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Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

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Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

Zucchini stuffed with Israeli couscous, fennel, marinara and cheeses. This dish was born of leftovers as many of my recipes are, but it's so good, I had to share!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword fennel, israeli couscous, marinara, mozzarella, parmesan sauce, zucchini
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author misangela

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 baking dish

Ingredients

  • 3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and scooped out Find straight ones for easy cutting, leave 1/2 inch all around to hold filling
  • 1/2 cup fennel, finely diced Sub onion or celery
  • 1 lg shallot, finely diced Sub 2 Tbl onion or omit
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely diced About 1.5 Tbl
  • 1 cup cremini mushrooms, fine chop
  • 1 cup prepared Israeli couscous Or more if you like
  • 2 cups marinara sauce If you don't have your own, buy the Mezzetti brand. It is the best! Or you can make my recipe, search 'marinara'.
  • 1 Tbl dry marjoram Or use basil, oregano or all three!
  • 1 Tbl fresh thyme Or 1/2 Tbl dry thyme
  • 2 Tbl fennel fronds, fine chop If using fresh fennel
  • 2 Tbl sherry vinegar Sub red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup ground parmesan The dry kind found on the Italian aisle or you can use a little shredded
  • 2/3 cup shredded parmesan
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella You can use fresh, but I think shredded works best here
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs Mixed with 1 Tbl EVOO
  • S/P to taste You'll use more than you think
  • EVOO Used in various places

Instructions

  • Spray baking dish with food release and preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Cut ends off zucchini, hollow out with a spoon leaving 1/2 inch all around and at the ends to hold filling. I did not use the flesh, but you could if you wish. Just chop and add to filling and adjust seasoning. Place boats in baking dish, drizzle with EVOO and season generously with S/P. Remember: zucchini is bland!
  • Prepare couscous as directed on package. DO NOT use any flavourings that might be in the package, you want plain couscous. Make sure it's seasoned with S/P. You need to layer your seasonings since veg dishes need more seasoning in general.
  • In a skillet over med heat, add 1 Tbl EVOO and sweat the fennel, garlic, shallot and mushrooms. Once veg is soft, add about 2/3 cup marinara and the herbs.
  • Add in couscous and reduce heat to med low. Allow to simmer just a couple of minutes, then turn off heat. Add vinegar and ground parm, then allow filling to cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Taste the filling to check seasoning - you want it well seasoned. It should not be too dry, adjust marinara if needed.
  • Fill zucchini boats with filling, fill them as full as you can get them and allow couscous to cover the tops completely.
  • Add the rest of the marinara, making sure the ends of the zucchini are covered and the couscous has plenty of moisture. Keep on top of the zucchini, it is not meant for the squash to cook in sauce. Some overpour is fine, it will make a lovely crisp!
  • Top with parmesan, mozzarella and finally the panko. Again, any overpour will create a nice crisp at the bottom! (See photo.)
  • Cover with foil and bake at 375° for about 45 minutes. Check the zucchini's doneness with a spoon. You want it cooked, but still strong enough to hold the filling. When done, return uncovered to the oven, under the broiler to brown the panko. Watch this! Panko goes from raw to black quickly!
  • Allow to stand for 10 minutes or so, then serve. One zucchini is a serving, but 2 is fine. It's veg, dig in!!

Notes

Do get the fennel for this dish! It is delightful. If you hate fennel, celery will work. 
Fresh mozzarella could be used, but I like the dry shredded better. It doesn't form a blob and is not as bland. 
Many stuffed zucchini recipes call for sausage, which is fine, but I like how this turned out without it. It is light, but very satisfying with the fleshy zucchini. 
Of course this can be made vegan by using vegan cheese. 
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Southern Corn Casserole

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Southern Corn Casserole

This is the typical recipe that I've added a couple of things to. It is VERY easy and VERY delicious!
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Southern
Keyword corn, corn casserole, corn pudding
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Servings 8
Author misangela

Equipment

  • 9x9 or any 2 quart casserole dish

Ingredients

  • 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
  • 1 can whole corn drained
  • 1 can creamed corn
  • 1 can diced green chiles 4oz small can, drained
  • 3 scallions, finely sliced on bias sub shallot or fine dice onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 Tbl mayo optional, but gives a little acidity
  • 4 oz butter (one stick), melted COOL before adding to mix!
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tsp salt (Dixie Crystal Kosher) taste before cooking, this can take up to twice as much salt!
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese optional topping

Instructions

  • Preaheat oven to 400°F and spray baking dish with food release (PAM).
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayo and eggs.
  • Slowly whisk in cooled butter, then whisk in Jiffy mix.
  • Fold in corn (drained!), cream corn, chiles (drained), onion, garlic and salt. Mix until homogenous.
  • Pour mix into baking dish and bake in 400° oven, covered with foil, for about 45 minutes. Remove foil, add cheese if using and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes or so. The casserole will puff up and become browned. It is done when the center is fully cooked. Look for 160-165°F with a thermometer.
  • Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

It may take a few minutes longer to bake than stated. I've had variances up to 10 mins. Check the casserole at around 30 minutes to see how it's progressing. If it is still mostly liquid, it will take longer. I have no idea why it cooks differently at times, it just seems to be tempermental. If it is still mostly liquid at 30 mins, take off the foil and let it cook uncovered. Just watch it and make sure to reach 160º in the center. 
Put the baking dish on a sheet pan to prevent any spill over into your oven. 
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White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
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White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I whipped this up on a whim and it is so good, I just had to jot down what I did! This is one delicious dip! No cooking required with this pantry staple recipe.
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Keyword bean dip, hummus, party appetizers, party dip, roasted red pepper, tahini, white northern beans
Prep Time 10 minutes
Author misangela

Equipment

  • Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients

  • 1 14 oz can Great Northern beans any white bean is fine
  • 1/2 12 oz jar Roasted Red Peppers or two if you roast yourself
  • 1/2 cup Italian Cherry Peppers, about 5-6 often labeled sweet and hot peppers
  • 1 tsp EACH, juice from red peppers and cherry peppers double the cherry pepper juice if you roast your own peppers
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbl tahini
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 Tbl olive oil (EVOO) stream in while puréeing
  • 2 tsp lime juice, about one lime to taste
  • S/P to taste

Instructions

  • Drain the beans and cut the roasted red peppers into 1" chunks. Mince garlic.
  • Put everything except olive oil into food processor and process on high until smooth.
  • Stream in EVOO with processor on.
  • When desired consistency is reached, add lime juice and S/P to taste.
  • This dip will firm up in the fridge.
  • Serve with EVOO on top. It is great with tortilla chips, crackers or crudité.
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Angela’s Lamb Birria

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Angela's Lamb Birria

This is a traditional birria recipe with all lamb. Lamb or goat are the preferred meats, but you can do a mix of lamb and beef or only beef if that is what you have. I highly recommend spending the money on lamb! This is traditionally a special occasion dish, due to the lengthy marinating time and long list of ingredients, but it is completely worth it!
You could make this dish in a slow cooker, see notes. You can eat this as a stew or shred it for birriaqueso tacos (in notes). This is a small recipe, for about half a cleaned lamb shoulder. Double it for a whole lamb shoulder.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword birria, birriaqueso, lamb, lamb tacos, mexican lamb stew
Prep Time 1 day 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Servings 6 servings
Author misangela

Equipment

  • dutch oven or slow cooker
  • blender or stick blender
  • fine sieve

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb about half a lamb shoulder, in large chunks I like lamb trimmed of fat and silverskin, keeping just a small amount of fat for the braising, but you can leave all the fat and skim later if you wish. A typical boneless lamb shoulder is about 4-5# before trimming.

Dry Rub

  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dry mustard optional
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 tsp ancho powder Substitute smoked paprika.
  • 2 tsp garlic salt sub kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Braise and Sauce

  • 1 Tbl oil to cook chiles
  • 1 dried guajillo chile, cut open and seeded, remove stem see notes about dried chiles
  • 1 dried New Mexican chile, cut open and seeded, remove stem
  • 1 dried pasilla chile, cut open and seeded, remove stem
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 stick cinnamon about 2"
  • 2 tsp whole black peppercorns about 10-15
  • 1 tsp whole cloves about 6-8
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried marjoram optional, if skipping double the oregano
  • 1 tsp dried oregano Mexican if you can find it
  • 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced about a cup
  • 1 small onion, diced about 2/3 cup
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ½ Tbl apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 tsp ancho powder Cayenne is NOT a substitute! Use smoked paprika if you can't find ancho.
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup water plus more if needed

Toppings

  • chopped cilantro
  • finely diced onion
  • lime slices
  • pickled radish or onion see notes
  • crumbled cotija cheese see notes

Instructions

  • The day before, mix up the dry rub and thoroughly coat the lamb. Put in a plastic zip bag in the fridge until you are ready to cook the next day. You can marinate for a few hours if you're in a pinch, but the longer, the better.
  • Heat a skillet over high with about a Tbl of oil. Sauté the lamb pieces on all sides. Set aside.
  • In a small saucepan, put about 2/3 cup water and bring to a simmer.
  • In same skillet, add more oil and turn down heat to med hi. Add the chiles. Cook until the chiles turn a little darker, it just takes about 2 minutes, do not burn the chiles.
  • Put chiles in the simmering water until they are called for in the recipe.
  • In the same skillet over med hi, add pepper, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, thyme, marjoram and oregano. Stir until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  • Add onions and garlic, turn down heat to medium and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add romas and chiles with the simmering water. Cook until the whole mixture is thickened. About 8 minutes.
  • Turn off heat and add apple cider vinegar, cumin, ginger and ancho.
  • Put this braising mixture in a blender and puree until smooth. Push through a fine sieve to create a smooth sauce for braising. Add 1/2 cup water if cooking in oven, if using a slow cooker, skip the water.
  • Put the lamb in a dutch oven and cook at 300°F for about 3 hours. OR put in a slow cooker on HI for 6-8 hours. If cooking in oven, check at halfway point to see if the sauce is too reduced; if so, add more water. It should be saucy, not dry.
  • Remove lamb from sauce and shred. I leave it larger for stew and shred small for tacos. You could even do stew for dinner and then tacos for leftovers. Check seasoning (salt) and adjust.
  • I keep the sauce separate to control the consistency of the lamb. Check seasoning (salt) and adjust. If it needs more acid, add a bit more vinegar. If you've got a lot of fat, skim fat before serving, otherwise it will be too greasy. The fat will come right off if you refrigerate the sauce.

Notes

I highly recommend seeking out dried chiles for this dish. There is not really anything that can substitute for dried chiles. Many chain groceries carry them now, and most towns will have an ethnic market of some sort. If all else fails, you can order from Amazon, but you'll end up with extra - which I hope will inspire you to try other Mexican dishes! You can store the dried chiles in an airtight bag in the pantry. 
For stew, I'd serve with rice and top with cilantro and onions.  Limes on the side. Add as much sauce as you like.
I really like pickled veg with this dish to cut the richness. I made a quick pickle of red onion and radish for the stew. Cut very finely about 2/3 cup veg and pickle in 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar,  1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 2 Tbl water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and a few whole allspice or pickling spices. Heat brine to simmer, take off heat and add veg. Let sit until cool. 
For birriaqueso tacos, add sauce to shredded lamb until nicely moist, but not too wet. I use small corn street tacos that I've charred over a burner just a little (ALWAYS cook the tortillas!). Assemble with a little sour cream, the shredded lamb, crumbled cotija cheese, pickled veg (same recipe as above), diced onion and chopped cilantro. Lime on the side. 
Photo courtesy @mylatinatable
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Angela’s EASY Madeleines

Almond Madeleines recipe is here.

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Angela's Easy Madeleines

This is a plain Madeleine recipe - which is actually LEMON! There is also an Almond one on this site. I've taken the rather fussy Julia Child recipe and made it super easy.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword easy madeleines, lemon madeleines, madeleines
Servings 36 MINI Madeleines
Author misangela

Equipment

  • Two MINI Madeleine pans or regular sized pans. This recipe is for MINI, you'll get about half as many (18) regular ones. SEE NOTES.
  • Gallon ziplock or pastry bag with large plain tip.
  • Cooling rack.
  • Wire strainer to sift confectioners sugar.

Ingredients

  • 2 Large eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups A/P flour
  • 4 oz butter (one stick), cut up
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice only about 1 tsp juice needed and a Tbl of zest
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • confectioners sugar to coat after baking

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Whisk together sugar and flour.
  • Put butter in microwave dish and melt - do not boil, use half power. When mostly melted, whisk briskly to ensure it's all melted and it will cool properly. It takes about 1-2 minutes.
  • Beat eggs.
  • Using a strong spoonula, stir together flour and eggs. Stir for a couple of minutes. Add extract, lemon zest, lemon juice and stir again.
  • Make sure butter is just WARM (if not, whisk it a bit and it'll cool down) and stir into batter. Stir thoroughly until batter is fully smooth and integrated.
  • Put batter in freezer for about 10 minutes to cool. Remove, stir again, put back in freezer for about 5 more minutes.
  • Thoroughly spray Madeleine pans with food release OR brush with butter.
  • Put batter into a gallon ziplock (or pastry bag with plain large tip) for easy dispensing into the madeleine pan. Fill madeleine cups about 3/4 - about 2 tsp for a MINI pan or about a Tablespoon for regular sized pan.
  • Make sure oven racks are in the center two. Put one pan on each rack. Set timer for 10 minutes for MINIs and 15 minutes for regular sized. Rotate pans at halfway point for even cooking.
  • When madeleines are browned to your liking, put on a cooling rack and cover with confectioners sugar. (Use a wire strainer to shake sugar through.)

Notes

If you have regular sized Madeleine pans, this recipe will make about half as many (~18 or so).  The cook time will be at least 15 minutes, perhaps more if you like them medium brown like I do. 
There is another recipe on this site for Almond Madeleines.