With spring here and summer not far behind I thought I would share a couple of zucchini recipes with you. This recipe I saw on the television show “The Chew” when they hosted Kristin Cavallari who has a new cookbook out called  “True Roots”. Her book is made up of real food, farm to table type of recipes with many of them being gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar-free.  With Robby needing to be gluten free and dairy free, this was just the kind of book I was looking for.  Not only did I make this recipe, I also bought the book.  Lots of great and easy recipes in the book.  You can also find a number of her recipes online and on Pinterest. This is such an easy recipe that really does taste like an indulgent chocolate brownie.  You would never know there is zucchini in it.  A perfect recipe for the kids and adults alike!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup creamy almond butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (can use regular table salt)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 large zucchini, grated and NOT drained

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with non-stick baking spray.  In a large bowl, mix together the almond butter, egg, salt, baking soda, sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and zucchini. Put into prepared baking dish pressing down to spread evenly in the pan.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

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I made this dish specifically for my Dad as he saw a picture of the recipe I gave you on Tuesday and said he wanted that, but without the pasta. Well, when Dad wants a dish, I make it! This dish is cooked similar to Tuesday’s dish as the seafood is all cooked separately then put together at the end.  When I was looking at recipes similar to this all of the recipes put raw seafood together and cook it all together.  I really, really did not like that idea as all of the seafood are different sized and have a different cook time and if I cooked them separately, I could season each layer as I cook, because of that this dish does take extra effort and time.  I can promise you it’s well worth it. No one at my Easter table was disappointed with this dish.  In fact, there was almost none left and I served it as a side dish!

NOTE – this dish is easily made gluten-free by using crushed gluten-free crackers (I used gluten-free Cheese Itz type cracker for Robby) for the topping. I made Robby a smaller dish just for him!

This dish was made in a large round casserole dish for the rest of us.

This picture is just my dads first helping of the buttery seafood casserole.  Note the cute bunny plate!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails off
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 large scallops
1 Tablespoon butter for scallops
4 lobster tails, steamed, shell removed and chopped into large pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1/2 lemon
3 Tablespoons white wine
Salt
Pepper
1 to 1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz crackers, crushed
1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted for topping

DIRECTIONS
For shrimp – place the shrimp on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Place the shrimp in the oven with the oven set to broil keeping the oven door open slightly. Roast the shrimp just until the shrimp turn pink. Remove from oven and set aside with your already prepared lobster meat.
For the scallops- heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan along with 1 tablespoon of butter. Dry the scallops with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot add the scallops to the pan seasoned side down. Season the top side of scallops with salt and pepper. When the scallops have seared on one side, turn them over and sear the second side.
When the scallops have cooked, add the lobster and shrimp to the pan to warm through.
Meanwhile in a bowl, add the melted butter, garlic, wine, lemon juice and the zest of half a lemon, mixing well. Place all of the seafood into a greased baking dish.  Add the desired amount of crushed crackers.  We used the full sleeve and a half of the crackers. Drizzle the melted butter mixture over the crackers and place in a 400 degree oven to brown the top of the crackers. This just takes a few minutes, so watch closely!  Remove from oven and serve warm.

Enjoy!

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If you don’t cook a lot of seafood this is a great dish to start with. I made this dish with gluten-free pasta so Robby could enjoy it as well. If you are local and are looking for a really good gluten-free pasta, we love the packages they sell at Tuscan Market in Portsmouth NH. We were shocked at how good this pasta was as it tastes just as good as the regular pasta we are used to.  This is an easy dish that you can make even on the busiest of days.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces penne pasta- can be gluten-free
1 Tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
4 Tablespoons butter (or ghee, a clarified butter, skimming the fat off of the top. Can be purchased at your local grocery store) divided
1 1/2 pounds uncooked large, deveined, peeled and tail off shrimp
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 – 4 cups spinach- use as much as your family enjoys
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 Tablespoons parsley, minced for garnish if desired
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a large skillet heat olive oil and one tablespoon of butter. Add the shrimp to the hot pan and cook until the shrimp start to turn pink, flipping the shrimp once. Once the shrimp are almost cooked through add the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally.  Add the cooked pasta to the shrimp and spinach mixture. Add the remaining butter and stir until melted and well combined.  Top with lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper and stir.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!

 

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I was looking for a simple appetizer dish and thinking of what I had on hand and this came together so easily. My entire family loves a little bit of heat so this was a big hit at my house using only just a couple of ingredients. You can serve this with ranch or blue cheese dressing but we loved it with the  White BBQ sauce I posted yesterday. I know when camping season comes around I will be making this often on the grill.  For today I used the oven!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 cup buffalo sauce, plus a few dashes at the end of cooking time
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper

DIRECTIONS
Turn oven to broil, leaving the oven door slightly open.  Place the shrimp in a bowl add the 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce along with salt and pepper. Mix to combine and place the shrimp in an even layer on a sheet pan. Place in the oven, still keeping the door open just slightly, and cook for just a couple minutes until you see the shrimp turning pink.  Once one side is pink turn the shrimp over and cook for just a minute or until both sides are pink and cooked through. Remove from oven, add a couple more dashes of buffalo sauce, mix and serve warm.

Enjoy!

 

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We ate a lot of salad this summer and this was one of our favorite dressings.  It’s light and fresh and super simple to make! I like making my own dressings as I know what’s in it, no chemicals and simple fresh ingredients that most of the time I have on hand! This dressing will brighten any salad!

INGREDIENTS

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup garlic infused olive oil
Juice of one lemon

DIRECTIONS

Whisk all of the ingredients together. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Just before serving, give it a shake!

Enjoy!

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