Lemon-Thyme Stuffed Zucchini

Zucchini are available year round, but they are at their best during late spring and summer seasons and are generally ready to be consumed 40-50 days after planting the seeds. If you're purchasing zucchini from your local grocery store or farmers market, look for ones that are small to medium in size and have a shiny, bright green skin and are firm. Avoid zucchini that has pitted skin, a spongy texture or is soft and wrinkled. When ready to use, wash them under cold, running water and lightly scrub the skins to remove any excess dirt. Trim the neck and bases and leave the skin on. 

My family and I love zucchini and one of my favorite ways to prepare it is to stuff and bake them. You can use just about any vegetable combination inside that you like, but we really liked this version with the fresh, light taste from the lemon and thyme. 

Lemon-Thyme Stuffed Zucchini

Prep Time:  15 minutes                        Yield: 8

Cook Time:  15 minutes                         Serving: 1

Total Time:  30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Zucchini, rinsed
• 2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 1 Scallion, chopped
• 1/2 c. Mushrooms, diced
• 1/2 Lemon, zest and juice
• 1 tsp. Fresh Thyme, removed from stem
• 3 tbsp. Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. Pecorino Romano Cheese
• 2 tbsp. White Wine (I used a Chardonnay, but you could also use chicken or vegetable broth)

Directions

1. Trim the top off of the zucchini, cut it in half; then cut it again in half horizontally forming 4 halves per zucchini (total of 8). 
2. Scoop out the middle flesh of the zucchini; then dice. Place the zucchini shells in an oven safe dish.
3. Heat oil in a nonstick saute pan; then add the chopped zucchini, garlic and mushrooms. Saute until the vegetables start to soften. 
4. Add the lemon zest and juice, thyme, breadcrumbs, cheese and wine; mix well. 
5. Stuff the mixture into the 8 zucchini shells, spray with cooking spray then bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and the shells have slightly softened. Makes 8 shells.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 27, Carbs 3.4g, Fat 1.2g, Protein 1.1g, Fiber .8g, Sugar 1.2g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 

Enjoy!

Shared on Thursday's Treasures 5/30/13

Lemon-Thyme Brined Grilled Chicken

Grilling season has officially arrived here in NJ (well at least at my house...I don't like to use the outside grill unless it's above 60 degrees!) and I couldn't wait to try out some new grilled chicken recipes. The first one I experimented with was a basic brine marinade like I've used in the past on pork, and came up with this Lemon-Thyme Brined Grilled Chicken. 

Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon

I don't particularly like cabbage, so when I made my Corned Beef for St. Patrick's Day, I didn't want to add it to the pot while I was simmering the meat. Instead, I experimented with this version and it got a "Delicious!" from my guests that like cabbage. It certainly smelled good and was quick to make as well! 

Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon
1 Head Cabbage, cored and rinsed
4 Slices Reduced Fat Bacon, chopped
1 tbsp. Butter
1 tsp. Fresh Thyme
1/4 c. White Wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1/4 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Cut the cabbage into six wedges and steam it in a double boiler for approximately 10 minutes so it starts to soften. While the cabbage is cooking, add the bacon to a saute pan and render until it is crispy, then drain the grease and return the bacon to the pan. Next, add the cabbage to the pan along with the thyme, wine, chicken broth and pepper and saute for approximately 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has dissipated. Serves 4. 


Points+=2pts. 


Enjoy!

Thyme & Butter Roasted Carrots

I recently received the newest copy of Cooking Light magazine and in it, they had a recipe for Roasted Carrots. Their recipe included butter and olive oil but I wanted to add some fresh herbs to mine, hence the thyme. I also omitted the olive oil as I thought the butter would be enough and it was. These carrots were extremely tasty and I've said it before, there's nothing like roasting your vegetables! The only key is to make sure you don't peel the carrots while the kids are nearby. I had to pry them away from their little hands as they were imitating Bugs Bunny running around the house with them yelling "What's up Doc?!" Yup, never dull around here. :)

Thyme & Butter Roasted Carrots
Adapted from Cooking Light
2 lb. Carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1/4"
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
2 tbsp. Butter, melted
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper


Steam carrots over a double boiler until they start to soften; approximately 10 minutes. Next, add them to a bowl and add in the thyme, butter, salt and pepper. Coat well then place on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Serves 6. 


Points+=2pts. 


Enjoy! 

Champagne & Thyme Roasted Cauliflower

I have been filling out a questionairre for the publisher for my upcoming cookbook this week and I'm having a bit of difficulty locking in on a working title for my book. If you could please take a moment to answer the poll to the left, I'd greatly appreciate it~Thank you!

And now for the recipe...
Take one guess what I made this with? You guessed it! the Champagne Chicken with Baby Portobello Mushrooms. And...I think the champagne is all gone now too. :) These were so good even my picky eater tried them this time and she loved them!

Champagne & Thyme Roasted Cauliflower
1 Large Head Cauliflower, cut down to florets (about 6 cups chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
1 Lemon, zest and juice
1/4 c. Sweet Champagne (like Asti)
3-4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, enough to coat without burning
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Add all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Place in an oven safe baking dish and bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour; turning several times throughout. Serves 6. 

Points+=3pts


Powered by eRecipe.com

Enjoy!

Pin It

Champagne Chicken with Baby Portobello Mushrooms

Last night I was craving Chicken Marsala for dinner and I had purchased some baby portobello mushrooms last week that I needed to use. When I went to get the Marsala wine, I realized I must have used the last of it so I improvised and used some champagne I still had left. The chicken was delicious and tender and the portobello mushrooms and sweet champagne gave it a wonderful flavor. The sauce even went perfectly over the brown rice I had made to go with it. 

Champagne Chicken with Baby Portobello Mushrooms
3 Large Boneless Chicken Breasts
1-10oz. Package Baby Portobello Mushrooms, halved
1 Scallion, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme

1 Cup + 2 Tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

2 tbsp. Butter

1/4 c. Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 c. Sweet Champagne (like Asti)

1 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Rinse your chicken and trim any visible fat. Then slice the chicken horizontally into 1/4" thick pieces (approx. 7-9 pieces) and pound with a meat mallet until pieces are uniform in thickness. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of the flour and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Heat oil and 1 tbsp. of butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add flour-coated chicken and cook 2-3 minutes per side until they become lightly browned.  Place cooked chicken directly in an oven safe baking dish and repeat until all of the chicken is cooked through. Drain the grease from your pan but do not wipe clean (leaving the bits in the bottom). Add the remaining 1 tbsp. butter along with the mushrooms, scallions, thyme and garlic. Sauté until the mushrooms have softened and add the remaining 2 tbsp. flour; mix well. Next, deglaze the pan with your champagne and chicken broth and stir until the sauce becomes slightly thickened. Pour mixture over the cooked chicken and bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. Serves 6.

Points+=10pts

Powered by eRecipe.com
Enjoy!

Pin It

Shared on The Newlyweds Blog 1/25/12
Shared on Baking Bad 1/27/12

Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille

I love Ratatouille and I don't mean the movie, though for a rat he was a pretty darn good chef! Ratatouille is a traditional French stewed vegetable dish that originated in Nice (pronounced Niece). It is usually served as a side dish but you can also mix it with pasta or rice. Ratatouille usually consists of tomatoes, garlic, onions, zucchini, eggplant, peppers with a variety of spices like marjoram, basil, and thyme to name a few, but it really is personal preference. Since I don't particularly care for peppers and onions, I left those out of my recipe, but you can certainly add them back in. A common way to make this dish is to simply cut up the vegetables and saute them all together in a large pan until the vegetables soften in their own juices; which I've done numerous times before and it is delicious. But, there is something to be said for roasting your vegetables. They take on such a different flavor giving the vegetables a caramelized color as well. This is also great dish to eat while dieting, as it is low in fat and calories but high in nutrients. 

Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille
1 Small Eggplant, cubed
1 Large Zucchini, cubed
8 Large White Mushrooms, quartered 
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Roma Tomatoes, large chop
1 tsp. Fresh Thyme
1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/4 c. Champagne (or white wine)
1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Wash skins of eggplant and zucchini, remove ends and cube into bite sized pieces. In a large bowl, add all ingredients and mix until well combined. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, turning halfway. Serves 4. 

Points+=5pts

Enjoy!

Linked this to Fit and Fabulous Fridays and Baking Bad Foodie Friday 1/14/12

Fennel & Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

I decided for dinner one night that I was going to make some pork chops but wasn't quite  sure what I was going to do with them. I had some leftover homemade whole wheat pita chips from NYE and decided that I'd make a stuffing. I sauteed the fennel with some apples, garlic and thyme then threw in some Asiago cheese last minute too. I decided that since I was using bread as a stuffing, I didn't want to bread these so I just used some of our leftover champagne to help baste the pork while it was cooking. These were fantastic and there was even enough stuffing after filling the pork chops so that I could use it as a side dish also. 

Fennel & Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

4- 6oz. Center Cut Boneless Pork Chops

1 c. Fennel & Apple Whole Wheat Stuffing
1 c. Champagne (You can also use wine, chicken broth or water)
Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

Trim any fat from your chop then make a pocket by slicing the meat horizontally, but not all of the way through. Stuff each chop with 1/4c. stuffing and place in an oven safe baking dish. Add the champagne (or other liquid) to the bottom of the pan to avoid sticking and to help baste the pork chops while cooking. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake at 425 degrees for approximately 20-30 minutes or until desired temperature is reached (depends on the thickness or your pork chops). Serves 4. 

Points+=10 pts

Fennel & Apple Whole Wheat Stuffing

4 Small Whole Wheat Pitas

1/2 Fennel, white part only, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic

2 Apples, peeled, cored and small dice (I used Paula Red)

1 tsp. Fresh Thyme

1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

1/2 c. Shredded Asiago Cheese

Kosher Salt, to taste

Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Add the pita to your food processor or chop in fine pieces and add them to a bowl. In a large frying pan, heat oil and add your fennel, apples and thyme. Saute until the fennel and apples start to turn translucent, then add to your pita crumbs. Add in the chicken broth and the cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add any remaining stuffing to an oven safe dish and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes approx. 3 cups. 

Points+=3pts per 1/2 cup serving

Enjoy!

Just linked this recipe to Baking Bad Foodie Friday

Beef Stew

First, I want to wish my daughter Rachael a Happy 15th Birthday! And where does she get to spend her special day? At school then at a cheer dinner for her sister and other girls she coaches. Each year, the kids usually plan their own dinner menu and I make whatever it is they want. She wants me to make Country Chicken (I'll upload a better picture after Thursday!) with some rice, a salad and an ice cream cake.  So due to this cheer dinner (and the fact that my husband is MIA on a business trip until later tonight),  we're going to have to move it out one day but wanted her to know how special she is and how much she is loved every day. xo


And now for today's recipe...Do you have a certain meal you only make every now and then or only on special occasions? Well, the only time I seem to make Beef Stew is the day after Thanksgiving. Early on in my marriage, we lived in a townhouse and we decided to splurge and buy an artificial Christmas tree. Mainly because the first year we were there, we were cleaning up pine needles well into the middle of February due to the heating vents. Anyway, since we didn't have to worry about our tree drying out, we started to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving and I decided to make a beef stew for dinner. This way, we could spend the hours it took to put up all of the decorations and when we were done, dinner would be all ready for us. Maybe it's because after so much poultry, I just craved beef. I don't really know but I guess it took about 3 years of doing this to realize that it had become a habit or tradition. So, here we are, 16 years later and I once again, made this stew the day after Thanksgiving. And, since we're waiting a week to put up the decorations, I think I make it to have something else other than poultry! This meal takes about 20 minutes to prepare, then just let it cook and do it's thing. I serve it over egg noodles but you could also use rice if you prefer that instead. 

Beef Stew
3 1/2 lb. Beef Bottom Round Roast (or Beef Cubes)
1/4 c. All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp. Canola Oil
2 c. Carrots, chopped
1/2 c. Spanish Onion, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
3 Stalks Celery, chopped
1/2 c.  Chianti Wine
1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 Sprig Fresh Thyme
3 1/2 c. Low-Sodium Beef Broth
4 Medium Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Cut the beef into 1" cubes, then coat with flour. Add oil to a Dutch oven or large pot and add beef. Brown meat on all sides, remove then set aside. In the same pot, add the carrots, onion, garlic, celery and rosemary and saute for approximately  5 minutes. Add the wine and scrape the bits from bottom of the pot, then add in the beef broth. Next, add the beef. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 20-25 minutes. Add in the potatoes and let simmer for another hour. Season with salt and pepper and serve over egg noodles or rice. Serves 10. 


Points+=9 (not including the egg noodles or rice)


Also, if you haven't noticed, I added a poll to the page this week. I'm curious to know what time of day most of you actually read blog posts or go online for that matter. So if  you wouldn't mind, cast your vote so that I can plan my posts so that it is more convenient for all of you~Thank you! <3


Enjoy!

Vanilla Fig Balsamic Marinated London Broil

Many people use their outdoor grill year-round, but unfortunately for us here in the northeast, it just gets too cold. Usually by mid-December my deck has at least a foot of snow on it, which is where we keep our grill. So a few weeks ago I decided to make one last london broil on a nice day to use up what gas I had left in the tank. I was also trying to clean out my pantry and came across some of that Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar I had purchased a few months back. This vinegar was great and I did use it in quite a few recipes so I decided to finish up the bottle with this marinade. The combination with the thyme and wine made this a tasty marinade and the meat was extremely tender. 

Vanilla Fig Balsamic Marinated London Broil
1 1/2-2 lb. Top Round London Broil
Marinade
1/4 c. Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar (you can use regular if you don't have this type)
1/4 c. Pinot Grigio (or any other white wine)
1/2 c. Canola Oil
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until well blended. Add the beef to a large, resealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, then grill until desired doneness. Serves 6. 


Points+=1 per oz. of beef + add 3 points for the marinade (marinade assumes it would be enough for 10 servings)


Enjoy!

Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing

Now that Halloween is over, it's time to start thinking about stuffing. And this one is really good anytime of the year. And since I had a few small links left after making the risotto last week, I didn't want them to go to waste. Waste not want not right?! This is a real easy recipe to make and gives you a little variety from the everyday normal bread stuffing. The chorizo I used wasn't too spicy but if you like the added heat, you can usually find one with more spices in it. 

Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
4 c. Cornbread Stuffing Mix (I used Arnolds®)
3 oz. Chorizo, skin removed and diced
1 tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 tbsp. Red Onion, minced
1 Stalk Celery, small dice
1 3/4 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, removed from stem
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt 
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


In a small saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil then remove from heat. In a separate frying pan, add the oil, chorizo, garlic, onion, celery, and thyme. Saute for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, add the stuffing mix, chorizo mixture, heated chicken broth, salt and pepper and mix well. Transfer to an oven safe baking dish and bake at 350°F for approximately 25 minutes or until a light brown crust is formed. Serves 6. 


Enjoy!

Chicken in a Lemon Thyme Sauce with Lemon & Thyme Roasted Broccoli

I was in the mood for lemons the other night, so our dinner consisted of a lemon theme. It was also a night where it was my turn to pick up my daughter and her friend from practice and I started to get what I could prepared ahead of time so that we didn't eat dinner too late. I prepared the sauce for the chicken, which worked out well so that it had some time to cool off before I added it to the uncooked chicken. Then I had a brain lapse and put the broccoli in the oven, with it on, and ran out to go get my daughter. I got about 2 miles down the road when I realized what I did and had to turn around and come back home to turn off the oven. Now it wouldn't be a problem if she was close by, but it's about a 45 minute round trip venture by the time they actually get out of practice (they're never on time) and I do my drop offs. Anyway, crisis averted but I'm not sure exactly the amount of time it took to actually cook the broccoli so I guestimated below but you can tell when it's done by sticking a fork in it. It should be tender but not mushy.

Chicken in a Lemon Thyme Sauce
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1/2 c. Dry White Wine (I used Chardonnay)
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, removed from stem
Zest from 1/2 Lemon
2 tbsp. Butter
1 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
1/2 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth


In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the thyme and lemon zest. Add in the flour, forming a roux then deglaze the pan with the wine until it starts to thicken. Add in the chicken broth and let simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Add the chicken to an oven safe baking dish, pour the sauce over the chicken and bake at 350°F for approximately 40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165° (total cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken). Serves 4. 


If you're not sure how to clean broccoli, I found this video explaining how to do so here. (There's a video for everything now! lol)

Lemon & Thyme Roasted Broccoli
2 Small Heads Fresh Broccoli (or 1 large)
Zest and Juice from 1/2 Lemon
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, removed from stem
1/4 c. Canola Oil
2 tbsp. Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
1/4 c. Italian Flavored Breadcrumbs


Clean broccoli and add to a bowl. Next, add the lemon zest and juice, garlic, thyme, oil and grated cheese. Mix well and add it to the broccoli until it is well combined. Put the broccoli mixture into an oven safe baking dish and sprinkle with some breadcrumbs (you can leave this part off if you don't want it but it was the only way my young one would eat it). Bake at 350°F for approximately 20 minutes, until the broccoli is fork tender. Serves 4. 


Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs in a Lemon Thyme Wine Sauce

I posted a while ago that I had received a Dutch oven as a gift from my Mom a while back but hadn't used it that often. So this past weekend, I decided to take it out of hibernation and try to make something else in it. We were having my husband's parents over for dinner so that we could watch a video I had put together for them of our trip to Europe last month and didn't want to be slaving away all day in a separate room. I really like cooking in the Dutch oven and I'm surprised I hadn't wanted one earlier; though with my hectic schedule before, I was lucky enough to even get any food on the table! I'm sure you could also make this in a slow cooker (which might be nice to try with the upcoming cooler weather). I also don't know why, but I can't stop cooking with lemons lately. Maybe it's the summer and they're just so light and refreshing... and they certainly didn't disappoint in this dish! The chicken was EXTREMELY tender and was practically falling off the bone. I happened to throw in the lemon peel after extracting the juice but if you're not a huge fan of lemon, it might be a little too much for you. 

Chicken Thighs in a Lemon Thyme Wine Sauce
12 Chicken Thighs, skin removed
2 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Cup White Wine
1 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 Cup Scallions, chopped
1-10oz. Package White Button Mushrooms, washed and quartered
1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme
1 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley
1 Lemon, juice and zest
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp. Butter


In a large saute pan, heat the oil. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to brown on each side for approximately 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a Dutch oven. In the same pan, melt the butter and add the mushrooms, scallions, thyme, parsley, lemon zest and juice. Saute until the mushrooms start to get slightly softened. Add the wine and chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes. Add the liquid mixture on top of the chicken. Cover and bake at 300°F for 2 hours. Serves 6. 

And...speaking of lemons! I thought I'd share a picture with you. This is my youngest daughter, Gabrielle, holding an actual lemon from a cart in Sorrento, Italy. YES, it was that large and you can't really appreciate its massive size until you actually see it up against a person. No wonder why this region makes the best Limoncello!


Enjoy!