Healthy Zucchini Sticks

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday and I wanted to make my family a healthy snack that looked like a decadent Super Bowl worthy snack.  I had always wanted to try making these Zucchini Sticks from one of my favourite sites, skinnytaste.com, and were we ever impressed!

Served with a side of Marinara sauce, these 'crispy on the outside- tender on the inside' snacks definitively go into the 'don't tell them it's good for them' file!

It's a pretty simple setup really, zucchinis, eggs, seasoned bread crumbs.

Dip each zucchini stick in the egg, then your seasoned breadcrumbs, lay them on your sheet pan and bake.

Here's the recipe I used as a guide. I used a few eggs and opted not to put the breadcrumbs in the ziplock and just use 2 bowls to dredge them in.

Baked Zucchini Sticks (adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/baked-zucchini-sticks-13-pts.html)

Ingredients: 

• 2 medium (7 oz each) zucchinis sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks

• 2 large eggs

• 2/3 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs

• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

• cooking spray

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• salt

• fresh pepper

• 1/2 cups marinara sauce

Directions
In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with 1/2 cup marinara sauce for dipping.

I altered the recipe a bit, sprayed the sticks with cooking spray before they went into the oven and baked for 10 minutes then flipped them and baked for another 15 minutes. Et Voila!  They come out crispy, crunchy and full of flavour. I urge you to try them the next time you need a healthy alternative that is fun and flavourful!

Zucchini Boats - Healthified 'No Pasta' Italian Dinner

Get ready for a fresh and 'healthified' way to enjoy a delicious Italian meal. Still on my 'half your plate should be vegetables' kick, I was looking for a healthy alternative, yet flavourful substitute. Well, I think I found it. Zucchini Boats and Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower - no pasta invited to this dinner.

I found this great recipe through one of my favourite healthy websites skinnytaste.com.  I wanted to create an Italian meal so I adapted the recipe with Italian flavours. Added tomato sauce, oregano, garlic and basil instead of the Mexican ingredients listed below

Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats 
(adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/07/taco-stuffed-zucchini-boats.html)
Ingredients: 

• 4 medium (32 ounces) zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise

• 1 lb ground turkey

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

• 1 tsp basil

• 1/2 small onion, minced

• 2 tbsp bell pepper, minced

• 8 oz can tomato sauce

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/2 cup reduced fat Mozzarella shredded cheese

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley for topping

Directions: 
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 1/4 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. Using a small spoon or melon baller, hollow out the center of the zucchini halves, leaving 1/4-inch thick shell on each half. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside 3/4 of a cup to add to the turkey filling. Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1 minute. Remove from water.
Brown turkey in a large skillet, breaking up while it cooks. When no longer pink add the spices and mix well. Add the onion, bell pepper, reserved zucchini, tomato sauce and water. Stir and cover, simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Using a spoon, fill the hollowed zucchini boats dividing the taco meat equally, about 1/3 cup in each, pressing firmly. Top each with 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through. Top with scallions and serve with salsa on the side.

Next, I decided to roast some cauliflower, adding more veggies to our dinner again! I'm on a mission.



Here's what I did,

Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oil and spices. Chop the cauliflower into florets and add to the bowl. Place your coated cauliflower on a sheet pan and spread evenly in one layer. Bake for about 30 minutes.  Take the cauliflower out of the oven, flip the pieces over and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.


Here you have them. They are soooooo good, just like eating candy... well, veggie candy!

Here are the Zuchinni boats out of the oven. Made the house smell so good!

Here's the best thing, 3/4 of our dinner was vegetables- no pasta needed- it was so delicious and flavourful and my family absolutely loved it. It's a new 5 Star family favourite and so good for you!

Even more things to bake with a 20 inch Zucchini- Part 2- Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Now for Part 2 of the wonderful world of leftover shredded zucchini! I actually started shredding the zucchini for the loafs from the other day and had so much leftover, I had to make another healthy recipe. So here I present to you- Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Here's a real nice closeup of the ingredients- BEFORE.

 and delicious AFTER.  Now here's how to get there:

Skinny Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

(Adapted from http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/08/skinny-zucchini-banana-chocolate-chip-muffins-healthy-low-fat/)

Ingredients

    1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

    1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

    1/2 teaspoon baking soda

    1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

    2 small to medium ripe bananas, mashed

    1 teaspoon melted coconut oil

    1/4 cup honey

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    2 egg whites

    1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)

    2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

    1/3 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt (I used Fage)

    1/2 cup mini or regular chocolate chips (I like mini)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and generously spray inside of liners with nonstick cooking spray.

Squeeze shredded zucchini of excess water with a paper towel! This is an important step.

In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon; set aside.

In bowl of an electric mixer, add mashed banana, oil, honey, vanilla and eggs; mix until smooth. Add in zucchini, applesauce, and yogurt and beat again until well combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Remember not to over mix the batter — we want moist muffins! Gently fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Evenly divide batter into muffin cups. The batter will probably reach the top of each muffin liner, but that’s okay — we’re making big muffins! Alternatively you can reduce the size and bake 15 muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!-

Nutrition Information (makes 12 muffins)

Serving size: 1 muffin Calories: 153 Fat: 4.4g Carbohydrates: 27.2g Sugar: 12.6g Fiber: 3.0g Protein: 4.3g

So golden brown with flecks of green!

Ok, couldn't wait, these ware warm from the oven. These were totally awesome and delicious and very nutritious, low fat, high flavour treat!

What to bake with a 20 inch zucchini- Part 1- Chocolate Zucchini Bread

You're like.... WHAT? That's right. I returned home from Sturgeon Falls with a giant zucchini, a parting gift if you will! So, what do you do with such a thing??? I even showed you a comparative scale so you can see the impact of it's giantness! That's a 12 inch chef's knife on my cutting board... so just imagine!

So, I knew I was going to grill some on the BBQ, but for the rest, well I knew I had to bake. How about a delicious Zucchini bread? Or, what about a chocolate zucchini bread? Fantastic Idea!

When you start shredding your zucchini you are going to see just how much moisture it holds.... and that is why it makes such a nice moist bread.

So here's a great recipe I found online.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

(adapted from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chocolate_zucchini_bread.html)

Ingredients

•1/2 cup chopped walnuts

•1 cup all-purpose flour

•1 cup whole-wheat flour

•1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch-process

•1/2 teaspoon baking powder

•1/2 teaspoon baking soda

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•3 large eggs, lightly beaten

•1 1/2 cups sugar

•3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

•1/4 cup canola oil

•1 teaspoon vanilla extract

•1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted

•2 cups grated zucchini, (1 medium)

Here are all the delightful, healthful ingredients, now here's what you do:

Preparation

1.Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.

2.Spread walnuts in a pie pan and bake until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3.Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

4.Whisk eggs, sugar, applesauce, oil, vanilla and melted chocolate in another large bowl until blended. Add to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in zucchini and the reserved walnuts. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops.

5.Bake the loaves 55 to 60 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto rack and cool completely.

and 60 minutes later...

Et voila, nice and moist and good for you!

Here's the nutritional info:

Per slice : 239 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 40 mg Cholesterol; 38 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 143 mg Sodium; 97 mg Potassium

Zuchinni Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

You want your kids to eat zuchinni? Here's the way, but it into this delicious, moist Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, yummy! And it's healthy.

Zucchini Banana Bread

 (adapted from http://www.healthyeatingforordinarypeople.com/2011/07/zucchini-banana-bread_11.html#)

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas

2 eggs

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 heaping cup zucchini (1 small to medium), shredded

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350*. Lightly grease a standard sized loaf pan.

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the banana for a minute or so till well mashed. Add the eggs, honey, sugar, and vanilla and mix for another minute or so, until smooth.

Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix to combine and then add the flour.

Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for a little under an hour until a toothpick comes out clean from center. Cool for about 1/2 hour before turning the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool some more.

Here's the center cut view for you. It's really delish! You have to try it.