Simple Fall Veggie Bake

This bake is easy and cheap, and makes a great side dish during the fall.  Pair it with grilled chicken, oven-baked pork chops or fish and you have a great meal. 

Simple Fall Veggie Bake – Adapted from Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini
• 1 summer squash
• 3-4 medium potatoes
• 1-2 tomatoes, optional
• Salt & Pepper
• Minced garlic & onion
• Italian cheese

Directions

Using a mandolin slicer, slice the zucchini, summer squash, potatoes and tomatoes.  Stack the veggies together in an 8x8 glass baking dish that has been well greased. 

Season with salt and pepper, minced garlic and onion. 

Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Remove and top with cheeses. 

Return to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes uncovered.   Serve warm. 

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Oven Roasted Vegetables

Now that the days are turning cooler, we get to enjoy one of my all-time favorite ways to eat veggies – roasted. 



Trust me on this one, roasting veggies makes them taste incredible.  I don’t know why (I’m sure some food chemist could tell me), but they taste amazing – rich, full of flavor.  Choose your favorite veggies, or go with the one’s I’ve listed here. 

Happy roasting!

Oven-Roasted Vegetables – Finding Joy in My Kitchen
Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 medium summer squash
• 1 medium zucchini
• 2 bell peppers
• 4 oz. mushrooms
• 4 Roma tomatoes

Directions

Line 1-2 half sheet-cake pans with tinfoil.  Lightly spray each with olive oil.  Then, dice up all your veggies into 1-inch segments.  Arrange them over the top of the trays, all except the tomatoes. 



Spritz liberally with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast the veggie trays at 450 for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. 



Add the tomatoes, and continue roasting for 10-12 additional minutes, or until veggies are tender. 
Serve warm, as a side dish, or on top of rice. 



Enjoy!

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Zucchini & Summer Squash Gratin

September is a month of summer and fall for me.  We are still enjoying the plenty from our garden, including eggplant, zucchini, carrots and tomatoes.  But, the orchards are picking apples, so I indulge there too. 

This gratin was a happy medium for me.  It uses summer produce, still plentiful for many, but combines it with the feeling of a good fall casserole.  Perfect for a chilly evening. 

Zucchini & Summer Squash Gratin – Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1-2 medium zucchini
• 1-2 medium summer squash
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 T minced onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 C half and half or whole milk
• 1/3 C Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• Optional: Ham

Directions

Using a mandolin slicer, carefully slice your zucchini and summer squash using the thin slice setting.  Place the squash in a large skillet and sauté over medium heat with a splash of olive oil (about 1 tsp.). 

Add in minced onion and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 5-7 minutes until crisp tender.

Stir in 1/4 C half and half or milk, cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  If desired, add in 1/2 C chopped cubed, and cooked ham. 

Stir in 1/6 C bread crumbs and 2 T Parmesan cheese. 

Spread the squash into a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish.  Top with remaining bread crumbs and cheese.  

Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes until bread crumbs are lightly browned and dish is warmed throughout. 

Serve alongside grilled chicken, pork or seared ham steaks (if you did not include the ham in the dish). 

Enjoy!

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Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

For all my love of zucchini, one combination I had not tried until this summer was zucchini and lemon. 

Love. 

The lemon brings out the freshness of the zucchini and compliments it so well.  You’ll enjoy it too, especially because this bread is much healthier for you than a typical quick bread. 

It uses whole wheat flour, applesauce and Greek yogurt to cut down on the oil and reduced sugar. 

Just make sure you bake it longer than you think you might need to because it’s pretty moist with all the yogurt, applesauce and zucchini!  You want that toothpick to come out clean. 

Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze – Adapted from Barbara Bakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C applesauce
• 3/4 C plain Greek yogurt
• 3/4 C sugar
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 C milk (plus additional, if needed)
• 3 C shredded zucchini
• 1 C powdered sugar, drained
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Directions

Begin by mixing the dry ingredients together – 2 1/3 C white whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Whisk well. 

Whisk together 1 egg, 2 tsp. lemon zest, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/3 C applesauce, 3/4 C Greek yogurt, 3/4 C sugar, and 2 T olive oil in a large bowl. 

Stir in the dry ingredients. 

The batter will be quite thick at this point.  So, stir in 1/4 C milk until it thins a little bit. 

Add in 3 C shredded zucchini; make sure that you have squeezed the excess liquid out of the zucchini!  If the batter still needs thinning, add in up to 1/4 C more milk. 

Pour the batter into a lightly greased loaf pan; 9x5 recommended. Alternatively, you can split the batter into smaller loaf pans.  We do this sometimes for freezing purposes.

Bake at 335 (yes, that’s an unusual temperature) for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  If you do smaller pans, reduce the cooking time to 30 minutes, then check. 

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Then, loosen the bread from the pan and finish cooling on a cooling rack. 

Cool completely. 

Once cool, mix together 1 C powdered sugar with 2 T lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. lemon zest.  You may need to add more/less lemon juice to get the consistency right. Garnish the loaf with the glaze. 

Enjoy!

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Zucchini & Ham Tortilla Bake

This was an absolutely delicious way to use our garden’s abundance of zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes. 

I loved the flavor combination and how easy it was to put together in less than 30 minutes! 

You will too. 

Zucchini and Ham Tortilla Bake – Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini, quartered
• 1 large summer squash, quartered
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 10-15 cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 C diced, pre-cooked ham
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• salt and pepper, to taste
• White whole wheat tortillas (n=6), fajita or taco size recommended
• Shredded Monterrey Jack or Cheddar cheese

Directions

Prep the veggies.

Begin by sautéing the quartered zucchini, bell pepper and summer squash in a large skillet until liquid begins to release from the zucchini.  Add in the minced onion and garlic at that point.  If you normally use olive oil during sautéing, use a little here as well. 

Add in the diced ham and the tomatoes.  I recommend halving the cherry or grape tomatoes, but you could easily dice up a larger beef-steak or roma tomato.  Heat until the tomatoes and ham are warmed throughout. Remove from the heat. 

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Place about 1/2 C of the mixture in the center of each tortilla. 

Top with cheese.  Roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x9 inch baking dish. 

Continue filling the other tortillas, leaving about 1/4 C of the zucchini mixture behind.  When all tortillas are filled and in the pan, arrange the remaining 1/4 C zucchini mixture over the top of the tortillas and sprinkle with a little shredded cheese. 

Place the tortillas in the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes, until tortillas have crisped. 

Enjoy!

Note: These are best eaten the day that you make them and they are quite filling.  Plan on 1 per person, especially if you have side dishes.  Make up just enough for your family or guests.  Then, reserve the extra mixture in a container in the fridge and use the filling to create the tortillas fresh when you are ready for the leftovers.  

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Breakfast Stuffed Peppers

These yummy bell peppers made for a great start to the day.  They were easy to put together, and the leftovers were delicious too. 

If you’re looking for a hearty back-to-school breakfast that relies on fresh garden produce, this is just for you!

Breakfast Stuffed Peppers – Inspired from Mama Nibbles
Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 strips bacon, cooked
• 1 tsp. minced onion
• 1/8 C crushed frozen spinach
• 1/2 small summer squash
• 6-8 grape or cherry tomatoes
• Extra sharp white cheddar cheese, to taste
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C milk

Directions

Begin by slicing the bell peppers in half and removing the core and seeds.  Place bell peppers onto a lightly greased, and tinfoil lined cookie sheet, open side up. 

Quarter half of a summer squash and slice the grape tomatoes into rounds.  Combine in a microwave safe bowl and season with salt, pepper and minced onion.  Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir and microwave for 30 seconds more. 

Meanwhile, chop up the cooked bacon and divide it evenly between the four bell pepper halves. Sprinkle some cheese on top.  Divide 1/8 C frozen chopped spinach among the bell peppers as well. 

Fill the bell peppers with the squash and tomato mixture.  You’ll want to make sure the bell peppers are nice and level, so use little balls of tinfoil, if needed, to level out the peppers.  This will help prevent run-off in the next step.

Whip the eggs and mix in 1/2 C milk.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Pour about 1/4 C of the egg mixture into each bell pepper.  Top with additional cheese. 

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. 

Serve warm. 

Enjoy!

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Zucchini Mac & Cheese

Anyone else looking for something to do with their zucchini?!  Look no further, this delicious mac and cheese will have everyone asking for more zucchini.

Creamy, delicious and pleasing to the eye, this is a perfect summer dinner. 

Zucchini Mac & Cheese – Adapted from 2010 Version from FJiMK

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 C milk
• 1/2 lb. shell pasta (about 1/2 a 14 oz. box)
• 1 1/2 T white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
• 4-6 oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 2 C shredded zucchini
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by shredding 2 C of zucchini.  Sprinkle with salt and allow the zucchini shreds to sit for 10 minutes while water moves via osmosis out of the zucchini.  Dump the zucchini into a strainer and strain the excess water, squeezing the zucchini so as to remove any remaining water.  Set aside. 

Meanwhile, bring your pasta to a boil following package directions.  When al dente, drain the pasta. 

In a large saucepan, whisk together 1 1/4 C milk with 1 1/2 T white whole wheat flour.  Set the pan on the burner and heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a slow boil and thickens. Season with salt and pepper. 

Remove the roux from the heat and stir in 2/3 of the extra sharp cheddar cheese.  Allow the heat from the roux to melt the cheese, and stir occasionally as it does. 

When the pasta is ready, toss it with the shredded zucchini and the Parmesan cheese. 

Place 1/2 of the pasta zucchini mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 glass baking dish.  Top with half of the cheese sauce. 

Top with remaining pasta/zucchini and pour the rest of the cheese sauce over the top. 

Sprinkle the remaining extra sharp cheddar cheese over the top. 

Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes until cheese on the top is melted and the dish is warmed throughout. 

Enjoy!

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