Saturday, August 27, 2011

Menu 8-27 to 9/4

Sat 8-27 - Thanksgiving Dinner in a Rice Cooker
Sun 8-28 - Swiss Corn and Ham Bake
Mon 8-29 - Pizza
Tue 8-30 - Meatball Strogonoff over Egg Noodles
Wed 8-31 - Chinese Take Out
Thu 9-1 - Pasta Amatriciana
Fri 9-2 - Out?
Sat 9-3 - Out for sure
Sun 9-4 - Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

*****

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Turkey or Chicken Dishes for the Freezer

Roast a small turkey or 2 chickens. Cool and shred the meat into bowls. You should have about 10-12 cups of meat. Or buy a few of those HUGE chicken breast family size packages and roast them all off at once. I personally like dark and white meat mixed, so I choose to roast the whole chicken/turkey. It also saves money to use the whole bird.

Also for growing teens you would probably want to double these recipes.


Chicken Enchilada Casserole
4 cups shredded chicken
garlic salt to taste
18 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn in half
1 (28 ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
1 (16 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (8 ounce) container reduced fat sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
With metal tongs, char each tortilla half over the open flame of a gas stove burner for about 1 minute, until lightly puffed.
Pour about 1/2 inch enchilada sauce in the bottom of a medium baking dish, and arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer. Top with 1/2 the chicken, 1/3 cheese, 1/2 the sour cream, and 1/3 of the remaining enchilada sauce. Repeat. Coat remaining tortillas thoroughly with remaining enchilada sauce, and arrange on top of the layers. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and top with any remaining enchilada sauce
Cover, and bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool slightly before serving.
Freeze before baking. Thaw in refrigerator, then cover and bake for 45-50 minutes in preheated oven.

**************

CHICKEN BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
1 cup white rice
1 cup boiling water
2 pkg. frozen broccoli (cook according to pkg directions)
10 oz. cream cheese
2 c. milk
1/2 c. sour cream
dash garlic and onion powder
4 cups shredded chicken
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

Line a 3 qt. casserole dish with butter. Pour rice into pan. Add boiling water. Chop broccoli and layer on top of rice on bottom of casserole dish.
Mix cream cheese, milk, sour cream and seasonings together. Add shredded chicken. Mix well and layer on top of broccoli.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese ever top. Bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly and rice is cooked.
Can freeze. Thaw in refrigerator. Add 1/2 cup milk before reheating at 350 until heated through - about 15 minutes.
Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

(This can be varied with frozen spinach or kale.)

*****
For this one - I would mix all of the chicken part without the hot water in a large freezer baggie. When ready to make, thaw in refrigerator. Pour into the slow cooker and add the hot water and then the cornbread topping and continue with the recipe.

Barbecued Chicken and Cornbread Casserole in the Slow Cooker

--2 pound of cooked, or practically cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
--2 small sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks
--1 red onion, diced (optional. I didn't use this, although I intended to, and am kind of kicking myself for the accidental omission.)
--2 cup frozen or fresh corn
--1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (18 oz)
--1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes
--1/4 cup molasses
--1/4 cup apple cider

cornbread topping:

use a mix (2 boxes of the Jif Cornbread mix are the perfect size)and follow the directions on the box (minus the oil or butter), or mix together the following:

--3/4 cup corn meal
--1 1/4 cups of flour
--1 cup milk
--1/4 cup sugar
--1 egg
--1 tsp. baking powder

The Directions.

I used a large 7 quart slow cooker for this one.

Grease the inside of your slow cooker with butter or margarine. Or to save calories I often use a brush and olive oil or the "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter Spray". Cut up the chicken and sweet potato, and add to the crock. Add the remaining ingredients. Empty the contents of the barbecue sauce bottle, and then add 1/4 cup of apple cider to the bottle, shake, and pour that out, too. Mix well with a spoon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. You don't need to mix well, I just used a fork. Spread the topping on to the chicken mixture.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Cooking for the Freezer

Brown up a huge amount of ground beef. Portion in 1 pound (2 cups).

Beef Tamale Pie

This one can be done in slow cooker and also oven. If using oven, combine all ingredients in a greased 4 quart casserole. Put in preheated 350F oven for 10 minutes. (It is important that the filling is hot before you add the corn bread on top of it or the bottom of the corn bread won’t cook.) Remove and top with the corn bread batter. Spread to edges as well as possible. Bake for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the cornbread comes out clean. If freezing, combine all ingredients except corn bread topping in a large freezer baggy. Thaw in fridge and pour into casserole or slow cooker to continue with the corn bread topping.

If using slow cooker follow directions below.

The Filling.

-- 1 pound ground beef, browned and crumbled
--1 can drained and rinsed black beans
--1 can fire roasted tomatoes
--1 can drained corn
--1 T chili powder
--1 t cumin
--1/2 t paprika
--1/4 cup diced onion
--1 small can diced chilis (if you don't like spicy, use 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper instead)
--1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

The Directions.

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Dump in the filling ingredients--cheese, too!-- and stir well to distribute the spices. You will not be able to stir this again, so please check to see that the spices aren't in a clump anywhere.
In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. (2 Jif mixes works or use recipe I sent earlier )
When finished, pour evenly over the filling, spreading with a spatula if needed.
Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 2-4.

****

GROUND BEEF STROGANOFF

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
10 3/4 ounces cream of mushroom soup, condensed
4 ounces mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup sour cream, or yogurt

In medium skillet, brown ground beef and onion; drain excess fat. Stir in garlic salt, pepper, soup and mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce. I use the Worcestershire sauce to clean out the can of mushroom soup. Simmer covered, 15 to 20 minutes. (If freezing, this is the place to do it. When ready to use, thaw in refrigerator, pour into a slow cooker and heat for 3-4 hours on low) Stir in sour cream; heat through, but do not boil. Serve over rice or noodles.

Serving Size: 4

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Thanksgiving Dinner in a Rice Cooker

OK, to some people this might seem extreme. But, it is a great way to use up the leftovers from your Thanksgiving feast without having to work as hard as you did when you originally made it. And, it is a great way to have Thanksgiving dinner any time you want.

3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups wild rice
1 cups diced celery
1 onion, diced

2 cups leftover cooked turkey or 2 cups ground turkey, browned and crumbled
2 cups crumbled corn bread or 2 cups corn bread stuffing mix
1 cup frozen or fresh chopped broccoli

1 1/2 cups turkey gravy, homemade or from a jar/can
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups chicken broth or water

In rice cooker on rice setting or a browning setting if you have one, melt the butter and add wild rice, celery and onion. Stir to coat the wild rice and let the celery and onion soften a bit.

Add turkey, corn bread and broccoli to rice cooker. Stir to mix.

In a bowl mix up the rest of the ingredients and pour over the mixture in rice cooker. Cook on white rice or mixture setting until rice cooker turns off.

Serve with fresh cranberry sauce if desired.

Note: I add no salt to most of the things I cook. In this recipe even people who love salt will probably not have to add any especially if you use canned chicken broth, cream of celery soup, gravy and cornbread stuffing mix. But, if you find the need, salt to your preference.





Today's Bottom of the Jar Cooking - Asian BBQ Sauce

I have posted before about using up the small amounts that are stuck at the bottom of jars. Today I made an Asian inspired BBQ sauce with what was left in the bottom of a chili sauce jar. Chili sauce is a spicy ketchup already, and I thought it would mingle well with Asian flavors.

One of the reasons I started doing this is to stop from washing away the good stuff in order to recycle the containers. No matter how you scrap, it seems there is always some left.

Here is what I did:

Into the jar of chili sauce that already had about 1/8 cup left in it I added:

2 tablespoons honey
1 inch piece of ginger grated
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced onion (you can used dried)
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (Thai hot sauce) - or to taste. Leave it out if you don't like spicy

Close the jar and shake to combine.
Right now it is on top of chicken that is roasting in the oven. I think it would be great on ribs and fish too.

Enjoy!



Sunday, August 21, 2011

Hot Sausage Pasta

Right now I have a hot sausage and pasta dinner cooking away in my rice cooker.

1 1/2 pounds of HOT turkey sausage
1 1/2 boxes of whole grain spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
4 garlic cloves minced
4 cups water
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon oregano



1-2 cups of your favorite homemade or jarred tomato gravy (sauce to most Americans)

Put everything except the tomato gravy in rice cooker. Set to mix or white rice setting. Press start. When rice cooker turns to keep warm, check to see if it needs more gravy and add as necessary. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Friday, August 19, 2011

EASY CHICKEN AND RICE PILAF DISH IN RICE COOKER


1/2 stick butter
1 c. rice (uncooked)
1/2 cup dry thin spaghetti, broken into one inch pieces
1/2 cup slivered almonds
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts , chunked
1 pkg. dry onion soup
2 c. chicken broth

Melt butter in rice cooker on browning cycle or white rice cycle. Add rice, pasta and almonds. Stir to coat rice with butter. Top with chicken. Add onion soup mix and chicken broth. Cover. Cook on white rice cycle or mix. Cook until rice cooker shuts off. Keeps warm for hours and doesn't lose much in flavor or texture.

Swiss, Corn, Ham and Rice bake in RICE COOKER

I invented this one for the week after a holiday when I had left over ham and corn.










*******

2 cups fresh, frozen or 2 (14 ounce drained) cans corn
1 can evaporated skim milk
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups chunked ham
1 cup rice
1 1/2 cups water

This one requires that it is mixed in a bowl first. It cooks up very thick because of the egg and if you mix it in the rice cooker pan, the egg won’t get distributed as well. Also, even though the pan in most rice cookers is non-stick, be sure to grease the pan well.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Menu 8-16 to 8-26

Diane's Menu 8-16 to 8-26

Tue 8-16 - Asian Grilled Pork Chops and Miso Sambal Cole Slaw**
Wed 8-17 - Chinese take out
Thu 8-18 - Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta in Rice Cooker
Fri 8-19 - Buffalo Wings, carrot and celery
Sat 8-20 - Black Beans and Pork Stew in Slow Cooker
Sun 8-21 - Hot Sausage and Ziti in Rice Cooker
Mon 8-22 - Pizza
Tue 8-23 - Chicken and Snow Peas over Brown Rice
Wed 8-24 - Chinese take out
Thu 8-25 - Roast Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
Fri 8-26 - Steak Wraps with Caesar Salad

***

Miso Sambal Cole Slaw Dressing

2 TBSP chile paste with garlic
2 TBSP chopped peeled ginger
2 TBSP white miso
2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 TBSP sugar or Splenda
1 1/2 TSP dark sesame oil


**

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta in Rice Cooker (serves 4-6)

1 pound sturdy whole grain pasta like rigatoni, ziti or rotelle
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
4 ounces sliced prosciutto or leftover ham or deli ham
2 ounces thick sliced swiss cheese, cut up or torn
2 TBSP minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
1 can evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup dry white wine (or sherry) and 2 1/2 cups water (or 3 cups water)
6 wedges laughing cow Swiss cheese

Put all ingredients in rice cooker. Press start. About 30 minutes into cycle check to see if there is enough water for pasta. You might have to add another 1/2-1 cup. Stir well when rice cooker is done before serving.

**





Sunday, August 14, 2011

Celebrate Creamsicle Day with a Creamsicle Pie

Ingredients

serves 8, active time 30 minutes, total time 9 hours

1 packaged graham cracker crust or make your own
12 ounces evaporated skim milk
2 packages instant fat and sugar free vanilla pudding mix (3.4 ounces each)
Zest of 1 orange
16 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
Garnish: Candied Orange Zest or crushed orange candies

Instructions:

1 Whisk together evaporated milk, pudding mix, and zest in a bowl for 2
minutes or until mixture is thickened.

2 Beat cream cheese and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer
until fluffy. Add orange juice concentrate, beating until smooth; add evaporated
milk mixture, and beat until blended.

3 Pour into crust. Cover and chill 8 hours or until firm.

4 Combine cream and confectioner's sugar in a bowl and whip with a whisk
until it holds soft peaks. Dollop or pipe each slice with whipped cream, and
garnish with candied zest or candy if desired.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Fruit Risotto Oatmeal

Fruit Risotto Oatmeal
*Serves 4-6

(For anyone counting: this is fat and sugar free)

1/2 cup steel-ground oats (such as McCann’s Irish Oatmeal) (regular rolled oats works but no where near as good)
1 cup Arborio rice
1 14 ounce can evaporated skim milk and 5 cups water
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped
1/2 cup Splenda (sugar works too, but I don't use sugar in anything)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup ripe raspberries
1 cup ripe strawberries, quartered
OR
1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed and lightly drained
OR
2 cups of any ripe fruit, peaches are my favorite

In a rice cooker (or large pot) add all the ingredients, except the fruit. Cook until done in a rice cooker. If using a pot, bring the mixture to a quick boil and then lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the raspberries and stir to combine. If using fresh fruit, stir in the strawberries and continue to stir until the berries have turned the risotto slightly pink, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately. If you are planning on saving leftovers and heating up in the morning, only add berries to each individual serving the morning of and not to the whole batch.

****

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad

I am always looking for a new way to use eggplant. I love the stuff. I made this salad because I have had the combo of eggplant and goat cheese on a panini and loved it. It didn't disappoint. YUMMY!!

*****

Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
TOTAL TIME:18 min Prep:10 min
Inactive Prep:--Cook:8 min
YIELD:4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
7 Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch wide slices
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped mint
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the olive oil over the slices of eggplant and toss to coat. Grill the eggplants until tender and grill marks appear, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Place the eggplants side-by-side on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the pine nuts, goat cheese, basil, and mint. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Cook's note: Plating the eggplant salad this way allowed the cheese to stay bright white. The salt and pepper showed up on it. The herbs remained green and fluffy. The grill marks on the eggplant were distinct.

***

Chicken Paninis with a side of salad tossed with my Risingwoods Vinaigrette



Ingredients for the Risingwoods Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup (preferably amber grade)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced or 1 teaspoon dried
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries, minced
1/3 cup canola oil


Mix the first 6 ingredients well. Whisk in the canola oil. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Grilled Chicken Panini (makes 4)

2 large chicken breasts, butterflied and flattened slightly
8 slices sharp cheddar cheese, or 1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup fresh baby spinach
4 ciabatta rolls

Marinate the chicken breasts in 1/3 cup of the Risingwoods vinaigrette for 2-8 hours, or overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and dry lightly with a paper towel. Grill chicken (indoors or out) for about 5 minutes on each side, depending on how thin you pounded it. It might be more or less, just be sure to cook through, but not overcook.

Slice rolls open. Toss spinach with 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette. It should be very wet. Pile spinach on bottom of rolls. Place 1 slice of cheese on top of spinach. Place grilled chicken on top of cheese, and the remaining slice of cheese on top of that. If using shredded cheese, just split 1/4 cup for each sandwich. Cover with other half of the roll.

If you have a panini machine or electric grill, like Foreman, grill the sandwich, pressing as you go, until the cheese is melted. If you don’t have one of these machines, you can grill the sandwich in any heavy skillet and use another heavy skillet to weigh it down. Some people even cover bricks with foil and grill the sandwiches on an outdoor grill.

Serve with greens tossed in the remainder of the vinaigrette.

***

I have made many rice pudding recipes in my rice cooker. This isn't my favorite, but it is very good and the easiest too. Since today is Rice Pudding Day, I thought I would share it.

Rice Pudding In A Rice Cooker

1 cup of short grain rice
2 cups of water
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup amber maple syrup (don't use the fake stuff, leave it out if you don't have the real stuff)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
milk to make up 4 cups total including the condensed milk (just under 3 cups)
2 tsp. vanilla extract


Rice Pudding Recipe Directions

Put the rice and water in your rice cooker, and set it to cook as plain rice.

When the rice is done, add the milk, spices, maple syrup and vanilla extract, stirring to make sure the condensed milk is mixed through. Set the rice cooker to cook again - if your rice cooker has a setting for porridge or congee, use that setting. Check it every 10-15 minutes or so, giving it a bit of a stir until you achieve the desired consistency. Coconut milk may be substituted for all or part of the milk.

***

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Today is National Lasagna Day and I am contemplating all the possible things you can do to make Lasagna more healthy. Nothing about the traditional recipes can be considered healthy. It is laden with white pasta, full fat cheeses and lots of tomatoes and meat. All of which make for lots of fat, calories and carbohydrates.

Here are some ideas for making it a bit better for you. Pick and choose a few ideas and go ahead and try it.



- use whole grain pasta
- use lower fat cheeses
- alternate the pasta strips with strips of zucchini or eliminate the pasta and
substitute with layers of zucchini.
- use ground turkey instead of beef and sausage
- eliminate the meat and use mushrooms instead
- bulk up the cheese and meat layers with frozen and thawed and well drained
spinach


Any other ideas?

Join my Healthy Gourmet YAHOO! group for more ideas.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Green Pea Salad for 2

Green Pea Salad For 2
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1/3 cup fresh broccoli florets
1/3 cup fresh cauliflowerets
1 cup frozen peas thawed
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion
1 pkg ranch salad dressing mix
1/3 cup fat free plain yogurt
1 bacon strip cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon salted cashews pieces

Instructions:

Place broccoli and cauliflower in a steamer basket; place in a small saucepan
over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 2-3 minutes or until
crisp-tender. Rinse in cold water.

In a small bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower, peas, celery and onion.
Combine the ranch dressing mix and yogurt; stir into vegetable mixture. Cover
and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in bacon and
cashews.

Yield: 2 servings.

Summer Tips

** Oiling a grill after it's hot is the best way to prevent food from sticking,
but using a basting brush can lead to drips, which can lead to flare-ups.
Instead, saturate a tightly rolled paper towel with about a tablespoon of oil
and, using tongs, gently rub it across the grates of the grill.

** As watermelons do not ripen after picking, it's important to know a few
tricks to select a good one. A ripe watermelon should have a drab but smooth
rind; a glossy coating is a sign of immaturity. Watermelon experts listen for a
thump when they lightly smack the melon instead of a hollow or musical ring. If
you buy a precut one, look for a moist, dense, firm texture, without any white
streaks. And, if you end up with a not-that-great one, a small sprinkling of
salt - kosher salt is fine, but large crystal sea salt is better - will sharpen
the flavors and add a delicate crunch.

** Look no further than your refrigerator for simple summer sauces. Add pesto,
chopped herbs, roasted garlic, wasabi or a squeeze of citrus to store-bought
mayonnaise for cool and creamy accompaniments to poultry, meat, or fish.

** This summer, make oven-dried tomatoes. Smaller varieties like cherry, pear
and plum tomatoes work best; just make sure you use tomatoes of a similar size.
Preheat the oven to 250F and puta rack on a baking sheet. Halve the tomatoes
lengthwise and lay on the rack, skin side down. Generously sprinkle with kosher
salt and freshly ground black pepper, and strew some fresh herb sprigs, like
thyme or rosemary, over the top. Roast until the tomatoes are barely moist and
shriveled, anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, depending on their size. Pack oven-dried
tomatoes tightly in a sealed jar drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and keep
in the fridge. Use within 10 days.

Radiatore with Grilled Chicken and Eggplant

Radiatore with Grilled Chicken and Eggplant

INGREDIENTS
2 large tomatoes (12 oz. each)
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tbsp. EVOO, plus more for brushing
Salt and pepper
2 sprigs basil, plus 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
1 box (12 oz.) tricolor radiatore pasta
1 eggplant (1 lb.), sliced crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Shred the tomatoes on the large holes of a box
grater set in a bowl. Stir in the garlic and 1 tbsp. EVOO; season with salt and
pepper. Add the basil sprigs and let sit at room temperature for at least 20
minutes. 2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al
dente; drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to
the pot.

While the pasta is cooking, brush the eggplant with a little EVOO and season
with salt and pepper. Lightly oil the grill grate and grill the eggplant,
covered and turning halfway through, until grill marks appear and the flesh is
soft, about 10 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and grill,
covered and turning halfway through, until nicely marked, about 10 minutes. Set
aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Chop the eggplant and chicken and add to the pasta. Add the torn basil leaves
and the onion. Remove the basil sprigs from the sauce and discard. Toss the
sauce with the pasta, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin
the consistency, if desired; season with salt and pepper.

Use up that overflowing produce - Zucchini Pancakes

Zucchini Pancakes
2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Total Time: 24 min
Prep 20 min Cook 4 min
Yield: 10 (3-inch) pancakes


Ingredients

2 medium zucchini (about 3/4 pound)
2 tablespoons grated red onion
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
6 to 8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Unsalted butter and vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Grate the zucchini into a bowl using the large grating side of a box grater.
Immediately stir in the onion and eggs. Stir in 6 tablespoons of the flour, the
baking powder, salt, and pepper. (If the batter gets too thin from the liquid in
the zucchini, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour.)

Heat a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan over medium heat and melt 1/2 tablespoon
butter and 1/2 tablespoon oil together in the pan. When the butter is hot but
not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and drop heaping soup spoons of batter
into the pan. Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes on each side, until browned.
Place the pancakes on a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the pan
with a dry paper towel, add more butter and oil to the pan, and continue to fry
the pancakes until all the batter is used. The pancakes can stay warm in the
oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot.