When I bought several pounds of zucchini and summer squash at a farmstand last week, I thought I would be eating them up pretty quickly. Alas, the well-intentions of a soon-to-be-RD did not line up with my recent cravings for fresh fruit and leafy greens – the zucchini lay abandoned for a week and more. They started to feel a little … sad.
That's my zucchini on the right.
What’s the best way to show your zucchini a little love? Cook it!
I followed this recipe for zucchini pancakes, cutting out the frying oil (I cooked them on a nonstick pan instead):
Drizzled with a little VT maple syrup, these fluffy pancakes were the perfect change from my usual oatmeal-laden breakfast, along with ….
Breakfast salad à la Aletheia! This salad is no where near as creative as Aletheia’s masterful mixes, but it was pretty darn tasty. I think I ate plenty of veges today :)
I still had a couple of zucchini lying around after making the zucchini pancakes, so I decided to make a little something Peter begged pleaded promised me free raspberries asked me to make: zucchini bread. I followed this recipe, substituting white whole wheat flour for the all purpose and cutting the oil and sugar in half (surprise, Peter!).
I’m only showing you half the bread because the other half crumbled away faster than a cookie in Cookie Monster’s mouth.
A smear of PB on a slice of zucchini bread makes a veggieriffic snack with whole grains and healthy fats. I think I covered all my nutritional bases with that one.
Lastly … I don’t usually accept unsolicited guest post requests, but I enjoyed the recipe in this one (thanks, Sonya!). As you all know, I love PB, so this protein-packed snack is right up my alley (and will keep you full for a long time!).
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Peanut Butter & Jelly Protein Cakes
Pancakes have been my number one favorite food for as long as I can remember with peanut butter coming in close second. In my late 20’s I decided it was time to start eating healthier though and this would include altering my favorite at-least-once-a-week food. This absolutely delicious and filling dish was inspired by the low glycemic index diet and emphasis on protein with every meal touted by successful weight-loss campaigns like Nutrisystem. Here’s what I came up with:
· 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
· 1/2 tsp. baking powder
· Dash salt
· 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (egg whites work too)
· 1 tbsp. light vanilla soymilk (or skim milk)
· 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
· 1 tablespoon jelly
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add egg substitute, soymilk, and 2 tbsp. water. Mix thoroughly.
*Note: You can also mix the peanut butter to the batter mix and top with jelly. I just prefer the PB on the outside.
Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add half the batter. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, until pancake begins to bubble and is solid enough to flip. Flip and cook for an another 1 – 2 minutes, until both sides are lightly browned and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter. Top both pancakes with peanut butter and jelly and enjoy!
About the Author:
S. Sparks is a writer for small businesses and online stores with an emphasis on health and beauty. Some of her most recent work includes articles at BeautyBrief.com and TVTopTen’s Nutrisystem Review.
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Add a side of fruit (or a breakfast salad), and you’ve got a complete breakfast!
Q: What’s your favorite way to cook zucchini? Also, what are your favorite kind(s) of pancakes?
P.S. Head over to LeQuan‘s latest post for a chance to win a $40 CSN gift card! Start picking out your kitchen gadget now!
P.P.S. Also, check out Faith‘s Girard’s salad dressing giveaway for some delicious salad toppers!
Doesn’t that sounds like the name of a rock band? You’d better snag it now, because apparently all the good names are taken.
Why unintentionally eggy? I experimented with a new pancake this morning, and I would DEFINITELY make an alteration next time. I’ll share it with you anyway, so you can decide if you like eggy pancakes or not.
The Unintentional Pancake
Ingredients:
1 egg (please, try it with just an egg white first, or else you’ll come back to haunt me)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cornstarch (makes pancake crispy!)
1 Tbsp brown rice flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Mix all ingredients together and pour into a skillet over medium heat.
After bottom cooks, flip and let cook through. Turn onto plate and top with your favorite toppings. I topped mine with strawberries (of course) and a “frosting” of Greek yogurt mixed with Chillin’ Chocolate. Plus a little more Chillin’ Chocolate (I’m going to be so sad when it’s gone :( ).
Verdict? Deliciously filling, but waaaaay too eggy! Please, do yourself a favor and make this pancake with egg whites. I used a whole egg because egg yolks have some wonderful healthy fats and other nutrients in them. But, they don’t taste good in these pancakes. With egg whites – voila! Perfection!
Lunch included a lovely strawberry and greens salad with crumbled blue cheese and the best balsamic vinegar we had – thick and syrupy and sweet.
… What’s that? You say you want to see the long-awaited salmon recipe? Well, if you insist …
Leeky Salmon with Sweet Grapefruit Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound salmon
1 leek, thoroughly cleaned and sliced thin
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp grapefruit zest
1 Tbsp grapefruit juice
Just keep the rest of the grapefruit, too
2 tsp honey
Salt and pepper
Cook the salmon by your favorite method. Peter cooked our salmon in his homemade sous-vide setup.
For the non-Peter cook, I recommend broiling the salmon with a little olive oil and thyme on top, or using this little salmon trick.
While the salmon is cooking, prepare the leeks by placing them into a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes, then draining them and plunging them into an ice bath (or cold water like I did, if you don’t have ice).
Whisk together the olive oil, zest, juice, honey, and salt and pepper. Arrange a few leeks on the salmon and pour the sauce over all. Place a grapefruit slice or two next to the fish (in place of the typical lemon wedge) and serve with a snooty upturned nose and a French accent.
Who knew that grapefruit and leeks went so well together?? I originally came up with this recipe to enter into last week’s Cook’s Mission competition, but with my hemming and hawing last week, I never got around to making it until today. I’m sorry, Mae! And, I chose the secret ingredients, too! For those of you who want to enter this week, the secret ingredient is rutabaga. So, get cooking!
I just wanted to thank you all again for your sleeping suggestions! For the last two nights, I’ve been sleeping like a baby – sleeping until 7 am with no major interruptions other than a bouncing Maddies. No caffeine and unplugging for at least half and hour before bed really seems to help. I’ll see how it goes during the week, but for now, I feel WELL. RESTED. :D For those of you who want to see a summary of everyone’s sleeping tips, look under the “Reader Tips” tab at the top of the page.
On a final note: LeQuan of luvtoeat was so sweet as to give me this Happy 101 award! There are few people who bring a smile to my face as much as LeQuan. Everyone should check out her blog to see her mouth-watering dishes and adorable kiddies! :)
Here are the rules:
1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10 things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award.
Of course, don’t feel obligated to participate if you don’t want to. I know we’re all busy!
Ten things that make me happy (in no particular order):
* My husb and his crazy hobbies that always remind me what a unique man he is
* My dad and sisters and my family in Canada and in Missouri and scattered all around
* Colored pencils
* A quiet morning, a light breeze, and a pair of sneakers
* Talking to my lovely friends :)
* Creating a new recipe and having it WORK
* Our doggles, Maddies and Bon
* Things that grow, be it person or plant
* Finishing something and finishing it well
* A good night’s sleep
I’m going to pass the award onto these lovely ladies:
Samantha @ Bikini Birthday
Darryn @ brio.gusto (whenever you get back from India!!)
Andrea @ Can You Stay For Dinner?
Christina @ Dinner at Christina’s
Katie @ Health for the Whole Self
Em @ HomecookedEm
Christie @ Honoring Health
Emma @ Midget Keeper Daily
Kristen @ Simply Savor
Lucy @ Sweet Spirit Shine
Feel free to participate if you’d like!
I’m off to do a little more work before unplugging for the night! Have a wonderful evening! :)
Q: Have you ever made a dish or recipe that did not turn out as you expected?
