I have nice fresh zucchini growing in the back yard (ok I planted too much zucchini and am searching for more ways to cook it), so I've been on the hunt for some new finger food options for zucchini as well as dinner options for the whole family. And not just any options, options that I can put on the dinner table quickly and easily.
A batch of the Savoury Mini Muffins by Feeding Olive were the perfect way to help Emma enjoy some home grown veggies. I've tried two varitions of these including a peas and zucchini combo as well as spinach and zucchini. Emma picked out the peas ... one by one. I couldn't help but laugh. She foiled my plans to hide the peas in the muffins. The spinach zucchini ones, however, she gobbles up (as so does our dog Ariel, given the chance).
I also made Zucchini Potato Fritters inspired by ChefInYou. For those with kiddos who have milk and egg alleries, these are a great option for getting them to eat their veggies. While you may think that baking them is a good alternative, I can tell you from experience it doesn't work. These need to be sauted. Most of the veggie bites I make for Emma I can't eat but without milk or gluten, I was able to give these a taste test and they are good!
Both of these are great options to make a big batch and freeze. A quick 30-45 seconds in the microwave to thaw them out and dinner is served (or at least veggies are served giving you time to cook dinner).
I also recently tried my hand at zucchini lasagna, mixing and melding together a few different recipes and adapting them based on my food allergies (milk and gluten). I was so excited when Emma ate multiple fork fulls of zucchini lasanga. Yes, it was also fun to play with and smush, but she ate the zucchini! Major score to fix one meal for the whole family.
I will admit, part of the lasanga recipe resulted from a happy accident. Mark was being very helpful and cooking tacos for dinner one night. He saw 2 lbs of ground turkey in the fridge so he cooked them both for taco night. Little did he know I had one lb meant for tacos and the other lb meant for zucchini lasanga. Now we repeat this happy accident and pair up taco night followed by zucchini lasagna the next night as we found the taco seasoning added some great flavor. One night's dinner, is another night's meal prep.
Zucchini Spinach Cheese Muffins
I cup flour
1/2 T baking powder
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1 egg
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 cup milk
1 cup zucchini, grated
1/2 cup spinach, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease mini-muffin tin with cooking spray. Mix together flour and baking powder. Add in zucchini, spinach, and cheese. Measure olive oil in liquid measuring cup, add egg, and beat well. Add liquids and mix well. Use cookie dough baller to scoop out portions into muffin trays. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool in muffin tins.
Zucchini Potato Fritters
2 cups zucchini, grated
1 cup chopped carrot (I used frozen carrots)
1/2 cup mashed sweet potatoes (I used up some sweet potato baby food still in the freezer)
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 T olive oil
Grate the zucchini using the large hole on the grater. Add 1 tsp salt and set aside for 30 minutes or more. Thaw the carrots and chop in food processor (chop not puree). In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper and set aside. After the zucchini has had a good 30 minutes or more to drain, squeeze the water out (I used paper towels, cheesecloth would have been easier). Mix together the zucchini, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Add the dry ingredient mixture until well combined. Use cookie dough baller to scoop out balls (ping pong sized) and then flatten into patties. Saute in oil on medium high until golden brown on both sides.
Zucchini Lasanga
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup taco seasioning
3/4 cup water
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 T onion powder
2 T fresh, chopped garlic
2-3 zucchini, sliced
shredded dairy cheese (I used the dairy free alternative, daiya brand, mozzarella style)
Saute ground turkey until browned all the way through and drain. Add in taco seasoning and water, cook on medium for 5 minutes. Mix in crushed tomatoes, onion power, and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes. While the meat sauce is simmering, slice zucchini. Use non-stick cooking spray to grease 9x13 baking dish. Place zucchini slices in single layer on bottom of baking dish. Top with thin layer of turkey and tomatoes. Top with thin layer of shredded cheese. Repeat with another layer of zucchini, followed by meat sauce, and cheese. Preheat oven to 350 degreees, bake for 30-45 minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese is nice and melted.