Black Bean Taco Salad With Lime Vinaigrette

This is really good.  I love the vinaigrette with it.  I was all ready to make this and went to get my green pepper and it had gone bad.  Bummer.  So I substituted a large zucchini and it was great!  I'm sure a green pepper in there would be great, too, but now that I've had it with zucchini I think it will always have to be in there.  I also added a small avocado to the vinaigrette which made it very creamy.  You could omit this or chop it up and mix it with the salad instead or leave it out entirely.  I served this salad in my baked taco salad bowls and dinner was a big hit!  You could also serve it in soft tortillas, as a filling for pita bread, or as a salad with crushed tortilla chips on top.

Black Bean Taco Salad With Lime Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon grated lime peel

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 small avocado, optional

Salad

1 cup chopped tomato

1 large zucchini, chopped (or 1 cup chopped green pepper)

1/2 cup finely diced red onion

1 cup frozen corn, partially cooked, rinsed with cold water and drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

lettuce greens, torn into bite-sized pieces or shredded

crushed tortilla chips, optional

-To prepare vinaigrette: combine first 11 ingredients in a blender or food processor, process until smooth.  Add avocado if desired.

-To prepare salad: combine all chopped veggies except lettuce.  Pour vinaigrette over top and toss well to coat.  

-Serve on a bed of lettuce greens.  Top with crushed tortilla chips if desired.  Also great in soft tortillas, taco salad bowls, or as a filling for pita bread.

Zucchini "Crab" Cakes

With the use of Old Bay Seasoning, a classic herb mixture most often used for crab cakes, these little patties can justifiably be called Vegan Crab Cakes.  From the book The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  Love that book!

Zucchini Cakes

2 ½ cups peeled and grated zucchini (about 5 small)

2 Tbsp. nondairy, nonhydrogenated butter (such as Earth Balance), melted

1 cup bread or cracker crumbs, seasoned or plain (crushed Saltines work great)

¼ cup minced yellow or red onion

1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning

 ¼ tsp. salt (or to taste)

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Canola oil, for frying

Spread grated zucchini on a kitchen towel, and roll up jelly-roll style.  Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible.  (You may even need to do this twice with two different towels.)  If you fail to do this, your zucchini cakes will be too wet.

In a large bowl, combine zucchini and nondairy butter.  Stir in bread crumbs, minced onion, Old Bay Seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Mix thoroughly to combine.

Coat your hands in oil, and shape mixture into patties.  Coat each patty in flour.  In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot.  Fry patties until golden brown on both sides.  (Reheat in toaster oven or skillet.)

Yield:  8 servings

Garden Muffins

These muffins are lightly sweetened and packed with "good" stuff like whole grains, vegetables, and walnuts.  Great for breakfasts or snacks.  Eat these slightly warm with a pat of butter or your favorite spread and you are set!  There are no eggs or dairy and you'd never even know!  You can make them mini-sized, regular, or jumbo!  I have rectangle muffin tins so that's why mine look like mini-loaves.

Garden Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (white wheat is the best)

1/2 cup oats, slightly ground (I just whirl them through my blender for a few seconds)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar (or 1/4 cup sugar if you don't have maple syrup or agave)

1/4 cup oil

1 cup grated zucchini

1/2 cup grated carrots

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (almond, rice, soy, etc.) or regular milk if you want

1/2 cup raisins, optional

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, optional

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  In another large bowl, combine applesauce, maple syrup/agave and oil.  Add zucchini and carrots and then stir in milk.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, then stir in raisins and walnuts and mix until well-combined.

Spoon batter into lightly greased muffin cups, filling each cup until almost full.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes for regular size muffins or 25-30 minutes for jumbo, until muffins are lightly golden and toothpick comes out clean.  Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.  Store leftover muffins covered at room temperature.  Makes about 12 regular-sized muffins.

Tuna Veggie Burgers and Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce

I whipped these up for dinner and they were so good. Very moist with all of the vegetables in them. Sometimes that seems to be the problem with tuna burgers-they get very dry. Not these! My boys like them with ketchup but I like them plain or with my Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce. Serve alone or on a bun with all the fixin's.

Tuna Veggie Burgers

2 cans tuna, drained
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup dry oats
3 Tbsp. ground flax seeds, optional (I store my flax seeds in the freezer and grind just what I need at the time in a little spice/coffee grinder. You can also buy ground flax seed packaged.)
1 egg
1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb (or favorite seasoning)
1/2 tsp. dry dill
salt and pepper to taste

Mix well and drop onto preheated skillet greased with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil. I often use my electric skillet. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out the tuna mixture, drop onto hot skillet, and slightly spread/flatten to about 1/2 inch thickness. 1/4 cup scoop makes 8 burgers. Cook on med-low heat (or 325 degrees on the electric skillet) for about 5-7 minutes on each side. I usually put the lid on while it's cooking on the first side and then uncover for the second side. Serve warm.

Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. dill
1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb, optional
1/2-1 tsp. lemon juice

Mix well and slather on top of burgers!

Roasted Vegetables Over Quinoa

I'm not going to lie. This was so good and so easy and smelled so yummy while it was cooking. Seriously. Some of the young men in our ward were at our house the night I made this. They met at our house before heading out to go do a service project and I didn't think they were going to be able to leave. It was so funny! Apparently they've been talking about eating healthy and healthy food choices because I heard comments like, "So is that healthy food cooking?" and "Those are just vegetables cooking?" and the best one "Vegetables smell that good?" Yes. They smell that good. And they taste even better. And now I'm going to have to make this again tonight because these pictures are making me hungry...and because I have all of the ingredients! You can adjust the amount you need by adding more or less vegetables. Next time I'm adding more! And of course you could add any other vegetables like celery, sweet potatoes, etc. Just fill your baking pan up! I served it as a main dish but you could make it a side as well.

Roasted Vegetables Over Quinoa

3 large potatoes, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces (I left the peels on)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 onion, chopped into large pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
2 zucchini, cut into 1" pieces
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash or favorite seasoning

Throw all vegetables into a 9x13 (smaller or larger baking dish depending on how much you're making). Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top. A little goes a long way! You can always add more as they're baking if it seems too dry for you but the vegetables kind of produce their own juices and I don't know about you but I don't really like my food swimming in oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and your choice of seasonings. I tried a new one this time and it was soooo good! Mrs. Dash Grilling Blends: Chicken flavor (black lid). Wow! So yummy! My other standby that I normally use is Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb (the turquoise color lid). Stir to coat all vegetables evenly. Place in oven preheated to 400 degrees. Bake for 20 min. Stir. Place back in oven for 10-20 min. (Time varies depending on sizes of vegetables. If you want it to bake faster, cut your vegetables in smaller pieces.) I usually test the potatoes to see if they are done since they tend to take the longest. Serve over cooked quinoa-1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water. Make sure you rinse the quinoa before you cook it. Cook in a covered pot for 15-20 min.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

These are very yummy and yet another great way to use up all the zucchini in your summer gardens! Tender and flavorful and I love the crunch of the nuts! Just think of all the good vegetables you are eating with every bite! You could always add green or red peppers, celery, or any other vegetables that "float your boat". Sorry...couldn't resist!

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

5 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4-5 mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scoop out pulp from zucchini halves and set aside. I used the small end of a melon baller and it worked great! Arrange zucchini halves on a baking sheet. Meanwhile, coarsely chop zucchini pulp.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook onion, chopped zucchini pulp, mushrooms, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Add chopped tomatoes right at the end. Stir in chopped nuts. Add oregano, salt and pepper.

Evenly spoon vegetable mixture into zucchini halves. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender. Serve warm. I served mine with quinoa and a fruit salad. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Zucchini Soup

I found this recipe on the Sisters' Cafe and knew I had to try it. We loved it! In fact Tory just went grocery shopping and came home with a huge bag of zucchini so I can make it again! A great way to use up zucchini if you have a lot growing in your garden. Mmmm...so fresh and very simple to make. I added some yellow crookneck squash as well, just because I had some that I needed to use. Easy to make vegetarian. I didn't add the bacon, half-n-half, sour cream, or cheese. Very healthy. My baby even loved it! The only problem was that there wasn't enough!
**I've made this several more times and have added a can of white beans, rinsed and drained, just before blending. Makes it a little more filling and you never even know they're in there. I've also added walnuts and blended them right up, too. They were very tasty!

Zucchini Soup

1 cup chopped onions
2 T. butter (I used 1 T. olive oil)
3 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
½ cup half-and-half (Can substitute with regular milk or soy milk)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled

In a large saucepan cook onions in melted butter until tender. Add sliced zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 min.) Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half-and-half (or milk). Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Garnish with grated cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits. Makes 6 servings.

Zucchini Appetizers

I made these for a family party and loved them. What a great way to use up zucchini. This could come in handy in the summers when your garden is producing more than you can eat! These were very delicious! They are good hot, room temp, and even cold! I had leftovers the next day right out of the fridge. The original recipe is from the Betty Crocker website.

Zucchini Appetizers

3 cups thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini (4 small)-I actually diced mine. After reading many reviews on the Betty Crocker site it seemed like the way to go. Some people shredded theirs but these seemed to turn out a little bit more soggy.
1 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease bottom and sides of rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Stir together all ingredients. Spread in pan. Bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into 2-inch squares; cut squares diagonally in half into triangles.

Zucchinis with feta and mint

In France, we have a week per year, called 'The Taste week' ("La semaine du goût"). So during this week, which was in the beginning of october this year, I made a new recipe each day. You can see it here.

There were 2 favorites, which are, this recipe and a dessert (that I'll post later).

Let's discover zucchinis in a different way! (better during summertime...)

Zucchinis with feta and mint

For 4 people

6 zucchinis
2 tbsp olive oil
2 ½ ounces of crumbled feta
1 tsp of lemon zest
½ tbsp of minced garlic
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of chiselled mint

1- Cut the zucchinis in 4 lengthwise. Warm up half of the oil in a big pan and cook the zucchinis over a middle heat. When they are soft and browned, put them in a dish.
2- Crumble the feta on the zucchinis. Mix the lemon zest, the garlic and the lemon juice. Incorporate the olive oil, beat with a fork and coat the zucchinis with this sauce. Embellish with the mint, salt and pepper. Serve it warm.

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Courgettes à la feta et à la menthe

Pour 4 personnes

6 courgettes
2 c.s d’huile d’olive
70g de feta émiettée
1 c.c de zeste de citron finement râpé
1/2 c.s d’ail hâché
1 c.s de jus de citron
2 c.s de menthe ciselée

1- Détaillez chaque courgette en quatre bâtons dans la longueur. Chauffez la moitié de l’huile dans une grosse poêle antiadhésive à fond épais et faites cuire les courgettes à feu moyen. Lorsqu’elles sont tendres et dorées, disposez-les sur un plat de service.
2- Emiettez la feta sur les courgettes. Mélangez le zeste, l’ail et le jus de citron dans un récipient. Incorporez le reste d’huile, fouettez avec une fourchette et nappez les courgettes de cette sauce. Agrémentez de menthe ciselée puis salez et poivrez. Servez chaud.