One Teaspoon From Disaster

Here's a quickie side dish that, I have to say, conjured some mixed feelings for me at first.

The "zucchini" sounded great. It's in abundance now, tastes great and I love cooking with fresh veggies. The "slaw" sounded, well, a lot like "coleslaw." Ewe. Is that not the most thrown out plate filler at restaurants?

Well, fear not and keep reading. These ingredients, as well as their taste, are not in the same family as coleslaw. Best I can tell, it's the julienne strips that make this a slaw.

I served this with black bean veggie burgers, but it would be great paired with anything off the grill.

Zucchini slaw
Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini
6 cherry tomatoes, seeded and halved
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 large basil leaves thinly sliced
1/2 C. toasted pine nuts
parmesan cheese, garnish as desired

Directions: Cut the ends off the zucchini, cut each into thirds and slice off the core and discard it. Then cut zucchini into julienne strips and place in a large bowl. Gently stir in the remaining ingredients. If you are making this in advance, add the pine nuts and parmesan just prior to serving.

To me, salmon is becoming a lot like chicken. It is what it is, but really, there are an infinite number of ways to prepare it and keep things interesting.

So here's another twist on my favorite fish.

A bonus: This recipe includes my favorite herb, basil.

Grilled salmon with basil cucumber cream
Ingredients:
Marinade:
1/3 C. orange juice
1/3 C. soy sauce
1/3 C. water
1 lb. salmon, filleted
Sauce:
5 large basil leaves
1 C. loosely packed baby spinach, stems removed
1/3 C. sour cream
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 C. finely diced cucumber, seeded

Combine orange juice, soy sauce, and water and marinade for at least 30 minutes. Grill until cooked through, probably about 5 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, blend in a food processor the spinach and basil. Add sour cream and mustard, pulsing until just blended. Stir in cucumber. Add salt and pepper, if desired.

Ok, if I haven't lost you already on the name of this entrée (I'll admit, it's a doozy), bear with me another minute and I'll give you my best sales job.

This dish consists of every major food group! In the sauce, we've got veggies (broccoli and spinach), dairy (cottage cheese) and protein (walnuts). The pasta is of course our grain group. As if this wasn't exciting enough, the recipe is quick to prepare, yields leftovers and, most importantly, tastes delicious.

I dug it out of my archives and plan to add it in my regular rotation.

Broccoli spinach walnut pasta
Ingredients:
1 large carton fat-free or reduced-fat cottage cheese
1 bag baby spinach
1 large head/cluster of broccoli
1 ½ C. walnuts
12-ounce package whole wheat penne noodles
Parmesan cheese, garnish as desired

Directions: Toast walnuts until dark brown. Steam broccoli and spinach until softened. Mix nuts and veggies in a food processor with cottage cheese. Top cooked pasta.