Zucchini Casserole

My Dad once told me: "To feel like a successful gardener, always plant zucchini." He was right. By the end of the summer we always have zucchini and squash coming out our ears. This is my favorite zucchini dinner. All you need is:

4 heaping cups Zucchini or Squash (2-5 depending on size. Store bought zucchini I use 4 because they are usually more uniform in size. From my garden...well that's a whole other story. Sometimes I use just that one large zucchini that somehow stayed hidden from sight until it was longer than my arm!)
1 box Chicken Stove Top Stuffing ---> *can use veggie stuffing if you want to make it vegetarian*
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup -----> *can use veggie stuffing if you want to make it vegetarian*
3/4 cup Sour Cream
4 tablespoons melted Butter

Dice up zucchini and boil for about 10 minutes in salted water to soften. 

Melt butter in a bowl and pour in the box of stuffing. Mix well until all the stuffing is coated in butter. Put half the stuffing in the bottom of a casserole dish and reserve half for the top. 

Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream and boiled zucchini. Pour into casserole dish and top with reserved stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through and stuffing on top is crunchy. Enjoy!

Great on it's own or as a side dish to grilled chicken. Can be made in advanced and then baked off before dinner as well!

For easy reference:

4 heaping cups Zucchini or Squash (2-5 depending on size. Store bought zucchini I use 4 because they are usually more uniform in size. From my garden...well that's a whole other story. Sometimes I use just that one large zucchini that somehow stayed hidden from sight until it was longer than my arm!)

1 box Chicken Stove Top Stuffing

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

3/4 cup Sour Cream

4 tablespoons melted Butter

Dice up zucchini and boil for about 10 minutes in salted water to soften. Melt butter in a bowl and pour in the box of stuffing. Mix well until all the stuffing is coated in butter. Put half the stuffing in the bottom of a casserole dish and reserve half for the top. Drain zucchini. Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream and boiled zucchini. Pour into casserole dish and top with reserved stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through and stuffing on top is crunchy. 

Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup

I got a butternut squash in my Bountiful Basket this week and have been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with them. I didn't want anything too heavy or thanksgiving-y...I read a recipe of a chicken and squash Thai dish, which reminded me of a lentil soup I make, and came up with this. I was delicious! Especially with fresh Naan bread (recipe here) off the grill!

A few teaspoons of Sunflower Oil

1 c Red Lentils

1 Butternut Squash-peeled and cubed

1 Onion-chopped

Tablespoon of freshly grated Ginger

2 cloves of grated Garlic

Tablespoon Curry Powder

Teaspoon Nutmeg

1/4 C Tomato Sauce

One 14 oz. can Coconut Milk

14 oz. Water

1 Thai Chili (split down the middle)

Tablespoon of chopped Cilantro

Plain Greek Yogurt (a dollop for each bowl before serving)

Salt and Pepper to taste (remember to be liberal because you are seasoning the squash and the lentils!)

Heat soup pot with sunflower oil and add onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and nutmeg. Saute for a few minutes until onions begin to sweat. Add in squash, chili and lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Add in coconut milk, water, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer until lentils and squash are tender, stirring occasionally. (About 30 minutes) Use a potato masher to break up some of the squash and then pull out the chili. Add in cilantro, and taste to see if it needs more salt. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Mushroom and White Bean Quinoa

Mushroom lovers rejoice! This is awesome! Makes a great lunch, side dish served with chicken or beef, or main dish served with some bread with melted cheese!

1 cup Quinoa
3 cups Chicken or Beef Stock (or substitute water or veggie stock to make it vegetarian)
1 can White Beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz sliced Mushrooms, sliced (about 15 mushrooms of your favorite kind. I like white button.)
1 teaspoon fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter and extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In small sauce pan cook 1 cup Quinoa in 3 cups of liquid (stock or water) according to package directions. In saute pan, saute sliced mushrooms in butter and olive oil for a few minutes on medium/high heat. Add garlic and rosemary and continue to cook mushrooms until slightly browned. Salt and pepper to taste. Add to a serving bowl with white beans and cooked quinoa. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Mexican-Style Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I thought these deserved their own post. I originally wrote this recipe with hamburger meat, but substituted Quinoa and it was awesome!

4 peppers- Pablano if you like it spicy, Green Bell if not

1 1/2 cups Quinoa

4 cups Liquid- 1 can tomato sauce, the rest water

3 cups Corn

1 medium Onion, chopped

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

1 tablespoon Cumin

1 tablespoon Chile Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

A few dashes of hot sauce(to taste)

1 cup Medium Cheddar Cheese (more or less to taste)

cilantro and sour cream to garnish

-Cut peppers in half and remove ribs and seeds. Put on baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until the outside begins to blister and char. Turn over and broil 2-4 minutes more.

-Boil water/tomato sauce mixture. Add in quinoa.Turn down heat and simmer until cooked. (or cook in rice cooker) Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chile powder and hot sauce.

-In large skillet, saute onion on medium heat until cooked through and starting to brown slightly. Add in corn and saute until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in seasoned quinoa. Stuff mixture into peppers. Top with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream.

Food Storage Beans

Everyone has those cans of beans in their food storage right? They are easier to cook than you think, and they are much more delicious than canned beans. This method works for all kinds of beans. I used pinto beans this time:

Start by soaking 2 cups of beans (about 1 pound) in 8 cups of water over night.

The next morning. Drain the beans. Then put the soaked beans in a crock pot with 6 cups of water, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon dried onions OR half a medium onion chopped. Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Then I take them and put them into food storage bags. Now, instead of opening a can of beans for soup or burritos, I just pull my home-made beans out of the freezer! Much more tasty, healthy (because I use a small amount of butter instead of lard), and cost effective than canned beans!

Greek Salad Meet Quinoa

My Aunt Kaly sent me this recipe...I tried it last night and loved it!

4 cups cooked Quinoa (1 cup uncooked)

6 Green Onions

4 Roma Tomatoes

1 Cucumber

4 oz. crumbled Feta Cheese

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

3 tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 1/4 teaspoons Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Toss quinoa with veggies and cheese in large bowl. In separate bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss with salad.

Simple and delicious!

Thai Lentil Soup and Garlic Naan Bread

I was having a difficult day yesterday, so even though it was almost 100 degrees outside, I went for this comforting soup. It's my absolute favorite! I tried to make Naan bread to go with it and after some tweaking, I got the recipe just right!

Garlic Naan Bread: (Original recipe from allrecipe.com but I've updated it slightly)

1 pkg. or 2 1/4 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

1 cup warm Water

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons Milk

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons Salt

4 -5 cups Flour

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 cup melted Butter

In a large bowl or stand mixer, dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Let stand about 10 minutes to activate. Stir in milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes. Pinch off small handfuls of dough. Shape into ball and place in well oiled bowl. Let rise about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Mix garlic into melted butter. Take a ball of dough and pinch it in half. Roll out each as thin as possible on a large piece of tin foil. Sprinkle with salt and brush with melted butter and garlic. Place on grill buttered side down. Brush other side with butter. Turn every 1-2 minutes to get nice grill marks and avoid burning until cooked through. About 4-8 minutes total. Repeat process until all the dough in grilled. Serve warm.

Thai Lentil & Coconut Soup: (Originally from The Soup Bible, but I've updated it slightly)

2 tablespoons Sunflower oil

1 large Red Onion

1 Thai Chile, seeded and finely chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

2-1inch pieces Lemon Grass

1 cup Red Lentils (usually found in the bulk bin section of Grocery Stores. This recipe only works with RED lentils because of the way they absorb moisture and almost dissolve!)

1 tablespoon ground Coriander

1/2 tablespoon Paprika

1 tablespoon Salt (it sounds like alot, but you really need to flavor those bland lentils!)

1 teaspoon black Pepper

1- 14 oz can Coconut Milk

3 3/4 cup Water

Juice and Zest of 1 Lime

3 Scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large soup pot and add onion, chile, garlic, and lemon grass. Saute about 5 minutes or until onions have softened but not browned. Add lentils and spices. Pour in coconut milk and water and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 40-45 minutes. Before serving, add in Lime juice and zest as well as scallions and cilantro. Serve hot.

Roasted Veggies and Quinoa

Roasted Veggies + Quinoa = Delicious and super healthy side dish!

We love it with Lemon Pepper Fish from the grill. Recipe here!

Brian licking every bite of this yummy dinner from his plate!

1 cup Quinoa

2 1/2 cups Water

1/2 cup Tomato Sauce

2 Zucchini sliced

1/2 med. size Onion, chopped (or any other mixture of veggies that you like)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put a pot on the stove to boil water and tomato sauce. Cut up veggies into like sized pieces and arrange a single layer on baking sheet. (As seen in picture above). Drizzle with olive oil, and liberally season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-15 minutes. When water/tomato sauce is to a boil add some salt and the Quinoa. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss roasted veggies and quinoa in serving bowl. Serve warm or cold.

Quinoa--Healthier Option for Food Storage and Vegetarians!

I was first introduced to Quinoa by my Aunt Kaly. They are selling it at Costco right now, so I tried it, fell in love, and have been cooking with it a ton!

Quinoa--pronounced kean-wa--is a grain from South Africa that has a high protein content and a balanced set of amino acids. It is also high in dietary fiber, magnesium, iron and is gluten free. It is the healthier grain choice for cooking as well as food storage, and is great for vegetarians.

It can be cooked like rice (2 parts liquid to 1 part grain) and, like rice, takes on whatever flavors it is cooked with. It can even be cooked in a rice cooker!

Here are some great Quinoa recipes:



Quinoa Taco Filling: (This idea came from my Aunt)

1 cup Quinoa
2 cups Water
1 Taco Meat Seasoning Packet

Boil water. Add in quinoa and seasoning packet. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender. Use in taco's instead of meat. It tastes just the same, and has a similar texture. You're still eating all the great protein, but without the fat!



Quinoa Stuffed Peppers: I wrote this recipe with hamburger meat and rice originally, but now I substitute quinoa.


4 peppers- Pablano if you like it spicy, Green Bell if not
1 1/2 cups Quinoa
4 cups Liquid- 1 can tomato sauce, the rest water
3 cups Corn
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon Chile Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
A few dashes of hot sauce(to taste)
1 cup Medium Cheddar Cheese (more or less to taste)

cilantro and sour cream to garnish


-Cut peppers in half and remove ribs and seeds. Put on baking sheet, skin side up, and broil until the outside begins to blister and char. Turn over and broil 2-4 minutes more.

-Boil water/tomato sauce mixture. Add in quinoa.Turn down heat and simmer until cooked. (or cook in rice cooker) Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chile powder and hot sauce.

-In large skillet, saute onion on medium heat until cooked through and starting to brown slightly. Add in corn and saute until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in seasoned quinoa. Stuff mixture into peppers. Top with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and sour cream.

Quinoa Side Dish: Aunt Kaly's recipe

Cooked quinoa

sauteed onion

1 can black beans

Half a container corn salsa

salt and pepper to taste

-Mix and serve