Zucchini Fries

Happy Fall Everyone! This is my favorite time of the year. I love cool weather, sweaters, pumpkins and of course football season! Zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables and I had it so many different ways. This recipe is crispy, tender and flavorful fries that taste just like fried zucchini, only so much healthier. This is a great side dish or a nice snack. 



Ingredients:
1 lb. zucchini squash
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
1 large egg
1 tbsp Water

Directions:
1) Rinse and dry the zucchini. Cut the ends off and then cut each one into strips, approximately ⅓ inch thick.
2) Place the zucchini strips on a large zip top bag and add the flour. Shake the bag to coat the zucchini in flour. 
3) In a wide, shallow bowl combine the panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. 
4) In a second wide, shallow bowl, whisk a raw egg with about 1 Tbsp of water until fairly smooth.
5) Begin to preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and then place two wire cooling racks over top.** One by one, take the flour coated zucchini strips and dip them in the egg and then the seasoned bread crumb mixture. Place the breaded zucchini on the wire cooling racks. 
6) Once all of the zucchini strips are breaded, bake them for approximately 15 minutes or until they are a medium golden brown color. Cooking time will vary with the thickness of your zucchini strips, so keep a close eye.



**The wire racks keep the zucchini up off of the baking sheet and allows hot air to circulate underneath, which will prevent soggy bottoms. Also make sure there is a small amount of space between each strip to allow circulation.**

Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts

Yes, you saw correctly it is a Brussels sprouts recipe. Heck, many of us have hated this little green vegetable since childhood. But Brussels sprouts are not only edible, but delicious. All it takes is a great recipe and an open mind to discover the truth about these tiny cabbages, elevating them from a scary side dish to a new-found favorite food.



Ingredients:
2 slices of Turkey Bacon
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved 
1 clove garlic, minced 
1/8 teaspoon black pepper 
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar 
2 tablespoons water 


Directions: 
1. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, flipping once, until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon and set aside until needed. 

2. In the same skillet, place Brussels sprouts, garlic and pepper with any drippings. Sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes or until the Brussels sprouts are tender. If the Brussels Sprout start to blacken, turn heat down to medium-low. Add sugar and water and stir. Simmer until all the water has evaporated. 

3. Crumble the bacon and add to the glazed Brussels sprouts. Serve. 


Enjoy! 

Hummus

Happy Football Sunday!!! Week 2 is here... How did your team do last week? Here is another game day snack but is also an every day snack. Hummus is a snap to make when you start with canned garbanzo beans. Add spices such as ground cumin or paprika to jazz it up, and serve with raw or roasted vegetables, pita, or chips. 

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

1 can Garbanzo Beans (15oz can)

3 cloves of Garlic, (roasted)

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Yogurt (plain & low fat)

1/4 tsp Paprika (also a dash for garnish) 

Dash Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1) In a food processor, drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. 

2) Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. 

3) Taste, for seasoning, and transfer to a small bowl. 

4) Chill until ready to serve. 

Enjoy!

Breakfast Parfait

Hello Everyone! How is your September going? As I expressed before breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Well here is a light and easy recipe to have in the morning. This recipe is especially perfect for those of you who don't have much time in the morning. My favorite part is you can switch out the fruits to whatever is in season or your favorite fruits to eat. The oats and almonds also give the parfait a nice crunch. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Greek Yogurt (low fat)

1 kiwi

1/4 cup blackberries

1/4 cup Papaya

1 tsp almonds

1 tsp Oats

Directions:

Place yogurt in a small bowl. Top with fruit and sprinkle with oats. 

Serving: 1

Guacamole

FOOTBALL IS BACK! I know everyone might not be a huge football fan like myself but I'm excited. ;-)   Since it's now football season I thought I share one of my favorite healthy snacks I like to eat while I'm watching the games. This recipe has fresh ingredients, low in sodium and easy to make. Whether your watching your favorite teams play, sitting pool side or looking for a dip to take to your next gathering this recipe is perfect. 

Ingredients:

3 ripe Haas avocados

1/3 cup red onion, diced

1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Pinch of Black Pepper

2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1) Start by cut avocados in half and remove seed. Scoop out avocado and place in a large bowl. Mash avocado with a potato masher or a fork.

2) Fold in onion, tomato, jalapeno,and garlic in the bowl with avocados.

3) Next add the lime, cumin, salt, and fresh cilantro. Combine until mix is coated. 

4) Let the guacamole sit in fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavors marinade. 

5) Serve with your favorite chips or veggies!

Enjoy! 

Sesame & Citrus Broccoli

Hello there... I hope everyone had a great Labor Day! For the past few weeks I been eating broccoli by the truck load. In going thru my monthly magazines I found an article about adding more flavor to your broccoli and here is a nice combination I thought would go well together. The great part of this recipe is the way the orange brings a sweet flavor to the broccoli. It's a nice mix of sweet and savory with a fresh citrus taste. Here are a few pointers for this recipe:

1) I bought 2 oranges for this recipe. I used 1 for the sections and the other for zest and juice.

2) If you don't like spicy you can omit the red pepper and still enjoy this recipe.

3) The oil combination you make in Step 1 would also make a good salad dressing.

Ingredients: 

4 cups steamed broccoli

2 tablespoons Canola Oil

1 teaspoon Orange Zest

2 tablespoon Orange Juice (freshly squeezed)

1/2 cup Orange Sections

1 tablespoon Honey

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper

1 tablespoon Green Onion (chopped)

1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

Directions:

1) In a large bowl whisk together orange zest, orange juice, honey, black pepper, red pepper with canola oil.

2) Add broccoli, orange sections, green onions and sesame seeds to the bowl. 

3) Toss together until all the ingredients mixed throughly. 

Enjoy!