Broccoli Ham and Cheese Stuffed Zucchini

Oh yes, we're having a ham-filled week this week.  And use up the vegetables week.  I wanted something a little more interesting than a slab of ham on a plate.  I am always up for an excuse to use my food processor although having one isn't necessary for this dish.  

Zucchini - I used 3 because they were kinda small.

2 slices of spiral ham (about 1-1/2 cups)

2 inch slice of onion

1 cup of broccoli

About 1/8th cup of shredded cheese

2 egg whites

Poke holes in the zucchini with a fork.  If you skip this step the resulting explosion is quite satisfying but it does ruin dinner, not to mention the inside of the microwave.  I know this for a fact.

Microwave the zucchini until they are crisp tender.  (mine took about 5 minutes)  You want to have squash that will hold the filling so they can't be too tender.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Or don't, and add 5 minutes or so to your cooking time.  I don't find this step all that important in the big scheme.  You're just trying to get food hot.  

While the zucchini is cooking, chop the broccoli, onion, and ham in the food processor.  Place in a large bowl.  

Slice the zucchini in half and scoop out the innards and add them to the bowl with the other ingredients.  Add the cheese, egg whites and mix well.  

Place the zucchini halves in a baking dish.  You will hate yourself later if you don't line the baking dish with foil.  Fill the halves with the mixture and bake for around 20 minutes.  

Serve.  Yum. I served ours with some leftover brown rice.  

Beans Greens and Ham Stew (Crockpot Recipe)

This recipe was inspired by a sale where I found spiral hams on sale for $5.00 each.  I bought two, divided them out and froze the portions - thereby leaving me scratching my head in front of the open freezer door (Do you think I'm trying to cool the inside of the house with that?) wondering what the hell I'm going to do with 15 packages of frozen ham.  Further inspiration came from that overbuying at the produce stand incident and overfilling vegetable crisper drawers that really really needed to be used up.  Today. Aaaaaand a container of cooked white beans that decided they didn't want to be made into white bean dip after all...

Have I mentioned I LOVE my crockpot?  Crockpots are every lazy cooks dream..

Ingredients - your mileage may vary.  Use what you have on hand.

1 onion - diced
1 big honking glop of chopped garlic
1 rib celery - diced
1 handful* of baby carrots - chopped
1 handful* of baby spinach - chopped
1 handful* diced ham
1 baby red potato - diced
2 handfuls*cooked white beans (or 2 cans if you're into the whole canned bean thing.  I'm not)
Crushed pepper (which I couldn't find so I used ground pepper from the Indian store which is much hotter)
Water to cover.

Slice, dice, chop and mix everything in the crockpot, turning it on low.  Walk away and go do something fun and some time by late afternoon season the stew to taste and eat.  Enjoy.  Pack the leftovers in your lunch for tomorrow.

*By my reckoning a handful is equals about a cup.  Wash your hands before measuring.  Please.

Buffalo Chicken Rolls (103 cals each)

This recipe is taken from canyoustayfordinner.com.  Simply must try this soon!

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Yield: 12 Rolls

Ingredients

• 12 egg roll wrappers (buy the ones that are roughly 4" x 4" square)
• 1 cup cooked and shredded chicken (6 ounces)
• 1/2- 2/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)
• 1 cup broccoli slaw or coleslaw (dry)
• Blue cheese dressing, for serving

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. In a small bowl, stir chicken* (see note below) and hot sauce until well coated, using more or less sauce depending on your spice preference. The meat should be moist with sauce.
2. Begin by placing one tablespoon of the broccoli slaw on the diagonal of the bottom right corner of one of the wrappers. Next, place 2 tablespoons of shredded spicy chicken evenly on top of the slaw. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese crumbles over the chicken. Do not overfill.
3. To fold: Fold the bottom right corner over the stuffing mixture so that it covers it completely, with the tip of the corner now pointing to the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold in the bottom left corner, followed by the right, so that you now have formed an envelope. Roll the wrap upward one time, leaving the top left corner open. Wet your index finger in the small bowl of water and press to moisten the top left corner. Now fold that down on top of the filled roll, sealing it like you would an envelope.
4. Repeat with remaining rolls.
5. Place the rolls on a wire rack set on top of a cookie sheet (or just on a greased cookie sheet) coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spritz each roll evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the rolls are crisp and beginning to turn a light golden brown.

Notes

*Note: To make the chicken, place 1 large breast (about 6 to 8 ounces) in a small saucepan and fill with enough cold water just to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, then simmer for about 12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Drain and let cool before shredding with two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat.

Mom's Salsa

Back in the day when I was a broke single mom I worked a second job and on Thursday nights I did food prep for the weekends (as opposed to the weekends when I tended bar and made real money, but I digress) and this recipe is loosely based on the Park Cinema and Drafthouse salsa, but with better ingredients.

They used huge #10 cans of crushed tomatoes.  I prefer to use diced tomatoes that I mash a couple times with a stick blender because it comes out less soupy that way.

3 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of rotel
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt
Cumin
1 cap of vinegar (white or apple cider - whichever I grab first) You could also use lime or lemon juice)

Pour off most of the tomato liquid and place in a large bowl.  Smash two or three times with the stick blender.  The ultimate goal here is smaller than diced but not pureed.  Pour in a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilies.  Add the onions, green pepper, and cilantro.  Add one shake of cumin.  Go easy, as cumin overpowers.  You can always add more later.  Add a few shakes of salt.  Stir. Chill. Serve.

This keeps in the refrigerator for about a week.  DO.NOT.FREEZE.

Mom's Cole Slaw

My third favorite kitchen gadget is my food processor - mostly because it makes life easier but also because it was a gift and I didn't have to pay for it. The vegetables could be shredded with a box grater if you like bigger pieces of vegetables but I don't because, hello, carpal tunnel.  You could also buy pre-shredded coleslaw mix if you're feeling really lazy.

The two ingredients that I think make this recipe special are fresh cilantro and rice vinegar.  Your mileage may vary.

Cabbage
Onion (I like to use red onion for this dish but use whatever you've got on hand)
Carrots
Mayonnaise
Rice Vinegar
Fresh Cilantro
Sugar
Salt (if needed - I try not to add salt to our food)

Process, chop, slice, and dice the cabbage, carrot, onion, and cilantro.  A little onion goes a long way!

Place the mixture in a bowl.  Add a nice sized glop of mayonnaise.  I like to use the olive oil kind so I can fool myself that it makes this dish a little healthier.  Add about a capful of rice vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar.  Mix. Chill. Serve.

Mom's Refried Beans (Crock Pot Recipe)

Why are these called refried beans anyway?  Maybe I should call them Mom's smooshed beans.  ::Shrug::  This ain't a restaurant - shut up an eat!

I loves me a crock pot. It's the ultimate lazy cooks' gadget.  My second favorite kitchen gadget is my stick blender, which we will use today because who wants to risk getting burned by putting hot beans in a food processor? I've made these beans with a manual potato masher before, but yea.  No.  Too much effort.

1 bag of pinto beans (or more if you're feeling really adventurous)
Water to cover the beans
Oregano
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup of water approximately (this is the fat-free this recipe needs some moisture part)

Place the beans in the crock pot and cover with water.  Turn the crock pot on high.  Walk away and go do something fun.  Or do some house chores, or take a nap.  This ain't a restaurant - no reason to hang out in the kitchen all day.

The beans cook and cook and cook for 7 - 8 hours until they're soft.  You didn't notice this because you were doing something fun.  Or you could have checked once or twice throughout the day to make sure you didn't have to add more water to the crock and that the beans were still covered.

Drain the beans into a colander.  Careful!!  Very hot!!  Rinse with running water because bean juice is slimy and weird.  I put my beans back into the crock pot for the next step,

So - the beans are in a pot.  Add salt, cumin ( a little goes a very long way), oregano, and water to the mix using whatever amount tastes good to you.  Remember you can always add more seasonings.

 Mash, mash, mash with your gadget until they've reached a desired consistency.  I like to see a little bean in there but puree is good too.

This recipe freezes well, which is why I make a lot!  Mixed with a little salsa and shredded cheese these beans also make a very good burrito filling.

***Note to self: Remember, you have fresh cilantro in the fridge.  Add it **

This recipe is vegetarian friendly and most likely gluten free.  There is probably gluten in the cumin unless you grind your own.  Seek an expert if you're unsure.

Mexican Brown Rice

3-3/4 cups chicken stock (I make my own)
2 cups brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes (or equivalent chopped fresh ones)
As many diced chili peppers as you like (I used 1 teeny tiny chopped serrano pepper) Got one minor grumble.
1 onion - diced
1/2  green pepper - diced (or more - whatever works for you)
Dash of olive oil

Spices (I don't measure these - I just throw things together til they look good.  It's an art. Really.)
Spoon of chopped garlic (to taste.  I don't like using garlic powder)
Oregano
Cumin

Pour a dab of olive oil in a pan.  When heated, add the onion and green pepper and let those babies dance til they're softened.  Add the chopped garlic near the end because garlic cooks really quickly (translated = it burns and tastes awful).  Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, hot pepper,and rice to the pan.  Shaky shaky the oregano and cumin into the mix. Stir.  Cover the pan and let it do it's thing - about 45 minutes.

Right before serving, I would add some chopped, fresh cilantro but I always forget.

**You could easily make this a vegetarian dish by substituting vegetable broth or plain water for the chicken stock.  Near as I can tell this dish is also gluten-free**