Zucchini Cakes

Wow- these zucchini cakes were so good.  They almost taste like crab cakes, which I love but am allergic to! 

Ingredients

3 cups grated zucchini

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)

1 egg

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning (I used the Old Bay blackened seasoning because that's what I had.)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. mayonnaise (or you could use plain yogurt)

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. butter

Directions

1.  Place grated zucchini in a colander.  Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 30 minutes to pull the water out.  Press with paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible.

2.  Put zucchini and all other ingredients (except oil and butter) in bowl and mix.  Form into small patties and chill. 

3.  Heat oil and butter in skillet.  Add patties and cook on both sides until brown.  Drain on paper towels. 

I think you could also bake these instead.  Next time, I'm going to try spraying them with olive oil spray and baking on a baking sheet at 450 until brown! 

Sizzling Tilapia



Now this was a yummy dinner- sizzling tilapia, zucchini cakes and broiled Roma tomatoes! 

Sizzling Tilapia

Ingredients

- 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

- 1 tsp. paprika (I use smoked paprika because I'm obsessed with it!)

- 4 (6 oz) fish fillets (flounder, tilapia, grouper, catfish)

- 3/4 tsp. salt

- 1/4 tsp. pepper

- 1/2 cup butter (pretty sure you could use half this much or either half butter, half olive oil)

- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice and zest

Directions

1.  Place 1 oven rack right under the broiler and 1 in the middle of oven.  Preheat to 450 degrees. 

2.  Heat butter in a broiler safe 13 x 9 baking dish about 8 minutes, until melted and slightly brown. 

3.  Season fish with salt and pepper and place in butter.  If it has skin, put it in skin side up.  Bake on middle rack for 10 minutes. 

4.  Flip fish over, baste with pan juices, sprinkle with lemon juice, zest, and mixture of cheese and paprika.  Bake 5 more minutes or until flaky.  Remove from oven and set to broil.

5.  Broil fishon top rack for 2-3 minutes or until brown. 

Fried Green Tomato Club Sandwich

How good do these look?  They taste even better!

Start by slicing up some green tomatoes. 

Dip them in some milk and then breading.  I use fried green tomato breading, but you could use a flour and corn meal mixture seasoned with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little cayenne. 

Next, fry them up!

Now, get some good bread. 

Slather on mayo if you like (I don't) and the best part- red pepper relish!

Cook up some bacon...

Now build you a sandwich. 

By the way, if you have some onion, some caramelized onion on top is Fab-u-lous.  I was all out! 

Now take a juicy bite!



My New Weekday Breakfast: Muff-elettes (Muffin Omelettes)

Don't be alarmed by the picture- I used purple muffin cups because that's all I had!

I've really been looking for a low calorie, high protein breakfast that doesn't require cooking in the morning!  Tonight, I thought of a great idea, tried it out, and LOVE it!

These muff-elettes can be customized just like an omelette- you could put anything in them.  I made two varieties. My recipes make just two muffins each (because I was testing) but double or triple it to make several. 

Farmer's Muff-elettes

Ingredients:
- 1/4 c. egg white (I used the stuff in a carton!)
- 1/8 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 turkey sausage patty, cooked and chopped up (I used the pre-cooked kind and just cut it up.)
- 1/3 c. hash brown potatoes (the frozen cubed kind, defrosted)
- salt, pepper, green onions

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour egg white into 2 muffin cups, dividing it between the two.
- Add remaining ingredients, splitting them between the two muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 minutes. 
- Eat now or refridgerate and heat in the microwave for breakfast! 
 (165 calories and grams of protein for 2!)

Fiesta Muff-elettes

Ingredients:
- 1/4 c. egg white (I used the stuff in a carton!)

- 1/8 c. colby jack cheese, shredded
- 1 turkey sausage patty, cooked and chopped up (I used the pre-cooked kind and just cut it up.)
- diced onion and pepper (I had a bag of them frozen and just defrosted a couple of spoonfuls in the microwave.)
- 2 tsp. salsa

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour egg white into 2 muffin cups, dividing it between the two.
- Add remaining ingredients, splitting them between the two muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Eat now or refridgerate and heat in the microwave for breakfast!
(135 calories and 13 grams of protein for 2!)