Zucchini Cakes

I teach yoga four nights a week.  That means I either have to eat something before I go or wait till I come back home.  If I wait till I come home I'm tired and don't want to spend too much time cooking. This is where this next recipe comes into the picture.  I found this recipe the other day on Pinterest and thought it sounded good.  My favorite part about this dish (aside from the fact that it's really tasty) is that it took less than 30 minutes to make it from start to finish.

You can find the original recipe here. 

In the fall and winter I made lots of dishes with winter squash.  Now that spring is officially here with summer fast approaching, I'm looking to try out a whole slew of new dishes with summer squash.  I love squash.  It's yummy.  And here's another bonus: it's really good for you too. See what the folks over at Livestrong have to say about it.

ZUCCHINI CAKES

INGREDIENTS:

1 large zucchini, grated
1 large egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp Adobo spices
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated


DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
3. Heat a large pan on medium, and spray with Pam. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-inch (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown.
4. Finish the cakes off in the oven — stick them on a baking pan and broil them for 1-2 minutes.
5. Serve hot, alone or with ranch dressing.

PERSONAL NOTES:

As I mentioned above, this was an easy and quick dish to put together.  I will DEFINITELY make these again.

The directions state to remove excess water from the zucchini but I didn't see a need for that.  There just didn't seem to be any excess water. 

Instead of using Adobo spices I just used an all-purpose season salt. It worked fine. 

Overall this was tasty as-is.  When I make it next time I'll add 2x the amount of zucchini and cut back on the breadcrumbs by at least 1/3 cup.  I think it needs more zucchini in it, less bread.

Baked Zucchini & Sweet Potato Chips

Since I had the zucchini I decided to make these baked zucchini chips.  Then I decided that since I also had a sweet potato to use, I'd try it as a baked chip too.  They're fun, no doubt about that.  But they were a bit time consuming to prepare.  In an effort to save time, I used my food processor, but that wasn't the time-killer.  Dipping the slices into flour-->egg-->bread crumbs (back to)-->egg-->bread crumbs took some time.  Then I had to contend with everything sticking to my fingers which was a little gross.  Then as I'm dipping one piece into the next mix, I'm dragging bread crumbs and things are clumping up and well, take my word for it; it was time consuming.

Once I filled up a cookie sheet with all the chips, the rest was easy.  They don't come out super crispy or anything, but they're just tasty.  Even as leftovers, they're good :)

BAKED ZUCCHINI & SWEET POTATO CHIPS

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs 

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 

2 egg whites

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2. In one small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Place the egg whites in a separate bowl. Dip zucchini slices into the egg whites, then coat the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet.
3. Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until browned and crispy.

PERSONAL NOTES:
I think I cooked mine at about 375 degrees, not 475... that seems awfully high.  I also ended up cooking them for about 10-15 minutes each side.  So my advice to you on this would be to cook them as directed and check to see if they're done or need more time.  Everyone's oven is different. 

And on second thought... since I made the leftover slices the next day, it was too much work.  I'm not sure I'd make these again.  As I said though, they taste really good. They're just time consuming :(

Cheese Souffle

I'd always been curious about souffles and why they were challenging to make.  So I decided to try out this recipe for a cheese souffle.  As I was making it, I had an "A-ha!" moment.  I totally got how they work.  I might say it's having common sense.  *However*, if you're cooking-challenged (or just don't have enough experience yet), there are some things you might not realize.  And that's OK.  I'll let you in on the secrets I learned. 

Before I go further, I have to say that I tried this souffle with very high hopes.  Unfortunately I wasn't "wow'd" by the results.  For starters, the flavor was bland - even despite using a sharp cheddar.  It did have some kick with the added cayenne, but overall I felt "meh" about it.  On top of that, the consistency, while light, almost reminded me of scrambled eggs.  Which I don't like.  Ick.

What I ended up doing rather unintentionally, was making another souffle - this time with zucchini.  Initially I thought I'd try a different one and the zucchini caught my eye but as I was going through the recipe I was confused by mixing in the eggs and adding baking powder.  I mean... isn't that opposite of what a true souffle is?  That sounds to me more like a quiche.  Or a frittata.

Anyhow, I made the second souffle by adding shredded zucchini and it was SO MUCH better than the plain cheese souffle.  It added just enough flavor and a really nice contrast with the texture.  The zucchini made this recipe a keeper. 

CHEESE SOUFFLE

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine 

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

dash cayenne pepper

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar or Swiss cheese 

4 eggs, separated

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, mustard and cayenne until smooth; gradually add the milk. bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Pour into four greased 10-oz. souffle dishes or custard cups. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

CHEESE & ZUCCHINI SOUFFLE*

*For the Cheese & Zucchini Souffle, just add a pound of shredded zucchini (about one medium zucchini).

PERSONAL NOTES:

As I mentioned above, the cheese souffle was boring.  Meh.  But once I added zucchini to the mix it was MUCH better.  I'd make this one again, for sure.

The secret to successful souffles is timing, when it all boils down to it.  I set everything up in advance - all ingredients measured out and ready to go.  It makes things much easier.

When mixing the ingredients on the stove, keep stirring!  Don't stop.  Take the pot off the heat, add the cheese and zucchini and allow it to cool down just a little bit. 

At the same time, start whipping the egg white.  As the mixer is going, start spooning bit by bit the souffle mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks.  Transfer back to the pot.  Gradually fold in the egg whites.  This is where it can get dicey.  Mix it ONLY UNTIL BLENDED. You don't want to mix the egg whites too much or they'll lose their "air".  The end result to that is, after putting the souffle into the oven; baked bricks.

So to ensure fluffy souffles that rise, do NOT over-mix the egg whites into the pot.  Moving quickly, scoop the mixture into ramekins (oiled or sprayed) and place into the oven.  Watch the clock to make sure you don't over cook them either. 

It might sound like a bit of work, but once you get these basics down, the rest will really be easy.