Zucchini Fritters

I'm always struggling to use up zucchini in the summer and I don't even grow it in my garden. In 2020, in addition to discovering delectable zucchini muffins, I made a lot of these zucchini fritters. The dipping sauce is what makes them so good (I'm a complete sucker for soy sauce).

 

I found the recipe in a cookbook, but it looks like the author originally posted it on Bon Appetit's website. I'm happy to report that these even reheat well. They won't be as crispy, but the texture is surprisingly good reheated.

Zucchini Fritters
By Jenny Rosenstrach

Soy Dipping Sauce
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Crushed red pepper flakes

Fritters
1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), grated
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
1 large egg
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or shallot
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Place zucchini in a colander set in the sink and toss with 1/2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 10 minutes, then wring zucchini dry in a clean kitchen towel. Place zucchini in a large bowl and gently mix in egg, flour, chives, and cornstarch; season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in 2 batches, drop 1/4-cupfuls zucchini mixture into skillet, flattening slightly; cook until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to a paper towel–lined plate; season with salt. Serve with soy dipping sauce.

DO AHEAD: Fritters can be made 30 minutes ahead. Keep warm in a 200° oven.

Zucchini Muffins

I can't believe I've never baked with zucchini. We love zucchini and I use it a lot in savory recipes like Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries, Zucchini Corn Pizza, Cheesy Zucchini Rice, zucchini fritters, on skewers, in summer pastas, etc. But this was my first time baking with it.



The result? So good!! None of us could taste the zucchini. Now, I'll admit this is not exactly the healthiest recipe. If you're looking for a healthy way to get your kids to eat veggies, this isn't it. But they were delicious and a great way to use up zucchini that was past its prime.

The original recipe said it would yield 12 muffins. I got 15. I'm also not one to measure certain ingredients so I probably had more than 2 cups of shredded zucchini.

Zucchini Muffins
As seen on Land O Lakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 medium (2 cups) zucchini, shredded

Heat oven to 350. Put paper baking cups into 12 (or more) muffin pan cups; set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl; mix well. Combine butter and eggs in bowl; stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Stir in zucchini.

Use an ice cream scoop to fill prepared muffin pan cups three-fourths full with batter. Bake 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan; remove to cooling rack.

Zucchini Corn Pizza

I'm mourning summer as we enter the second half of August and begin the slow slide into fall and winter. This was a pretty lackluster summer weather-wise. More cool, rainy days than warm, sunny ones. Less pool time than I'd like. This seems to happen every few years, unfortunately.

One good thing to come out of the cooler weather was this Zucchini Corn Pizza. Holy guacamole. A local pizza joint serves a similar pie - roasted zucchini, roasted sweet corn, poblano sour cream, hot pepper flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil, mozzarella - that we love so I wanted to try making it at home.



Even Katie, who's not the biggest zucchini fan, loved this. If you've got a bumper crop of zucchini in your garden this is a great way to use up at least one.

Zucchini Corn Pizza
As seen on Damn Delicious

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 ball pizza dough
8-oz shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
fresh chives, snipped
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees.

Melt oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the zucchini, corn and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini are tender, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Lay a piece of parchment paper the size of the pizza stone on a work surface. Dust lightly with flour and roll out the pizza dough into a 12- to 14-inch circle. Top with the mozzarella and zucchini mixture. Add dollops of ricotta and spread them out a bit.

Transfer the pizza on the parchment paper to the pizza stone. Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking often to make sure the cheese is melting and browning. Remove the pizza from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve garnished with chives and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Coconut Shrimp Curry

My friend, Katie, posts photos of her family's dinner on Facebook sometimes. The other night she made this Coconut Shrimp Curry recipe and I couldn't get it out of my head. I quickly printed off the recipe to make this week.



This was so, so good. Light and fresh, with perfectly cooked shrimp. The only change I made was to add zucchini so I could call it a complete meal. You could add whatever veggies you like. I think carrots would be nice. Katie added sweet potatoes and said that was good.

Coconut Shrimp Curry
Slightly modified from Jo Cooks

For shrimp
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lb extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

For sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise, then cut into bite-size pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (5.5 oz) unsweetened coconut milk

Fresh cilantro, minced
Cooked basmati rice

In a bowl or plastic food storage bag, toss the shrimp with the marinade ingredients. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

While the shrimp is marinating, heat the oil in a medium size pot. Add the onion and zucchini, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, pepper, salt, coriander, turmeric and curry powder.

Continue to cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent, another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with juices and stir well. Cook for about a minute, then add the coconut milk. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the shrimp with the accumulated juices from the marinade and cook for another 5 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.

Serve over hot rice garnished with cilantro.

Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries

I love fried zucchini but I don't like the grease or the calories that come along with the traditional breaded variety. As soon as Tara posted these Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries I knew I needed to try them. For one thing, there's NO oil in this recipe. None. The only fat comes from the egg and the seasoned panko gives these a deliciously crunchy bite.

When I weighed the zucchini at the store I was surprised to see that two small zucchini = slightly over 1 lb. It didn't seem like it would be enough but I had more than enough to cover my baking sheet. I'm glad I didn't cut the recipe in half because we inhaled these. My mom and I enjoyed 3/4 of the tray ourselves and SP finished them off when he got home from work. Baby Girl loved the raw zucchini (with the green skin, please), but wouldn't touch them breaded and baked. Go figure. I served them with ranch dressing for dipping, which was perfect.

I loved these so much I put zucchini on the shopping list so we could have them again the following week. It's a great guilt-free way to enjoy zucchini. Make them soon!

Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries
From Confections of a Foodie Bride, as seen on Smells Like Home

2 eggs
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 lb zucchini, cut into 4-5-inch long sticks, about 1/2-inch wide

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 12×18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the eggs together until bubbly in a shallow pie dish or bowl. In another shallow pie dish or bowl (glass baking dishes work great too), stir the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper together until well-blended. Set both dishes aside.

Place the flour in a large zipper bag (gallon-size works best) and toss in all of the zucchini sticks. Seal the bag well and shake up the zucchini until all of the sticks are coated with flour.

Taking a few sticks at a time, roll them around in the beaten egg then coat them in the breadcrumbs, lightly patting the breadcrumbs onto the zucchini if needed. Try to not to handle the zucchini too much at this point or the breading with fall off. Carefully transfer the sticks to the baking sheet, spacing them about 1/2-inch apart. You’ll be able to fit the entire pound of zucchini on a 12×18-inch baking sheet, so push them close together if needed. Repeat with remaining zucchini sticks.

Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden brown and delicious-looking. Serve with ranch dressing or marinara sauce.

The best way would be to reheat these is in a 375 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until they are heated through.

Sweet Corn with Zucchini and Basil

Once again I found myself with a few ears of corn and no idea what to make. Thankfully Nichole had just posted this recope for Fried Sweet Corn with Basil Butter. I also had half a huge zucchini to use up, so I decided to add it to the corn to bump up the veggies.

Sweet Corn with Zucchini and Basil
Slightly modified from The Cookaholic Wife

1/2 large zucchini (or 1 small zucchini), shredded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups corn kernels (about 4 ears)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, minced
Salt and pepper

Place shredded zucchini in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes. Transfer zucchini to a clean kitchen towel and wring out all the moisture.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the corn, zucchini, garlic and basil and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until the corn is lightly browned and making popping noises.

Transfer to a dish, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Summer Weekend Pasta

If this Summer Weekend Pasta had tomatoes in it I'd call it summer in a bowl. Tomatoes, zucchini and corn signify summer to me. I can't get enough of any of them from June to August.

This was a great, simple pasta to throw together. I think I'm going insane because the bacon almost seemed superfluous. How is that possible? I found myself thinking if only I'd left it out this would be a vegetarian meal.

I used regular green zucchini and upped the corn to 3 ears because Baby Girl was snacking on the corn kernels as I prepped dinner. I also upped the garlic to 3 cloves and minced it so I could leave it in rather than remove a whole clove after cooking. I decided to saute the corn and zucchini rather than leave it raw. I did find the pasta to be a little dry since there really isn't any sauce, but a little extra pasta water or even chicken (vegetable) broth would fix that.

Summer Weekend Pasta
Slightly modified from Food 52

Salt
1 pound orecchiette or small shells
6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
2-3 ears corn, kernels cut from the cobs, juices and all
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Save 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and set aside.

Grate the zucchini on a box grater. Gather the gratings in a bowl and salt the squash, about 1 1/2 teaspons coarse kosher salt. Toss to mix. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, and up to 30 minutes. Place zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and ring dry. You want to remove as much of a liquid as you can.

Meanwhile, spread the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat and cook until the bacon is crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. If there are more than 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan, remove the extra fat so you are left with only 2 tablespoons. Add the zucchini, corn and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the red pepper flakes.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper. Add the bacon and basil. Toss again. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Spoon into shallow bowls and top with grated cheese.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

I'm always looking for new side dishes, especially ones that combine starch and vegetable. This recipe for Cheesy Zucchini Rice sounded like a perfect way to use zucchini before the season ends.


When I told SP what we were having he was more than a little skeptical. I think he wasn't sure what to expect, but as soon as he tasted it he proclaimed he would eat an entire bowl of just the rice. And yet the man claims not to like risotto. Go figure. Baby Girl was also a big fan. Not for moms of picky kids, this is a great way to sneak in veggies.

Don't be shy with the salt and pepper in this dish. Because of the zucchini the rice needs a good amount of salt. I've also realized I'm disappointed in my supermarket brand cheddar cheese. Our store brand is pretty stellar in most instances, but their cheese is just bland. Make sure to use a nice, sharp cheese that actually packs some flavor.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice
Very Slightly Modified from Pink Parsley

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium zucchini, grated on the large holes of a cheese grater then wrung dry in a clean kitchen towel
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove from heat, add the butter and zucchini, and cover. Allow to stand 5 minutes, then stir to incorporate. Stir in the cheese, season liberally with salt and pepper, and serve.

Spaghetti with Summer Vegetable Sauce

My basil plant went crazy a few weeks ago so I decided to make pesto and freeze it. When I was trying to come up with a meal plan for the week I saw this recipe for Spaghetti with Summer Vegetable Sauce and remembered the pesto. Done and done.


Even though the recipe calls for large zucchini and summer squash, I felt there was too much of each and not enough tomato. Next time I'll use smaller squash and up the tomatoes. Also, I hate when tomato skin loosens from the flesh so I tossed the tomatoes in at the end, along with the pesto.

All in all this was a delicious and easy meal. Even SP, a spaghetti hater (I don't know what's wrong with him), cleaned his plate.

Spaghetti with Summer Vegetable Sauce
Very slightly modified from Cooks Country, August/September 2011

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 small summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
1 pound spaghetti
6 tablespoons basil pesto
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Grated cheese

Bring water and some salt to in a boil in a large pot. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water and drain pasta. Return to the pot.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Stir in squash and zucchini and stir until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook until liquid is reduced, about 2 minutes.

Toss vegetables, tomatoes and pesto with pasta, adding reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as needed Serve with grated cheese.

Recipe Swap - Stuffed Zucchini

Want to see what other side dishes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Side Dish Recipe Swap Roundup.

I sound like a broken record, but I'm really enjoying these recipe swaps, both as a participant and as the organizer for the one on the cooking board. It's been so much fun trying new things, like Stuffed Zucchini courtesy of Kate over at Kate's Recipe Box.


SP and I love zucchini. In the summer we usually grill it, so it was nice to do something a little different. I served the zucchini with grilled steak and mashed potatoes and it was absolutely delicious. Kate also recommended serving it with balsamic-glazed chicken or chicken Parmesan.

Stuffed Zucchini
Modified from Kate's Recipe Box

2 zucchini, if large (4 zucchini, if small)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Pinch salt and pepper
Bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut each zucchini lengthwise in half. Scoop out the pulp, leaving a shell. Finely chop the pulp and reserve.

In a medium frying pan over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic in oil for one minute. Add the zucchini pulp, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the zucchini is tender.

Grease a 9 x 13" dish and place zucchini shells inside. Spoon the filling into the zucchini shells and sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the zucchini are tender and the top is brown.

Burgers on the Grill

We grilled more burgers over Memorial Day weekend:


My plate:


We also had some more of the potato salad and grilled zucchini.

Shrimp Scampi with Baked Potato and Zucchini

We wanted a fun meal on Saturday night so we picked up some frozen shrimp for shrimp scampi. We love baked potatoes with seafood so we cooked up two of those, along with some steamed zucchini:


The shrimp was very easy to make and tasted fantastic, with plenty of garlic and lemon flavor:


I topped my baked potato with butter, sour cream, salt and pepper and it really hit the spot. And zucchini are always tasty simply steamed.

Shrimp Scampi
Food Network Kitchens

1 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Put the shrimp on a large pie pan or plate and pat them completely dry with a paper towel. Arrange the shrimp so they lay flat and are evenly spaced.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the skillet. When the foaming subsides, raise the heat to high, and invert the plate of shrimp over the pan so the shrimp fall into the pan all at once. Cook the shrimp, without moving them, for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Turn the shrimp over and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl.

Return the skillet to the heat and pour in the vermouth and lemon juice. Boil the liquid until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir the zest and parsley into the sauce. Pour the sauce over the shrimp, season with salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.

Divide the shrimp among 4 plates or arrange on a platter and serve.

A Pioneer Woman Dinner

On Tuesday I decided to make two recipes I've had my eye on for awhile: Crispy Yogurt Chicken and Crash Hot Potatoes. Since we've been loving zucchini lately, I steamed some with a little garlic to round out the meal:


This was a great meal, but there were a few problems. For starters, I didn't read the recipes ahead of time so I was a little shocked when I saw that each needed to cook for about an hour. Not ideal for a weeknight meal. I used regular russet potatoes for the Crash Hot Potatoes and it worked just fine. Look at that gorgeous crispiness:


I used a combo of herbs from my garden, including rosemary, chives, thyme and parsley on the potatoes. They were fantastic and I love when the skin is crispy enough for me to actually eat.

As for the chicken, the flavor was great but it wasn't crispy at all:


... which is kind of a problem considering the name of the dish is Crispy Yogurt Chicken. In all fairness, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, so maybe this is something that requires whole chicken pieces, skin and all. I think the next time I make this I'll marinate the chicken in the yogurt mixture overnight because as the recipe stands now there wasn't enough flavor from the yogurt mixture.

All in all a great meal, but definitely something I'll reserve for a weekend.

Grilled Chicken, Orzo and Grilled Zucchini

On Wednesday SP grilled up some chicken for dinner:


... that we had along with grilled zucchini (a current favorite) and some orzo. I had some tomatoes from my garden that needed to be used, so I diced them and mixed them with some balsamic vinegar, chopped basil, salt and pepper. SP said he prefers the cheesy orzo to this version, but it was still decent. My only problem is the hot orzo caused the skin on the tomatoes to separate from the flesh. I hate that more then anything. I don't like loose skin on peppers or tomatoes. It always gets caught in my throat and I have to remove all of it from whatever I'm eating or I can't enjoy the meal.

Grilled Pork Chops, Cheesy Orzo and Grilled Zucchini

After the success of the grilled pork chops we had last week, we decided to have them again. SP manned the grill and turned out moist, flavorful chops:


We also grilled some zucchini I'd gotten at the farmers market near my office:


... and I made some cheesy orzo:


To make the orzo I cooked some onion and garlic in a pan, then I added 2 cans of chicken broth and brought it to a boil before adding 2 cups of orzo. As the orzo cooked I chopped some herbs from my garden (basil, chives, rosemary and parsley). Once the orzo was cooked I mixed in the herbs, a splash of heavy cream and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Just before serving I added a generous amount of shredded Pecorino cheese. This stuff is so good we just kept eating and eating.

Vegetable Manicotti

I saw this recipe for Vegetable Manicotti in my Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine and decided to give it a try since we had a large zucchini in the fridge that needed to be used.


I ended up making some serious modifications because I was skeptical of how this would turn out. SP was not a fan, even with my modifications. He said it was too bland and there wasn't enough sauce. I'd make this again, but it still needs work.

Vegetable Manicotti
Inspired by Every Day with Rachael Ray
August 2008

Eight 6-inch-long lasagna noodles (I used a whole box and it was too much. Next time I'll stick with 8 noodles)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
(2 cloves garlic, minced)
1 pint cottage cheese, drained in a strainer (I used a pint of ricotta cheese since we aren't fans of cottage cheese)
One 16-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and 1/3 cup finely chopped (my supermarket doesn't sell 16-ounce jars so I used 12 ounces. It was fine)
1/4 cup finely chopped basil leaves, plus 8 leaves, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 tomato, chopped (I used 2 canned tomatoes and it wasn't enough. Next time I'd use a full 14 1/2-ounce can, at least for the way I prepared this)
(Shredded mozzarella cheese)
(Grated Pecorino cheese)

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles, stirring often, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini (and garlic. Season with salt and pepper) and cook, stirring, until golden (and softened), about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Using a food processor, puree the drained cheese until smooth; add to the zucchini along with the chopped roasted peppers and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper (and some grated Pecorino cheese.) Rinse the food processor bowl.

Lay the noodles flat on a work surface. Place an equal amount of the zucchini mixture at the end of each noodle, then roll up. Divide the rolls among 4 dinner plates. (Here's where I deviated - I put some of the sauce in a baking dish and put the rolls in there, topped them with shredded mozzarella and Pecorino and more sauce and baked them at 400 until the cheese melted.)

Using the food processor, puree the remaining roasted peppers with the tomato until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the rolls. Top with the sliced basil.

Florentine Mac & Cheese

I saw Rachael Ray make this recipe for Florentine Mac and Cheese recently and it looked fantastic. I decided to make it without the chicken meatballs:


While I liked the concept, I didn't like the finished product. There was way too much spinach and not enough sauce. I ended up adding a few splashes of milk after I took it off the stove because it was just too thick. And there wasn't much of a cheesy flavor. I'd try doing a spinach mac & cheese again, but I'd probably use my usual recipe (with a touch more milk or stock) and add the spinach.

I served it with a zucchini salad I swear I saw her make with this meal, but it wasn't on the website in the same version she made. I used a potato peeler to make long strips of zucchini before tossing it with the dressing, which was tangy with a nice bite from the Dijon mustard. Definitely something I'll make again.

Pork Chops, Creamy Pasta, Zucchini

On Thursday we had breaded pork chops, creamy pasta and steamed zucchini:


I did the chops the same way I have for the past few weeks - a quick dip in egg and then bread crumbs before being fried in a little olive oil. Taking a page from the creamy broccoli we had at C & T's house last weekend, I made a sauce for the pasta using butter, some chopped onion, garlic and milk thickened with flour. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and added copious amounts of grated Pecorino for flavor. It was fantastic, in a cheesy way that mirrored mac & cheese. The zucchini was steamed with garlic and tossed with a little salt, pepper and oil. Very satisfying, as always.

Pork Chops, Pierogies, Zucchini

No, you aren't experiencing deja vu...this is the same meal I made last week. We enjoyed it so much we thought we'd have it again (and use up the very last of the 5-pound bag of pierogies in our freezer.


I made everything exactly the same as last week, only I used boneless pork chops because they were on sale at the wholesale club. I pounded them thin, quick egg wash and then into seasoned bread crumbs mixed with pecorino cheese and then into a non-stick skillet for a shallow fry in some olive oil until they were crispy and golden brown. For the pierogies I boiled them and then added them to the skillet with some slow-cooked onions. I steamed the zucchini with some garlic and then mixed half with pecorino, olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum, yum, yum!

Pork Chops, Pierogies, Zucchini

Last night's dinner was all about using up some of the odds and ends in the freezer. We had two bone-in pork chops and about 1/3 of a bag of frozen pierogies. SP asked if we could have steamed zucchini and it just happened to be on sale at the store.


In an effort to be slightly more healthy, I opted not to make the pierogies with bacon. Instead I thinly sliced two small onions and about 1/3 of a red onion I found in the fridge and slow cooked them in a touch of oil until they were soft. I boiled the pierogies until they floated to the surface and then tossed them with the onions.

We both wanted a thin, breaded pork chop but I didn't want to forgo the bone, which helps keep them moist as they cook. As luck would have it I saw a recipe in a magazine that called for pounding a bone-in chop so I used that method. All you do is make a slit to separate the meat from the bone at both ends and then pound it like you normally would. I coated the chops in egg beaten with a little water and then some Italian seasoned bread crumbs with some grated Pecorino tossed in. The chops were fried in a little olive oil until they were crispy and golden brown. In this photo I've removed the bone from my chop to make it easier to eat.


Steamed zucchini is a new one for me, so I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I cut the zucchini in half and then into large pieces and put them in my steamer basket along with two cloves of crushed garlic. I made sure to keep a close watch since we both like tender-crisp veggies. As soon as they were done I put half the zucchini (my portion) in a bowl along with the garlic, a little olive oil, salt, pepper and a little grated Pecorino and tossed them around. SP opted to have his zucchini plain. I absolutely loved these and wished I'd bought more. I'll definitely make zucchini this way again.