Cream of Zucchini Soup

 I found a Cream of Zucchini Soup recipe and it looked fantastic.....but I forgot to bookmark it and could not find it again, but then I thought about my Cream of Greens soup and thought I could totally modify it with Zukes.......and it a was a TOTAL hit!  No process pics but it is pretty simple.

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 TB avocado oil

2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

2 lbs zucchini, unpeeled and sliced

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk (I used 2%)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup sour cream

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot heat oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic and cook until tender and fragrant.

Add potatoes, zucchini and broth.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes until potatoes and zukes are very tender.

With an immersion blender (or in a regular blender in batches) process until completely smooth. 

Add milk cream, seasonings  and sour cream and process again until smooth.

Heat through and serve with a topper of parmesan cheese!

I did a side of Texas Toast too!

Black Bean and Corn Green Chile Enchilada Casserole

I found a really delicious nacho recipe a few weeks ago so I decided to expand on it and make it into enchilada casserole.











1TB Olive or avocado oil
2 cups fresh or frozen corn(defrosted if frozen)
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1 medium jalapeno, deseeded and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
7 oz fire roasted green chilies
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice and zest of 1 lime, divided

1/2 cup sour cream
2 TB mayo


28 oz can green chile enchilada sauce
8 oz Monterrey or pepper jack cheese, shredded
10-12 large flour tortilla , cut in quarters
Cotija cheese
Cilantro

Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Add corn and onion and cook until tender and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.










Remove from heat add jalapeno, red bell, green chiles and black beans, toss with 2 TB lime juice.












Combine sour cream, mayo, remaining lime juice and zest. Set aside.











Pour about 1/3 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.











Layer with tortillas to cover the bottom.











Spread 1/3 of the bean mixture, 1/3 of the sour cream mix and 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Pour about 1/4 of the remaining enchilada sauce and spread evenly. Repeat layers 2 more times.











Top with one last layer of tortillas, the last of the enchilada sauce, Cotija and cilantro.










Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more until it measures at least 165 in the center.....

Remove from oven , recover  loosely with foil and allow to set for 15 minutes.







Slice and enjoy with sour cream, guac, more jalapenos.....whatever you desire!!





The leftovers freeze BEAUTIFULLY!

Zucchini Spaghetti with Red Pepper and Tomato Bruschetta

I had zucchinis that needed to be used and some tomatoes and red peppers too. My husband has been asking for a spiralized zucchini dinner for a while so I thought this would be yummy! I also got a good deal on Open Nature Italian Chicken Sausage so I decided to throw those on as well, it would be good without them as a vegetarian dish as well so I am labeling it for both.







Bruschetta:
2-3 good sized Roma tomatoes, diced*
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 TB sweet onion, minced
2 TB fresh or 2 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB olive oil
1 TB balsamic vinegar
black pepper to taste



2 lbs zucchini, spiralized
1 TB olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
1 cup tomato sauce

12 oz Italian Chicken Sausage, quartered and sliced

Parmesan Cheese, shredded
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Combine all bruschetta ingredients together and allow to mingle at room temp for at least an hour. The longer it is allowed to sit, the better, but stick it in the fridge if you are going longer than an hour.

* I diced my tomatoes and they were VERY juicy so I put them in a colander to drain off some excess juice for about 20 minutes. If yours are overly juice I suggest adding this step.



If you refrigerated your bruschetta allow it to come to room temp while you are preparing the rest.



In a large deep pan saute the sausages until heated through ** I recommend a wok, the pan I used for my sausage was too small for the zucchini.









Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Heat olive oil. Add zucchini and season to taste.











Add tomato sauce and toss to coat. Heat just to tender crisp and remove from heat.











Plate some "pasta" top with a scoop of bruschetta, some sausage, and top with a sprinkle of parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Baked Veggie and Bean Chimichangas

I was going to do burritos tonight but I decided to kick them up just a little.












12 tortillas (10 inch)

2 cups refried beans

2 cups cheese (I used pepper jack and cheddar)


Filling:
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 small zucchini, cubed
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 TB  Taco Seasoning
1-2 TB  fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 400

Mix filling ingredients in a bowl, toss well.











Warm the tortillas so they are pliable.

Spread 2-3 TB refried beans on each tortilla.











 Then 1/3 cup filling.












Top with a few TB of cheese,












Fold and roll up the tortillas then place on a greased baking sheet, seam side down.











Brush each tortilla with a generous amount of olive oil. I sprinkled on some garlic powder too












Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until heated through and the tortilla is crispy.












Serve with sour cream and salsa!

Baba Ghanoush Pizza

I had an eggplant that needed to be used up so I made some Baba Ghanoush.....but I didnt really know what to do with it other than a dip....pizza it is!











1 par-baked pizza crust
1/2 cup Baba Ghanoush, or to taste (Lots of recipes available, This one is very basic and delicious)
baby spinach
mozzarella
grape tomatoes
pickled red onions*
basil
crushed red pepper flakes

*Pickled Onions:
1 medium red onion, sliced into thin rings
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all in a jar, shake well, cover and let mingle for at least 2 hours....the longer they sit the better they are in my honest opinion




Spread your crust with Baba Ghanoush , thin or thick is to your preference
Add a layer of baby spinach
Sprinkle on Cheese to taste
top with sliced grape tomatoes and pickled red onions
Sprinkle with a little dried basil and pepper flakes






Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until hot and bubbly. Allow to set for 5 minutes before slicing

BBQ Black Bean Quesadilla Pizza

Time for another unique pizza!



Quesadilla Crust:

3 cups Corn Masa
1 3/4 cups water
1 tsp salt

3 oz shredded cheddar
3 oz shredded pepper jack

BBQ Bean Topping:
12 oz of your preferred meat....this is REALLY versatile... shredded or ground  chicken, pork, beef, turkey  or even bacon would work......or you can leave it meatless. I used ground pork this time

1 TB olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup BBQ sauce, divided use (bottled or homemade)
2-15 oz cans black beans, drained

More pepper jack and cheddar to preference, I did another 2 oz of each
Red Pepper Flakes
Green Onions to taste




Preheat oven to 350

Mix corn masa and salt with the water(add the last 1/4 cup  slowly it may or may not all be necessary) mix until it is holding some together but still a bit crumbly.








Gather it with your hands and knead into a smooth ball.

Cut the ball in half











On a lightly greased 16 inch pizza sheet roll/press the 1/2 of the dough all the way out to the edges. I used a rolling pin then hand pressed the outer edges, if you get a hole, no big deal, just pinch some from a thicker spot and press it in.








Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on pan for 3 minutes










GENTLY transfer to a clean towel or parchment paper.
Repeat with the second ball of dough.

When the second tortilla is cooked add the shredded cheese(feel free to add more to taste) and top with the first tortilla.










Bake 5 minutes until the cheese is melted, remove from oven. Set aside.











BBQ Topping:

If you are using ground meat: In a skillet heat olive oil over medium high, cook meat with onions, pepper and garlic until there is no more pink....drain if necessary,








Add 3/4 cup BBQ sauce and the black beans.











Mash everything together, you can mash to your own desired consistency, lightly to leave the beans more whole, heavily for a refried bean like consistency or somewhere in between. Allow to simmer 5 minutes more to thicken.

If you are using pre-cooked/shredded meat or omitting meat completely just cook the onions, pepper and garlic in the oil until tender then continue with the beans, adding shredded meat last.


Gently pour the thickened mixture on top of the quesadilla and spread to the edges.










Top with more cheese and drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup of BBQ Sauce.....I also sprinkled mine with red pepper flakes

Can be made to this point and refrigerated, remove from fridge 20-30 minutes before you plan to bake.








Bake another 10-15 minutes(may need longer if previously refrigerated) until the cheese is melted and bubbly, top with green onions.


Allow to set for 5 minutes before slicing..

Primavera Oven Omelette

I have been moving away from pastas lately but my husband had requested  Primavera Casserole or something similar. I decided to look into replacing the pasta with veggie noodles with my spiralizer but then I remembered I needed something for my son to throw in the oven for Drama Club night.....I decided to make it a big omelette! This would be great with ham added too.




12 eggs
1/2 cup half and half
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1 small yellow squash (or zucchini), shredded and blotted as dry as possible
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 orange or red bell pepper, diced
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1 cup broccoli, chopped small

1 cup fine bread crumbs
1 clove garlic , minced
2 TB butter
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Whisk eggs and milk until fluffy. Add in parmesan and garlic powder.










Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish and toss the vegetables together in there.





Pour egg mixture over the top.
(Can be covered and refrigerated at this point. Up to 24 hours. Great if you want to make it up at night for a quick throw in for a late morning brunch)








Mix bread crumbs with garlic, butter and parmesan, set aside

Bake for 30 minutes, sprinkle topping over the casserole,










 then bake 15 minutes more until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Slice and Serve!