Zucchini Garden Chowder

This is delicious. It is an approved vegetarian meal by my meat loving husband!  

From Simply In Season

2 T. butter or margarine
Melt in soup pot over medium heat.

2 medium zucchini (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 T. fresh parsley (chopped)
1 T. fresh basil (chopped; or 1 t. dried)
Add and saute until tender.

1/3 c. flour
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 c. water
Stir flour and seasonings into vegetables. Gradually stir in water to make a smooth stock.

3 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes
1 t. lemon juice.
Add and mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

2 c. tomatoes (chopped)
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 c. corn 
Add and return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes until corn is tender.

2 c. cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (grated)
Just before serving add and stir until melted. 

Homemade Hummus

Got this recipe from Rachael Ray.

1 can chickpeas, drained, but reserve the liquid
2 T. tahini (found in specialty food aisle)
Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander (I often replace this with paprika because I never seem to have coriander)
1 clove  garlic, crushed
coarse salt
1/2 lemon, juiced

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add more of the reserved liquid from the chickpeas to help create the right consistency if necessary.

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans
1 bell pepper
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 eggs
2 T. chili powder
2 T. cumin
2 t. hot sauce
1 c. bread crumbs

Drain the beans well and pat dry with a paper towel. Mash the beans in a large bowl.
In a food processor, finely dice the pepper, onion and garlic. Add this to the bean mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix eggs, chili powder, cumin, and hot sauce. Add to the bean mixture.
Add the bread crumbs and mix well.
Form into 8 patties.
Spray a cookie sheet with Pam, and bake at 375 for 10 min. per side. When they are finished cooking, switch to the broiler and broil for a few minutes per side to make the outside crunchy.

Falafel

I had never tried falafel before, nor did I have much of an idea of what to expect. We all liked them, though, and I would make them again. They were relatively easy to make. I halved the recipe because the of the size of our food processor, and it was plenty for the four of us. We served them in pitas with lettuce and some of the yogurt sauce.

Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas
2 t. cumin
1 t. tumeric
1 t. salt
1/2 minced onion
1/4 c. fresh parsley (I just added some dried because that's what we had)
1/4 c. water
1 T. lemon juice
a dash of cayenne
1/3 c. flour.
3 T. oil

1. Drain and rinse chickpeas
2. Combine the chickpeas with the next 8 ingredients (through cayenne) in a food processor. Process until a paste, similar in texture to hummus.
3. Add the flour and mix until combined.
4. Heat a large skillet. Add the oil. Drop spoonfuls of mix into pan and slightly flatten like a pancake. Cook 10 min. per side.

Makes 24 (4 - 6 servings)

Bean and Rice Burritos

Even my picky boys eat these. They are filling, and you won't miss the meat.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. instant brown rice
1/2 onion, diced
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. olive oil
1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1/8 t. red pepper flakes
1 can black beans
taco toppings

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil.

Add 1 1/2 c. instant brown rice and return to a boil.
Reduce heat; Cover and simmer for 5 min.
Remove from heat and let sit for 5 min.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute 1/2 of an onion (diced) and 1 tsp. minced garlic in 1 T. olive oil for 3 - 4 min. until tender.
Stir in 1 T. chili powder, 1 t. cumin, and 1/8 t. red pepper flakes.
Add 1 can of black beans (undrained) and the cooked rice.
Stir and cook for 4 - 6 minutes until heated through.

Fill a tortilla with 1/2 c. of the rice/bean mix. Top with normal taco toppings: salsa, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, guacamole etc.

Meatloaf

This one has a yummy sweet ketchup sauce on top. Delicious!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 lb. ground sausage
1 cup milk
1 medium onion
2 pieces of bread
2 eggs
3/4 tsp sage
1 tsp salt

Sauce:
1/4 c. ketchup
3 T. brown sugar
1 t. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1. Mix ground beef and sausage together.
2. Break up the bread in the milk and add the mixture to the meat.
3. Mix the remaining ingredients and add to the meat mixture.
4. Pat it into a loaf pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 50 min.
6. Mix sauce ingredients. Remove pan from oven. Spread sauce on top of meatloaf. Cook an additional 10 min.

Crockpot Shredded BBQ

*Again, super easy and great for last minute. Uses frozen chicken, so no need to remember to defrost the chicken ahead of time.

Place 1- 2 pounds of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast in crockpot. Cover with barbecue sauce (if it is a thicker sauce, add a little bit of water). Cook 4 - 6 hours on low until chicken is cooked through. Shred and serve on buns with coleslaw.