Summer Vegetable Casserole

I generally hate zucchini.  It has a weird, mushy texture no matter how you cook it and I've always hated it...until Josh's dad's partner made this for us.  I love this casserole.  If I can find a recipe that will make me eat a vegetable I normally dislike, I'll make it often.  In true Meg style though, I added some jalapenos to give it a little extra kick.  The recipe is fine without them, just a little boring and might not give you heartburn.  Your choice.

4 servings:
1 tbs olive oil
3 medium zucchini, washed and sliced into 1/8" disks
2 medium onions, diced
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
salt
2-10oz cans of Rotel diced tomatoes/green chiles
fresh grated Romano cheese

Saute the onions and jalapenos in the olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add the thyme and season with a pinch of salt.

Spray a 9x9 baking dish with oil and make a layer with half the zucchini slices.

Make another even layer of half the onion/jalapeno mixture.

Drain one can of the Rotel and make an even third layer.

Repeat the three layers once more and top the whole thing with a thin layer of cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted.

So fresh, so healthy, so yummy.  I'm elated that I've found a way that zucchini and I can be in the same room together after all these years.  It's very unlike me to use previously prepared vegetables in my cooking but the Rotel is so yummy.  I might try chopping my own tomatoes next time and playing with seasonings but for now, I'll just be lazy and do it the quick way.

Tomato Basil Omelette

I started making this in Oklahoma City when I developed my taste for tomatoes.  I never really used to like them and I still don't like them raw on sandwiches but I love them in salsas or cooked into anything, really.  Oklahoma City is also when I started putting fresh basil in everything too.  The freshness it adds to your food is amazing and it goes perfect with tomatoes.

This makes 2 servings and takes about 30 minutes start to finish.  You can leave out the mushrooms and jalapeno if you want.  I just like to mix it up and I had them lying around.

4 large eggs
1/2 c egg whites
Squirt of cooking spray
1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, diced (I like sweet yellow ones)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/3 c mushrooms, about 4, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
small bunch of fresh basil, about 5 big leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Start by heating the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and jalapeno and season with salt and pepper.

When the onions start to soften after about 4 minutes, add the mushrooms and garlic.  Saute until fragrant.

When you start to smell the lovely aroma of the garlic, add the tomatoes and basil and turn the heat down to low.  Stir it every minute or two.

While the filling flavors are slowly melding together, whisk the eggs and egg whites together in a bowl.

Heat a small skillet over high heat and spray it with cooking spray.  Pour in half the egg mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Let the egg cook a little and then start gently pushing in the edges with a spatula.  Tip the skillet from side to side to get all the raw egg onto the cooking surface.

When the top is no longer wet, gently slide the egg to the front edge by tipping the skillet forward.  Quickly flick your wrist back to flip the egg over back toward you.  You can use the spatula to flip it but I used to work the omelette line at a restaurant so I don't need no stinkin' spatula.

Let the egg cook on the other side for just a few seconds and then transfer it to a plate.

Spoon the filling onto the bottom egg layer.

Repeat the egg steps with the other half of the egg mixture and put it on top.

Cut it into slices and serve.  If you're just making one serving or are short on time, you can just make one egg layer and fold it over the filling like a traditional omelette.  This makes a great, healthy, filling breakfast that's definitely worth the time.

294 calories, 16 g fat, 730 mg sodium, 21 g protein per serving   (All the fat is in the egg yolks so you can do all egg white if you want.)

PIZZA

6 servings- 45 min cooking plus 15min prep and 10 min rest

If there's one food that makes my manly husband literally jump with joy, it's this pizza.  We've been slowly developing the recipe over the last few months and finally got it to where we make it the same way every time.  I guess it's special to me not just because it's delicious, but because Josh and I developed and perfected it together.  I recently made it for some Illinois family and they loved it so much that they made me bake 2 more the next day instead of the menu I had planned.  There's a lot of room for editing to your preferences but one thing you can't change is using fresh ingredients.  No canned or frozen produce because the key is in the freshness.  A 2" tall, 11" diameter springform pan is ideal because this pizza is so deep.  If you don't have one, line a cake pan with foil and leave the edges sticking out above the sides just a bit so you can pull it out.  You don't absolutely have to pull the pizza out of the pan but it makes it much easier to cut.

I use lots of vegetables and not much meat or cheese.  I know it seems like pizza blasphemy but I really wanted to make a different kind of pizza that I don't feel so guilty eating.  If you want meat and cheese, you can go to any restaurant or freezer.

Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust 
1 c spinach, roughly chopped
8-10 mushrooms, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, sliced, and patted dry
1/3 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 oz basil, chopped  (about 4 stalks or the amount available in grocery store prepackaged containers)
20 or so slices of turkey pepperoni.  You can use cooked turkey sausage too.
1 1/2 c cheese
3/4 jar of Newman's Own marinara sauce 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Start by unrolling the dough on a work surface.  It's easier to spread into the pan if you stretch it out a little first.  Spray just the bottom of the pan with cooking spray.  The dough will fall off the sides if you grease them.  Carefully lay the dough in the bottom of the pan and work your way around, pushing the sides up to the top edge of the pan.  If the dough tears, just pinch it together.  Make sure the thickness it as even as possible on the sides and bottom.
(I've tried several times to make my own dough but it just never came out right.  Feel free to try and make your own.)

When the dough is spread out, prick the bottom all over with a fork so that it doesn't puff up.  Bake for 6-7 minutes.

If any dough fell, just push it back up the side.  This pizza won't be the prettiest but it'll be the tastiest.

I typically start with the chopped spinach.  I know I've said I don't like green vegetables but I swear, even with this much, the pizza won't taste like spinach.  Everything ends up melding together and all you taste is FRESH.

Then do the mushrooms.  It doesn't really matter what kind of mushrooms you use.  Just make sure they're mild, cut thinly, and spread in an even layer.

Then tomatoes.  It's very important that you pat the tomato slices with some paper towels because any extra moisture will make this pizza soupy very easily.

Then the peppers and garlic.  I just mix them all in a small bowl so that they spread more evenly.  I know it seems like a lot of peppers but once they bake, there's no spice left, just flavor.  You can leave them out if you must but keep the garlic.

Then the basil.  I looooove the smell of fresh basil.  Such a luscious anise aroma.

Arrange the pepperoni evenly.

Then the cheese.  I usually have sharp cheddar and mozzarella on hand so I use half and half of those.

Then top it off with the marinara sauce.  I use either Newman's Own Sockarooni or Tomato Basil because those turned out the best of any other sauces I've tried.  Using the sauce on top is how they do it at Giordano's, my favorite deep dish pizza place in Chicago.

Then bake for 35-45 min until the edges of the crust are browned.

Release the pizza from its springform confines and let it sit for about 10 minutes to let the filling reconstitute.

Then get a fork and get busy.



No, seriously.  Start eating.  If you don't, anyone else you're sharing with will eat the rest while you're not looking.  Ask my mom what happened when I baked those 2 pizzas for my family.  The chef barely got any.

231 calories, 4g fat, 860g sodium, 2.5g fiber, 9g protein per serving

Smoky Corn and Tomato Bruschetta

This is another one from Food & Wine magazine that looked too good to pass up for Memorial Day.  I made it the other day on the stove to put in fish tacos and it was so awesome that I wanted to make it again on the grill.  (and also because we had a brand new Canon Eos 50D camera to photograph it with!!!)

On the grill:
1 large ear of yellow corn, husked
1 small red onion, peeled and
    halved root to end
4-5 medium tomatoes, halved
1/2 a medium red pepper, seeded
1 small loaf of a hard-crust bread, I used French bread

In a bowl:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro
1 tsp fresh chopped parsley

I had to throw a jalapeno in there.  It's a disease, I can't help but make things spicier.  You can leave off the peppers if you want but once they're grilled, they're very sweet.

Prepare the grill (medium heat) and brush all the veggies with olive oil then season with a little salt and pepper.  Place them on the grill and turn every couple minutes until there are light grill marks on all sides.

Be careful flipping the veggies, a tomato half might fit through the grill grates.

Cut the loaf of bread into thin slices.  Place on the grill and let cook until there are light grill marks on both sides.  In a medium bowl, mix the garlic, lime juice, paprika, parsley, cilantro, and olive oil.  When the veggies are done, transfer them to a cutting board, chop into chunks (cut corn kernels from the cob and core the tomatoes), and add to the bowl.  Toss to coat and serve with the bread.  You can leave off the cilantro if you want.  I know several people who don't like it but I liked the color and bite it adds to the salsa.

I made shrimp too.  Bruschetta wasn't quite enough for a full meal.  I just skewered and sprinkled them lightly with salt, paprika, and thyme.  They were delicious and had a nice Jerk seasoning flavor.  Just grill them for a minute or two on each side until pink, squeeze a lime wedge over them and you're good to go.