Garbanzo Curry on Couscous

Let me make one thing perfectly clear - I have never been to India. Therefore, my knowledge of Indian-spiced foods (known as "curry" in most of the English-speaking world) is second- or third-hand. I love to eat at Indian restaurants, and I love to cook from my Indian cookbook. This is an all-time favorite recipe in our home - simple, tasty, and exotic. -Jake.

Update 6/12/14: Last night I was making this dish and I tried a little variation: instead of broth (in the curry) I used tomato juice, and I added about a tablespoon of minced fresh ginger with the garlic. Both changes made for a great improvement!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 4 cups cut fresh vegetables - bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, celery, broccoli, red onion . . .
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (and like last time, I still like McCormick brand, although you could make your own)
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), drained and rinsed.
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 3/4 cup couscous
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted

Directions

Over medium-low heat, heat oil in large saucepan. Add vegetables and sweat for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggies are slightly softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute (until fragrant). Stir in 1 cup broth, curry powder and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in garbanzo beans, raisins, and salt. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Over medium high heat, bring 1 cup of broth to a boil in a sauce pan. Stir in couscous. Remove from hear and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and almonds with fork to fluff the couscous. To serve, spoon couscous into bowls then top with garbanzo curry.

Semi-Homemade Chicken Primavera Risotto

This is one of my favorite dishes from Pampered Chef. It's a creamy and lemony dish of rice and veggies. Using a flavored pre-cooked rice substantially decreases cooking time and adds, well, flavor. ;)

I want to try using some leftover white/brown rice to see how much flavor I actually lose. If the loss is tolerable then I can avoid buying the prepackaged stuff. That's good for two reasons: the prepackaged stuff has soy bean oil & it would decrease the cost.

cooking oil spray
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
olive oil
 1 lemon, cut in half crosswise
 1 medium onion, chopped
 1 large garlic clove, pressed
 2 packages (8.8 ounces each) buttery or roasted chicken flavor pre-cooked rice
 1 medium carrot, peeled & julienned
 1 medium zucchini, sliced
 2 plum tomatoes, seeded & diced
 2 - 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
 2 ounces mascarpone cheese or cream cheese (optional)

Flatten chicken to 1/2-inch thickness, then season with salt and black pepper. With cooking oil spray,  lightly coat a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until hot. Arrange chicken and lemon halves, cut sides down; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until center of chicken is no longer pink (do not turn lemon halves). Remove chicken and lemon. Cool slightly; slice chicken into 1/2-inch pieces.

Lightly spray the skillet again.  Add onion and a pinch of salt, saute for about 5 minutes. And garlic, cook  until fragrant.

Add the rice; juice caramelized lemon halves into the rice. Cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until juice is completely absorbed into rice. Add vegetables and 2 cups of the broth:bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 4-5 minutes or until broth is slightly thickened. Stir in chicken; cook until heated through.

Remove risotto from heat. * Add Asiago cheese and basil; stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened (adjust sauce consistency with additional broth, if necessary). Stir in mascarpone cheese, if desired.

Zucchini Brownies

While perusing Mindika Moments, I found this little gem of a  recipe. My favorite dessert? Brownies!! Another great way to use our zucchini, satisfy my sweet tooth, and it's safe for the 3 Allergics.

I tried the recipe the night before I was taking it to a post baby blessing luncheon. Really?! New recipes need to have a test run before taken places. Silly me! The batter was really thick and didn't want to move around. Rather than shove it into the corners, I just baked it, thinking it would ooze out to the ends. That's what my usual batters do. I was wrong! I had a brownie blob in the middle of the pan. At least, it was delicious and easy to cut into appealing squares. 

Since then I've made it a few times: plain (without any nuts) and with pecans in the batter. Both ways are delicious. 

1 ½ C. sugar

½ C. oil

2 C. grated or puréed zucchini

2 t. vanilla

2 C. flour

1 t. salt

1 ½ t. baking soda

½ C. cocoa

½ C. toasted pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan (10 x 15 1/2) with aluminum foil. 

In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix well.

Add salt, baking soda, and coco, then mix. Add nuts here for a nutty brownie. Add flour, mix until moist.

Pour batter into jelly roll pan then spread it out an oiled spatula. The batter is a sticky beast 

Bake at  for 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. 

• Baking times may vary due to the water content of the zucchini. If you use a bigger zucchini, which has more liquid in it, the brownie batter will take longer to bake. 
• You can use a tea towel to squeeze the extra liquid out before adding the shredded zucchini to the batter. 

Remove and allow to cool.

Frost with chocolate frosting (recipe below) and top with nuts. We skip this part

CHOCOLATE FROSTING
½ C. butter; softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
½ C. cocoa
1 t. vanilla
¼ + milk
1. In a mixing bowl combine the butter, sugar and cocoa.
2. While mixing add the milk until the frosting reaches desired consistency.
3. If you accidentally add too much milk, add more sugar to compensate.

I put some coconut pecan frosting on top and it was yummy! Jake has requested that the next batch have more zucchini, and pecans, and that I bake them in a 8 x 11.5 pan. He likes them a little thicker.

Zucchini Lemon Cookies

I found this Betty Crocker recipe over at Mindika Moments. I made some changes to accommodate the the 3 Allergics. I replaced the butter with applesauce and oil.

I don't always bake a whole batch of cookie, so I like to take the dough, scoop them into balls then freeze them. The balls always maintain their shape. This dough is soft and sticky, so it didn't want to hold it's shape very well.  I just have to make sure to scoop them after they have sat in the fridge for a bit. 

The dough does spread, so be sure to leave more space between the cookie as you place them on the cookie sheet. 
3/4 C. soft butter or 1/2 cup apple sauce & 1/4 cup canola oil
1 ½ C. sugar 
2 eggs 
1 C. grated/pureed Zucchini 
1 C. chopped toasted pecans 
2 t. lemon zest 
1 t. salt 2 t. baking soda 
2 ½ C. all purpose flour 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
Lightly oil a cookie sheet, spray with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. 
Combine 
mix until they make a dough. 
Scoop dough onto the prepared cookie sheet in 1 inch balls. 
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand to cool for approximately 15 minutes.

I really need to improve my photos. This looks like any other cookie. 

When cool, drizzle with glaze. (see recipe below) 

GLAZE: 

2 C. powdered sugar 

juice of 1 lemon (1/4 C.) 

1 t. vanilla 

Mix all together. After cookies have cooled, drizzle the glaze on top of each cookie.

Bugsy Bread

We've had this bread on several occasions. This time, I decided to swap the carrots for zucchinis. Just as tasty!

Bugsy Bread

(adapted from Easy Home Cooking)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 canola oil

3 medium eggs, slightly beaten

1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini or carrots (6 ounces)

1/2 cups raisins

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease loaf pan.

In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil for 1 minute. Scrape bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir into sugar mixture until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in carrots, raisins, and pecans.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Orange Zucchini Bread

1 package cranberry-orange muffin mix

6 ounces shredded zucchini

1 cup water

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bread pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan; bake 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out almost clean.

Zucchini Fries

After posting on Facebook about my obsession with zucchini recipes, a friend suggested Zucchini Fries. On the hunt I went, until I found this one at So Tasty, So Yummy I love panko bread crumbs. It makes things so crispy. For the 3 allergics, I had to leave out the panko and use just regular bread crumbs which I seasoned. Both were so tasty with the Teriyaki Burgers we had for dinner. 


When I do this again, I'm considering leaving out the flour. It didn't seem to do anything for the dish but make a gloopy mess. I'll follow the dipping method of the Zucchini Parm. 

With PANKO bread crumbs

Zucchini Fries

¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 egg
2 tablespoons water
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Salt
Pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
dash cayenne pepper
2 zucchini, cut into 5” strips


Preheat oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place flour in a large zipper bag. Whisk eggs with 2 tablespoons water and place in a shallow dish. In a shallow dish, mix Panko, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.


 Place zucchini in the bag with the flour and shake until well coated. Dip the zucchini into the egg and then into the Panko, turning to coat well. (pushing the zucchini against the side of the dish  made it flip nicely without adding excess by flipping with a fork). Place breaded zucchini on the greased baking sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes, until golden brown

With Homemade Bread Crumbs

For the teriyaki burgers, I brushed teriyaki sauce on top of the hamburger patties, pineapple, and purple onions, as they cooked on the grill. 

Turkey & Veggie Wrap

Or call it a burrito like Kai. Whatever you call it, it's delicious! The boys gobbled them up and asked for more. Even Coby, who doesn't like veggies. This seems to be a repeating occurrence in our house since we've started adding zucchini to just about everything.

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion

1 bell pepper (any color), cut into thin strips

kosher salt

1 small zucchini, cut into sticks

3/4 pound turkey breast cutlets or tenderloins, cut into strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup chunky salsa

4 (7-8 inch) whole wheat tortillas

1/2 cup shredded Mexican Cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Over medium high heat heat oil in a large non stick skillet. Add onion, bell pepper and a sprinkle of kosher salt; cook 2 minutes. Add zucchini; cook 1 minute. Add turkey, garlic and chili pepper. Cook for 4 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink and veggies are tender.

Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in salsa. Cook 2 minutes. Spoon mixture onto warmed tortillas, top with cheese and cilantro, if desired. Roll up and enjoy!!

4 servings

Zucchini Rolls

Just like a lasagna roll but with zucchini instead. Yum!! Fresh nutmeg really makes the difference in any ricotta custard filling.

cooking spray

kosher salt

1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices (12 slices)

10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and pressed dry

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

5 ounces, shredded mozzarella

use a mandolin to slice the zucchini

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a nonstick baking sheet and 12 x 8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. 

Arrange zucchini slices on nonstick baking sheets in a single layer, spray zucchini with cooking spray. Lightly sprinkle kosher salt over the zucchini. Bake zucchini 10 minutes; flip and bake for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven & reduce temperature to 350.

While the zucchini are cooling, combine spinach, ricotta, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Spread spinach mixture evenly on each zucchini slice; roll up slices. Place rolls, seam side down, in baking dish.

Cover dish with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle rolls with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve topped with your favorite spaghetti sauce with a side of spaghetti noodles.

Makes 12 rolls

That's enough for 3 of us. I feel bad for my kiddos with allergies cuz this was delish.

Zucchini Potato Cakes

I didn't have any frozen hash browns, which would have save me some time in preparing this dish. These little cakes are almost half zucchini, so it surprised me that the boys asked for more. Jake was also disappointed that there weren't more. I'll definitely have to double the recipe next time we make this. For there will a next time. I think I'll add some cheese after I've made some for the 3 Allergics. Also, while eating we thought that ham steak would be a great side main dish. Lucky me! I added one to my second servintg, one lone cake topped with corn salsa.

2 cups shredded potatoes or hash browns, thawed

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini, salted & drained

3 medium eggs

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

nonstick cooking spray

Microwave shredded potatoes for 5-6 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

In a medium bowl, combine potatoes, zucchini, flour, onion, bell pepper, salt, black pepper and eggs.

Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Heat to medium high heat. With a #20 scoop (or 1/4 measuring cup), drop mixture onto skillet. Cook potato cakes about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Serve with corn salsa. Makes 10-12 cakes

Corn Salsa

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper

9 ounces frozen corn, thawed

1 cup chunky salsa

2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Lightly coat a small skillet with cooking spray. Heat on medium heat until hot. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook and stir 3 minutes or until crisp tender. Add corn, salsa, and cilantro. reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 5 minutes or until hot.

Grilled Veggies and Couscous

My favorite part of this dish? The pine nuts! So yummy and it adds wonderful texture to the couscous. We served this on the side of Alton Brown's Ring of Fire Chicken.

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon sale

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup couscous

1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices

1 medium red bell pepper

1/2 small red onion, sliced

some olive oil, for basting

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and black pepper

1/4 cup crumbled feta

Preheat grill to medium-hot.

Bring chicken broth, salt and olive oil to a boil in a small saucepan. Sprinkle in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Set aside.

Brush vegetables with olive oil, then grill until tender.

3-5 minutes for zucchini and onion

7-10 minutes for bell pepper

When bell pepper is blackened, place in a small plastic bag: seal and set aside for 3-5 minutes. Remove from bag: rub or peel off blackened skin. Dice vegetables.

In a serving bowl, add couscous then fluff with fork. Add diced vegetables, garlic, pine nuts, and cheese; mix well.

From Our Garden Series

Last year, we planted a garden. We didn't procrastinate long enough, the frost came and everything died. This year we were determined to not let that happen again. We planted:

• zucchini
• watermelon
• pumpkin
• cucumbers
• winter squash
• onion
• corn
• potatoes

So far everything has flourished, but the watermelon. Nothing, not even a little sprout :( I was really hoping to make more Watermelon Salsa. That's ok though. The pumpkins needed the space.

Before we knew it we had zucchini, cucumbers, and more zucchini. I had to throw my meal plan out the window to make way for a plethora of recipes using zucchini. Here's my meal plan for the next couple of weeks:

• Zucchini Parmesan - used the Eggplant Parmesan recipe


• Ring of Fire Chicken with Grilled Veggies and Couscous


• Zucchini Potato Cakes


• Zucchini Rolls


• Turkey & Veggie Wraps


• Burgers and Zucchini Fries

• Semi-Homemade Primavera Chicken Risotto


• Garbanzo & Veggie Curry


• Chicken Kebobs with Mediterranean Orzo and Veggie Pilaf


• Zucchini and Sausage Frittatta

• Chinese Chimichangas

• Beef with Cabbage & Carrots

• Foccaccia Bread topped with Veggies

• Rustic Vegetable Pizza


• Veggie Quesadilla

• Beef Roast with Broiled Zucchini Halves


• Anitpasto Pizza


• Kalua Pork with Mac Salad and Bean Stuffed Zucchini

For fun

• Zucchini Brownies

• Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins


• Bugsy Bread


• Lemon Zucchini Cookies

• Cranberry Orange Zucchini Bread

As we harvest other delights, I'll add to the From Our Garden Series.