Parmesan Zucchini Patties

It could be this summertime weather we're having...it could be that the Tastefully Simple incentive trip to Cancun I earned is in 3 weeks...but I've been in the mood lately to try some new 'healthy' meals.  I'm a sucker for trying recipes which include pictures that look appealing to the eye - thus my addiction to Pinterest!

I will say though, I have found several good recipes there.  I generally adapt them to items I have in the house - which of course include several Tastefully Simple products.  And really...why waste time peeling and mincing garlic when I can just grab a bottle of Garlic Garlic?  While I love trying new recipes, I am still a busy mom (it IS soccer season now) and the family doesn't care if it's made from scratch.  If it's made in my home then it is 'Homemade' in my book!

While shredding the zucchini for this recipe, I got a craving for my Mom's Zucchini Bread - so today you get a bonus recipe.  I recommend grabbing an extra zucchini from the store and shredding enough to make both of these.  While I got the typical 'what is that' comment from all the boys as I was making the Zucchini Patties, they were gobbled up quickly and I was told "These Zucchini Balls are pretty good."  To which I corrected them and they were zucchini PATTIES not balls.  Given I live with 4 males...you can just imagine how the conversation took a downturn from there and giggles ensued.... Boys...what can you do except shake your head and laugh along with them :)

Parmesan Zucchini Patties (adapted from recipe in Shape magazine)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Roasted Garlic Infused Oil

1 large zucchini, grated

1 large egg

1 c. panko bread crumbs (you can find these in most grocery stores now - and I think they are worth buying for this recipe)

1 tsp Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing.  Heat a large skillet on medium, and add Roasted Garlic Infused Oil.  In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly.  Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-in. (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown. Finish the cakes off in the oven. Stick them on a baking pan and broil them for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot, alone or with ranch dressing.

NOTE:  I did stick the patties in the oven under the broiler for a couple minutes, but I don't think you really need to do this.  Mine were cooked nice and crispy before then.  We are ours plain.

Mom's Zucchini Bread

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup cooking oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups sifted flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.  Beat eggs, oil, sugar, zucchini, vanilla - cream together.  Sift other ingredients and add to creamed mixture.  Bake one hour.

Easy Clean Up Dinner

Time to break out some fabulous GRILL recipes?  Heck ya!  Weather this week is GORGEOUS!

Here's a brand new recipe off the Tastefully Simple website using a couple of our spring products.  I must say...I think they could have picked a better name for the recipe :)  However, it's still worthy of praise.  We had this for dinner last night.

Note:  Next time I make it I will double the recipe.  Didn't quite fill up this family of growing boys, but it's always a good sign when they're asking for more!  Makes about 4 'normal' portions.  A portion what you see pictured below on each foil sheet.

Prep before the grill...

 finished product!

Easy Clean-up Dinner
Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients
1 lb. kielbasa sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion, sliced into wedges
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
4 small potatoes, cubed
2 Tbsp. olive oil or Roasted Garlic Infused Oil
1 Tbsp. Honey BBQ Seasoning & Rub
Burger & Brat Mustard

Directions
Combine all ingredients except mustard in a large bowl; toss to combine flavors. Divide the mixture evenly among 4 large sheets of aluminum foil. Top each with another sheet of foil, and roll up the edges tightly to seal. Grill over medium-high heat until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Open foil packs carefully; drizzle sausage and vegetables with Burger & Brat Mustard to taste. Makes 4 servings. 

Beautiful Brunch Egg Bake

Came across some wonderful fresh vegetable produce at the store this week, so was looking for a recipe to incorporate all the spring colors.  Yes, it might sound strange, but I love it when my food is bright and colorful.  It's simply so much more visually appealing.  Now...I do get the occasional "What's this stuff" from my kids.  However, I've come to the conclusion after 12 years of being a Mom and household cook that I'm going to cook meals the way I like and they can either pick things out or adapt! :)  Okay...okay...maybe that sounded harsh.  I do cater to them at times. For the most part though, I've learned that if you put new types of food in front of them - eventually they're going to try it.  Just recently (after years of not using mushrooms), my boys decided they actually really like them now!  Score one for the fungus :)  I credit Tastefully Simple's Portobello Mushroom Dip for that one.

This recipe I 'Tastefully Simplified' from an Allrecipes.com post.  It called for basil, parsley, pepper, garlic, etc.  Since these all all seasonings within our Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto, I found it a fantastic alternative!  This is a terrific egg bake base, so you can play around with whatever veggies/meats/cheeses you enjoy.

Beautiful Brunch Egg Bake

• 3 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of colby jack and cheddar)
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (could easily substitute canned)
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions (could use Onion Onion instead)
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1/2 cup asparagus, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 cups diced fully cooked ham
• 8 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto
• 1 tsp Seasoned Salt

Combine cheeses; place in an ungreased 8-in. x 11-in. baking dish and set aside. In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, onions and red pepper in butter and Sesoned Salt until tender; drain. Place over cheese; top with ham. In a bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, flour and Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto; mix well. Slowly pour over the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!  Contact me if you need to restock your Tastefully Simple products - or order online at www.tastefullysimple.com/web/kkeninger 

Italian Garlic Linguine Shrimp

I LOVE testing out our new Tastefully Simple products when we go through a season change!  Last night I tried out our BRAND NEW '29 Minute Citrus Marinate'.  Imagine an Italian dressing blended with wonderful citrus flavors!  This is definitely one you're going to want to have on hand - especially when you fire up that grill.  However, as last night's dinner proved, works just as good to saute in the pan.

This recipe was inspired by my love of buttered noodles from Noodles & Co.  Sometimes we over think what it takes to make a good meal.  The below recipe shows you really can make a great HOMEMADE meal in the same time it takes to sit in a fast food line.

Italian Garlic Linguine Shrimp
Ingredients
2 lbs. uncooked, tail off shrimp (I get frozen and defrost in fridge over night or rinse under cold water for 5 min.)
1/2 bottle Tastefully Simple 29-minute Citrus Marinade  (Available as of March 1st!)
Linguine pasta (I used 1/2 box)
1-2 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning
1 Tbsp butter

Place thawed shrimp in gallon size ziploc bag, add marinade and place in refrigerator.  (I had to prep mine ahead of time, so it actually marinated for about an hour.  With seafood you don't even really need the 29 minutes as the citrus will actually start to cook the seafood.  However, mine was fine after being in the fridge for an hour.)

Cook pasta while you saute shrimp on stovetop.  Rinse pasta, add in 1 Tbsp butter to noodles.  Add in Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning.  Add in cooked shrimp.  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Muffin Melts & Apple Pie Bites

My kids requested Cinnamon Muffin Melts as a Valentine's Day breakfast today.  Many of you know that I'm not one of those Mom's who 'makes' breakfast in the mornings.  (Well, that is unless you count putting frozen waffles in a toaster or boiling water for instant oatmeal.)  However, since it's a special day AND they only take 9 minutes to make...I obliged :)  After all...how can you resist this act of happiness?

I don't follow the exact directions for the preparation of Cinnamon Muffin Melts, so thought I would post how I make them here.  I find that if you use as much butter as indicated, they're a bit too crumbly.

Ingredients:
1 box Tastefully Simple Cinnamon Muffin Melts
1 cup water
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Add Cinnamon Muffin Melt mix with water.  Lightly grease mini muffin pan.  (You can also make 12 regular size muffins, but we prefer the bite-size version.)  Use a small cookie scoop to fill the muffin tin's 1/2 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 9 minutes.  Cool for 2-3 minutes.  Place one pan of mini muffins in gallon size ziploc bag.  Melt 1 Tbsp of butter and drizzle over muffins.  Seal ziploc and roll muffins in butter.  Once coated, pour 1/4 of the cinnamon sugar packet into the ziploc.  Seal and roll muffins again.  Repeat process for 2nd batch.

NOTE:  You will only use 1/2 the cinnamon sugar packet with this preparation method.  Use the other 1/2 of the package to make the Apple Pie Bites recipe.

Apple Pie Bites
1 pkg (15 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (the kind in tubes you roll out)
2-3 Tbsp butter
2 apples, I used Granny Smith
Cinnamon Sugar
Parchment paper
(I recommend serving w/ Breyer's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!)

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Thaw the pie crusts.  Core apples and cut each one into 8 pieces (you can leave skin on or peel).  Unroll one pie crust and brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Cut pie crust into 8 strips.  Roll each strip around one slice of apple and place on parchment paper.  Once you've wrapped all the apple slices, brush tops with remaining butter and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or pastry is golden brown.

Many of you have probably viewed this recipe on Pinterest - it's originally a Taste of Home recipe as well.  FANTASTIC use of your leftover cinnamon sugar!  The only down side was that while I was taking this picture shown above - ALL the rest of them were devoured!

Shredded Chicken Taco's Ole!

Today was one of those days when I try a new recipe and think...how is it possible I've been selling Tastefully Simple for over 9 years and never tried this?  Not only were these taco's FABULOUS, but there was NO work involved other than placing everything in the slow cooker and turning it on!  (And the kids didn't even try to pick out the black beans or tomatoes)

Shredded Chicken Taco's Ole!
Ingredients
3-4 chicken breasts
1 jar Tastefully Simple Corn, Black Bean Salsa
1 large spoonful sour cream
soft tortilla shells
avocado, lettuce, cheese, etc.

Directions
Place chicken breasts in slow cooker and pour entire jar of Corn, Black Bean Salsa over top.  Turn slow cooker on low for 6 hours.  Just before serving, shred chicken with fork and stir in a large spoonful of sour cream.  Add your favorite toppings.  DELISH!

Cranberry Apple Wild Rice Casserole

Last November I posted my favorite stuffing recipe using Tastefully Simple's Creamy Wild Rice Soup.  This recipe is a casserole using similar ingredients.  Now, you may be thinking...cranberries, apples and wild rice?  Believe me...they work wonderfully together!

Cranberry Apple Wild Rice Casserole
 
Ingredients
Tastefully Simple Creamy Wild Rice Soup Mix
5 cups hot water
14 oz. seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 large unpeeled, chopped Granny Smith apple
2 cups cooked, cubed turkey or chicken
3 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Prepare soup as directed on package with water; cook 30 minutes. Place breadcrumbs into bowl, add cranberries, apple and meat. Lightly beat eggs; pour over dry mixture. Mix well. Pour soup over stuffing mixture. Mix thoroughly and place in a large greased baking dish; season to taste. Bake, covered, at 350° for 1 hour. Remove cover for last 15 minutes. Makes 4-5 servings.

I have Creamy Wild Rice Soup in stock should you need to purchase some - or as always you can order directly from my website www.tastefullysimple.com/web/kkeninger.