Low Carb Zucchini Pizza Casserole April 9, 2014

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Fat 12.53g | Net Carbs 11.05g | Protein 10.67g | Cal 198

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Having that crave for pizza, but want to avoid the crust?  Stifle that urge to order out!  Prep time was about 10 minutes, cook time about 15.  I served it as a side with my Roasted Chicken Thighs

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Zucchini Pizza Casserole

5 zucchini squash, diced large
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 15 oz can large olives
1 jar (14 oz) pizza sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Add squash to 9×13 inch pan.  Sautee onions and mushrooms in olive oil, and add to pan. Rather than slicing the olives I just chunk them with my fingers to break them up directly into the pan.  You can buy pre sliced (I find them too expensive).

Mix all the veggies, and add the entire jar of pizza sauce, stir to mix.  Layer cheese over the top.

Cook uncovered at 375 F for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.  I cooked mine for 15 minutes which overdid the cheese a bit, but it still tasted absolutely delicious.

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Yellow Squash Lunch – 5 Minute Vegetarian Meal September 12, 2013

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So much squash, tomatoes, onions, and basil coming out of the garden.  This is my attempt at making a small dent in our bounty !  To make this meal a little heartier, you could add some pre-cooked chicken or black beans.

Yellow Squash Lunch

1 medium yellow squash, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 small onion (mine was a Walla Walla Sweet)
2 large basil leaves, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp butter
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sautee until they are translucent and begin to caramelize.

Add squash, salt, and pepper to pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes. I like my squash “al-dente”, so it doesn’t take long. Add the tomatoes and basil at the very end.

Super-delish, Super Easy !

Squash Goulash – A One Pot Dish September 11, 2013

We have a TON of squash and tomatoes coming out of the garden.   The onions were medium sized Walla Walla Sweets, and the garlic was a hardneck purple variety that the better half plants every year.

This is an easy weeknight dinner if you can cook the ground beef in advance, and if you are a vegetarian, I think omitting the beef, and adding a can of black beans would taste delicious as well.

Squash Goulash

1 lb. ground meat
2 medium onions, sliced
2 large yellow squash, diced (zucchini would be good as well)
6 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 C. Salsa
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 C. Pepperjack Cheese

Cook ground beef, and sautee onions. You can cook the beef in advance and just add it to the pan like I did for a quicker prep time on a weeknight.

Add seasonings to beef and onion mixture.  Add the tomatoes and salsa, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid from the tomatoes cooks down a bit.

Add the squash, cover and let simmer for a few more minutes until the squash is just tender (I don’t like squishy squash). Top with Pepperjack cheese.

Low Carb Mini Pizzas ! July 14, 2013

Fat 12.96 | Carbs 8.60 | Prot 17.45 | KCals 212

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We have an abundance of squash coming from the garden right now, what to do !  I started digging through Pinterest to see if anything looked good (honestly I am not a fan of squash, but my gardening hubby is).

So, I stumbled across a few promising recipes.  This one comes from Kalyn’s Kitchen.

The end product is pretty darned tasty….and for those of you missing pizza while low carbing, this might hit the spot.  I grilled my zucchinis, and had to store in the fridge while I waited for my cheese to defrost (you can buy mozzarella on sale and freeze – it does fairly well).

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Low Carb Mini Pizzas

1 large squash, cut into 1/4″ thick rounds
Pizza Sauce (I used Ragu)
1 oz mushrooms, sliced into thin strips
1.5 oz shredded mozzarella
8 slices turky pepperoni
Kosher salt

Lay the zuke rounds on a baking pan, and sprinkle both sides with Kosher salt.  Let sit for about 30 minutes.  It’s amazing how much moisture you will extract.  Pat dry with a towel.

Light Barbeque, and set to high.  BBQ the zukes until you get nice grill marks, turn, do the same for the other side.  If your BBQ is super hot/dry, you can spritz the zukes with a little olive oil before placing on the grill.

Lay your grilled zukes out on a baking sheet, add the pizza sauce, mushrooms, pepperoni, and cheese to each mini round.  Broil for about 2 minutes – they are done when the cheese is bubbly and slightly brown.

Makes one serving, but can easily be adapted to make two entire sheet pans, AND, you can add YOUR favorite toppings.

Salmon with Summer Squash Gratin March 10, 2013

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Our wonderful neighbor Ron recently caught a couple of Salmon, and was generous enough to give is a very large piece.  I am very spoiled !

Salmon with Summer Squash Gratin

Gratin:
4 large summer squash, sliced (mine were yellow, but zucchini would be a nice addition).
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Layer the sliced squash in an 8″x8″baking dish.  Bring cream to a simmer, add cream cheese and mustard, whisking until smooth.
Stir in 1 1/4 cups of cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and whisk just until the cheese melts. Transfer squash into an 8×8 pan, and pour sauce over the top.  Stir, so it’s all coated.

Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 375 F until browned and bubbly hot (about 15 minutes).

Salmon
1.5 lb Salmon
1/3 cup white cooking wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp dry basil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Pull the pinbones from the salmon if desired, place in 9″x13″ baking dish.  Add wine, drizzle the fish with olive oil, and sprinkle on seasonings and garlic.  Cook uncovered in 375 F oven for about 10 minutes.
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If you like these dishes, you probably should check these out !

Pesto covered Klickitat River Salmon

Baked Herbed fish with spinach orange salad

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese that even a 12 year old will eat

What ? Low carb spaghetti ? February 3, 2013

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YEP.  There is indeed a way to do low carb spaghetti using zucchini instead of noodles!  I found a nifty Julienne tool at Bed Bath and Beyond. It was on sale for $12.00 US.  There was a nice stainless potato peeler AND the Julienne tool in the package.  Both are very sharp and seem to be doing well in the dishwasher.  The texture/size/consistency of the Julienned zukes are what I would call a near perfect simulation of noodles.  I think I have mentioned before that I just don’t care for the other “veggie noodle” alternative (spaghetti squash) due to its sweetness and mushy consistency.

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I made a very large batch of the meat sauce since it’s a perfect candidate for freezing.  I have to admit the kiddo misses real noodles, so on the leftovers I cook some pasta up, arrange in lunch containers with broccoli spears and freeze.  Since they have microwaves at her school she’s able to have a fairly healthy lunch with very little effort prepping in the morning.

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Jabberwock’s Meat Sauce

2 lb. ground beef
2 onions, sliced
2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp. olive oil
3 fifteen oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 six oz.can tomato paste
2 cans medium black olives (12 oz. drained)
2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
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4 medium zucchinis, Julienned
2 tsp. olive oil
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Brown the meat in a very large saucepan, this makes alot!  Drain grease and remove to plate.  Sautee onions – no oil neccesary for me since my pan is nonstick. Remove to plate.  Sautee mushrooms in a wee bit of oil (2 tsp.).

Add canned tomatoes and tomato paste to mushrooms. Add the olives. I don’t buy pre-sliced since they are more expensive….I use whole medium pitted, and simply “squash” them between my fingers to break them up a bit.

Add all seasonings and stir until the tomato paste incorporates into the sauce, then add the beef and onions back to the pan.  Simmer for 30 min (or more if you have the time).

When the sauce is ready,get another pan nice and hot, I use cast iron for this…add about 1 tsp. olive oil and half of the zucchini.  Don’t crowd the pan!  Sautee until the zucchini is “al-dente”, and remove to plate. Sautee the other half…

Serve topped with grated parmesan.  Sauce recipe makes 3 quarts.

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