Mexican Zuccini

Our family has made a few dietary changes over the past year or so . . .a little more low-carb than what we used to be.  We've cut out rice, breads and potatoes for the most part.  I'm not saying we never eat any of those anymore . . .but we have cut out most of it.  And when you are going that route - you find more creative ways to cook and serve vegetables.  This is recipe is one of them.  It is sooooooo good.  I really impressed myself with it.  We were making a green chile-type chicken and needed a side dish.  this is what I served and wow  . . .fantastic.

Mexican Zucchini

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2-3 Small Zucchini's 

1/2 Cup Red Onion (coarsely chopped) 

1 TB Butter

1 TB Olive Oil

1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Powder

1 Teaspoon Lime Juice

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Shredded Mexican Cheese (I used a Kraft blend)

Cilantro for Garnish

Step 1:  Wash the zucchini and remove the ends.  Cut into thick sticks.  I usually cut my zucchini in half.  Then, I cut piece in half again (now I have 4 pieces).  I take one of those pieces and cut it into either 4 or 6 pieces, depending on the size of the zucchini.  Repeat that step with remaining zucchini.

Step 2:  In a small bowl or cup, combine the water and lime juice.  Set aside.

Step 3:  In a medium to large size skillet, add the olive oil and butter.  Heat over medium until butter melts.  Add the zucchini,  chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne.  Stir to combine/coat the zucchini.  Cook until the zucchini begins to brown on the bottom.  Stir again and then add the red onion and diluted lime juice - stir everything in the pan to combine.  Cook for another five minutes or until the water is evaporated.

Step 4:  Remove from heat and sprinkle with the cheese and cilantro.  Serve and enjoy!

  

Loaded Chocolate Zucchini Bars

In the spirit of summer and for the love of zucchini, I fell prey to a recipe I found on Pinterest for a low-fat brownie that uses zucchini, banana and applesauce.  No egg, no oil.  Original recipe can be found here.

Well, I had all the ingredients laying around, so I thought "what the heck" and gave them a try.  They are delicious, but not a substitute for a real brownie (unless you are seeking dietary substitutes of sorts).  The texture is very fudgy - which is awesome.  My recommendations:  

• Let cool completely and/or let sit a day before eating.   The first one I ate, I thought was just okay.  The second one I ate (after they had sat a day) was border line phenomenal.  
• Alter them however you would like.  I added unsweetened coconut and grated milk chocolate to mine.

I think the reason I loved this recipe though, is mostly because I was able to sneak in some veggies and use some of my favorite kitchen tools (I cannot lie:  I love my KitchenAid shredder attachment;  I used it to shred the zucchini as well as shred the frozen banana that I used).   Furthermore, these would be really great for a breakfast on the go.

Loaded Chocolate Zucchini Bars 

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Applesauce

1 Small or Medium Banana, mashed

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

3/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 Cup Cocoa 

1/4 tsp. Salt

1 Cup Zucchini, shredded

1 Cup Flour

2 oz Mini Chocolate Chips

1/3 Cup Coconut, shredded and unsweetened

Step 1:  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9x9 baking dish.  

Step 2:  In medium sized bowl, mix together the applesauce, banana, sugar, vanilla and zucchini.  Next, stir in the baking soda, salt, cocoa and flour.  Once all is incorporate well, stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.

Step 3:  Pour the batter into the greased pan.  Bake at for 25-35 minutes.  When it begins to pull away from the edges and the middle is set, it is done baking.  As well, you can do the toothpick test (insert clean toothpick into the middle and if it comes out clean, they are done).

Cool completely before eating.  Serves 9.

Balsamic Steak with Garlic Zucchini

This recipe is originally from Everyday Food.  As with most recipes, I customized it to my families tastes:  I added onion to the zucchini and used a different cut of steak (I subbed top round instead of using skirt steak).  I also used low-sodium Montreal Steak Seasoning in addition to the salt and pepper.  All this turned out absolutely wonderful.  The only thing I would do next time - is add sliced mushrooms to the zucchini in addition to the onion and garlic.  

  

Balsamic Steak with Garlic Zucchini 

(my version)

Ingredients:

2 TB Olive Oil

5 Cloves Garlic, minced

3 Medium Zucchini, sliced thin

1 Medium Yellow Onion, sliced

1.5 pounds Steak, sliced thin

3/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Low-Sodium Montreal Steak Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

Directions:  In a large skillet, heat 1 TB of olive oil over medium-high.  Add the onion, garlic and zucchini.  Sprinkle with the steak seasoning.  Saute until the zucchini is starting brown.  Transfer to dish.

Add remaining TB of olive oil to the skillet.  Season the steak with the steak seasoning.  Add to the skillet, arranging so that each piece lays flat on the bottom of the pan.  If all the slices don't fit, you can cook the steak in batches.  Sear the steak on both sides and then transfer to a plate.  Repeat this step until all the steak is cooked.  

Once the steak is all cooked and removed from the pan, add the balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, until reduced by half.  Be sure to scrape up any tasty bits of steak etc from the pan.  As well, add any accumulated juices from the steak on the plate to the pan.   

To serve, drizzle the balsamic glaze over the steak and serve the veggies on the side.