Chicken Zucchini Casserole

(From sixsisterstuff). This is a great week night meal that is quite easy. Brandon and Isaac had seconds and thirds! Surprisingly good!

1box chicken stuffing mix (stovetop)
1 stick butter, melted
4 zucchini, diced
2 cooked chicken breasts, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup sour cream
Cook onion in a little butter or oil till soft, set aside for a minute. Mix stuffing and butter. Mix zucchini, chicken, soup, cooked onion, sour cream and half of the stuffing then pour into greased 9x13 dish. Sprinkle remaining half of the stuffing over top. Bake 45 mins at 350.

Low Carb Lasagna

I wanted to eat something that didn't feel diety, even though we are dieting.  So, I made this for dinner!  The first time I made it, I sliced the zucchini lengthwise thinly in place of the noodles.  It was delish, but I had a certain eldest son, who shall remain nameless, who tried to stage a coup over it!  So, in an effort to avoid gagging, and futile whining, I chopped up the zukes and added them to the sauce!  Again, delish!!  And no complaints,  HE EVEN ATE SECONDS!!  Choose either way.  Enjoy!

2# hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
4-5 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, or chopped
Cook these three ingredients til hamburger is browned and to desired doneness on the zukes. If you slice them, cook them in olive oil and butter, seasoned with salt and pepper.  And set them aside.
Add your favorite spaghetti sauce to hamburger mixture.  ( My fav is Prego traditional)  Let simmer a bit.

Large container of cottage cheese (or ricotta)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese or more, shredded
1 cup swiss cheese, shredded (or could use parmesan)
1 egg, beaten
parsley, fresh or dried
Mix cheeses together.

Layer:  Sauce, cheese mix, sauce, cheese mix, sauce, top with more shredded mozzarella. 
If doing slices of zukes:  Sauce, zukes, cheese mix, sauce, zukes, cheese mix, sauce, shredded cheese.  Bake for 45 min - 1 hour. 

Here's a little side note.  Have you ever used Coriander?  It is my new favorite seasoning! It is interesting stuff.  It is kinda spicy like pepper, but has a slightly salty flavor, too.  Maybe you could replace some or all of your salt on veggies or meat.  It's great on beef and pork.  I am going to experiment with it more!  I used Coriander to season my zucchini and hamburger mixture tonight and it was awesome! 

Zucchini Brownies

Here's one more thing to do with your extra zucchini this year. This doesn't look like your typical brownie, but it is still delicious. As I was baking it, I thought I'd be disappointed, but the moistness and flavor are awesome!! I found this on Cooks.com.

3 c flour
4 T cocoa
1/2 t salt
1 t soda
1 t cinnamon (I used a little less)
1 c oil
1 3/4 c sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 t vanilla
1/2 c buttermilk (I was out, so I used some vinegar in whole milk)
2 c grated zucchini, squeeze out moisture
1 c chocolate chips
3/4 c walnuts

Combine first 5 dry ingredients, and set aside. Beat sugar and eggs til fluffy. Add oil and vanilla. Beat til fluffy. Mix in zucchini. Then add flour mixture and buttermilk alternating. Add chips and walnuts. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes in a 10x15 (I think that is jelly roll size) pan.

I omitted walnuts and used bittersweet chocolate chunks. MMMMMM!
I also misread the pan size and used a 9x13. (I looked at about 20 recipes before deciding on this one, and they all had different pan sizes!!) Don't do that. The middle didn't get done, and I had to chuck that part. Whoops!

Zucchini Relish

This is a wonderful way to use up those big zucchinis that you let get away from you in the garden! This recipe is Ryan's Great-Grandma Charlotte's recipe. We love it in tuna sandwiches, on hot dogs, or anything...be creative! Oh, and get ready for lots of chopping. At least you'll be giving your arms a little work-out! It's a lot of work but worth it because this stuff will last you forever!

5 large zucchini, diced (I know this is vague..lg. but not too lg.)
3 red bell peppers, diced
3 green bell peppers, diced
5 large yellow onions, diced
1/2 c salt
1 t alum
ice cubes

5 c sugar
2 T celery seed
2 T mustard seed
1 T turmeric
5 or 6 c white vinegar, to taste

-Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl except ice cubes. Mix well. Cover with ice cubes. Let stand overnight.
-Next morning drain veggie mixture. Wash in cold water. Drain again.
-Cook spices and vinegar in large pot. Add veggies and simmer for 30 minutes.
-Put in jars with rings and lids and boil in cold-pack canner for 10 minutes to seal.

I really wish I could give you an exact amount of how much this makes but I can't remember! This year I'll write it down for sure. Depends on if you use pint or quart size jars. Pints are nice for something like this, but I've also used quarts if it's all I have on hand.

More Zucchini! (Farmer's Market Squash Saute)

Here's another great zucchini recipe! I've made it twice this week, it's that good! My kids love the cheese in it!

2 zucchini, sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp. fresh parmesan cheese

-Cook zucchini and squash in hot oil in large skillet on medium heat 3 min., stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook an additional 3 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

-Remove from heat; stir in mozzarella cheese and basil.

-Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

-Serves 4-6

Speaking of Zucchini...

I have discovered a new taste sensation and can't believe I've never thought of it before! It's so simple-all you do is slice up some zucchini, toss it in a skillet with butter and garlic salt, and simply add dried dill weed! Add to your liking, but I'm telling you, it's scrumptious! I'm never doing oregano or anything else again in my zucchini! Dill it is!!

Zucchini and yellow squash gratin

2T butter
2 med zucchini sliced
2 med yellow squash sliced
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan
Heat oven to 450. In large skillet, heat butter and add zucchini, yellow squash, shallots and garlic. Sautee over med heat 4-6 mins till crisp-tender. Add cream and cook till thickened, about 5 mins. Remove from heat, add half of Panko and half of parmesan. Stir. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle top with remaining Panko and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Bake8-10 mins. till golden and serve. I like to add more salt and pepper when eating!

Roasted Chicken Thighs With Zucchini & Couscous

I made this the other night, and it was so tasty! I got it from Everyday Food magazine.

8 chicken thighs
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise
1 c couscous
1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped (or less)
2 T red-wine vinegar

-Season chicken with salt & pepper; place skin side down on foil-lined baking sheet; roast at 450 for 10 mins. Then turn chicken skin side up. Scatter zucchini around chicken, and season with more salt and pepper; toss with pan juices. Continue roasting another 10 mins. or more until done.
-Meanwhile, bring 1 1/4 c water to a boil; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in couscous. Cover, let stand until all liquid is absorbed-about 5 mins. Fluff couscous with fork. Stir in parsley, vinegar, roasted zucchini, and 2 T pan juices; season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve chicken with zucchini and couscous.
-Serves 4-6