Zucchini Parmesan Crisps {Healthy, Low Fat}

Okay, I promise, I do have better pictures coming for you this weekend!! But, I really have to share these with you. Head over here to see good pictures of these darling little zucchini parmesan crisps. They are so easy and quick and pack a real punch of flavour.

I made these little guys as a vegetable side dish for our Easter dinner and they were a total hit. We definitely didn't have any leftovers. You could make these for a great snack or picky food at a party too if you're looking for a healthier dish to put out for health conscious guests.

We're going to keep this post nice and short because its Friday night and I want to relax and unwind from my week at work! So here's the recipe for you to try out this weekend. Pin this one for this summer when you've got an overabundance of zucchini growing in your garden that you don't know what to do with!

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps
Recipe from Blackjack Bake House

Ingredients:

• 1 lb zucchini (about 2 medium or 3 small)
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil to coat them well.
3. In a shallow bowl, combine the parmesan, panko, salt and black pepper.
4. Place rounds into parmesan breadcrumb mixture and press each side into the mixture to coat well. The mixture won't completely cover the zucchini, but don't worry, it will taste great!
5. Place rounds on prepared baking trays in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining breadcrumb mixture onto rounds.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Pretty easy right? And as long as you take it easy on the oil and the cheese, these are actually a really healthy dish to serve up. I don't really ever feed kids, but since my hubby eagerly devoured these and he really hates veggies (especially zucchini), I think kids would like them too!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Healthy, Quick & Delicious Roasted Asparagus

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not really a fruit and veggie kind of girl. Yeah, I try to get in the proper servings of fruit and veggies each day (though I don't always succeed), but I don't really enjoy eating those good for you foods. But one vegetable I actually enjoy and I always go for seconds of is asparagus. I think asparagus has got a bad rap due to the fact that the majority of people overcook and underseason it. But its actually really delicious when its done right. Here are some tips and tricks to make sure your asparagus turns out delicious every time.

1. Pick out good asparagus! Garbage in = garbage out right?! Asparagus gets bitter and tough if the stalks are thick (which is the case with most veggies - the longer you let them grow, the less tender and sweet they are). So pick the skinniest stalks of asparagus you can find. Make sure the tops of each stalk are tight and well in tact - this indicates they are fresh!
2. Don't cut the ends off the stalks. This will result in woody, inedible parts being left for you to consume and those parts don't taste good. Instead, place one hand at each end of the asparagus and bend the stalk in half. The stalk will break at the point where the woody portion ends, leaving you with only the top tender part of the asparagus (don't worry if it seems to break a lot off - the woody part can actually go up to halfway up the stalk).
3. Get your oven good and hot! Before you start getting your asparagus ready, preheat your oven to 450F. You want to be able to cook them hot and fast to ensure the inside doesn't get overcooked!
4. Season well! Lay out your trimmed asparagus in a single layer on a large cookie sheet (line with foil for easy cleanup). Drizzle lightly (go easy here - you want this to stay healthy right?!) with olive oil. Shake the pan a little to coat the asparagus with the oil. Grind lots of fresh black pepper over the asparagus. Sprinkle with coarse salt (I used about 1/2 - 3/4 tbsp of kosher salt for 1 pan of asparagus).
5. Don't over cook the asparagus! You've gone to all this work to make the perfect asparagus and now you're in the home stretch!! Place the tray into your preheated oven (see step 3) and put your timer on for exactly 5 minutes. At five minutes, pull the pan out and give it a good shake. Then rotate the pan and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes - exactly!! No more, no less.
6. Finish it with a little extra flavour. If you've got any balsamic reduction, plate the asparagus and then drizzle with a tiny bit of balsamic reduction. If you want that extra decadence (though not as healthy), sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese (freshly grated of course).

So there ya go - easy, healthy, quick and delicious. What more can you ask of a week night veggie dish?! Oh yeah, you could also bust this one out at your next dinner party and you will impress even your foodie friends. :)

This post has been linked up with Fusion Fridays at Jennifer Cooks! Head over there to check out all the amazing Superbowl treats people have baked up this week. :D

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Holiday Recipe Roundup!

Its that time of year again! The time when you have to host the obligatory Christmas cocktail party, family dinner, or bring a salad or side dish to someone else's house. This post will give you some great ideas for menu planning. I've included a selection of Appetizers & Snacks, Sides, Mains, and of course Desserts/ Holiday Baking. Lets get started!

Appetizers & Snacks

• Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas
• Roasted Garlic & Feta Walnut Dip
• Ultimate Chicken Wings with Curry Lime Butter
• Smoked Salmon Canapes
• Spinach & Date Filo Triangles
• Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
• Rosemary Parmesan Coins
• Hot Crab & Artichoke Dip
• Addictive Rosemary Pecans
• Sauteed Mushrooms on Crostini
• Boconcini Tied with Proscuitto
• Chutney Baked Brie
• Filo Wrapped Baked Brie
• Herbed Goat Cheese Bites

 Side Dishes

• Blackberry & Avocado Salad
• Salad with Strawberries, Feta & Homemade Croutons
• Best Stuffing Ever
• Golden Mashed Potato Casserole
• Vegetable Gratin
• Salad with Pears, Candied Pecans & Goat Cheese

 Mains

• Pork Tenderloin with Maple Onion Cream
• Delicious Turkey & Gravy
• Red Wine & Balsamic Roasted Chicken
• Roast Beef

Dessert & Holiday Baking

• Ginger Spice Sandwich Cookies with Lemon Cream Filling
• Gingerbread Cupcakes with Carmelized Mango Buttercream
• Cranberry Pear Linzer Tart
• Maple Pecan Shortbread
• Peanut Butter Cups
• Toblerone Cheesecake
• Christmas Stollen
• Gingerbread Biscotti
• Easy Oreo Truffles
• Eggnog Pudding
• Chocolate Tea Cakes with Earl Grey Icing

I hope this helps you find some great ideas for your holiday menu planning! These recipes have been hits at past gatherings for me, so I know you'll love them.

Happy Baking my Friends!

Lovely's Asian Style Risotto

 I LOVE risotto, but I've never really been brave enough to make it at home. Until now! My friend D shared this recipe with me and raved about it so much that I just had to give it a try. Now, I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with this recipe (and any risotto for that matter), so I'm going to share this recipe with you and hope you get hooked too.

I've forgotten what cookbook this recipe is from, so if you are able to let me know and I will be sure to update the source to give credit where credit is due. In the mean time, I am going to share this recipe with you so you can get started on your own risotto craze.

Lovely's Asian Style Risotto with Chili Garlic Drizzle
Recipe adapted from unknown source

Chili-Garlic Drizzle Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 jalepeno, finely chopped and seeded
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Heat the sesame oil in a small pan and saute chili pepper and garlic until fragrant. Remove from heat and add the soy, vinegar and sugar. Set aside.

Risotto Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 100 grams pancetta, diced
• 1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 cups hot chicken stock (more or less)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 cup fresh spinach, loosly chopped
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method:

1. In a large pot, saute onions in olive oil until softened. Add the pancetta and mushrooms and saute until lightly browned. Add the rice and keep stirring until golden.
2. Add wine and keep simmering and stirring adding the hot stock 1/2 cup at a time until risotto is creamy and cooked al dente. Stir in butter.
3. When you are ready to serve, add fresh cilantro, spinach, parmesan and mix together lightly. The spinach should be just wilted. Spoon your reserved chili-garlic drizzle over the plated risotto and serve sprinkled with more parmesan and cilantro.

Enjoy! This one is soooooo delicious. Plus, the chili garlic drizzle is good on pretty much anything, so give it a try. :)

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

So, I don't know about you, but I have a pretty unhealthy obsession with sweet potatoes. I like sweet potato anything. They just have such an amazing flavour to them and don't need much of anything to make them taste good!

Tonight for dinner I made sweet potato fries - baked, not fried! So they're a little healthier for you. If you use a minimal amount of oil on them, they're even healthier for you. :) Healthy + easy = what more could you want!

Preheat your oven to 425F. Cut two medium sized sweet potatoes into 1/4-1/2 inch rounds and then cut them into fry shapes (mine made 4-5 fries per round). Toss all the fries into a medium size bowl and drizzle with your favorite type of oil. Sprinkle with whatever spices you like (I used lots of chili powder, a little garlic, and coarse salt). Toss to coat then spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Enjoy!

I served with some homemade sweet chilli dip - mix some sweet thai chilli sauce with a couple spoonfuls of fat free greek yogurt and you're laughing!

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Not Just Any Old Garlic Bread

Let me just start this post off by saying this recipe is a secret... I was not supposed to share it with anyone. I learned this recipe from a friend of my husband's family a couple of years ago when we stopped by his place on our vacation. Every time I make it when guests come to our house I always get asked for the recipe... but I was sworn to secrecy. But I feel so bad because this recipe is SO worth sharing, so here I am, breaking my "vow" of secrecy so get the best ever recipe for garlic bread out there to you people who will love it!!

Its super easy. You will need a baguette, garlic butter (store bought will do, but homemade is better), mozzarella cheese (or whatever you have in your fridge), Club House Garlic Plus seasoning, and honey. If you want to try making your own garlic butter I would strongly encourage you to follow the guidelines below. You'll notice there are no measurements and that's because garlic butter is definitely a personal thing - just add ingredients until you like the taste.

To make the garlic butter: take some butter, add some finely grated garlic, finely chopped fresh basil & oregano, coarse salt, and some olive oil. Mix together and taste. Add more seasoning if necessary.

Now to make the bread:

1. Slice the bread in half horizontally. Butter liberally with the garlic butter. Sprinkle with the mozzarella then sprinkle with the garlic plus seasoning mix. Now drizzle lightly with honey.


2. Broil in oven until cheese is melted and edges of the bread are lightly toasted.


3. Slice and enjoy. Prepare to make a few loaves because this stuff goes fast!!
   

I hope you enjoy this "secret" garlic bread recipe. The key is the honey! The little bit of sweetness really makes this garlic bread special.

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Green Beans with Sticky Soy Cashews

I don't know about you, but I am pretty excited for spring & summer to hurry up and get here. I love the long days, the warmer weather, the sunshine and best of all, I love the spring and summer produce that comes with the warm weather. Around here we also get some pretty awesome farmers markets such as the White Rock Farmers Market. It hasn't started up yet, but it will probably start up some time in May and I can't wait!! The reasons I'm talking about spring, summer and farmer's markets is because you can find such great produce there. My favorite produce is fresh green beans. I absolutely love them! You can do so many things with them and they never fail to make me feel like its spring/summer time. I made these green beans with sticky soy cashews a few weeks ago and they were absolutely delicious. You simply must try out the recipe! Green Beans with Sticky Soy Cashews Recipe from Meals in Heels by Jennifer Joyce

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp sesame oil


• 80g (1/2 cup) unsalted cashews, roasted


• 1 tbsp honey


• 1 tbsp soy sauce


• 300 g green beans, trimmed


• 1 tsp black or white sesame seeds, toasted

Method:

1. Heat half of the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the cashews, honey and soy sauce and toss for 30 seconds or until all the liquid has evaporated. Pour onto a baking tray to cool.


2. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain again and pat dry with a tea towel.


3. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the green beans and over medium heat. Add the green beans and warm through. Add the sesame seeds and sticky cashews to the pan and mix through.

Pretty easy huh? I hope you enjoy these as much as we did! Spring & Summer are just around the corner and these green beans will make you feel like they're already here.

Happy Cooking my Friends!

On the Fourth Day of Christmas... Two Fabulous Sides!!

For most people turkey is the focal point of Christmas dinner - they look forward to it all year and they are very excited to heap a bunch of turkey on their plate. I like turkey too, but my favorite part about Christmas dinner is the side dishes. These are two of my absolute favorite side dishes and they go so great with a perfectly roasted turkey. The first recipe I am going to share with you is one for a golden mashed potatoe casserole. It is a delicious spin on the traditional mashed potatoe side dish. Second I'm going to share a recipe for Vegetable Gratin which my mother in law shared with me. It is my husband's favorite side dish and this is the one time each year I see him heap his plate full of veggies (even though they're smothered in a delicious cheese sauce, they're still veggies!!!).


Golden Mashed Potatoe Casserole
Recipe from Everyday Favorites (Canadian Living) p. 156

Ingredients:

• 10 yukon gold potatoes (about 3.5 lbs)
• 1/2 cup choped fresh chives
• 1/2 cup milk, heated
• 1/2 cup herbed cream cheese
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded old cheddar cheese

Method:

1. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. In large pot of boiling salted water, cover and cook potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes; drain and return to pot. Add 1/3 cup of the chives, the milk, cream cheese, butter, egg, salt & pepper; mash together until smooth.
2. Spoon into greased 8-inch square glass baking dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese for remaining chives. (You can also make this dish ahead at this point: let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Uncover. Increased baking time to 55 minutes).
3. Bake in 375F oven until knife inserted in centre comes out hot, about 40 minutes (mine took less than this).

This really was a delicious recipe and adds some great flavour to mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoe lovers will still love it and people who don't really like mashed potatoes will like it too!!

Vegetable Gratin

Recipe adapted from my mother in law's Cauliflower & Carrot Gratin

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs mixed veggies (I do cauliflower, carrots and broccoli) (enough to fill a 9x13" pan)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tbsp flour
• 2.5 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste and pinch nutmeg
• 1 cup shredded old cheddar
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup shredded old cheddar (for topping)
• 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs (for topping)
• 1/4 cup melted butter (for topping)

Method:

1. Cook veggies in salt water until tender crisp (don't overcook them because they will cook more in the oven). Drain & set aside.
2. For the sauce: Melt butter, stir in flour and cook stirring constantly a few minutes. Don't brown the mixture. Whisk in milk and broth, stirring until thickened and smooth. Stir in seasonings. Blend in cheese. Place veggies in greased 9x13" baking dish. Spoon sauce over veggies.
3. For the topping: combine cheese, crumbs & butter. Sprinkle over casserole.
4. Bake at 375F 15 minutes (if warm) 20-25 minutes if room temperature. Broil 2-3 minutes to crisp topping.

Both of these recipes will be a hit with your families and friends. I have been making the recipe for vegetable gratin since my husband and I got married and it never fails to impress everyone who eats it. :) I know you are all busy with your holiday preparations, so I won't ramble on and on... I am off to find a Christmas tree! Finally get to decorate my house for Christmas.

Happy Cooking my Friends!