Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini

As summer is winding its way down, it seems the cherry tomatoes are winding up! We have so many on our vines! As you all know - there is nothing quite like a garden tomato - cherry or otherwise!

It seems that we are not quite done with the zucchini crop either. So, with that in mind I was on my continual hunt for something delicious to try with these to veggies! My search proved 'fruitful'.

This recipe although not a main meal, could be paired with rice or noodles to make it more filling. We did serve it over rice (which negated it's low cal appeal!).

Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini Recipe (from Laa Loosh)

A great low calorie side dish to any meal, these Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini are flavorful and fresh. At 0 Points + per serving, it’s a wonderful guilt free vegetable recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 small container of cherry tomatoes (about 20 tomatoes), sliced in half
• Non-fat olive oil cooking spray
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup) and lightly mist with the non-fat cooking spray.
3. Place tomatoes and zucchini onto baking sheet and lightly mist with non-fat cooking spray or olive oil mister, then sprinkle evenly with the sea salt.
4. Roast in oven until vegetables start to char, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve immediately.

Quick Notes

NOTE: Because this Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini Recipe only uses vegetables and trace amounts of olive oil, I count it as 0 Points +. However, if you add up the nutritional information and plug it into your Weight Watchers Calculator, you’ll see that it comes up as 1 Points +. So it’s up to you how you want to count it.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Entire recipe makes 4 servings
Serving size is 1/2 cup
Each serving = 0 Points +

PER SERVING: 43 calories; 0g fat; 8g carbohydrates; 3g protein; 3g fiber

Surprisingly my son and husband both LOVED this recipe and went back for more. I didn't have the heart to tell them it was a "Weight Watcher's" Recipe. Because they enjoyed it so much, it receives the distinction of "2" on the RollRater!

Zucchini Soup

Now, I know what you're thinking...."Soup in this hot weather! Forget it!" This is actually a COLD soup (of which I am not usually a fan). But this came recommended by long-time blog follower, fellow teacher and friend, Judy C. She new I was looking for zucchini recipes and sent this along. It is not only delicious but it's healthy too!

It has taken me a while to make this soup because it calls for a blender (something I do not own). So my sister-in-law, Dianne, heard I wanted to try this and offered up her Hamilton Beach Personal Blender. I looked at it and thought, "This little thing isn't going to work." But in fact, it was just perfect.

So, Grab your pot! Get your blender! And go!


Zucchini Cold Soup

• Saute one large Vadalia onion in butter in a fairly large pot
• Dice 4 pounds green zucchini
• When onion is sauteed, add zucchini to pot
• Add one small can College Inn fat free chicken broth
• Stir and Cover

• When zucchini is cooked, cool on stove
• Add 1/2 teasp. salt and one full teasp. curry
• When pot is cool, put into a blender to "blend" to thicken soup consistency

• Serve with croutons

No here is where it got a little tricky for me. I didn't have any curry so I decided a good substitute would be crushed red pepper flakes. While I love the taste of them, my dear Dave does not. Unfortunately, I added a bit too much and it was overly spicy for him.

I thought I wouldn't enjoy the cold soup and it was actually a nice change. I'm thinking though that this could be easily served warm...Judy might have to chime in on this one.

So even though one of us did not go back for seconds, the other did. Therefore, this recipe receives a 2 on the Roll-Rater scale.

By the way - do you like my vintage Syracuse China Bowls circa 1950's? A great purchase on eBay!

Let me know if you try the soup!

Happy Dining!

Chicken & Black Bean Casserole

I'll be upfront - this is NOT a One Pot Wonder! Although it ends up in one pot, I used 1 pot for the rice, 1 frying pan for the chicken, 1 frying pan for sauteing onions & mushrooms, several cutting boards and a large mixing bowl. The end result was it was worth it!

Deciding it was going to be a chicken night, I wanted to pair that with zucchini as that vegetable can be found in abundance in our garden (as you may remember from the previous post). I started perusing the web and came up with this wonderful recipe. The Chicken & Black Bean Casserole recipe was found at Six Sisters' Stuff: Healthy Meals. (They found it at AllRecipes...check out the reviews it got!)

I didn't follow the recipe exactly: I omitted the carrots (because I wasn't paying attention), I substituted crushed red pepper flakes for the chile peppers (as Dave doesn't like overly spicy); changed rice to 1 cup measurement, and didn't use the cayenne pepper. Variations could include: using summer squash too, adding tomatoes, leaving out the chicken for a vegetarian meal, using white rice, leaving out the beans (but that makes!)adding corn, etc.)

NEW to One Dish Dining: I'm adding a 'rating scale' to each post...I'll call it the Roll-Rater (as in Car-ROLL). A rating of "2" would indicate great meal as it means that someone wanted 2nds...a rating of "1" means we liked it, but not enough to make again! Find the Roll-Rater at the end of this post!

Chicken & Black Bean Casserole:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup brown rice 1 cup vegetable broth 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/3 cup diced onion 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced 2 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon cumin salt to taste ground cayenne pepper to taste 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained 1/3 cup shredded carrots 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:

1.	Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large casserole dish.
3.	Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, chicken, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through.
4.	In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chiles, carrots, and 1/2 the Swiss cheese. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5.	Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2012 Allrecipes.com

Recipe Facts:
Yield: 8 Servings
Calories: 337
Total Fat: 21g
Cholesterol: 77 mg

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour (due to rice)

Even though there were more pans than I desire (as you know I don't have a dishwasher), the meal was a success as the Roll-Rater shows. Hoping you'll give it a try.


ROLL-RATER:

Summer Vegetable Casserole

Our garden is chock full of zucchini and summer squash already! Several years ago I pleaded with my husband to stop planting them as they were taking over the garden, and well, quite honestly (and no surprise really) I didn't know how to cook them other than using the steaming method.

During this hiatus I came across several wonderful recipes using those particular vegetables. The first recipe literally fell into my lap when it dropped from the mailbox. It was sent by my sister, the Real Estate broker. (Other recipes will be shared in later posts.)

So, I pleaded with my husband, the gardener to plant zucchini and summer squash once again! You can see he did as the garden is now overrun with these nuclear looking plants!

So here is why I now love zucchini and summer squash:
Summer Vegetable Casserole:

Ingredients:
2 yellow squash (small)
2 zucchini (small)
6 medium potatoes (peeled)
1 large onion
1 lemon (zest)
4 T olive oil
4-6 Tomatoes (sliced or 1 15 oz can diced toms)
2 oz Feta Cheese
1 1/2 tsp season salt

Directions:
Preheat over to 375 degrees. Cut potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices and all other vegetables into 1/4 inch slices. In a bowl mix all vegetables except tomatoes with lemon zest, 3 T oil, seasoning salt, and pepper. Place in 9" x 13" casserole. Top with tomato slices and crumbled feta and drizzle with 1 T olive oil. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and cook another 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are slightly browned.

This can be served as a side dish or a main course. For the meat lovers you can add sausage for a heartier meal (just slice them and cook the same). If you are not a feta lover then substitute parmigian, mozzarella or another favorite cheese.

RECIPE FACTS:
Serves: 8 Calories/serving: 188
Protien 5g
Carb 25g
Fat 9g
Fiber 4g

Prep time: 20 minutes Total Cook Time: 1 hour 15 min

Honestly, I don't think you will be disappointed with this dish. Please leave a note in the comment section if you have a chance to try it!

Delights in your Dining!