"Sort-of" Paninis with Summer Vegetable Pancakes

Adapted from Gourmet, August 2002

For Basil Chive Cream

3/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

salt to taste

For Pancakes

2 zucchini, grated

2 carrots, grated
1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 egg whites

olive oil

Make Basil Chive Cream

In a bowl combine chopped basil, chives and salt. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Make Pancakes

Shred zucchini and carrots into a colander and toss with salt. Let stand for 20 minutes and then take handfuls at a time and squeeze all of the liquid out.

Transfer the drained veggies to a large bowl and combine with flour, sugar, and pepper. 

Using a standing mixer (I used a whisk... I'm old school) and beat egg whites with salt until they form a stiff peak. Then fold them into the vegetable mixture.

Preheat a cast iron pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Work in batches spoon 1/4 c. mixture into pan and flatten with a spoon. Cook until golden brown about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil and sprinkle with salt.

I made bread from scratch... first time I've ever done that... rosemary and garlic... honestly... it came out WAY too dense and bit too crunchy on the outside. Instead of paninis we had italian toasts. I layered some capaccioli and provolone on the toast and put in the broiler until melty.

Chocolate Pistachio Zuccini Cake

I would never have thought to put zucchini in a cake. I like zucchini, baked, fried, chopped, shredded... but in a cake? 

Trust me. You need to try this.

Ingredients:
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C canola oil
1 3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 C flour
4 T cocoa
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
1 t baking soda

1 t vanilla

1/2 C buttermilk (or 1/2 C milk + 1 t vinegar)
2 C shredded zucchini

TOPPING:
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C pistachios, chopped
1 C chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  Into a large mixing bowl, place 1/2 C softened butter,1/2 C canola oil, 1 3/4 C sugar and 2 eggs. Mix it well with a hand mixer, about 3 minutes should do it. 
• Into a medium sized mixing bowl place 2 1/2 C flour, 4 T cocoa, 1/2 t baking powder, 1/2 t cinnamon, 1/2 t cloves and 1 t baking soda.
• Whisk it around making sure all ingredients are well distributed. 
• Pour 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla into the mixer. 
• Add the dry ingredients and mix until everything is well combined. 
• Peel yourself some zucchini and shred it all up. You need a total of two cups. Add it to the chocolate cake batter and mix until combined. 
• Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and pour the batter in. Spread it around with a knife. 
• Roughly chop up your, 1/2 a cup would be just perfect. 
• Pour the nuts, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 cup milk chocolate chips into the same mixing bowl you used for the dry ingredients. (Why dirty up two bowls, right?) 
• Toss the topping ingredients together and sprinkle them over the top of the cake batter. 
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

*Notes - I used a meatloaf pan and not a 13x9 - this made it more difficult to determine how long it needed to bake In total it sat in the oven for about 50 minutes. If you use the 13x9 I'm sure that the alloted time should be acceptable. 

The original recipe called for pecans... but I used pistachios, 1 because I had them and 2, I really like pistachios. They went really well with the cake but didn't stay as fresh as everything else after day 2 or 3. 

Chorizo and Chipotle Cheddar Burgers

Is it just me, or do burgers get kind of boring by the end of summer? 

It's just me? Well fine then... no need to read on. 

Oh, you changed your mind? GREAT! 

Ingredients:

3/4 pound beef

8 oz chorizo

Chiptole Cheddar

Worcestire Sauce

Mayonnaise

Lettuce

Buns

First, toss your chorizo in a food processor.

Add to your beef. Toss a bit of Worcester sauce in there.

Make your patties. See those indents in the middle? That's what keeps your burger from bubbling up in the middle and gives you a more even cook on the grill.

Man. I love cheese. Especially spicy, ridiculously good, cheddar cheese. The fancy stuff.

Toss your burgers aon the grill.

When they're almost done, melt the cheese on top.

Put your pattie on a toasted bun with mayo and lettuce.

Bored with burgers no more!

It's a "dippin" kind of night...

Girls nights are always fun... and always full of food. 

This last one was a fondue type night with three. awesome. dips. Oh, and the Italian dip... trumps my roasted garlic and scallion in a shocking upset. 

Brownie Dip

  

8 oz CREAM CHEESE

1/2 cup BUTTER

2-3 cup POWDERED SUGAR -- varies by desired consistency

5 Tablespoons FLOUR

5 Tablespoons COCOA POWDER

2 Tablespoons BROWN SUGAR

3+ Tablespoons MILK -- varies by desired consistency

1 teaspoon VANILLA

With a mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the butter. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and 1 tablespoon of milk until combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla and 1 more tablespoon of milk if needed. Beat until smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar and milk alternately until dip reaches your desired consistency.

Roasted Garlic and Scallion Dip

One bulb roasted garlic (cut the top off, wrap in foil with a bit of olive oil, bake at 400 for 45 minutes)

8oz cream cheese

1/3 cup milk

Chopped scallions

Toss the garlic, cream cheese and milk in a food processor and blend well. Fold in the scallions. 

Italian Dip

8oz cream cheese

4oz jar of pimientos

Pesto sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix the softened cream cheese with the Parmesan and layer on the bottom of a pie dish. Layer the pesto, then the pimientos, then the mozzarella on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle with a little extra parmesan. 

Bake for approximately 15 minutes until bubbly and delicious.

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

I love easy desserts... don't you?

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie... let's see... chocolate graham crackers... peanut butter... chocolate... um... peanut butter... where can you go wrong?

Ingredients 

1 2/3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 8 1/2 cookie sheets) 

7 tablespoons sugar, divided 

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten 

Cooking spray 

1 1/4 cups fat-free milk 

2/3 cup reduced-fat crunchy peanut butter 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1/2 cup (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened 

1 (8-ounce) container frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed 

3 tablespoons finely chopped salted, dry-roasted peanuts 

1/4 cup shaved milk chocolate (about 1 ounce) 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the egg whites.

Toss with a fork until moist.

Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. Prick crust with a fork before baking. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack.

Combine milk and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly; transfer mixture to a bowl. Add peanut butter and vanilla, stirring with a whisk until combined. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

Place cream cheese in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add milk mixture, beating on low speed until combined. Fold in whipped topping; 

Pour mixture into prepared piecrust.

Freeze, uncovered, 8 hours or overnight or until hard. Sprinkle with peanuts and shaved chocolate. Transfer pie to refrigerator 30 minutes before slicing.

Just make sure not to leave it out once you're done slicing... then you just get a melty mess that you end up throwing away. :/

Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups

Easy. As. Pie. 

I mean really... microwaving the ingredients? GENIUS!

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk
Sea salt

I used a mini muffin tray for these. I sprayed with cooking spray, but it doesn't matter much, you'll still have to loosen them a bit if you don't use muffin cups.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter & peanut butter together for 45 seconds.  Stir until smooth.  Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar and mix to combine.  Distribute mixture evenly between the prepared muffin cups.  Refrigerate for 45 minutes to set peanut butter layer.

After the peanut butter has chilled, combine chocolate and milk in a microwave safe bowl and heat until just melted. Microwaving chocolate is tricky... do it in small spurts and stir every so often to ensure you're not burning your chocolate.  Stir until smooth.  Distribute chocolate evenly over the top of the peanut butter layer.  Sprinkle with sea salt and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes. 

Store covered in the fridge.

Seriously? No, seriously? That easy?

Chicken Sausage, Peach and Baguette Skewers with Green Beans

Want another super easy summer dish? This ones from Real Simple Magazine and is bursting with summer flavor. 

Ingredients

• 1  pound  green beans, trimmed
• 1  tablespoon  whole-grain mustard
• 3  tablespoons  olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4  fully cooked chicken sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2  peaches or plums, pitted and cut into wedges
• 8  ounces  baguette or French bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)

Directions

1. Soak 8 small wooden skewers in water for at least 10 minutes. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. Steam the green beans in a steamer basket in a large saucepan until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix together the mustard, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add the green beans and toss to combine.
3. In a large bowl, toss the sausage, peaches, and baguette with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; thread onto the skewers.
4. Grill the skewers, turning occasionally, until the sausages are heated through and the bread is toasted, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve with the green beans.

*Sorry - I was too hungry to remember to take a pic before we started eating.

Avocado Fries with Spicy Garlic Dip

Avocado Fries, interesting concept right? I've had something like this at a Mexican restuarant and to tell you the truth... not so impressive. 

Time to take matters into my own hands.

Ingredients

1 Avocado

Panko Crumbs

Parmesan

Flour

Egg

Slice your avocado into friable slices. Coat in the flour, then the egg, then the mixture you'll make from your panko crumbs and parmesan. 

Seriously, that easy. 

Fry 'em up with canola oil.

Spicy Garlic Dip

Ingredients

3 tablespoons sour cream

2 roasted garlic cloves

Red chili paste (to taste)

Lemon juice (optional)

Mix everything together and serve with the fries.

Could it get any easier?