Stuffed zucchini

So I recently found out that I will soon be working from home again. I did this at a different firm a little over a year ago and it was not has easy as it sounds. Sure it was nice to not have to get dressed up every day, pack a lunch, race out the door, etc. But there would be several days, even weeks, I wouldn’t so much as step foot outside of my tiny apartment. One can get a little cooky and stir crazy, let me tell you…. I will enjoy being with my dogs all day, the flexibility in my schedule and I think this is my solution to missing my daily workouts! The thing that is looming over my head however is that I need to turn my apartment into a dual purpose space. It needs to remain a sanctuary but also be a place where I can be productive. I don’t necessarily want those lines to be crossed but I want my desk space to fit with the rest of the decor of the apartment. I have been looking at some ideas for home office space via Pinterest but if anyone has any great ideas, please feel free to share!

On to the good stuff. After my empanada/”pot pie” incident, I had plenty of leftover lentil mix that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with. I have seen people make stuffed zucchini before but I was skeptical. As luck would have it, I had two zucchinis in the fridge that were bordering throw-away-time so I decided to give it a try.

Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients 

You can use any mixture you like. A quinoa with veggies would be nice, beans and brown rice. This is a great opportunity for you to get creative and use the materials you already have in your kitchen. Tomato paste was great for flavor, texture and to keep all of the ingredients together. I also would suggest sprinkling some cheese on top to give it that extra punch of flavor.

Directions:

1. I took my pre-made mixture and tossed it in a pan with some tomato paste over medium-low heat.

2. Meanwhile I cut my zucchini in half lengthwise and scooped out the seeds with a spoon to create a moat to put the lentil mixture in. Spoon mixture into the moats.

3. I sprayed a pan with cooking spray and laid the two stuffed zucchini pieces side-by-side. I baked them at 425 degrees for 15 mins then reduced the temp to 300 sprinkled the cheese and put them in for another few minutes until the cheese was melted.

And for your random photo of the day viewing pleasure, I give you, another pug pic….

….Cracks me up every time….

Zucchini Fries with Romasco Sauce

I rarely share much about my personal life on this blog because well, I either A) am not doing much other than cooking (which you see) or working (which is boring). Or B) I forget to take pictures – and let’s be honest, pictures make reading the content worth while, am I right? In the event I actually do remember to take pictures, I will inevitably find something wrong with them (i.e fat arm, double chin, eyes closed – you get the idea) and delete them immediately. However, I do have a few pics to speak of from last weekend. My best friend Cathy from high school came to visit with her boyfriend Brian and I was SO excited to show her Chicago since she had never been here before. I took work off and we walked around – no joke – the ENTIRE city ALL day. Of course I only have a few pics so here you have it…

If you come to Chicago, you gotta check out the new(ish) Marilyn Monroe statue. We also walked down Michigan Ave, went to “the bean” in millennium park, Buckingham fountain and navy pier but those are on her camera, lo siento. Corey and I fixed dinner at our place Friday night and went to our favorite pizza joint, Piece, for dinner Sunday night (they were at her cousins wedding on Saturday – in case you were wondering 😛 )

Presh 🙂

When I got home from work on Monday I had a gift waiting for me on the counter! As luck would have it, she saw how much I enjoy cooking nowadays and picked me up these fabulous spices at a local spice shop aptly called The Spice House (which I am dying to go to now!). And a fabulous bottle of wine, which I may or may not be enjoying right now 😉

Anywho, upon a few requests and by popular demand on other blogs I have decided – or rather – will do my best to share more of my personal life with you on here. For now I will share a fun appetizer recipe with you that we made for Cathy and Brian during their visit.

Zucchini Fries

Ingredients:

• 3 small zucchini
• ¼ cup Grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 3 eggs for dipping
• Spices – your choice of paprika, salt, pepper, red pepper flake, garlic powder, oregano, basil, etc. or all of the above!

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Trim, wash and cut off the ends of the zucchini. Cut into long sticks even in length, about 1/4 inch thickness.

3. Combine herbs, cheese and Panko in a small bowl and set aside. Place eggs in a pie plate.

4. Use tongs (or your hands if you don’t mind getting a lil’ dirty) and dip zucchini first into the egg mixture, coating it completely, then into the panko mixture. Lay on baking sheet, sprinkle remaining Panko mixture on top to coat the zucchini.

5. Bake until golden brown, turning halfway through (not mandatory but highly recommended).  Serve with Italian marinara sauce or Romesco sauce below.

Romesco Sauce

• 2 green ancho chilis
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 4 pieces of jarred roasted red pepper
• 1 cup of almonds
• 1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbls red wine vinegar
• 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp sugar (I used NuNaturals stevia)
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp broth (or olive oil)

Directions:

1. Blend ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and pour into bowl.

(P.S I made a few without panco crumbs because Corey doesn’t like them…so dramatic….)