Baked Zucchini Chips

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Homemade Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• heaping 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese (if using) and black pepper.
3. In separate bowl add flour, milk and vinegar.  Gently stir until combined but do not over stir but be sure it is all combined well.
4. Dip zucchini slices in flour mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
5. Place coated zucchini slices on a baking sheet (I line mine with non stick foil for easy clean up!) and bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices over once halfway through cooking, or until browned and crisp.

Stuffed Shells with sausage and spinach-easy!

Ingredients

• 16-18 jumbo pasta shells
• 1 pound fresh Italian sausage (can buy links and remove casing but I just bought the bulk 1lb package)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with the juice
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeeze dry (or a few good handfuls of fresh spinach rough chopped)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• Italian Seasoning

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook according to package directions. Drain well then add to ice water until ready to stuff.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork sausage then use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage-like cooking ground beef, cook 5-6 minutes until browned.
3. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds then add tomatoes and spinach-I used fresh....easier but if you use frozen make sure the thawed frozen spinach has been squeezed dry-want the spinach not the water; cook 1 minute or until leaves are wilted down.  Add pepper and Italian seasoning to taste. Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese.
4. Using a spoon, fill pasta shells with pork filling and arrange in a baking dish (9-inch x 9-inch baking dish works well). Sprinkle tops with shredded cheese then bake in the oven 25-30 minutes until cheese has melted and tips of shells begin to crisp and brown.
5. Wonderful!
   

Grilled chicken tzatziki- this was very GOOD and easy!

This looks like a lot but it was actually very simple and can prepped in the morning or night before!  I made a deconstructed sandwich for Ev and he LOVED dipping his chicken in the greek yogurt.


Ingredients

• pitas
• Extra greek plain yogurt for garnish

For chicken marinade:

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp honey

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice + 1 lemon zested

• 2 tsp hot sauce (1 used just 1tsp b/c of Evan)

• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

• Pinch salt

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For cucumber relish:

• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

• Pinch salt

• 1 cup seeded, finely diced tomato

• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion

• 6 tbsp coarsely chopped and pitted black olives

• 4 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh parsley

• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 4 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
1 To prepare chicken marinade, whisk all ingredients except chicken breasts together in a bowl. Combine marinade with chicken breasts in a large zip-lock bag, seal and gently shake to evenly distribute marinade over chicken. Place in refrigerator and chill for 2 to 4 hours.

2 Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber relish. Lay cucumber slices in a sieve placed over a bowl and sprinkle with pinch of salt. Leave for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until cucumbers soften and their liquid begins to drain into the bowl. Stir occasionally.

3 Combine the tomato, onion, olives, parsley, dill, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Stir in drained cucumbers, then cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

4 Grease grill and preheat to medium-high. Remove chicken from zip-lock bag and discard marinade. Grill chicken breasts until cooked through, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove chicken from grill, let rest for a few minutes and slice thinly on the diagonal. Lay chicken slices on top of each pita round and divide relish evenly among them. Garnish with a little extra yogurt and serve.