Remy's Ratatouille

OK, admit it.  When you saw the end of Disney's Ratatouille movie you had the desire to make the ratatouille the way the rat Remy did, didn't you?  No, Just me?  Well, OK.  ( But maybe we can at least agree that while the movie was cute, it was also disturbing to see all the rats in the kitchen.) Thankfully there was another person on the internet that also wanted to recreate this dish and this recipe mostly comes from SmittenKitchen.  Well, no rats in this kitchen, only colorful vegetable goodness.  I've made this a couple times and it's so beautiful.  It tastes good and it's good for you as well.  

Click here for printable recipe.

The first time I made it I actually could stand up the vegetables vertical just like in the movie.  I think that this time it was a little different because the veggies were different sizes.  Still good though!

Post by: Jen

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 eggplant (try to find one that is long and less fat at the end)

1-2 zucchini (try to find the fattest ones)

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper (optional)

1 yellow zucchini (or squash) (preferred instead of the yellow pepper, but I couldn't find any)

1 c tomato sauce

1/2 small onion, diced (I didn't use onion in this one because my company couldn't eat onions)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped OR 1 tsp garlic powder

3 Tbsp Olive oil, separated

2 tsp Herbs de Provence OR 1/2 tsp Oregano, 1/2 tsp Thyme, 1/2 tsp rosemary combined

Parchment paper

Goat cheese, optional

Oops, forgot the Herbs de Provence in the picture. 

Directions:

Mix tomato sauce, chopped onion, chopped garlic and 1 Tbsp olive oil in the bottom of a shallow baking dish.  I imagine you could use a glass pie plate, but I think that this recipe would make two pie plates.  Spread tomato sauce all over the bottom of the dish.

Cut off the ends of the pepper and then cut out the inside ribs.

 Thinly slice all the vegetables.  As thin as you can.  If you have a mandolin, then use it.  Slicing the peppers was a little difficult.  It's hard to keep them in the round shape.  But in the end it was fine if they were also cut in half.

 Line up the veggies in a pattern.  As you can see, some of the peppers were a bit large and the zucchini I had on hand was too skinny.  I ended up cutting the peppers in half and bending them to fit.  But I didn't have to the first time I made this.  I wish I would have taken pictures from the first time.  Oh well.  My friends even asked, "are you going to take a picture of this for the blog?"  And I said "Naw, I'll make it again later depending on how good it is." Silly me.

 Keep going all the way around.

 Then go around in the middle. And fill in your pan with vegetables.*

 Now drizzle the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil over the veggies and sprinkle the herbs all over.

 Cut out a piece of parchment paper the same size as your pan and place it over the top.

 Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes until you can see the vegetables are softened and the tomato sauce is bubbling up.

 This is best served warm.  Serve alone or with a dallop of goat cheese on top.  Or serve along side with couscous or rice.  This is perfect for a cold autumn evening.

*I actually had left over cut up vegetables that didn't fit in the pan.  I took the left over vegetables and cooked them in an omelet the next day. Yum.

IF you happen to have left over ratatouille, then it is super yummy in a crepe with goat cheese.

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Pizza Casserole

We may still be in the dog days of summer, but my brain is already starting to look forward to fall cooking.  Usually I try to avoid turning on the oven too much in the summertime, but this casserole recipe caught my eye for the summer garden vegetables that it calls for--zucchini and peppers!  Between the cheese and the very cool looking breadstick design on top, my kids were in love with this meal and gobbled up every bite of their veggies!  I used a homemade breadstick recipe (that I've included below), but you could also just use a tube of refrigerated breadsticks to make it super easy to prepare.  

Recipe Source:  Recipe . com

Look at all that cheesy yumminess! 

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara. 

The ingredients:


1 pkg. (12-ounces) chicken sausage, cut into rounds
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 red, yellow, or green peppers, seeded and diced
2 medium size zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 cans (14-1/2-ounces each) diced tomatoes, DRAINED
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used a little less than this amount)

1 tube (11-ounces) refrigerated breadsticks (see below for the recipe for the homemade breadsticks I used)

Directions:
In a large frying pan, cook sliced chicken sausage on medium-high heat until golden brown and cooked through (if not already fully cooked).  Remove sausage from pan and set aside. 

Add olive oil to same pan over medium-high heat and saute onion and sweet peppers for about 5-minutes.  Add zucchini and garlic; cook about 5 minutes or until barely tender.

Add DRAINED tomatoes, sausage, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.  Cook for 5-7 minutes or until liquid is mostly cooked out.  Add 2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese. 

Spoon half of the tomato mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. 

Top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. 

Add remaining tomato mixture.  Arrange breadsticks on top in lattice pattern, trimming to fit.

Sprinkle with the remaining 2 Tbs. Parmesan  cheese and the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until breadsticks are browned and filling is bubbly. 

Enjoy! 

BREADSTICKS (if not using pre-made breadsticks)
3/4 cup hot water
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbs. yeast
1-1/2 - 2 cups flour (I used half white, half whole wheat)

Directions: 
Mix hot water, sugar, oil, salt and 1 cup of flour together.  Add yeast and remaining flour until dough barely pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Knead (in the mixer) for 5 minutes.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Roll out to rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.  With pizza cutter, cut dough into 8-10 breadsticks. 

Allow to sit while preparing the rest of the casserole.  When ready to use, carefully place breadsticks in lattice pattern over the top of the casserole, trimming if necessary.  Proceed with baking directions as listed above. 

Enjoy!

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Orange-Zucchini Loaf with Orange Glaze

One thing I love about summertime is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Although my zucchini plant has not started producing yet, I found a bag of shredded zucchini in my freezer that has been pushed around since last year.  Since I will soon be overwhelmed (hopefully) with the need for freezer space, I needed to use it up.  When I saw this recipe, I knew that this is what I would make with it.  Unfortunately, after going to the store I realized I forgot the lemons.  I improvised and used an orange instead and I think it turned out really well!  It was late at night when I made it and I forgot to take pictures until it was done, but it was so delicious I wanted to share it now.  I think next time I will add more zucchini...


Recipe Source: Nancy Creative

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Katie.

Ingredients:

Bread-

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk (go here to find out how to make buttermilk with just milk and vinegar)

Juice of 1/2 orange (or 2 Tbsp.)

Zest of 1/2 orange

1 cup shredded zucchini

Glaze-

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice of 1/2 orange

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a loaf pan and set it aside.

In a large bowl, blend together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs well.  Add canola oil and sugar and blend well.  Add the buttermilk, orange juice and zest and blend it all together.  Add in the flour mixture and zucchini and stir until everything is well blended, but don't over-mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.  

Once loaf is completely cool, prepare the glaze:  Just mix the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth.  Pour glaze evenly over loaf and let sit until set.

Enjoy!

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Zucchini Bread

What could be better than a yummy treat the whole family loves, that just so happens to be filled with vegetables too?  This recipe for zucchini bread is moist, flavorful, and reminiscent of what grandma used to make.  

Recipe Source: All Recipes

Click Here for Printable Recipe

Posted by Kristina


The Ingredients: (makes 2-3 loaves)

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup apple sauce
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-3 cups grated zucchini

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.                   

Beat eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar together in a separate bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini.  (Do not drain the excess liquid from the zucchini, but add it to the mixture!)

Grating the zucchini. You do not have to peel the skins off, but I like to!

Grated Zucchini

Pour batter into floured and greased bread pans.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

I made 3 small loaves

ENJOY!

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Spinach and Zucchini Soup

 Every recipe I've ever made of Mirien's has been fabulous, so when she bragged that this healthy soup was one of their family's favorite meals, I knew I needed to give it a try.   A couple of my kids were a little nervous about the greenness of it, but the fresh flavor of it was surprisingly delicious and I definitely envision this soup being a regular part of our winter menu.    Now, in the interest of full disclosure,  if you don't like cilantro, you probably won't enjoy this soup, because the cilantro flavor was pronounced.   However if you love cilantro, like everyone in my family does, I think that you will absolutely love this.  You don't want to skip the little squeeze of lemon at the end, because we all agreed that it really complemented the flavors perfectly.  Serve it up with some fresh, hot homemade bread, the squeeze of lemon, a swirl of sour cream, and a sprinkle of crumbled bacon.  Enjoy! 

Recipe Source:  Mirien's Kitchen

 Click here for printable recipe .

The ingredients:

3 Tbs. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
3 potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups fresh spinach leaves (I used a 5-ounce bag)
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 lemon (don't skip)
Desired toppings:  sour cream, croutons, crumbled bacon, shredded cheese

Directions:  Heat oil in large pot and saute onions and garlic until soft. Add salt, potatoes, zucchini, and broth and simmer until vegetables are tender (10-15 min.)

Add spinach and cilantro and stir until just wilted. Puree in blender until smooth, then return to pot to keep warm. Serve with lemon wedges and squeeze juice into the soup.

Serve topped with sour cream, bacon, cheese, croutons, etc. and hot bread on the side. 

Enjoy!


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