Tag: zucchini


Jul
2013

Crust-less Zucchini Pie

categories: Baking, Dinner, Lunch, Summer

Crustless Zucchini Pie3

A wonderful savory pie made with zucchini, parsley, basil, onions, Cheddar and Parmesan cheese.

A simple recipe to make your meal exciting!

I had a wonderful birthday weekend and I am still in a weekend recovery mode.. (Can anyone blame me?! I think not!)

So I was just browsing throu my recipe folder, seeing what mess it is and found this unposted recipe. I had baked this pie almost more than a month back for taking to a party at friend’s place but forgot to post it here and wanted to do it ASAP before it gets lost in a huge mess that my laptop has become! (I need to organize everything into folders big time!!!) 😛

It is as easy as all the other recipes on my blog as easy is what we all love, isn’t it? The hero of this pie is my favorite zucchini which is available in abundance around this time of year. The flavors get a touch of refresh due to parsley and basil leaves. It is perfectly cheesy and oh-so soft and moist.

Crustless Zucchini Pie1

Be sure to squeeze all the liquid from grated zucchini otherwise the pie will stay uncooked at places and it will be sticky while slicing into pieces. So squeeze it down till its last drop, okay?!

Crustless Zucchini Pie2

Crust-less Zucchini Pie

Serves: 4, Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups shredded zucchini, liquid squeezed out
  • 1 large red onion, chopped finely
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh curled parsley
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp olive oil plus extra to grease the pie dish
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Shred zucchini, put it in a cheese cloth or muslin cloth and give it a good squeeze to remove extra liquid. Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Grease a pie dish with olive oil.
  2. Combine zucchini, onions, parsley, basil and cheddar cheese in a bowl.
  3. Sift flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add milk, olive oil, beaten eggs, salt and pepper to it and blend well. Combine with zucchini mixture and pour it into pie dish.
  4. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine took exactly 37 minutes. Let it cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

*Serve it with crème fraiche or fresh tomato salsa. Pairs well with soups too!

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May
2013

Simple Summer Mac Salad with Tomato & Zucchini

categories: Salads, Summer

Summer mac salad1

I love pasta in any and every form. Be it a hot or cold preparation. It’s my favorite at dinner time as it is pretty quick to put together and simple.

Especially this salad… It is perfect for summer nights when you are craving something light and refreshing! I particularly loath anything heavy for dinner… So this one ticks all the boxes for me! 🙂

I love this one so much that it’s been prepared 3 times already in my house! It was much appreciated by our guests too! Its an apt side-dish at any elaborate lunch or dinner parties and a must accompaniment for picnics! I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Summer mac salad2

Simple Summer Mac Salad with Tomato & Zucchini

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 150 grams uncooked elbows
  • 200 grams grape/cherry tomatoes
  • 1 small zucchini, sliced and quartered
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 4 Tbsp eggless mayonnaise (American Garden’s)
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider/red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp yogurt
  •  2 tsp mustard (optional)
  • ¼ tsp oregano
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:

  1. Cook pasta in generously salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine onions, mayonnaise, vinegar, yogurt, mustard, oregano, garlic powder, basil leaves; mix well.
  3. Add tomatoes (and any juice from the tomato), zucchini, pasta, salt and pepper to taste, toss well and place in a large bowl.
  4. Serve immediately or keep in fridge till the serving time.

Enjoy chilled with a glass of your favorite mocktail or cocktail! 🙂

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May
2013

Zucchini, Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

categories: Soups

Zucchini, Tomato & Red pepper Soup1

There is nothing like a hearty soup on a rainy day. Nothing beats the smell of rosemary infused with all the ‘veggie gooey mess’ after a full day’s hardwork.

Bangalore weather has occasional spell of rain ready for us at the most unpredictable time of the week and it is always much appreciated as it would have arrived after the sun was done pelting us with its blazing agony. I know it’s summer at most of the places around the world but I just couldn’t resist making and posting this nutritious soup loaded with good stuff after a rainy evening.

Coming back to the soup, it is a ‘one-pot meal’. Totally convenient when you don’t want to do extra dishes. 😉 Just throw in whatever vegetables you are likely to have in your refrigerator to a pressure cooker. Blend and sieve them after pressure cooking and infuse with rosemary, add chunks of zucchini, season it and Hallelujah!!! Dinner is ready! Who thought it was this simple?! 🙂

Zucchini, Tomato & Red pepper Soup2

Serves: 2 hungry souls as dinner

Recipe can be easily doubled if you wish to freeze extra portion or feeding larger family

Ingredients:

  • 3 tomatoes
  • 1 carrot, peeled
  • 1 celery
  • 2 handfuls spinach, washed and dried
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 4 Cups water
  • 1 medium zucchini, diced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • few sprigs of fresh rosemary or a pinch of dried rosemary
  • salt and pepper, for seasoning

Directions:

In a pressure cooker, combine coarsely chopped tomatoes, carrot, celery, spinach and red pepper. Add 4 cups of water. Let cook for 10-15 minutes. Let rest for another 10-15 minutes and then open the pressure cooker.

Puree them in a blender and sieve.

Take olive oil in a sauce pan, add rosemary and diced zucchini to it. Saute for 5 minutes and add pureed vegetables to it. Add 1 cup of water if it is too thick for your liking. Season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve it with a drizzle of fresh sour cream or a shaving of Parmesan cheese.

*I had my 1st portion with Double Margarita Pizza and 2nd portion with garlic bread. Feel free to pair up as per your liking.

Hope you enjoy! 🙂

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Apr
2013

Veggie Shooters

categories: Appetizers

For those who follow my Facebook page would know that I had posted this pic almost 2-3 days back and then happily forgot about posting the recipe. I have been really busy in designing of this blog plus I do have a full-time job to go to & blah.. blah.. blah..

I know its no reason to keep you guys waiting and all these excuses sounds lame even to me! So I am going to keep you all waiting no more and get on with the recipe. 🙂

So this dish, fresh cut vegetables served in individual shot glasses with your favorite dressing makes for an easy, healthy, elegant appetizer. It will be a huge hit for parties!

Another advantage is no double dipping! You don’t have to think about multiple hands going into the same dip bowl!! Eww! Imagine that!!!

Plus, you get portion-control too! 🙂

                                                                                                                    Veggie Shooters1

Think about all the different colored veggies you can use to make it look even more interesting. Raw zucchini or celery would also be great.

Of course you can use store bought dressing for time-saving but whipping up your own batch of low-fat Ranch dressing is super easy. You can make the dip and cut the veggies ahead of time, then assemble when you are ready to serve it. You can easily swap Ranch dressing  for hummus, if you are serving vegans.

This is a kids friendly recipe so it would be a huge hit among them over summer holidays!!! 🙂

Awesome way to skip the chips from your party & to avoid over-eating!!! 😉

Veggie Shooters: Servings: 8

Ingredients:

For the low-fat dip:

  • 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
  • 1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
  • 3 Tbsp Eggless Lite Mayonnaise (I used American Garden’s)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp fresh chopped chives or dill
  • 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 tsp salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1-2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup low-fat buttermilk

For the veggie crudites:

  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 large English cucumber, cut into strips
  • 2 carrots, cut into strips
  • 8 shot glasses

Directions:

To make the dip: In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic powder, parsley, chives, salt and cracked pepper. Mix well.

Stir in the white balsamic vinegar; the buttermilk. Adjust the seasoning to taste, adjusting the vinegar as needed, the flavors will become bolder over time.

To assemble the shooter: Place 1/4 cup of dip in each glass. Place the strips of vegetables in each glass and serve cold.

This recipe is my entry for Event by Archana’s Kitchen – Summer Fiesta

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