The italian seasoning, garlic & chili flakes look delish!
Lined up and ready to roast!
Finished product...
Verdict? Semi-success... I still don't love the sometimes spongy texture of zucchini by itself, and this recipe made them a little mushy on top of that... So I probably wouldn't have finished it on it's own, but I also made broccoli, and when I ate the two together, they were pretty good! So yes, semi-success!
I think this is a zucchini, however the sign at the store said "Green Squash"... I have eaten some zucchini before, some ways I like it, and some ways I really don't. I decided to try grilling some of this little zucchini with some other veggies!
I am in love with this little grill wok that I found at Lowe's. Just mixed in bell peppers, onions, baby bellas and zucchini, a little olive oil, cracked pepper, sea salt and some garlic powder. You get the roasted veggies without all of the complications of shish kebobs!
Yum! Fresh veggie season is almost here! I love these bright colors! And, the zucchini in this mix was a success!
 I tried to keep the recipe simple this week, especially because I tried 2 different types of green beans and wanted to be able to taste the difference if there was one. And you might be wondering, "Cassie, how have you made it this far in life without eating something as basic as green beans???" Well, I think I've tried them, canned, or mixed in with vegetable soups, but never on their own and fresh, so I'm here to prove myself wrong that hopefully fresh green beans can taste good! Recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-essence-of-emeril/haricots-verts-recipe/index.html
The beans on the left are "french green beans" which I think are the same things as "haricot vert", the beans on the right are regular ol' green beans...
Blanching for a minute or 3... I added the regular green beans a few minutes early since they would need a little longer than the french green beans.
Both types of beans sizzling away together in the saute pan for a few minutes after their ice bath. A little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper really go a long way with lots of veggies!
The vibrant green of these babies just looks fun and healthy too! I know I sound a bit crazy, but it's all good...
 So what's the verdict? I went back for seconds! Well, I actually had seconds of the skinny french green beans. They were a little more tender and had a slightly different flavor. Yep, I picked those ones out of the skillet for a second helping. The big ones weren't all bad, but they have this flavor that I associate with what I imagine is a "grassy" or "earthy" flavor and I feel like the rabbits out back would love it... lol... I have quite the imagination when it comes to food if you haven't noticed ;) But those little french green beans? Yum!!!
Side note: Brandon liked them and didn't realize there were even two different kinds! It's all in the pickiness of the eater I guess...
I'm not sure why, but I really wanted to try Swiss Chard. Probably because when I looked for it, it wasn't in season yet, so that made me think I really wanted it, because I couldn't have it. On the left is regular Swiss Chard, and on the right is Red Swiss Chard.
After rinsing, drying and chopping...
The recipe starts out with Garbanzo Beans (my bonus veggie since I skipped last week) and tomatoes...
Adding the chard til it wilts, and I followed some of the reviewer's suggestions of adding some chili flakes and parmesan cheese.
I know, I know, don't over-do it with that huge forkful, Cassie! LOL, Being a picky eater, I hesitate to mix things until I know if I even like them on their own. This was just a bite of swiss chard, none of the other ingredients yet...
It was just "OK" on it's own, but I put on a happy face :)
I had to try another bite with the Garbanzo beans, which I have also never tried (but will be attempting my own hummus sometime)...
And it was definitely better with a little bit of everything in this one! I didn't have very high expectations after the first bite, but it was better than expected. I didn't eat my whole serving once it got cold on my plate, but I think I will give Chard another try someday with another recipe. It's still one of the coolest looking veggies anyway...
 My 1st eggplant recipe is a little cliche, but I've never tried it before, so here we go with Eggplant Parmesan! This recipe bakes (not fries) the eggplant so it's healthier. And it had over 1000+ reviews and 4.5 stars, so how could it be bad? I did decide to reduce the recipe as a side and only used 1 eggplant in an 8x8 dish. Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eggplant-parmesan-ii/
Surprise #1: The inside isn't purple! I guess if you know veggies, you would have known that, but it was a surprise to me!
Surprise #2: Holy seeds batman! I thought my eggplant went bad until I googled it and found that it is totally normal...
Based on reviews, I decided to "sweat" the eggplant by sprinkling sea salt on the slices. This removes the bitterness. The seeds hold a liquid that can make the eggplant taste bitter, and by doing this and letting is sit for 30 minutes, you can literally see the liquid that it draws out of the slices!
After the salt, rinse & dry thoroughly!
Dipped in egg & bread crumbs and placed on a cookie sheet. Baked for 10 minutes on each side (another tip from the reviews) - and use parchment paper so they don't stick to your pan :)
Now for the yummy parts! Layered with sauce and cheese...
Looks good so far!
After baking for 35 minutes, hot, bubbly and golden brown!
All of the surprises made me a little nervous, and I tried to remind myself that it's NOT lasagna so I wouldn't have that expectation...
And the eggplant is a success! The sauce and cheeses were definitely a help for my first attempt at eggplant.
It was way better than I was expecting, but I still didn't love it quite enough to make as a main course yet... I'll have to let it grow on me just a little more for that...
No particular recipe this week, just sauteing a new type of mushrooms for dinner with our steak! I'm in love with Portabello, so I thought, why not give these little guys a try!
All washed up and chopped... I like that the little fins on these mushrooms are white, so I really feel like I've cleaned them thoroughly...
Good luck Shiitake!
My dad helped with these, and we just threw some things together... butter, chopped garlic, shiitake, bell peppers and some fresh cracked pepper...
Sizzling in the pan til tender...
And topped on our t-bones!
Not too scared of these ones since I know I like Portabellos...
And they were good! Yummy flavor with the steak... I still think I like Portabello a little more, but it could be the marinade that makes the difference. Still, 2 out of 2 for fungus! ;)
This is kind of a vegetable re-do because my previous baby carrot recipe was a no-go. I was told that real carrots have much better flavor than baby carrots.
So I bought big fat carrots from the farmer's market.
And I bought little skinny carrots from the farmer's market.
And then I let them sit in my refrigerator for the past 2 weeks, because I really didn't want to eat carrots. Yes, I fell off the horse for a little here, but I got my act back together, made the darn carrots and I'm ready to move on! PS - the carrots are so much nicer looking when they still have the greens on top.
So I peeled 'em, sliced 'em and dropped 'em in a Ziploc steam bag. Added 1T of water and some sea salt & ground pepper for a little flavor. I must say, these steam bags work quite well.
Freshly steamed and not crunchy! (Woo!)
Kate was willing to try them with me again. The skinny carrots were more tender than the big guys.
And I actually ate them! They weren't fabulous on their own, so I slathered some good old butter on them with a little extra sea salt, and that made them better! (What isn't better with a little butter?) Carrots, by far, are not my new favorite veggie, but at least I can say I've eaten them as a side! I'll probably keep them in my soups or maybe mixed with other veggies.
They're lovely little veggies if you take the time to appreciate them...
Not the healthiest with the added parm, but I have to start liking it somehow, right? Mmmmm mmm, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, sea salt & ground pepper!
And my sister is back for taste-testing!
Success! Nice and tender, perfectly moist and what a delectable mixture of seasonings... YUM!
 I eat carrots when they're cooked into something like a soup so that they are mushy and blend right in. Not a fan of raw carrots... so I want to find a way to cook them as a side so that I actually like them as a carrot, not just a filler for a soup. These are going to become Roasted Carrots. Recipe: http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/roasted-carrots-65427
I want to like carrots, really I do... When I was little tot, I remember asking my mom to buy carrots so I could eat them like Bugs Bunny, but even pretending to be a cartoon didn't make the carrot taste good... They look nice here...
But, even if they look nice, I still didn't like the texture! Texture is the bane of my picky eating existence... I was expecting them to become tender while roasting, but these buggers were still crunchy and a little dried out from the oven... A friend did tell me that I should never try baby carrots and that regular carrots have much better flavor, so I will be back again Carrots!
I'm not even sure if it's considered a veggie, for all I know, it could be a fruit, but regardless, I've never tried one! And this recipe was my mom's idea!
It's going to become a delicious avocado salsa over fresh salmon!
The avocado is a little intimidating... luckily we asked Brandon to figure out how to cut it for us because we would have gone about it allllll wrong...
With a little googling and many food shows stored in his mind, Brandon sliced, scored and scooped that avocado like he's been his the kitchen his whole life! I was highly impressed and very glad not to have to handle that huge knife myself...
It just looks delicious! So nice to see a little color in these dreary days of winter! We are salsa freaks in the summer, but I've never made any like this with avocado.
The salsa was great on it's own, and salmon was great on it's own, and together, they were AWESOME! I don't think that the avocado had a very distinct taste, but it blended very well with the salsa! (Salsa is a great way to love any veggie...) Thanks for the new veggie Mom!
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