melts.

GARLICKY ZUCCHINI RICE WITH PICO DE GALLO

1 cup jasmine rice or regular long-grain rice
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup zucchini, diced
½ tablespoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons annatto oil (see recipe below)
1 cup roasted poblano pico de gallo (see recipe below)
2 cups chicken broth (or 1 large Knorr chicken bouillon cube and 2 cups of water)
Salt and fresh cracked pepper
In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of annatto oil to medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it starts to toast and becomes aromatic. Add the cumin seeds and cook for another minute.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. If using the bouillon cube, break it up slightly before adding to rice, along with water. Add the broth (if using), ½ teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Stir well to combine. When it comes to a boil, add the zucchini evenly to the top of rice.
Reduce heat, cover and cook for another 15 to 18 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. When ready, fluff the rice with a fork and fold in the pico de gallo.
 For the Roasted Poblano Pico de Gallo
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 large poblano pepper, roasted, peeled and diced
½ of a medium red onion, diced
1 serrano pepper, minced (optional)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 2 key limes
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients, adding 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper, stir well to combine, let stand for 20 minutes. Taste for salt. Serve with chips or as a garnish with your favorite foods!
For the Annatto Oil:
1½ oz. annatto seeds (about ¼ cup)
2 cups canola oil
Combine the annatto seeds and canola oil in a small saucepan. Heat to medium heat until it starts to lightly bubble, reduce heat to low and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool, strain through a fine, wire-mesh strainer. Once cooled, store in glass bottle, in the refrigerator. I like using this oil for a lot of my basic Latin cooking. Adds a nice, earthy flavor and gives that great color to your rice dishes.

CABBAGE & NOODLES WITH BACON

1 head of cabbage, chopped
1 pound of bacon*
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 large handfuls of egg noodles*
Black pepper
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels, then break into bite-sized pieces. (Warning: there’s a chance that you could end up snacking on the bacon bits while you’re finishing dinner. It’s been known to happen here.)
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the egg noodles. Add the noodles and cook until done. Drain the noodles and set aside. Drain some of the bacon fat from the pan, reserving enough to cook the onions. Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add the cabbage to the skillet and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. When the cabbage is tender, add the egg noodles and bacon, mixing thoroughly. Season with pepper. Serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH AU GRATIN

Tastes like Hash Brown Casserole without all the calories and carbs
1 medium spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
½ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cut the spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Place in a covered dish with a ¼ inch of water and microwave for 10 -12 minutes. In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the butter, onions, red pepper and thyme and cook until the onions are slightly brown in color. Salt and pepper to taste. Using a fork, scrape the insides of the squash and transfer to a small bowl. Combine the squash, onions, sour cream and half the cheese together and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a buttered baking dish and top with remaining cheese.

ZUCCHINI CAKES

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup bread crumbs (would skip for low carb)
1/4 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (I used cajun seasoning)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour ( replace with almond flour)
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and butter or margarine. Stir in seasoned crumbs, minced onion, and seasoning. Mix well. Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in flour. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

3 zucchinis
1/2 large onion, chopped fine
1 Tbsp butter
5 - 6 slices crispy bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh cracked black pepper
(you can also make these vegetarian and take the bacon out or use a meat sub. or replace with some olives or any other veggie)
Give the zucchini a quick wash for good measure. Slice in half lengthwise. Leave the ends on to keep the filling in. Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller or a spoon. Leave a ledge of zucchini around the edges. For the life of me, I couldn't make straight lines. That's okay. They were still delicious. Arrange the zucchini boats in a baking dish. Chop the zucchini flesh as small as you like. Finely chop half a sweet onion. Chop up some good smokey bacon. You could leave this out for a vegetarian side dish (maybe add some chopped mushrooms?)... but my family goes through quite a lot bacon, so it's going in! Add the curry powder... cook until desired doneness of onions and remove from heat. To the zucchini flesh, add sour cream. (How can this be bad?). Rough chop some fresh thyme leaves. Mix onion and bacon mixture with other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the tomatoes. Seed them or else there may be too much moisture in the filling. You don't really want the filling to be all runny when you cut into it. Refill the zucchini shells with the filling mixture. Grate some good aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top and sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Of course you know me. I'm gonna grate even more cheese on them again... Smokiness from the bacon. Salty from the Parmesan cheese. Soft and buttery zucchini. Lighten it up with light sour cream and light Parmesan

BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Preheat oven to 400 Divide asparagus into bundes of 3-4 spears Wrap each in a slice of bacon In a saucepan, melt a stick of butter, 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1Tbspn soy sauce, 1/2tsp garlic salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper and bring to a boil. Pour mix over bundles and bake until bacon looks done. I would slap these on the grill!!!

BROCCOLI

Preheat oven to 375°
Chop a head of broccoli (do not rinse immediately prior to preparing!)
Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic
Put broccoli, garlic, 2 tbsp. olive oil, and a few shakes of salt and pepper in a ziploc bag.
Shake it up Spread out on baking sheet, place on top rack, and bake for about 30 minutes.
Broccoli will be crunchy and delicious! I make this at least 3 times a week and have to control myself once I take it out of the oven, I could eat this alone for dinner

MAKE ME STUFFED PEPPERS

2 large green peppers, halved lengthwise
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped, 1 1/4 ounces
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato, chopped, about 2 ounces
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping
In a large pot, bring about half a potful of water to a boil. Add the peppers and boil for 3 minutes; drain. In the same pot, brown the hamburger, onion and garlic. Drain the fat and stir in the tomatoes and seasonings. Cook until the tomatoes are hot; remove from the heat and stir in the 4 ounces of cheese. Put the pepper halves in a greased 8x8" baking pan and fill with the meat mixture. Sprinkle the extra cheese on top, if using. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes.

UNSTUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

1 1/2 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small cabbage, chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender.  Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender. Yield: Serves 6 to 8

MINI ZUCCHINI CHEESE BITES

2 cups grated zucchini ( about 1 medium)
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
optional: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl mix the zucchini, egg, cheese and cilantro. You do not have to add any salt or pepper since the Parmesan is salty enough . Evenly divide the mixture into the mini muffin pan filling to the top, packed down in each cup. Bake for 15- 18 minutes until golden brown around the edges. The zucchini is grated so only some of the green skin is noticeable. You can opt to leave out the cilantro .These are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Super quick and easy to make. Using a food processor to grate the zucchini, then squeeze out the excess water in a paper towel or clean cloth. Add the rest of the ingredients and pack them into a little mini quiche tin. You can certainly double the recipe if you have more or even make them larger then mini.

MEAT, TOMATO, & MOZZARELLA STUFFED ZUCCHINI CUPS

(Makes 6-8 servings)
2 large zucchini or yellow squash, about 12 inches long
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil (may need more, depending on your pan)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 T finely minced fresh garlic
1 lb. ground beef (10% fat or less)
12 oz. ground turkey (10% fat or less)
1-2 tsp. accent seasoning (optional)
2 C pasta sauce i use prego flavored with meat
2 cups mozzarella or other mild white cheese
Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Chop onion and green pepper. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick pan, then saute onion and pepper for 3-4 minutes, until just starting to soften. Add minced garlic and saute about 1 minute more, being careful not to brown the garlic. Remove the onion, pepper, and garlic mixture to a bowl. Add 2 tsp. more olive oil to the pan. Crumble in the ground beef and ground turkey, season with accent seasoning, and cook over medium heat until the meat is well browned. Tilt pan to see if there is any extra fat, and remove with a spoon if there is, then stir cooked vegetables and garlic back into the meat. Add tomato sauce and simmer until the mixture has thickened and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat. While meat cools, cut zucchini into 2 inch thick slices, discarding ends. Use a sharp spoon or melon baller to hollow out a cup in each zucchini slice, leaving just over 1/4 inch of zucchini flesh. Be careful not to get too close to the skin or the cups will leak liquid when they cook. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and stand up zucchini cups, open end up. Stir 1 1/2 cups grated cheese into the cooled meat mixture (it doesn't need to be completely cool), then spoon the meat-cheese mixture into zucchini cups, pressing down with the spoon and mounding it up a little over the top of the zucchini. Bake zucchini cups for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and use remaining cheese to top each one with a generous pinch of cheese. Put back in oven and bake 10-15 minutes more, until zucchini is slightly soft when pierced with a fork and cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

HOW TO MAKE ICEBOX PICKLES

6 cups sliced, unpeeled cucumbers
1 cup sliced red onion
1 cup sliced green bell pepper
1 Tablespoon celery seed
1 Tablespoon salt
2 cups white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or crock. Cover with water and stick in the fridge. The longer they sit the tastier they will be. They will keep up to 3 months in the fridge.

CHEESY CAULIFLOWER PATTIES

1 head cauliflower
2 large eggs
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c panko
1/2 t cayenne pepper (more of less to taste)
salt
olive oil
Cut cauliflower into florets & cook in boiling water until tender about 10 minutes. Drain. Mash the cauliflower while still warm. Stir cheese, eggs, panko, cayenne & salt to taste. Coat the bottom of a griddle or skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Form the cauliflower mixture into patties about 3 inches across. Cook until golden brown & set, about 3 minutes per side. Keep each batch warm in the oven while you cook the rest.

ZUCCHINI PARMESAN CRISPS 
1 lb. zucchini or squash (about 2 medium-sized)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan (heaping)
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (heaping)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable spray.
Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil, coating well. In a wide bowl or plate, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper. Place rounds in parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere. The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side. Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds. Bake for about 22 to 27 minutes, until golden brown.

OVEN-BAKED ZUCCHINI FRIES

 makes approximately 8 servings
3 zucchini (1 lb.)
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 packet Shake & Bake Coating Mix
1 small egg
Heat oven to 450ºF. Trim the zucchini -cut crosswise in half, then cut each piece into 1/4-inch sticks. Add cheese to coating mix in shaker bag; shake gently to combine. Whisk egg in medium bowl. Add zucchini; toss to coat. Use tongs to place 1/4 of the zucchini in shaker bag; close bag and shake to evenly coat. Spread onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining zucchini.  Bake for 12 to 13 min. or until golden brown, turning the baking tray 180 degrees after 7 min to facilitate even baking.

VEGETABLE TIAN (THINLY SLICED VEGGIES TOPPED WITH CHEESE AND THEN ROASTED)...

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato
1 tsp. dried thyme
to taste salt & pepper
1 cup shredded Italian cheese
Preheat the oven to 180 (400 degrees f) Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes). While the onion and garlic are sautéing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables. Spray the inside of an 8x8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown