Lasagna with Zucchini

Lasagna noodles layered with creamy cottage cheese, tomato or meat sauce and veggies, featuring sliced zucchini for added nutrition.

Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles

1 cup sliced zucchini (plus more for the top)

1/2 cup sliced onion

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cups tomato or meat sauce

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup Parmesan (plus more for the top)

1 egg

zest of 1/2 a lemon (adds a nice pop!)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp fresh chopped basil 

Start by cooking the lasagna noodles, drain then set aside. Meanwhile, on medium high heat, cook the zucchini, onion and mushrooms in 1 tbsp olive oil for about 5 minutes or until just lightly golden. Remove from heat. In a bowl mix the cottage cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, zest of lemon, salt, pepper and basil together. Spread a scant amount of the tomato or meat sauce on the bottom of a 9 X 13" baking dish and place 3 noodles on top. Spoon the cottage cheese mixture on top then distribute the cooked zucchini, onion and mushrooms on top of that. Now continue adding noodles and sauce, noodles and sauce, finishing with sauce to cover the last layer of noodles. Slightly overlap thin slices of zucchini over the sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan. Cover dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes. Broil 2-3 minutes then cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Serves 6

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Cottage Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Prep ahead of time high protein side dish or starter using garden fresh tomatoes. Stuffed with vegetables and cottage cheese this is a light cousin of the more familiar rice or grain stuffed tomatoes.  

4 large tomatoes

3/4 cup cottage cheese

2 tbsps Parmesan

1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini (quartered if large)

2 or 3 green onions sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsps fresh chopped basil

1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp minced garlic

1 egg yolk

salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp olive oil 

Slice the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and flesh. (Save to add to a soup) Turn the tomatoes over for 15-20 minutes then dry insides with paper towels. To a skillet add 1 tbsp olive oil and heat to medium high. Then add the bell pepper, onion, zucchini and green onion. Sauté a few minutes until slightly golden. Cool, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Spoon filling into the tomatoes and place in a baking dish. They may be refrigerated until later in the day at this point. Mix the Panko and olive oil together and add to the top of the tomatoes. Press very gently. Bake uncovered at 400°F for 18-22 minutes.

 

Serves 2 as a light meal or 4 as a starter.

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Loaded Mediterranean Potatoes

Super easy to make using frozen fries as a starting point then adding garden fresh cherry tomatoes and lots of Mediterranean flavours. Bye bye boring fries! 

Ingredients:

12 oz (340g) frozen fries (we used wedge cut here)

1 red onion, halved and sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp dry oregano

1 tsp dry parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

16 cherry tomatoes

24 pitted black olives

3 oz (100g) feta, crumbled

handful of fresh parsley

Toss onion slices and fries together with olive oil in a roasting pan or baking sheet. Combine the lemon zest, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper and add. Roast at 425°F for 10 minutes. Then add the olives and tomatoes and return to the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with feta and chopped fresh parsley and plate. Serves 4

 Adapted from tinnedtomatoes.com

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Zucchini Banana Loaf and Muffins

Inundated with zucchinis? Freezer full of super ripe bananas? Then this recipe is for you! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

2 tbsps wheat germ

1 1/2 tsps baking powder

1 1/2 tsps baking soda

2 tsps cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp salt

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup applesauce

2 ripe, medium size bananas, mashed

2 tsps vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup raisins 

Mix the two flours, oats, wheat germ, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt together. In a separate bowl beat the eggs, one at a time, until light. Add the sugar, coconut oil, applesauce, banana and vanilla. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together mixing just until combined. Fold in the shredded zucchini and raisins. Pour into prepared pans, either greased and floured loaf pans or paper lined muffin tins. Bake loaves at 350°F for 45-50 minutes or muffins for 22-25 minutes. Check with a cake tester for doneness. Makes 2 - 9 X 5" loaves or 16 medium muffins. Or if you like, 1 loaf and 8 muffins.

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Summer Tomato Cheese Toasts

Summer tomatoes are at their peak right now. And this no fuss lunch highlights them!

Ingredients:

4 slices bread (whole wheat, sourdough, Italian, even just plain white bread)

1 large tomato, sliced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tbsps olive oil (spicy if you've got it!)

garlic powder and oregano to taste

1 or 2 sliced marinated artichokes, dried with paper towel

2 tbsps crumbled feta

fresh basil to garnish 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush 1 side of bread with oil and sprinkle garlic powder and oregano. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Then add a big slice of tomato, mozzarella on top and then sliced artichokes and feta. Return to the oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes then garnish with basil and enjoy. Serves 2

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Small Batch Bread and Butter Pickles

When you get more cucumbers in your garden than you can keep up with in a salad, pickle them! This is an easy one jar recipe that takes almost no hands on time to make. Interesting note: The name "bread and butter" pickles seems to have originated during the Depression Era when sandwiches were made with these pickles between two slices of buttered bread. Now you can serve them with any meal you would serve pickles with and they are excellent on a burger! 

Ingredients:

2 medium garden cucumbers (14 oz/390g), sliced 1/4" thick

1/4 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp pickling salt

1 1/2 cups (360ml) vinegar

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

3 garlic buds, crushed

1 1/2 tsps mustard seeds

1/4 tsp celery seeds

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

8 black peppercorns

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp water

 

Mix the cucs, onion and pickling salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Then rinse in a colander and drain.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil then simmer 2-3 minutes or just long enough to dissolve the sugar. Add the cucs and onion to the brine and bring back to a simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Using tongs, place pickles in a sterilized jar then pour in the brine leaving 1/2" headspace. Cap and leave on counter for 2 hours. You'll need a 16 or 24 oz jar. Once the jars have cooled refrigerate them for up to 10 days. (They won't last that long though!)

Adapted from: tasty.com

 

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Cottage Cheese Cinnamon Roll Up

Quick high protein snack or breakfast. A twist on the viral savory cottage cheese wrap you've probably seen. 

Ingredients:

225 g (8 oz) cottage cheese, drain off any excess liquid

2 eggs

1-2 tsps brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

cinnamon

butter

honey 

Mix the cottage cheese, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla together in a blender and blend until smooth, Pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out just enough to form a rectangle. Sprinkle with cinnamon then bake in a 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and wait 5 minutes then flip over onto the bottom of another baking sheet and carefully peel off the parchment. Spread with butter, drizzle some honey on top and sprinkle with more cinnamon. Roll up from the short side as is or fill with some Greek yogurt or apple pie filling. Serves 2

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