Middle Eastern Stuffed Zucchini Recipe

By on 11-05-2009 in Cooking, frugal, quick & easy, organic & healthy

Saw this in Family Circle this month. I can’t wait to try it. Now, if I could just find some decent zucchini in the store. I think this calls for a trip to the farmers market!

Makes: 4 servings

Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Microwave: 8 minutes
Nutrition FactsServings Per Recipe 4 servings

  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories 379
  • Total Fat (g) 23
  • Saturated Fat (g) 8
  • Cholesterol (mg) 152
  • Sodium (mg) 473
  • Carbohydrate (g) 22
  • Fiber (g) 4
  • Protein (g) 26
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

  • 4 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces each)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 medium-size onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts

Directions

1. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell around edges. Discard flesh.

2. Place half of the zucchini, cut-side down, in an 11 x 7 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Add 1/2 cup water and cover with plastic wrap, venting one corner. Microwave 4 minutes. Place cooked zucchini in a large baking dish. Repeat with remaining zucchini.

3. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add green pepper, onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Crumble in chicken. Stir in raisins, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and stir in cheese.

4. Fill each zucchini half with about 1/3 cup stuffing, then sprinkle the pine nuts over tops. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

http://www.familycircle.com/recipe/chicken/middle-eastern-stuffed-zucchini/

Quick Egg, Ham and Cheese Breakfast Cups

By on 11-05-2009 in Cooking, frugal, quick & easy, organic & healthy

    Can you believe back to school is in a few weeks for some?

    I am already digging through breakfast recipes and thinking about meals for on the go. I have made these a few times for the DH and kids.

    They are quick to make but best of all, perfect for car travel and on the way to school (especially, when they are running late, I pack a few up in tupperware with napkins and a juice drink).

    I pulled this recipe/image from the Spark People site:

    Quick Egg, Ham and Cheese Breakfast Cups*

      7 large eggs
      1/4 cup milk
      3/4 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese
      1 cup diced red onion
      12 slices shaved brown sugar ham lunchmeat (like Oscar Mayer)
      1 TBSP Olive Oil
      1/8 tsp Garlic powder
      1/2 tsp Tabasco
      1 tsp salt
      1/2 tsp pepper
      1 tsp dried parsley

    Directions

    Makes 12 muffins.

    Saute diced onions in Olive Oil until clear, add diced ham to the pan and cook until slightly brown and then set aside to cool.

    Set oven to 350 Degrees.

    Combine eggs, milk, Tabasco, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add shredded cheese and stir together.

    Slowly add the cooled ham mixture to the egg mixture and then spoon into a 12 cup muffin tin. I’ve used silicone and throw away tin pans, the tin ones needed a spray of non-stick cooking spray (like Pam) the silicone ones didn’t need anything.

    Place in oven on center rack and cook for about 15 minutes. When done the eggs should bejust barely done on top and slightly dry. They will cook more from the carryover heat when you take them out of the oven. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

    Number of Servings: 12

    Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user NADALIA.

    Number of Servings: 12

    *I substitute the brown sugar ham and I don’t use Tabasco (although I think dh would love that).

    Dr. Oz’s Chili Recipe

    By on 11-05-2009 in Cooking, frugal, quick & easy, organic & healthy

    I found this recipe off the Livestrong site. It was super easy to make and good!
    Dr. Oz’s Chili

    Ingredients
    1 tbsp Olive Oil
    1/2 lb Ground Turkey
    1 cup Onions
    2 cloves Garlic Clove
    1 Crushed Tomatoes, canned
    15 1/2 oz kidney beans, canned
    4 tsp Chili Powder
    2 tsp Cumin Seed
    1 tsp Spices,Ground Coriander
    1 tsp Maple Syrup
    2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar
    1/2 tsp Spices, Ground Turmeric

    Directions
    Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add turkey, onion and garlic; cook five minutes, stirring frequently.

    Add remaining ingredients; simmer uncovered for 25 minutes

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/dr-ozs-chili/#ixzz0uO0L6Jhu

    Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

    By on 11-05-2009 in Cooking, frugal, quick & easy, organic & healthy

    Decided to make a large batch of basil pesto recently. It was so delicious and tasty! Of course, I made a bit too much. Here is the perfect solution to store the leftover.

    Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe (from simplyrecipes.com)

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
    • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
    • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
    • 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Method

    1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

    2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

    Makes 1 cup.

    Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

    Here is a tasty quick treat I made the other day with some of the extra.
    Spread pesto oven a whole wheat pita, add slices of tomato, onions and a bit of feta.
    Cook in over for 10-15 mins at 325 degrees.
    I cut mine up into triangles and served as an afternoon snack.

    Eggplant Ratatouille Recipe

    By on 11-05-2009 in Cooking, frugal, quick & easy, organic & healthy

    Super easy and good for you Ratatouille! I made this about a week ago.
    Great way to sneak in lots of veggies into the meal.

    Ingredients and instructions from video:

    Add a non reactive sauce pan:
    2 tbsp of Olive Oil
    1 Medium Onion, chopped
    Saute until tender and golden

    1 pound Eggplant, cut into 1 inch pieces
    Add to onions, season with salt and pepper
    Cook eggplant until it begins to brown about 10 mins

    1 large Yellow or Red Pepper, sliced
    1 large Zucchini, cubed
    2 large Cloves of Garlic, sliced
    Mix in with the rest of the ingredients and cook for a min

    Stir in a 28 ounce can of chopped tomatoes with juice
    Add fresh thyme
    Heat everything to a boil
    Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, approx. 30 mins
    Garnish with fresh basil and serve

    Servings: 4
    Total cost: $5.50-6.50 (depending on veggie prices)
    Approximate cost p/person: $1.63
    Serve with: french bed or w/a meat dish

    Fresh Pea Soup

    By on 11-05-2009 in Cooking, frugal, quick & easy, organic & healthy

    Got vegetarians on the holiday dinner guest list? Homemade split pea soup is not only super cheap to make but it is a perfect soup to have on hand in case you have extra guests show up.

    Last year, I was making Pea Soup at least once every couple of weeks. I had a vegan in the house and this was about the only thing I could make that everyone would eat. After a few months, my husband started protesting about it not having any meat. Well you know what happened next. Here is a quick recipe with a little variation to include ham. Cheap, cheap! Did I say cheap? I am a fan with or without the ham. Serve it up with a roll, tasty and filling!

    splitpeasouprecipe-main_Full

    Recipe for last pic.

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup chopped onion
    • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
    • 1 pound dried split peas
    • 1 pound ham bone
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Directions

    • In a medium sized pot, start by sauteing onions in oil or bacon grease. Add split peas and remove from heat. At this point you can add the ham bone or chopped ham. Cover ingredients with water then season with salt and pepper.
    • Cook then cover until there are no whole peas are left, approximately 2 hours. Check to see if water has evaporated while it is cooking.  Add water if needed.
    • Now all peas should be soft and soupy, remove from heat. Soup will thicken.For a family of four, cost per person depends on if you buy ingredients on sale. But I would guess anywhere from .65-$1.50.

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