Christina's Zucchini Fries

adapted from Our Best Bites

1 lb. zucchini
1/2 c. Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and salt. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half crosswise. Cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don't want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they'll soak up moisture from the egg and won't stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with marinara sauce or Ranch Dressing. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Christina's Tortellini Sausage Soup

from Our Best Bites

3 links Italian sausage or 3/4 lb. bulk sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
2 cans chicken broth
½ c. apple cider or apple juice and some extra cinnamon
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini
2 Tbsp. dried parsley

If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Add the tortellini and cook until tender, and then serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.

Christina's Quick 'n' Easy Zucchini Soup

from Fun Foods on a Budget

1 1/2 lb. zucchini, unpeeled and sliced thin (or shredded)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 can chicken broth (or equivalent of water and bouillon)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup light cream (or evaporated milk)
Parsley for garnish (optional)

Saute zucchini and onion in butter til limp. Add chicken broth and simmer covered 15 minutes. Puree in blender. Add cream of chicken soup, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cream. Mix well. Heat through and serve.

Christina's Ratatouille Tart

from Smitten Kitchen

14 ounces frozen puff pastry, defrosted in the fridge overnight
1 Asian eggplant
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
1/3 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi) or canned plain tomato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup crumbled feta

Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly flour a work surface, lay the sheet of pastry out, and gently roll until it measures about 11 x 15 inches. Slide the pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, at about 1-inch intervals.

Spread the tomato puree or sauce evenly over the pastry, leaving a one-inch border around the edges.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Arrange slightly overlapped slices of vegetables concentrically or in rows over the tomato puree or sauce, alternative vegetables. You’ll probably have a few leftover.

Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle de-stemmed thyme leaves over the vegetables.

Bake in the heated oven until the pastry is puffed and browned (including on the bottom), 25 to 30 min and the vegetables look softened. Slide onto a cutting board, sprinkle with the feta, and cut into squares or strips. (A pizza wheel worked surprisingly well for this.) Serve warm.

Lorri's Stale Bread Soup (Ribollita con Verdure)

from Rachael Ray

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, plus some for drizzling
4 thick slices pancetta (not smoked) or bacon (smoked), chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium, skinny zucchini, cut into thin slices
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine, a couple of glugs
1 (15-ounce) can petite diced or chunky style crushed tomatoes
6 cups beef stock, available in boxes on soup aisle (recommended: Kitchen Basics brand)
4 cups, about 1/2 pound, chopped or torn stale bread
2 (15-ounce), small white beans (recommended: Goya brand, smaller than cannellini beans)
4 cups chopped kale or chard
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to pass at table

Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and the the pancetta or bacon and render 4 minutes. Add rosemary, the garlic, 3/4 of the onions, carrots and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Saute the veggies 7 to 8 minutes, then add wine and deglaze the pot. Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring up the heat. When soup boils, reduce to a simmer and stir in bread and beans. Pile the greens into the pot and wilt them into the soup. Simmer the ribollita 5 to 10 minutes, stirring soup as it simmers until it thickens to a dense stew-like consistency. A wooden spoon should be able to stand upright in the pot. Turn off heat, adjust seasonings and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with grated cheese, an additional drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a spoonful of reserved finely chopped raw onions.

Christina's Green Minestrone

from Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
4 slices pancetta or 1/4 pound thick cut prosciutto, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1 can white beans, cannellini
1 can garbanzo beans
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken broth or stock
1 cup ditalini pasta or mini penne pasta
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
10 ounces spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped, or any other dark greens
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, plus extra to pass at the table
12 to 16 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded or 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add oil and pancetta or prosciutto. Saute 2 minutes and add onions, celery, garlic, zucchini and bay to the pot. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, to your taste. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add white beans, garbanzo beans and chicken broth to the pot. Cover soup and bring to a boil. Add pasta and green beans to the soup and cook 8 minutes, or until pasta is just tender. Stir in spinach to wilt, 1 minute. Stir in grated cheese and ladle soup into bowls. Top soup with torn or shredded basil or chopped parsley.

Christina's Veggie Frittata with Cilantro Chile Sauce

Cilantro Chile Sauce
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 small bunch cilantro
1 green (serrano) chile, seeds removed
2 pinches ground cumin
a couple big pinches of salt

Frittata

6 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 small potatoes, very very thinly sliced
1/2 cup yellow zucchini or cauliflower,1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
couple pinches of salt

Preheat your oven to 450F degrees. Make the cilantro chile sauce by pureeing the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro, chile, cumin, and salt until very smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs with a small pinch of salt. Set aside. In a (small) 8 1/2-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onion, and another pinch of salt. Saute, stirring constantly, until the onion starts to brown, 5 - 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini (or cauliflower), cover, and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Slide everything out of the skillet onto a plate and set aside.
Turn down the heat a bit. Using the same skillet, add the eggs and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are just set and there isn't a lot of liquid running around the pan. To facilitate this, run a spatula underneath the sides of the frittata and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside and cook. Drizzle the eggs with a few tablespoons of the cilantro chile sauce, now sprinkle the potato onion mixture over the top.
Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 9 minutes, or until well set and puffy. Add a crumble of goat cheese and the pumpkin seeds across the top of the frittata in the final 2 minutes of baking. Remove from oven (be careful the handle is hot!), cut into wedges and serve.

Christina's Honey Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 C. honey
3 C. whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 C. cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 C. unpeeled zucchini, shredded (either fresh or frozen--if frozen, drained)
1 C. shopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, stir together all dry ingredients. Mix all liquid ingredients in mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until moistened. Add zucchini and mix well. If desired, add nuts and mix again. Grease and lightly flour 2 bread pans. Divide batter into pans and bake for 1 hour.

Christina's Tuscan Bean Soup

1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C. sliced yellow squash or zucchini
1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
12 oz Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2 inch slices (or ham, cubed)
1 1/4 C dry Great Northern beans, soaked, cooked and ready to eat
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 14.5 oz can Italian diced tomatoes
5 oz spinach (optional)
1/3 C red wine (optional)

In a stock pot, drizzle olive oil and add onion and celery. Saute until onion is clear. Add garlic, squash, seasoning and sausage. Saute until sausage is cooked and squash is tender. Add beans, bouillion, 6 C water, tomatoes and wine. Heat through. Serve hot.