Pioneer Woman at Heart

Our egg basket has been looking a bit empty lately.  I have been using them a lot more, so I hope the newbies start laying soon. The garden is producing, but the red raspberries don't look that great this year.  The blackberries are loaded, so I'm hoping my bird netting will keep the birds out. It is such a relieving, happy, and glorious feeling to walk out and pick something fresh, and not have to get in the truck and drive to the store and spend hard earned money on our vegetables.  I am already making a list of what to plant next year  (for one, adding English type cucumbers, if you have a favorite organic/heirloom variety please do share).  If things go good this month, we may have new raised beds built for fall planting. I tried a new recipe to accommodate zucchini into our meal - Roasted Chickpea Salad.  Recipe is online with Green Healthy Cooking.  I made my own homemade ras el hanout seasoning (no sugar) using a recipe online from AllRecipes....

I intended to take a photo of the casserole with cheese (fresh out of the oven), but it smelled so good we scooped and ate right away. The only thing I did differently, was mix the pepper in with the onion (vs. sprinkle on top the cheese).  Well, that's not the only thing I did differently, I also used sage sausage vs. ground beef, and used home canned pizza sauce vs. tomato sauce.   It was delicious.  I think it smelled divine, because it was home canned pizza sauce.   I froze the other half of it, so we had an easy meal for another night. Just google the name of the recipe, and Taste of Home.  Recipe is online. Great way to use your zucchini this season (and for us avoiding pasta), and using up some home canned pizza sauce.

I like to freeze these uncooked, because they cook up pretty quickly.  It's a great way to use zucchini too.  I double this and use my large pampered chef cookie scoop, getting about 34 to 35 meatballs. Turkey Zucchini Meatballs 1 lb. ground turkey, organic 1 cup shredded zucchini* 1 tsp. homemade Italian seasoning 1/2 tsp. homemade garlic powder 1/2 tsp. homemade onion powder 1/4 tsp. organic (or homemade) crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper *if using thawed, frozen shredded zucchini, squeeze out liquid before adding. Shape into balls and freeze or cook.  To freeze, I put them on a try and freeze, then remove and freeze in an airtight freezer container or freezer bag. To Bake (thawed): Preheat oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a pampered chef stoneware bar pan.  Bake 16-18 minutes, or until done. To Bake Frozen: Bake 20-25 minutes or until done. I like to bake the meatballs about an hour ...

In my search for new recipes I have decided to post the links or book titles of where I find recipes that use zucchini. Since my vegetable garden, and most likely many others, have a lot of zucchini to cook with this summer. Here is an ongoing list as we try them. Of course I am only listing the recipes that the kids have declared tasty. I asked the kids to rate the recipes from 1-5, with 5 being the best tasting. 1. Asparagus-Zucchini Frittata (also uses fresh dill from your herb garden) ~ 4 star The adults loved this dish, but the kids thought the fresh dill was over powering, so consider cutting the dill back just a bit. Note:  I now add zucchini to almost any frittata. 2. Zucchini Bread (Mayo Clinic), rated 5 star This bread recipe does not hold a real sweet flavor. If you are used to chocolate chips in your bread, you may be rating this lower. However, we really enjoyed this healthy recipe. 3. Zucchini-Banana Squares , definitely rated a 5 star overall - Yum...