Zucchini Lasagna - Gluten Free

So, if you are a zucchini lover like I am, love that this squash is so versatile but not that it gets to mushy, right?

I knew I wanted to replace my typical lasagna noodles with zucchini but I didn't want my lasagna mushy and lacking texture.

This is where sweating out vegetables comes in, or more formally known as the 'disgorging' vegetables.  Disgorge is defined as 'to cause to pour out'.  So, adding salt to sliced zucchini causes some of the excess moisture to be released.

Here are my slices of zucchini, with a thin layer of salt on them.  

Here you can see the thin layer of water on top. 

Being the dork, uh, food scientist that I am, 

I was really excited to see the moisture coming out of the pores on the side of the vegetable.  

Just thought I'd share.  

Next step was to rinse most of the excess salt off.  

Finally, they were grilled, for good measure, to ensure the most texture in the baked dish.  

While the zucchini was roasting, the 1# ground turkey and 1 tsp Italian seasoning were browned up over medium heat. 

Next, 3 cups or two handfuls of spinach were added. 

The pan was covered to aid in the wilting process. 

I always add more spinach than I think necessary, because it cooks down so much. 

Final touch for the pan, was 24 oz of Roasted Garlic Classico Pasta Sauce, reserve 1/4 cup. 

I prefer adding the meat, sauce and veggies together for just one layer of the lasagna.  

For started, one quarter cup of pasta sauce was added to the 9x13 pan.

Then, the first layer of zucchini. 

Topped by half of the mixture of 15 oz of ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 

1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 egg. 

The next layer was half of the meat and veggie sauce. 

Another layer of zucchini. 

The second half of the cheese blend. 

Final layer of zucchini. 

The rest of the meat sauce. 

Sprinkled with shredded mozzarella. 

Bake, covered, at 375 F for 45 minutes. 

Longer if frozen. 

Remove the foil for the last 5-10 minutes 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

Zucchini - how many will depend on size.  This was 1 very large zucchini. 

1# ground turkey

1 tsp Italian seasoning

3 cups or two handfuls of spinach

24 oz of Roasted Garlic Classico Pasta Sauce

15 oz of ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella - divided

1/2 cup Parmesan

1 egg

Directions:

To prepare the zucchini, slice 1/4-1/2 inch thick pieces. 

Lay out on pan and sprinkle with salt for disgorging, leave for minimum of 15 minutes. 

Rinse off excess salt. 

Grill sliced zucchini to preserve texture. 

Brown ground turkey, add Italian seasoning. 

Add 3 cups of fresh spinach and wilt. 

Add pasta sauce, reserving 1/4 cup for bottom of pan. 

Mix up ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and egg. 

Layer into pan…

1. 1/4 cup pasta sauce

2. zucchini

3. 1/2 of the cheese blend

4. 1/2 of the meat and veggie sauce

5. zucchini

6. remaining cheese blend

7. zucchini

8. remaining meat sauce. 

9. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. 

Bake, covered, at 375F for 45 minutes. 

Uncover for additional 10 minutes. 

Perfect for a filling, gluten free meal and leftovers!

Cucumber Avocado Caprese Salad

Welcome to late summer, otherwise known as tomato season!

I'm excited to switch up some of my zucchini recipes with tomato for the next few weeks…but don't worry, zucchini and other squash recipes aren't done yet.  

This salad came about as I was brainstorming ideas to combine tomatoes and cucumber, which are slowly but surely appearing in the garden.

We all love a good Caprese dish, but adding in some cucumbers brought about the perfect crunch…and you probably know by now that I'm a sucker for texture.

Started by gathering up lots of fresh ingredients... fruits, vegetables, cheese and herbs.  

Three different varieties of tomatoes were the base for the salad.  

A blend of one Big Boy, two Little Girls and one Roma. 

Then one cucumber was half-peeled, chopped and added.

Some fresh mozzarella was also cubed. 

Loved how this soaks up the flavors of everything for a party in one bite. 

Add one avocado for the creamy-factor. 

Just 1 tsp of coarse Kosher sea salt.

I'm a big fan of how salt draw the juices out of the fruits and vegetables to make it's own dressing. 

My kitchen helper, Landon, chopped up some fresh basil and mint. 

Fresh black pepper was ground in, to taste. 

Then, half of a lime was squeezed over the bowl, 

to keep the avocado from browning and for the fresh twist. 

Finally, two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 

were streamed into the bowl. 

The salad was gently folded together and refrigerated until serving. 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

4 Tomatoes - chopped

1 Cucumber - half peeled and chopped

Fresh Mozzarella - cubed

1 Avocado - chunked

1 tsp Coarse Kosher Sea Salt

Fresh Basil and Mint - chopped

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Juice from half of a Lime

2 tablespoons of Olive Oil 

1 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, refrigerate and serve. 

Veggetti Review for Making Zucchini Noodles with Chicken

Happy Friday, let the weekend begin!

We are looking forward to the local Corn Roast this weekend, but before we get to that, I want to share with you my recent experience with the Veggetti, a kitchen gadget that turns veggies into spaghetti.

As you are probably aware, we have an abundance of zucchini, so I'm looking for a variety of ways to incorporate it into our meals.

These zucchini noodles, or zoodles, as I've seen around the web, are all the rage lately!

So, I went to pick one up to give it a try myself, or should I say, for Alayna to try, which is a pretty good sign it self!

All in all, I like the tool and the noodles have been enjoyed by all.

The biggest challenge is that the Veggetti doesn't work so well on zucchini much larger than what Alayna has in the first picture and many of our zucchini from the garden are too fat for that.

I did try cutting off the tip to see if I could get more use out of the zucchini, but once it is too big, it's no use. 

Especially since the zucchini noodles really cook down, quite a bit, about a zucchini per person would be recommended for a meal.

I'd love to make more zoodles, they are very versatile with lots of wonderful sauces to serve them with, but in order to feed my family, I'd love to see a larger version of the Veggetti.

As far as the meal…

Chopped onions were sautéed in bacon fat before the first batch of zucchini noodles were added. 

The zoodles were added, seasoned with some salt and tossed with tongs just a bit to cook them down. 

The juices along with the seasoning, bacon flavoring and onions made a terrific sauce. 

The swirl on the fork, just like the traditional pasta. 

The zoodles were topped with some seasoned, grilled chicken tenders. 

And, I'm pretty sure that everyone would have come back for more, had there been any extras.  

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1# chicken tenders

Zucchini - at least one person

Onion - chopped

Bacon fat (I always save this in a glass jar for cooking…a little bit goes a long way!)

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Directions:

Cook up chicken tenders and set aside to keep warm. 

Spiral the zucchini with Veggetti. 

Add onion to melted bacon fat, then the zucchini noodles. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Toss with tongs until softened. 

Top with chicken and serve! 

Enjoy this wonderful alternative to pasta and utilize some seasonal veggies at the same time!

Win:Win

Bacon Bleu Burgers topped with Herb and Carmelized Onion Mayo

Ok, fine, the cat is out of the bag.

We don't always eat healthy...

But, when we do indulge, we are sure to save it for ourselves, uh, protect our children from it. Yeah, right, that's what we do.

Truth be told, it was a rare occasion when all three kids were gone and when I asked Jerry what he wanted for dinner he said steaks or burgers.

No brainer for me...Burgers it is!

I enjoy a good steak, when someone else prepares it for me, but I'm no connoisseur of selecting or preparing a good steak, so I'd rather leave that to the professionals.

Besides, there are so many good fun things to do with burgers!

And a steak wouldn't leave me with much to share with y'all.

It didn't take long to scan my mental burger wish list and come up with these amazing babies...Bacon Bleu Burgers.

And, here Jerry just thought he was getting plain-Jane burgers…boy was he wrong! 

Starting with the most obvious AND delicious ingredient

fried up 4 slices of heaven, uh, I mean bacon. 

Crumbled the bacon into a bowl with the 1# ground beef and about a cup of crumbled bleu cheese. 

Also added 1 tsp of seasoning salt, which was completely unnecessary.  

Combine all of that deliciousness. 

Divide into 4 patties and throw on to grill (or grill pan, as the case may be). 

While the burgers were cooking, sliced up some leftover onion. 

Thought that some caramelized onions would be a nice topper. 

I was right!!! 

They cooked down and browned right up! 

Another fabulous topping could be some herbed mayo.  

Snipped some fresh basil and parsley from my deck,

Gave them a rough chop and mixed them into about a cup of mayo.  

Nice fresh condiment to compliment the burger. 

(The left over onions were mixed in for an even better sauce!)

Here is my burger, with the onions mixed right in the mayo…

(See how Jerry gets the fancy plate too!)

So fabulous!  

RECIPE:

Yield: 4 - .25 lb burgers

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon

1# ground beef 

1 cup of crumbled bleu cheese

Half of an onion - sliced

1 cup mayo

handful of fresh herbs (basil and parsley)

Directions:

Cook and crumble bacon. 

Combine bacon, bleu cheese and ground beef. 

Divide into 4 burgers and grill until done. 

Brown the onion for a burger topper or mayo ingredient. 

Chop up fresh herbs and stir into mayo.