Zucchini Corn Pancakes

This summer our family joined a few friends and participated in a CSA  (Community Supported Agriculture - Google it, it's pretty neat!) through a local farm. It has been such an awesome experience so far,  I only wish we'd joined earlier in the season!

Basically, every week my hubby picks up a pre-packaged box of fruits and veggies grown on their farm. 

 This beautiful bunch of goodness and all its weekly friends have not only changed the way we eat, but how I meal plan and cook as well. And as an added bonus, it has slashed our grocery bill to pieces. I now buy our meat at Costco ($45 gets about 10-12 meals) and produce comes through the CSA- this week I spent $12 at the grocery store. I know that doesn't mean much if you don't know what we are having for the week so here's a snapshot: 

Sunday: Going away dinner (out) for my little bro who is leaving for college in the Big City

Monday: Chicken, Apple and Gouda sausage sandwiches with peppers and onions with zucchini corn pancakes 

Tuesday: Ratatouille Baked Ziti and a salad and a fresh peach crisp 

Wedneaday: Korean Beef Bowl with green beans and carrots over rice 

Thursday: leftover Ratatouille Ziti and a salad

Friday: Taco Rice and tortilla chips with guacamole 

Saturday: Pork loin with sweet potatoes and peaches and a salad and homemade peach froyo 

And there you have it :) Nothing overly exciting but each meal is satisfying, relatively healthy (or at least balanced), and kid friendly. On Mondays the farm puts out a tentative list of what will be in the box for the week. I pull it up and make meals based on what we will receive - sometimes I have to get rather creative because I may find something like that octopus in the front....

That's a kohlrabi and it's one of my new favorites!  So delicious roasted with radishes and mushrooms in olive oil and rosemary.  Oh so yum! 

So I've had to come up with ways to use an abundance of certain veggies like squash and corn... *enter pancakes!*

Zucchini and Corn Pancakes

Only slightly adapted from here

Yields: About 10 pancakes

Ingredients:
4 large eggs, beaten
Slightly less than 1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3 cups grated zucchini (about one large zucchini)
1 cup fresh sweet corn off the cob or frozen 

1 cup mozzarella cheese (or your favorite cheese)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs. Whisk to combine.
Add the zucchini, corn and cheddar cheese and stir thoroughly with a spatula.
Add the flour and stir until thoroughly combined and there are no pockets of dry flour hiding in the batter.
Heat a skillet medium-high heat, adding a very small amount of oil. Scoop 1/4-cupfuls of batter onto the skillet and flatten, if necessary, with the back of the scoop into a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Cook on each side about 3-4 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve warm with your favorite toppings (I’m partial to salsa and sour cream).

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

So I've had to come to grips with the fact that I will probably never have enough time to blog the way I used to- babies, real house life, and working full-time are here to stay for a while at least. But in my time home awaiting the arrival of #2, I figured why not post a bit even if they won't be perfect or as exciting as I'd like.

So here goes, sub-par cellphone photos and all ;)

A random dinner from last week: Chicken Satay, cilantro lime rice, and a sweet and sour cucumber, carrot and chickpea salad. I could eat that salad until I pop...which these days seems like a real possibility!

The chicken satay..can't take much credit...jar mix. Cilantro lime rice was just that - rice mixed with fresh cilantro and lime juice. But the salad....oh the salad. That was a Pintrest find I adapted to match what I had on hand. Only slightly. So, so good. Link to original below. 

Ingredients:

3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP rice vinegar
¼ tsp salt [plus extra, to taste]
⅛ tsp dill [fresh or dried]
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cups chickpeas
¼-1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, plus extra to garnish
1.5 large cucumbers
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
2-3 carrots
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP sesame seeds

Instructions:

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic powder, dill, salt, and garlic. Wisk to emulsify.

In a medium bowl add chickpeas, minced onion, chopped bell pepper, ½ an English cucumber [chopped] and cilantro.

Pour in dressing and mix thoroughly. The longer you allow them to marinate the more intense the flavor will be!

Next, using a spiralizer or tool of choice curl one cucumber and 2-3 carrots into raw spiral noodles- or you can chop them up or even use a veggie peeler for "noodles"

Whisk together 2 tablespoons of honey with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and pour over salad.

Top with extra chopped cilantro and a hearty sprinkle of sesame.

Click here for the Original Recipe