Oven Roasted Salmon with Zucchini

I was so excited the other day when I received a $1 off coupon on a salmon fillet and definitely put it to good use.  My husband is not a fan of salmon so I whipped this up for lunch and it was fantastic.  The salmon had just the right amount of seasoning without overpowering any of the natural salmon flavor.  Definitely a new regular for me!!

 

 Ingredients for Salmon:

• 1 1/2 pound salmon fillet
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• juice from 1 lemon wedge
• salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for zucchini

• 1 zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise and again
• 1/4 teaspoon olive oil
• pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, to taste

Directions:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place salmon onto a foil lined cookie sheet with a little olive oil.  In a small bowl whisk all other salmon ingredients and pour over salmon.  Place sliced zucchini onto the cookie sheet and top with remaining zucchini ingredients.  Bake for 12 minutes and serve.

Zucchini Bake

I have so much Zucchini so I am trying lots of recipes to use it up.  This was easy and great.  The recipe I found online called for parmesan cheese however, I only had mozzarella so I changed it up.  I am going to post the original recipe because it would have been so much better with parmesan. 

Ingredients:

• 2 large Zucchini cut
• 1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:  Spray baking dish with olive oil and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Layer zucchini, breadcrumbs, and cheese.  Repeat until all zucchini is gone.  Layer with cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake for 20 minutes uncovered.

Zucchini and Chicken Penne

I saw this recipe on pinterest today and I thought I would try it with Zucchini.  So simple and delicious and best of all I was able to use fresh veggies from the garden.  I made a couple changes from the original recipe and it turned out fantastic.  Really inexpensive as well!!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cooked chicken breasts cubed
• 1 box penne pasta
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 package mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 cups Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• olive oil

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium skillet saute chicken until fully cooked.  Remove chicken and add about 1/2 tablespoon of oil to skillet and saute mushrooms with chopped garlic clove.  In a large pot boil water and add penne.  Add zucchini to pot for the last 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse then return to pot.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir.  In a small bowl add milk and whisk in egg.  Pour over pasta and add chicken, 2 cups cheese, and mushrooms. Mix together and add to 9 by 13 baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Cookers Note:  There is a lot of pasta with this recipe so I also made and extra freezer meal for a later time.  I always keep extra baking tins in the house for recipes that call for a lot of food.

Zucchini and Cheese Stuffed Shells WIth Meat Marinara

I was really nervous about trying these because it was a first for me.  All I have to say is first time is a charm!!  They were really good and best of all I have four more meals in the freezer for future weeks.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE freezer meals and whenever I make a meal that freezes well I always quadruple it.  I did not take any pictures of putting these bad boys together so I will direct you to The Pioneer Woman who gives step by step instructions.  PS her recipes are amazing.  *This recipe can make two full cake pans or 4 full pie pans.  If you are not making extra freezer meals 1/2 the recipe.* 

Ingredients:

• 1 box Jumbo Shells
• 1 Pound Ground Italian Sausage ( I usually get ground Italian chicken)
• 1 Pound Ground Beef
• 1 Medium Zucchini chopped
• 2 cups Italian Blend Cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 bottles of your favorite Pasta Sauce
• Olive Oil

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil shells for about 9 minutes or until al dente.  Drain and rinse.  Return shells to pot and add a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.  Add enough pasta sauce to cover the bottom of baking pan.  Fill shells with Zucchini and cheese stuffing and place on top of sauce.  Cover shells with meat marinara and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 5 minutes. 

Meat Marinara:  Brown ground Italian sausage and beef then add to the remaining pasta sauce.  Heat together until warm.

Zucchini and Cheese Stuffing:  Saute zucchini with olive oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat until tender.  Add zucchini and pepper flakes to a mixing bowl.   Mix in 2 cups of Italian style cheese and eggs until smooth.