Zucchini Sausage Bake

I always say that I don't like Italian but what I don't really like is pasta. There just isn't any flavor in it to me so I'll usually substitute pasta for some type of vegetable. Zucchini and broccoli are my personal favorites and most of time I'll just saute some zucchini with tomato sauce. While I like it, it can be a little too light of a dish when I'm looking for a comfort classic. My zucchini sausage bake is a play on lasagna and baked ziti and I couldn't even tell that there wasn't any pasta in the dish. Plus without the extra calories of the pasta removed I can enjoy an even bigger slice!

Potato Leek Soup

I find that I always have leftover ingredients after a week of meals. They fall through the cracks and end up in the trashcan and me asking myself, where has all my food gone?! Instead of going through the same cycle again I decided to do the common sense thing and use those ingredients to make something new. This week I had two leeks, one potato and half a zucchini left and decided I'd make my potato leek soup. I used to make this a lot but haven't whipped this up for a long time so I was excited to eat it. This is a small batch recipe and yielded only two servings. It was a really nice way to use up what I had on hand and it was so good I will be making a bigger batch in the next few weeks.

Potato Leek Soup
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
2 Leeks, trimmed, washed and chopped
1 Red Potato, peeled and diced
1/2 Half a Zucchini, diced
2 Cups of Chicken Stock
1/4 Cup Half and Half
1 Small Clove of Garlic, chopped
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Chives for Garnish
Chili Oil for Garnish

Heat olive oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat and saute leeks until softened. Add zucchini and potatoes and cook about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer soup until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and puree mixture. I have an immersion blender so I can do this right in the pot. Once mixture is smooth, put back on the heat and simmer until the soup starts to thicken, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Once the soup has thicken, about 5-7 minutes, stir in half an half and stir to incorporate. Garnish with fresh chives and chili oil. 

Honey Buffalo Shrimp Tacos

I had some leftover shrimp from a previous recipes on hand and since I was already planning on having tacos for dinner later in the week I figured I'd use what I had on hand to make a quick dinner- honey buffalo shrimp tacos. Buffalo shrimp is tastier to me than buffalo chicken, plus I had everything I needed for a the sweet spicy meal. The buffalo sauce I have is HOT and even though I like spicy foods I find this to be a little too spicy for me so I added some honey to mellow out the heat. The results were a sticky sweet and spicy combo that paired very nicely with the Gorgonzola cheese and sauteed veggies. This may have started out as a last minute throw together meal but I will be making a point to make it again soon. 

Honey Buffalo Shrimp Tacos
4 Ounces Shrimp, raw
2 Stalks of Celery, diced
1 Large Carrot, peel and diced
1 Ounce Gorgonzola Cheese
1 Teaspoon Buffalo Sauce
1 Teaspoon Honey
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
2 Flour Tortillas
Cilantro
Lettuce

Start by cutting the raw shrimp into bite size pieces, set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat in a small pan and saute the celery and carrots until its slightly softened and heated through. Place in a small bowl and stir in half the Gorgonzola cheese until melted. Heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in the pan and saute shrimp until cooked, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in honey and buffalo sauce until everything is combined. Top each tortilla with lettuce, shrimp, carrots and celery, and remaining cheese. Add cilantro if desired. Enjoy! 

Vegetable Soup

I'm always looking for easy ways to incorporate vegetables into my meals. There are only so many salads I can eat. Last night I had a pretty late lunch and didn't want to settle for a bowl of cereal for my dinner so I decided to whip up some homey vegetable soup. I used a mixture of beef broth and vegetable broth to layer more flavor into the soup and create a rich broth. It's a great base that can be used to add in other proteins such as crab or beef. Feel free to add any and all vegetables that you love. 

Vegetable Soup
3 Cups Red Potatoes, diced
 4 Large Carrots, diced
1 1/2 Cups Celery, diced
1 Bunch of Radishes, diced
Half of a Large Yellow Onion
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 Cup Frozen Corn
1 Cup Frozen Green Beans
1/2 Head Cabbage, quartered and sliced
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
4 Cups Beef Stock, unsalted
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
2 Teaspoons Old Bay
1 Cup of Parsley, chopped
1 Dollop of Pesto, optional
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Start by heating the olive oil in a large dutch oven. Mine is 6 Quarts and the soup filled it to the rim so I'd suggest a larger pot if you have it. Next, saute potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and radishes until they just start to soften. Pour in the can of diced tomatoes and add a large pinch of salt and old bay. Add in the beef broth and bring soup to a boil. Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender. Stir in half of the parsley and cabbage. Cover and cook another 5 minutes. When cabbage is cooked, stir in peas, corn and green beans. Cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in pesto, pepper, vegetable stock and remaining parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Serve and Enjoy!

Potato, Zucchini, Corn Salad with a Spicy Pesto, Sesame and Lime Dressing

I don't know about you but lately I've been ravenous around lunch time. Work's been really busy so I've been running around a lot more than usual so I'll attribute my unending midday appetite to that. So instead of coming home to another bowl of cereal I decided to create a light and refreshing "salad" in its place. I used zucchini as the base since it's my favorite vegetable and left my sesame oil on the counter so that additional wasn't in my original thought for the recipe.  

Potato, Zucchini, Corn Salad with a Spicy Pesto, Sesame and Lime Dressing

1 Medium Zucchini, diced

1/4 Red Onion, diced
1 Red Potato, diced
2/3 Cup Corn, thawed
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Pesto
Juice of 1 Lime
1/8 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/4-1/2 Teaspoon of Sriracha
1 Tablespoon Parsley, chopped
Pinch of Kosher Salt
Pepper to Taste

Steam the chopped potato until fork tender. I have a microwave steamer so it takes about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool. Combine mayonnaise, pesto, lime juice, sesame oil, sriracha, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Combine dressing with zucchini, corn, onion, potato and parsley. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavor to blend. 

Cooking With Molly!

In December I came across a holiday recipe contest for the local news station, Fox 45. All you had to do was submit an original recipe that was either an appetizer, side dish, entree or dessert. I decided to submit my Pumpkin Cranberry Soup that I had created for a pumpkin recipe showdown party. Once all the entries were in the station would choose 4 winners- one for each categories. and guess who was one of the winners!! ME! I got to go to the station and do a quick demo for my Pumpkin Cranberry Soup. Here is the clip for your viewing pleasure!

After taping I was able to have my own private/impromptu photo shoot while the station was in the newsroom filming live- I enjoy how legit they look! These could be my first "official" Cooking with Molly promo pictures! Well, a girl can dream! 

  

Lemon Pesto Pasta Salad

I have a potluck happy hour that I'm going to this week and instead of a dessert, dip or typical appetizer I decided to make my lemon pesto pasta salad. I made this dish as a picnic item for a wine event that I went to with a friend of mine and it was a big hit. We even shared our plethora of food with a guy next to us and a week later I received a thank you card in the mail at work! It's great for the summer and I'll make it a lot for an easy lunch. 

Lemon Pesto Chicken
1 LB Pasta- I like farfalle
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/3 Cup Pesto
Zest of 2 Lemons
Juice of 1 Lemon
16 oz Mozzarella Cheese, diced

Cook pasta per directions on the box. While pasta is cooking combine mayonnaise, pesto, lemon zest and juice. Whisk all ingredients together. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in cold water. Combine pasta with pesto sauce and diced mozzarella cheese. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. 

I have also added diced chicken and diced raw zucchini to this dish to bulk it up for an easy dinner. It's such a basic recipe you can really experiment with it.