Zucchini Casserole

Last night I created a zucchini casserole that my husband loved! It is a little tedious, but delicious.

Ingredients:
3-4 zucchini
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
16 oz sliced mushrooms
1 24 oz can tomato puree
Italian seasoning (approximately 2 tsp)
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh mozzarella

Directions:
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil, till onions are translucent. Add the sausage and brown. When the sausage is almost done add the mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato puree, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and simmer while preparing the rest of the casserole.
Heat olive oil in a skillet and cut one and a half zucchini in to 1/8 inch thick slices. Fry the slices in the oil.
Cut the other zucchini in to planks about 1/8 inch thick. Place the slices on the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Completely cover the bottom.
Once all the zucchini is fried, cover the planks with the sauce. Then place the fried zucchini on top and cover with mozzarella.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, then broil till cheese is bubbly and crispy.
Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

Orange Chicken

The other night I made Orange Chicken using the recipe from Health-Bent. This is another staple in our house. I modify it slightly by adding regular onions, mushrooms, and green beans and then serve it on top of mashed cauliflower.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is the go to comfort food at my house. It is quick, easy, and best of all can be made ahead and placed in the freezer if needed. I use the recipe from Mark's Daily Apple as my base, then I make a few modifications. If adding carrots I prefer to use fresh carrots, for some reason I am not a fan of frozen carrots, but if you like the convenience go with the frozen carrot and pea mixture. In addition, I add baby bella mushrooms and asparagus. To save time with the cauliflower mash on top, I use frozen cauliflower and save myself the cleaning and chopping. This is a great simple recipe and the best part is you can double it and make one to bake right away and another to put in the freezer for later use.

Scallops in Red Curry

Last night I made scallops in a red curry sauce with roasted broccoli for a side dish. We love roasted broccoli (you will probably see a lot of it on this blog).

To roast the broccoli, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the broccoli in olive oil with a little sea salt and black pepper. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, after ten minutes turn the broccoli and roast for another 10 minutes or until all of it is nicely roasted and browned.

While the broccoli is roasting prepare the main dish.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 medium diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
2 carrots chopped in to match sticks
1 bell pepper cut in to thin strips
1 can coconut milk
Red Curry Paste to taste
10 scallops

Directions:
Saute onion and garlic in the oil till they start to soften, about 2-3 min. Add carrots and bell pepper and saute another 2-3 minutes. Move veggies to the side and add curry paste. I use about 1 1/2 tsps., use as little or as much as you like. Cook the paste for about a minute and then add the can of coconut milk. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the scallops and cover the pot. Let the scallops simmer about 3 minutes and then flip the scallops and cook another 2-3 minutes until done. Serve with the roasted broccoli.

Eating Real Food

Over the past year I have been learning about the importance of eating real food. This blog is my attempt to document the meals that I create for my family that are free from processed and refined food. I am passionate about feeding my family the healthiest food possible and making it taste good. Most of the time I am successful, but sometimes I have failures, I will be sure to document both the good and the bad.