Zucchini Breakfast Skillet

Wow!! I can't believe I've been away for so long!

First, I would like to thank all of my faithful readers for sticking with me during the past couple of months. It's been quite hectic! And, second, I would like to apologize for being gone so long. At the beginning of September, I moved back into my own place after housesitting for my family during the summer, and so have been working on getting all of my stuff unpacked again (especially all of my precious kitchen stuff). Not to mention, I've been working around 50 hours per week at my new job, and trying to work out and get in better shape again afterwards with my fellow chef, so have been trying to juggle my time there. And, I didn't have internet until the beginning of this week, so that didn't help either!

But, I'm finally back!  :-)

This recipe is another one that I found in a copy of Food Network Magazine that I had picked up at the store, the same one as the Heirloom Tomato Pie I just had to make, so you might have seen it floating around the internet already. But, maybe you haven't!

I especially like this dish, because I'm trying to be more conscious of my diet and want to get back into shape, and this is such a great dish. You don't even feel like you're missing out on everything! Of course, I did change a few things, but I did keep the recipe very much the same as the original... For myself and my family, we like things a little spicy, so I added two jalapenos instead of the one. And I used the special yummy cheese (Morel Mushroom and Leek Jack) I found instead of pepper jack or cheddar. And probably more scallions...  :-D

The great thing about this recipe is that it really is very easy to customize to your liking. If you want it to be a complete breakfast, you could add some bacon to the skillet as well. Served with a couple slices of toast, it's the perfect breakfast!

Printable Recipe

3 lb. summer squash and/or zucchini

Kosher salt

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

6 large eggs

½ - 1 c. grated pepper jack or sharp white cheddar cheese

Grate the squash into a colander using the large holes of a box grater (or use a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment). Toss with 1 tablespoon salt, then let drain in the sink, 30 to 40 minutes. Roll the squash in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside 3 tablespoons scallion greens. Add the remaining scallions (white and green parts), the jalapeno, and salt to taste and cook until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the shredded squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7 minutes. Stir in the parsley, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and let cool, 5 minutes.

Spread the squash evenly in the skillet. Make six 2½-inch-wide indentations in the mixture with the back of a spoon; put ½ teaspoon butter in each one. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and pour into an indentation; season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the cheese.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to desired doneness, 10 to 12 minutes. Scatter the reserved scallion greens on top.

Roasted Vegetable Panini

So, the idea for this sandwich was definitely NOT my own original creation. The original concept comes from the Deli Bean Cafe in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, where I had lived for several years, and I kind of just took the idea and ran with it (since they wouldn't share their own recipe with me)! I often play around with some of the ingredients and have definitely found and mastered the technique which works the best.
First and foremost, let me just start by saying that if you initially roast more of the eggplant and zucchini, you can make sandwiches for the rest of the week without having to do all of the work all over again! Slice the eggplant and zucchini each ½-thick and spritz or brush with balsamic vinegar and olive oil; roast the slices in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes per side. Also, if you make sandwiches in advance, they reheat best is you do so on a panini press or on your George Foreman. Like the ratatouille paninis, I also make these sandwiches on my George Foreman, which works the same as a panini press.
For the pesto mayonnaise, I use some of my fresh pesto or thaw some of the frozen cubes and then mix it with mayonnaise until it's combined well. You can adjust the pesto in the mayonnaise to suit your own personal tastes, but I like a good deal of pesto in mine!


Margarine
2 slices potato bread
2 slices provolone cheese
Handful baby spinach leaves
2 medium/large thin slices tomato
4-6 slices each roasted eggplant and zucchini
1 Tbsp. pesto mayonnaise

Spread enough margarine on one side of each slice of bread to thinly coat. On the inside of one of the slices of bread, place one slice of the provolone cheese; on top of the cheese, layer the spinach leaves in an even layer and then the tomato slices. Place another slice of provolone cheese on top of the tomato slices, then layer with the slices of eggplant and zucchini. Spread the pesto mayo on the inside of the other slice of bread and place it on top of the vegetables to make a sandwich, with the buttered sides on the outside. Place the sandwich on a panini press, or a George Foreman grill, and toast until the outside of the bread is golden brown, the vegetables are heated through, and the cheese is melted. Makes 1 yummy sandwich

Oven Roasted Ratatouille

So, this is one of those recipes that I have NO idea exactly where I found it... I know I had found it online somewhere, and had just happened to stumble across it while looking for something else, but I don't remember exactly where it was.
In any case, I was intrigued by the recipe and typed it up into a Microsoft Word document and then saved it onto my "Cookbook" flash drive. (Yes, I am THAT kind of fruitcake! All of the recipes I find and like or am intrigued by, I type into a Word document and save onto this little flash drive which I titled "Cookbook". I have the folders - 25, to be exact - and subfolders on this flash drive set up so that I can easily access it and find whatever I might want, from beverages to vegetables. I even have a Twilight-Themed Party folder, which includes recipes for a party I am helping to plan with some friends for when the next movie in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, comes out in theaters! And, yes, the recipes I test for that will appear on my blog. :-) )

So, anyways, back to the ratatouille!

I had never had the stuff before, but I was more than willing to give it a try... Especially when it included one of my favorite herbs - basil! Not to mention, it is loaded with vegetables, making it extra healthy. Basically, all ratatouille recipes are made up entirely of vegetables which are cooked or roasted in some way, shape, or form. I've come across recipes for ratatouille previously which consisted of a number of ways to prepare the dish, including grilling and cooking on the stove top, but they didn't really grab my attention because they were essentially just recipes of a bunch of cooked vegetables thrown together in a dish and served. Now, c'mon, that's not really a recipe! Well, not in my opinion anyways...
Then, I found this recipe! Every time I make this dish, it turns out delicious; and I'm not one for exact measurements when cooking, so it turns out a little bit different every time. The best thing about ratatouille is that it's so versatile - you can eat a whole plate of it with some crusty French bread as a meal in itself, you can serve it as a side dish, and even use it in sandwiches. And while you CAN prepare this and freeze it for later, I would suggest that you only use the thawed stuff in sandwiches because all of the vegetables tend to get really soft when thawed out and heated up.

1 pan of already roasted ratatouille next to one waiting to be roasted.

The completely finished product!

1 medium Italian eggplant or several Asian
2 lb. ripe Roma tomatoes
¼ c. red wine
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 medium green or yellow zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 large red onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. coriander seeds, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop the eggplant into 2½ - 3 cm. chunks and put all of them into a colander. Salt well, if necessary, and then place several paper towels on top of the vegetable. Place the colander in a sink basin or in a bowl and then put a weight on top of the vegetable to draw out the bitter juices and let sit for about 30 minutes. (This step of salting is really only necessary sometimes for the Italian eggplants.)
Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the pulp and seeds before cutting them into chunks. Put the chunks into a bowl, add salt, pepper and then the wine and vinegar. Let the tomatoes macerate as you set the oven temp to 450°, then go about chopping the zucchini and bell peppers into 2½ - 3 cm. pieces and cut the onions into wedges.
In one or more roasting pans (for this quantity, two 9 x 13 pans will work splendidly - and I used disposable pans so that I wouldn't have to scrub my good pans afterwards) coat the insides with olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Take the weight off the eggplant, discard the bitter water, rinse, and tumble the vegetable into the pans, then follow with the tomatoes (juices and all) and the rest of the vegetables and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, and then sprinkle the spices on top and mix all the vegetables together by hand. I usually add another restrained glug of olive oil on top prior to popping the tins into the oven. Bake for an hour or until the veggies are tender and their edges are slightly singed.