Zucchini Patties

Last night I was too exhausted to cook, but I wanted something homemade. Cause I've been too exhausted to cook for about 2 months, and I needed some good home cookin'. Oh, and I was out of practically every ingredient (because, like I already mentioned, shopping is a chore best left for times of the year that aren't summer). Oh, AND I had already made the tuna salad sandwiches I bragged about earlier one too many times this week. So I was at a loss. I got on Pinterest, since flopping down in a chair and staring at a computer screen were the only two things I could convince my body to do.

I came across these little gems, and my stomach growled, so I took it as a sign. Well, that, and we have zucchini coming out our ears around here, so I had at least one of the ingredients. And THAT is basically how I decide what to cook these days.

Anyway, here's my version of Zucchini Patties (I knew that if I called them 'cakes', the kids would be too disappointed to give them a fair shake):

1 large (mine was huge) zucchini, shredded and rung out between paper towels
1/2 C. parmesan cheese
1-2 eggs (start out with one, but if your "batter" doesn't stick together at all because your zucchini is the size of a transatlantic jet plane, add another)
1 C. bread crumbs (I just took two slices of bread and broke them up)
Nutmeg (maybe 1/8 tsp? I don't know. Just sprinkle some in)
Smoked Paprika (again, no idea. But make sure there's enough that you can taste it and everything is tinged orange. If you don't have smoked paprika - it's not the same as regular paprika! - go get some. It is amazing stuff.)
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt (lots)
Pepper

Heat large skillet over med heat. Add some olive oil. Place 2" patties in skillet and cook 2 minutes (or more - use your judgement) on each side. Transfer them to a cookie sheet. Broil them for 2-5 minutes. Serve with ranch dressing.

I loved them. They made a perfect light summer dinner when served with melon, blueberries, and cherries. While no one asked for seconds, my children all ate their serving without complaint, and then ended up eating a LOT of fruit.

And that, dear readers, is what I like to call,

"Success".

Improvise: Tuna Tuesday

What happens when you are planning on Cafe Rio (Taco Tuesday - every Tuesday!) for dinner, and out of nowhere your husband tells you he has to leave at 5:00 for meetings. And it's 4:30. And your car is in the shop, so that means you'll be stranded at home. And you haven't gone grocery shopping in almost two weeks (because it's summer, and who has time for grocery shopping in the summer?), so your fridge is empty? And your husband's answer to your despair is, "How about tuna sandwiches?" But you hate sandwiches (unless they are hot)?

You google 'Tuna Melt'. That's what happens. Because you remember a few years ago when you found this fabulous tuna melt recipe (before Pinterest was invented), but you didn't print it out like a level-headed person, and instead lost it to the black hole of cyber space.

What then happens when you find a recipe that tickles your fancy over at Pioneer Woman's blog, but you don't have any of the ingredients? Except for the tuna?

Why, you channel your Grandma Orton, of course! You improvise like it's going out of style!

(minus the raisins, though)

You combine tuna, zucchini, onion, tomato, dill pickles (you were just barely smart enough to can oodles of your own last summer - whew!), mayo, spicy brown mustard (remind yourself to buy more of that, cause you canoodled every last scrap out of the jar), Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Then you pile it onto sandwich thins, bake it, top it with shredded cheddar, broil it, and dinner is served! In about 15 minutes flat. Well, with a little help from fresh cherries, melon, and chips. Gotta have some fruit and chips to make it a real meal.

That's what.


*No pictures were taken because I didn't expect it to be terribly good. But it was. Terribly. In a very unterrible way. Also, I am convinced that you could add whatever vegetables you have in your fridge, and it would be fabulous. Just make sure you have the pickles and onions in there. And the cheese.

Eureka!

(sorry, no picture. again.)

I love Orange Julius. I love it so much, that I am willing to risk the inevitable brain freeze that follows a sip of this delicacy.

I have been missing orange julius since we banned refined sugar, and meaning to experiment with a healthy recipe for it, but haven't had the time. What was I thinking? It wasn't rocket science. In fact, it wasn't even regular science. It was just plain logic.

This is what I came up with:

1 C. milk (you can use almond or coconut, but real milk works better, for reasons unknown)
1/4 C. plain yogurt
1/2 container 100% orange juice concentrate
12 (or so) ice cubes
honey (to taste) (my original recipe calls for 1/4 C. sugar, but I'd be willing to bet I only use 2 TBSP of honey)

Blender it all together. It isn't as sweet as my old version that used vanilla yogurt and sugar, but it is surprisingly delightful, for being healthy. In fact, I add egg whites to it (and every smoothie under the sun), and it gets nice and frothy, and I don't feel one smidge bad about having it for breakfast. Or snack. Or dessert.

Reader Recipe Friday - Waffles

First of all, I apologize for the lack of photographic evidence, but these waffles are seriously off-the-charts divine. Actually, the missing photo is BECAUSE they are so good. We eat them so quickly, there is no time for taking pictures.

Second of all, I know you probably all know this recipe by now. It's been around for a long time. But I have "cleaned" it up a bit, just to get rid of some of the less-than-perfect ingredients. And it is no worse for the wear! It tastes exactly the same. Now I don't know about you, but THAT is how I like my healthy recipes: tasting exactly the same as the unhealthy ones.

Third of all, here's the recipe:

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes (yield: 6 large waffles)
1 C. wheat *
1 1/2 C. milk, divided
3 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/2 C. coconut oil (melt it on low in the microwave while you blend the wheat)
1 tsp. salt
1 TBSP honey

Combine wheat and 1 C. of the milk in blender. Blend on high for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the milk (1/2 C. if you weren't keeping track) and blend 1 minute more. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until mixed. Let it sit for a couple minutes while your waffle iron warms up, as it will thicken. Cook.

*I have substituted already-ground whole wheat when I didn't want to wake someone up who was sleeping (grinding the wheat for 4 minutes is really loud, as you can imagine), and it worked just fine, so that's an option. Just play with the amount a little - I think I used more than a cup. It's not AS good, but it works. Also, if for some reason the batter ends up really runny (like mine did this morning - probably because I 1-and-a-half timesed the recipe), add some whole wheat flour until it's the desired consistency. Basically, you can't go wrong.

Fourth of all, this morning I topped my waffle with peanut butter, maple syrup and blueberries. DEeeelicious!

Topic for Friday Announced

Once upon a time I got a waffle iron for my wedding. It sat, unopened, for a couple years.

Then I had a baby who was allergic to basically everything I ate, so I made waffles for practically every meal for 15 months while she nursed:

Waffles with raspberry jam. Waffles with applesauce. Waffles with syrup. Waffles with peanut butter. Waffles with peach preserves. Waffles with cool whip (non-dairy, of course).

Waffles and I were close. Too close. Especially since my waffles were always limp and dejected-looking. My husband wouldn't touch them, but I eventually forgot that waffles are supposed to be crispy, and I survived.

Until I stayed with my sister, and she made waffles for breakfast. REAL waffles. The kind of waffles that make you want to cry. And eat until you throw up.

It was then (but mostly after I got her recipe and tried it over and over with disappointing results) that I realized the problem: my waffle iron was a hunk-a-junk (unless you, reader, are the person who gifted it to me, in which case I say, "Thank you. It was a thoughtful gesture always to be remembered."). So I tossed it in the trash. Then I bought a fancy Belgian waffle iron, which worked alright, but which broke (as in crumbled into a heap of burning-hot rubble) half-way through a batch of waffles.

I swore off waffles. Who needed them? Not I! My house was a waffle-free zone for over a year. And then someone posted something on facebook or Pinterest about waffles, and I suddenly felt that I would sell my first born if it meant I could have a waffle.

So it was time to start shopping, again, for a waffle iron. My previous experiences with waffle irons had traumatized me into being very anxious about buying a new one. What kind was best? What brand was trust-worthy? How much money would I have to fork over? I actually ended up stumbling upon one at D.I. It was in its original, unopened box (otherwise, my overly-germ-freaked husband would have had nothing to do with it), and it was $8.00. It was fate! Especially when you consider that it has a fire-alarm-volume beeper that tells me when the waffle is finished cooking. Fate knows me so well.

I made waffles that night for dinner. AND THEY WERE SO GOOD. So I made them for breakfast the next day. And lunch. And now we have them twice/week. Once as a breakfast, and once as a dinner (usually Saturday nights when I have some wonderful gourmet thing planned, but then always decide that the last thing I want to do is cook).

Anyway, that was a very long and winding road to our destination. Which is the topic for Reader Recipe Friday:

WAFFLES

I want your favorite recipe or favorite way of changing up an old recipe. Or topping suggestions.

I can't wait! Cause, you know, Saturday is (unofficial) waffle night.

Chocolate Protein Shake - Revised

Same Picture, Different Ingredients

This morning, I had one of these shakes for breakfast (I am actually still sipping it as I write - it is delicious!). Except I didn't add the spinach (because I am all out - today is grocery day). And I forgot to mention in the earlier post that I add egg whites (the kind in the carton that don't kill you if you eat them raw - I've been doing it for years, and I'm still goin' strong, so I assume they don't kill you...?). I just pour some in. I have no idea how much. Anyway, that adds some extra protein. Also, the last few days I've been adding a handful of oatmeal to it, too. It makes it a little more texture-y, but I like texture. I added a handful of granola on Saturday, and that was good, too. I figure it brings the stick-to-my-ribs factor up a few notches. Which is always a good thing for me, since I hate stopping to eat every ten minutes. 

Oh, yeah, and I edited the old recipe to reflect how much cocoa I put in my shakes. It's not a TBSP. Just a big teaspoon. 

And now I am off to attend to this 84 degree weather!

It's Recipe Friday! Woohoo!! And the theme is Crockpot. 


Andrea:

This is our newest favorite. It is adapted from the recipe here.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken 

1.25 lb. chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1/2 C. honey

1/4 C. soy sauce

2 TBSP diced onion (or some dried onion flakes)

2 TBSP Ketchup

1 TBSP oil (olive or coconut)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 TBSP water (I usually omit this, cause it doesn't seem to thicken the sauce at all)

Sesame seeds

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Place in crock pot. Combine honey, soy, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low 3-4 hours or high 1.5-2.5 hours until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, but leave sauce. Pour in the cornstarch/water and stir. Put the lid back on and cook on high for ten minutes until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice (we use brown rice).

Merica: 

This is a recipe that I have borrowed from my sister-in-law's blog. She has some fantastic recipes over there, and this one is perfect on the side of anything Mexicana (say it with an H.) Or even in burritos. It is to die for.

Bodacious Black Beans

Ingredients:

3 cups dry black beans
1/2 onion – diced
2 garlic cloves – diced
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 jalapeno – seeded and diced
9 cups water

Directions:

1. Rinse black beans and place in crock pot. Add all the ingredients. Cover and cook on high for eight hours. If the water gets low just add some more.

Now it's your turn!