Pumpkin Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread

I was in the mood to make something with pumpkin - I tried this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen. This bread was yummy! Definitely on the "make again" list.  In fact, I will probably use the rest of the pumpkin from the can to make another loaf!

A few notes

• I used slightly less honey and chocolate chips (probably 1/4 cup honey and a heaping 1/4 cup chocolate chips)
• My batter seemed quite dense when mixed so I had a feeling it wouldn't take 50 minutes to bake in the oven.  I checked the bread at 40 minutes and it was ready.

Zucchini Noodles with Basil Vinaigrette

This recipe is from Ruffles & Truffles. Only a few ingredients, and minimal prep work to assemble this dish. I especially enjoyed the vinaigrette, more than I thought I would!

A few notes:

• After I prepared the zucchini noodles, I let them sit in a bowl while the sweet potatoes were baking. Before tossing in the vinaigrette I drained off the accumulated water.
• I used this julienne peeler

Basil Vinaigrette

Zucchini Nachos

After making sweet potato nachos a few weeks ago, I thought there must be a recipe for zucchini nachos somewhere that I could try.  I found this recipe from two peas & their pod.

I enjoyed this dish and served it as a side to grilled chicken.  It was quick to prepare as well.

A few notes:

• I baked the zucchini rounds rather than grilling (400F for 25 minutes, then broiled for an additional 5 minutes)
• Instead of the cheddar cheese, I used a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese
• My zucchini rounds didn't get super crispy, but that was ok with me.  I ate these nachos with a knife and fork.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

This recipe is from Skinnytaste.  It was easy to prepare with only a few ingredients.  I liked this soup and would definitely make it again. Next time I will probably add an extra zucchini, I don't think you can add too many for this soup.

Zucchini Fettuccine with Rosemary Butternut Creme Sauce

I've tried a few different versions of pasta sauce using butternut squash and I think this one is my favourite so far (Thanks to Nancy for directing me to it!). This recipe is from In Sonnet's Kitchen.

I have made this dish twice now and it is great!

A few notes:

• This dish is rather time consuming to make - preparing the noodles and scooping out the butternut squash in particular!
• I didn't have a spiralizer to make the beautiful fettuccine noodles as shown by the author so I used a julienne peeler instead to make "spaghetti" noodles.
• After I prepared the zucchini noodles, I put them in a large bowl and tossed with salt. Before adding them to the pan with the mushrooms, I drained the water.
• I used a blend of shitake, white and crimini mushrooms, probably between 3 to 4 cups when sliced.
• The first time I made this, I used oregano and basil instead of rosemary. The second time I used rosemary but less than 2 tsp.  Not sure which spices I liked better!
• Instead of broth I used water in the sauce.
• I had leftover butternut squash sauce both times for the amount of noodles and mushrooms I made. The leftover sauce worked nicely as a sauce for baked chicken breast later on in the week.

Eggplant and Zucchini Casserole

I wanted to try something with eggplant.  After a bit of searching I found this recipe from oh she glows.

Some notes:

• I used white kidney beans instead of navy beans
• I omitted the optional nutritional yeast
• I included the optional spinach

This casserole was tasty and held up well for leftover lunch the next day.