Healthy Game Day Snacks

Healthy Game Day Snacks

It’s game day and you know what that means, right? Food, football, family and friends! If you’re staying strong during the game and sticking to your 17 Day Diet plan, here are a few ideas for healthy Super Bowl Snacks this football season.

Try these healthy food ideas if you’re on Cycle 1– you’ll find ideas for Cycle 2 and 3 below:

All American Football Veggie Tray

Certain vegetables are a freebie on the 17 Day Diet. Try adding the following veggies to your platter this season:

Carrots

Celery

Cherry Tomatoes

Asparagus Spears cooked lightly in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper- serve cold

Variety of Bell Peppers- the yellow, orange and red variety have wonderful sweet flavor!

Broccoli and Cauliflower

Sliced Cucumbers- or try mixing with a little olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sweetener, salt & pepper for a tasty salad

Mushrooms- try a South American Marinade: Olive Oil, Vinegar, Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Sweetener, Salt & Pepper- let sit for a few hours, then grill. Serve cold.

Veggie Dip- Use a 1/2 packet of Ranch Dip Packet with a cup of non-fat plain yogurt. Makes a great zingy dip for your veggies.

Deviled Eggs- Use a traditional recipe but swap out mayonnaise with non-fat plain yogurt.

Cycle 2 addition: Make a homemade hummus to go with your veggies

Cycle 3 additions: Cut pita bread into triangles, toast and serve with your favorite homemade hummus or guacamole

Lunch/Early Dinner

Turkey Burger- Protein Style

Season lean ground turkey meat with your favorite seasonings such as salt, pepper, garlic, etc.

In lieu of bun, use iceburg, bibb, or boston lettuce and wrap your burger along with your favorite condiments such as sliced tomato, onion, ketchup and fat-free cheese.

Cycle 2/3: Use lean ground sirloin rather than turkey

Cycle 3: Stuff your burger into a whole wheat pita pocket or make a burger wrap with a 10 inch whole wheat tortilla. If you want to use bread, fold your burger into one slice of your favorite bread from the Cycle 3 list.

Faux Buffalo Chicken

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces and marinate in a bath of your favorite buffalo wing hot sauce, reduced-sugar ketchup or BBQ sauce, add salt and pepper and any other spices you enjoy. Bake at 350 for roughly 20 minutes. Baste your chicken half way through baking process with extra sauce (make sure you set aside extra before putting chicken in marinade so not to contaminate cooking chicken). Serve with your ranch dip (see above).

Chicken Stir Fry

Slice chicken breast, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers and onions. Cook chicken with a bit of olive oil in pan, add veggies when chicken is almost cooked through. Add Bragg Liquid Amino to taste and top with your favorite seasonings such as salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, etc. *For added variety, add grilled tofu.

Chicken or Beef Skewers

Cut up chicken (Cycle 1) or Beef Sirloin (Cycle 2/3) into bite sized pieces. Use the following recipe and let meat marinate for at least 2 hours:

Marinade:

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Cup Tomato Sauce

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp sweetener

Salt, Pepper to taste

Use your favorite veggies from the Cycle Food lists such as onion, mushroom, bell peppers, etc and place them on skewers with meat and grill (you may marinate veggies in same sauce if you desire).

Cycle 2/3 additions: Use potatoes for your skewers (try canned mini potatoes– they work best), or serve with brown rice or couscous.

Other Easy Recipes

Cauliflower Nachos: Think you’ll miss your nachos? Think again! Try this yummy cauliflower nacho recipe instead.

Greek Souvlaki Chicken Skewers: Who says you can’t have healthy for game day? Yes, please!

Tuna Cakes with Lemon Dijon Sauce: These can be a perfect appetizer. Actually, these are perfect any meal, any day!

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce: Everyone loves a meatball and combine them with this tangy sauce!

Buffalo Chicken Meatball with Blue Cheese Dressing: Seriously, you can never go wrong with meatball for the game!

Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you can’t eat great food. Enjoy game day with your friends and family…and remember, it’s not all about food!

Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site

Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs

Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs

There’s nothing better than Summer time grilling. Here’s a tasty chicken and tomato kebab recipe that’s actually perfect any time of the year!

Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

1-1/4 lbs skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

24 cherry tomatoes

16 wooden skewers

Directions:

In a food processor pulse basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing.

Combine the raw chicken with pesto and marinate a few hours in a bowl.

Soak wooden skewers in water at least 30 minutes (or use metal ones to avoid this step).

Beginning and ending with chicken, thread chicken and tomatoes onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make 8 kebabs total.

Heat the outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium heat until hot.

Be sure the grates are clean and spray lightly with oil.

Place the chicken on the hot grill and cook about 3-4 minutes; turn and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Yields 4 Servings

Approved for all cycles.

View my original post of the recipe on Instagram. Recipe courtesy of @skinnytaste

Photo courtesy of @skinnytaste

Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site

Green Veggie Pizza Crust

Green Veggie Pizza Crust

Did you know you can make a healthy Veggie Pizza Crust without any flour and it still tastes AMAZING! Make this low-carb green pizza crust with either kale, spinach, broccoli, or zucchini and sneak some extra veggies into your meal. It's a surprisingly delicious dinner recipe!

It's Fridayyyyyyy. Let's celebrate with pizza. Pizza party! Pizza party! Pizza party!

We're not having a regular ol' pizza party tonight. That's right, my friends, we're going all badass pizza rouge. There are strange and wonderful things happening here, and we're not making any apologies.

Now I know you've all heard of cauliflower pizza crust … am I right? Well, that gave me an idea to create these veggie pizza crusts. What I really wanted to do was make one recipe that was flexible enough that you could swap the veggies for whichever ones you have in your fridge/ love the most.

Mission accomplished, my friends!

What we have here are five different veggie pizza crusts, and they're all amazing:

1. Spinach pizza crust
2. Kale pizza crust
3. Zucchini pizza crust
4. Broccoli pizza crust
5. A mashup of all 4 veggie pizza crusts

Want to know the real kicker here? My handsome man, who I was kind of scared wouldn't even touch these (or talk to me for days after trying to feed him these to him. ha!), couldn't stop raving about them/ asking me to make them again.

So don't be scared … veggie pizza crusts are totally where it's at!

If you haven't eaten a veggie pizza crust, I imagine you're thinking, “What the heck does a pizza crust made with vegetables even taste like?” I also imagine your face is a little scrunched up in that way mine does when someone tries to sell me on something ‘healthy' that doesn't sound tasty at all.

Here's the thing … you'll never mistake one of these crusts for a regular pizza crust, and that's totally ok. They are softer than their traditional counterpart, but still hold themselves together well and even have a bit of a bite.

Here's where the amazing part comes in: crispy cheese. Yes, you read that right. You know when you bake a big pile of nachos and some of the cheese melts off the chips and glues itself to the pan and you spend half the night prying off each and every morsel cause it's just so. damn. tasty. Ya, that. That's what these veggie pizza crusts are like.

You see, when you bake them all the cheese melts and some of it gets crispy and it's AWESOME! It's flavor-bomb, crispy cheese amazingness in every bite.

What you need to know about veggie pizza crusts:

♡ We've already covered the crispy cheese deliciousness part (the most important part) so I'll leave that.

♡ The kale and spinach pizza crusts are almost exactly the same. They're so similar that I couldn't tell them apart in a side by side taste test. ← Yes, my ‘job' involves taste testing pizza. I have the best job in the world.

♡ The broccoli pizza crust tastes a little like broccoli – surprise surprise! It's not a bad thing at all, just something to keep in mind when you're planning your toppings.

♡ Vegetables naturally have a lot of water in them. The more moisture you can take out of the veggies before you make them into crusts, the crispier they will be. The broccoli pizza crust is a little soft if made exactly as the recipe is written. If you'd like it crisper, you can cook the broccoli before making it into crusts to remove more of the moisture.

♡ Go easy on the toppings. While you will be able to pick these up and eat them like a regular pizza, you don't want to push your luck by piling the toppings on high. Take the minimalist approach!

If you make this Green Veggie Pizza Crust make sure you snap a pic and tag #theendlessmeal on Instagram so I can like and comment on your photos. I love seeing TEM recipes you create!

Did you know you can make a Veggie Pizza Crust without any flour and it still tastes AMAZING! Make this low-carb green pizza crust with either kale, spinach, broccoli, or zucchini and sneak some extra veggies into your meal. It's a surprisingly delicious dinner recipe!

• 2 cups broccoli, spinach, kale, or zucchini (see notes)
• ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• ¼ teaspoon each: sea salt and black pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. (See notes for how to prepare the veggies.) Divide between the two baking sheets and use your hands to flatten into an 8-inch circle.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the veggie pizza crusts from the oven and, using the parchment paper, carefully flip the crusts over so the top is now face down directly on the baking sheet. Return the crusts to the oven and let them cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Top lightly with your pizza toppings and cook for a further 15 minutes.

To prepare the veggies:

Kale and Spinach: place in your food processor and blend until finely chopped. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can using your hands.

Broccoli: add the florets and stems to your food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Optional step: roast in the oven for 10 minutes to dry the broccoli so you get a crisper pizza crust.

Zucchini: grate using the small holes on your grater. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, first using your hands and then with some paper towels.

BBQ Pulled Turkey Pizza with Fiery Pineapple Salsa

Blue Cheese and Roasted Brussels Sprouts Pizza

Original article and pictures take www.theendlessmeal.com site

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce

There’s nothing better than a yummy homemade Tzatziki sauce to dress up your turkey meatballs. This recipe was featured in our latest 5-Day Dinner Party celebrating the open enrollment for Simply17 (my weekly meal planning service).

I love Greek food, so it’s always fun to incorporate an easy meatball recipe for dinner time. Mediterranean dishes are not only yummy, but super healthy, too! Enjoy!

Greek Turkey Meatballs with Yogurt Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1/2 onion, minced or grated

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1/2 cup low-fat feta cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl. Make sure you don’t mix too much or the meatballs will be tough.

Roll into small 1 oz balls (about 16) and place on a slightly greased baking dish or pan.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until turkey is cooked through.

Serve with your favorite veggies and Tzatziki sauce (recipe below).

Greek Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium cucumber (about 8 oz), peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks*

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

1 8 oz container Greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried)

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place diced cucumber in a mesh strainer or colander and sprinkle with salt, toss to evenly coat then allow to rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

Rinse cucumbers and place over several layers of paper towels. Squeeze some of the liquid from cucumbers (almost as if wringing moisture from a cloth).

Place cucumbers in food processor and pulse to chop fine (if there’s excess liquid drain it off).

Pour cucumbers into a mixing bowl add Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and dill and season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

*To remove seeds, peel the cucumber, slice in half lengthwise, then used a spoon to scoop the seeds out and dice into chunks.

Yields 4 Servings

Approved all cycles

Photo above courtesy of Judy H. – Judy’s creations always look so yummy!

Photo above courtesy of Sandra J. – I love how Sandra incorporated her Simply17 party favors into this shot of her yummy dinner!

Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site

Greek Salad Dressing Recipe

Greek Salad Dressing Recipe

Greek-salad-dressing-recipe (3)

A good Greek salad dressing recipe may not sound life changing. But please trust me on this…it IS life changing. This is our very, very favorite seasoning mix. It makes the most divine and authentic Greek Pizzaria style dressing, but it’s also become our house seasoning blend. I keep both the ranch dressing seasoning mix, and this one in shaker jars on my counter.

Greek-salad-dressing-recipe (2)

We love it atop the Pizza Hut style breadstick recipe on cheese pizzadillas, in my oven fries recipe and on baked potatoes, and, and…plus infinity. It’s the secret ingredient to making an amazing pizza crust in my homemade pizza recipe.

And NOW that I’m Trim & Healthy, this Greek salad dressing recipe is even more awesome, since the spices themselves are fuel pull, and can be used with ANY type of meal. And, I also give a fat free Greek salad dressing recipe below in the printable that you can use with E and FP salads!

Plus, it’s completely healthy with no Mono-glutamic-nazi-parabens.

(Yee-haw!)

The other great thing, is that this salad dressing doesn’t need to be refrigerated, so it’s perfect for picnics, camping, or covered dish meals.

So, what I’m really trying to say is that this is the most awesomely wonderful recipe on the whole planet, and you just have to try it, or your life will be ruined. OK?

Now, this might look like a whole bunch of spices, but it’s way worth your time to put together. For one thing, you probably have almost all of these spices in your cabinet right now. And for another, the recipe below makes almost 2 cups of (un-blended) spice mix.

Theoretically, this should last you a long time.

Having a big jar of Greek Dressing Mix makes it very convenient to mix up a batch of salad dressing when you discover that you’re out as the table is being set. Which is pretty much the only time that I discover that we’re out of something.

So, let’s get cookin’.

Here’s what you’ll need:

powdered onion, powdered (or granulated) garlic, dried basil, black pepper, oregano, sugar and salt.

I like to mix mine up in a standard quart canning jar, so I can powder it in my blender like this.

When you shake it up, it looks like this.

I like to blend it to a fine powder, so that it mixes in quickly and has maximum flavor right away:

Then, I write the recipe for making the mix and for making the dressing on the lid of the jar. Keeps me from having to flip through my recipe notebook…this is because I’m lazy efficient.

I have also started storing some of it in a spice/shaker jar because we like it as a schprinkle too.

Now you’re ready to shake-shake-shake your way to Greek heaven…or make this amazing salad dressing:

Now, quickly…print this, make this, and enjoy!

This spice blend is amazing...we use it to make dressing and also use it like a shake on Greek spice or rub. I love to make my dry dressing mixes in big batches, so I can quickly put a new batch together with one scoop of spices and some oil and vinegar. Another cool thing...this dressing doesn't need to be refrigerated, so it's great to take to picnics etc. This recipe yeilds over a cup of mix.

1. Mix together in a jar...it makes a little over a cup.
2. Optional: Dump spices into the blender, and blend to a powdered mix.
3. This makes the flavors 'meld' faster when you mix it.

1. One quarter cup each of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.
2. One teaspoon each of Dijon style mustard and lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of your spice mix.
   Shake shake shake.

1. just follow the lines on the bottle like so-
2. fill to vinegar line use half balsamic and half red wine vinegar
3. fill to water line
4. add 1 t. of lemon juice
5. fill to oil line with olive oil.
   Shake, shake, shake!
6. If you plan on taking it to a picnic, you can marinate the olives, onions, tomatoes and feta in the dressing overnight, and then add it to the greens at the last minute. Yum!

1. In a glass jar ¾ cup water and ¼ t. gluccomannan powder...shaking lightly over the surface while blending for no lumps.
2. Add one quarter cup each of red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.
3. Next, add one teaspoon each of Dijon style mustard and lemon juice, and only 2 teaspoons of your spice mix. Leaving out the oil really brings out the spiciness.
   Shake shake shake.
   Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

gwens nest recipes

Original article and pictures take gwens-nest.com site

Greek Marinated Chicken

Greek Marinated Chicken

Need something easy and flavorful to throw on the grill this weekend? This Greek Marinated Chicken is it.

The marinade for this chicken (similar to what I used for this Chicken Shawarma ) takes just a few minutes to stir together and creates an absolute explosion of flavor. It’s incredible. I only marinated my chicken in this magical mix for 30 minutes, but the flavor was still loud and clear. Once marinated, you can grill the chicken outdoors over a gas or charcoal flame, or (if you don’t have a grill) you can bake it in the oven. Either way, you’ll get a super flavorful and moist end product.

I served this Greek Marinated Chicken with my Lemony Cucumber and Couscous Salad, which was the perfect cold summer side, and incorporated both starches and vegetables into the meal. Two birds with one stone!

Greek Marinated Chicken

Step by Step Photos for Greek Marinated Chicken

First prepare the marinade. Combine the yogurt, olive oil, oregano, minced garlic, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Add the zest from one lemon and the juice from about half of it (1-2 Tbsp). Stir these ingredients until well combined.

Add a handful, or about 1/4 bunch, of roughly chopped parsley. This is your finished marinade (or a REALLY awesome dip!).

I used about 3.75 pounds of chicken pieces (drumsticks and thighs). You could easily half this Greek Marinated Chicken recipe, if needed.

Add the chicken pieces and the marinade to a large, gallon-sized zip top bag and mix it around to make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes.

After marinating, you can either grill the chicken or bake it. I don’t have an outdoor grill, so I decided to bake it. Place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish. I ended up pouring the extra marinade over top, but later realized that this just made it take longer to brown, so I don’t suggest doing so. There is plenty of flavor in the marinade that you won’t need to add the extra.

Bake the chicken in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until it is golden brown. It will smell SO good! Now eat!

I served this Greek Marinated Chicken with my Lemony Cucumber and Couscous salad and it was PERFECT! :D

Original article and pictures take www.budgetbytes.com site

Greek Food

Greek Food

Original article and pictures take souvlakiforthesoul.com site

Greek Chicken Souvlaki With Yogurt Sauce

Greek Chicken Souvlaki With Yogurt Sauce

If you’re tired of the usual chicken recipes, you know the broiled chicken with salt, pepper and garlic and maybe a seasoning or two? Then here’s a recipe for you! It’s perfect for all cycles of the 17 Day Diet, and you can add extras like hummus and pita bread if you’re on Cycle 2 or 3, respectively.

Greek Chicken Souvlaki With Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

For the chicken skewers:

1 pound Organic boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 tablespoons of lemon juice (organic preferred)

3 tablespoons of organic olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

For the yogurt sauce:

1 cup of plain organic greek yogurt

1/2 cup of organic sour cream (or an additional ½ cup of greek yogurt if you prefer)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup minced cucumber (I prefer the small organic persian cucumbers)

1/4 cup minced fresh organic parsley or dill

For the tomato cucumber relish:

1/4 cup minced cucumber (organic cucumber if possible)

1/4 cup minced seeded organic tomato

2 teaspoons lemon juice (organic preferred)

1 tablespoon organic olive oil

2 tablespoons minced organic parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

For the chicken skewers:

If you’re using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning.

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic, along with 1 tablespoon of water, in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium or preheat the broiler.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread the chicken pieces onto 4 skewers.

If grilling, place the chicken on the grill and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through.

For broiling, broil for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking make the sauces.

For the yogurt sauce:

Mix together the greek yogurt, sour cream, cucumber and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready for use, or for up to 1 day.

For the relish:

Combine the tomato, cucumber and parsley in a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready for use, or for up to 1 day.

Serve the chicken skewers with the yogurt sauce and cucumber relish. For a cycle 2, serve with hummus, and Cycle 3 you may serve with flatbread.

Yields 4 Servings.

Approved for all cycles.

See my #repost of this recipe on Instagram and the original recipe creator, @dinneratthezoo.

Photo courtesy of @dinneratthezoo

Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site

Greek “no bread” Turkey Roll Ups

Greek “no bread” Turkey Roll Ups

I would not consider myself a low carb person – I love pasta too much – but I will admit I do love low carb recipes. Every time I eat a low carb recipe I always feel satisfied but not bloated. I never experience a crash like I do when I eat a pasta dish or any meal higher in carbs. Again, I am not anti carb but I do pay attention to the way my body reacts to certain foods. My tummy always seems to be happier when I keep carbs under control.

My favorite low carb snack or lunch option are “no bread” roll ups. Basically, they are wraps without the wraps. So you get all of the yummy filling minus the high carb bread or wrap. In the last couple months I made a beef and cheddar roll up, turkey with avocado roll up, and a ham and swiss roll up – each one without bread and low carb.

Today, I put together a greek style roll up. As with a lot of my recipes I found inspiration from leftover ingredients. This week I made Greek Mason Jar Salads for lunches and had some extra feta, tomato, spinach, and olives in the refrigerator. I also found some garlic hummus. Then rolled all the ingredients using sliced turkey breasts.

I love all my “no bread” roll up recipes and this one is no exception. It is easy to put together and the flavors are great. I ate one for a mid afternoon snack and felt completely satisfied. If you are looking for a low carb snack or lunch option then give this “no bread” roll up recipe a try.

Print

Original article and pictures take www.organizeyourselfskinny.com site

Get on the VIP list for your exclusive invitation for the next enrollment!

Get on the VIP list for your exclusive invitation for the next enrollment!

Enrollment is currently closed!

The group support program is designed for those who need a bit of help with:

• Accountability
• Answers to your diet questions
• Menu/Meal Planning
• Recipes
• Tracking Tools
• Secret Facebook Group (support your peers and receive support in a private setting)
• Private Members Area
• And More! (based on your feedback)

Get on the wait list now and receive your private invitation!

Please enter your name and email below for your invitation:

You’ll receive an email from me asking for specific feedback on what you might need help with.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Original article and pictures take 17ddblog.com site

Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini

Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini

Hey everyone! You can now follow me on Instagram (follow link here). I’m a little behind but I’d love you to follow!!

I almost didn’t post these because the pictures are so meh but seriously you are going to LOVE the flavor of this zucchini so I had to share anyway! Plus, they are incredibly easy to make!

Yes, zucchini can be kind of bland and boring but when you brush it with a garlic lemon oil and top it with plenty of parmesan cheese it goes from drab to fab. I just couldn’t stop eating them. These are a summer side that you must try. You might even like them so much you’ll forget about the main dish.

Roasting veggies in the oven is my favorite ways to cook them, I just love the texture it gives (it softens them without drowning them out) and how it enhances their flavors. Then when you add another favorite of mine to that oven roasted goodness, a delicious oven crisped cheese you know it’s gotta be good, right? My younger brother and I used to always scrape the crisped cheese bits left over from oven baked dishes my mom would make – the best were the ones from the twice baked potatoes. Great cheese memories :).

Keep this recipe for that abundance of garden fresh zucchini soon to be harvested this summer or better yet grab some at the grocery store tonight and make this lemony flavored, parmesan crusted, oven roasted zucchini to pair with your meal.

Enjoy!

Garlic Lemon and Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini

1. Cut zucchini into thick wedges or halves (cut each zucchini in half then that half in half, so you have 4 wedges from each zucchini. Next time I might try to do just halves so the parmesan bakes more evenly, plus it would be easier to add the parmesan). In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, lemon zest and garlic. Align zucchini on prepared baking sheet spacing them evenly apart. Brush olive oil mixture over tops of zucchini (working to get some of the garlic/lemon zest on each piece and not just in one spot. It clumps together a little so just spread it out). Sprinkle tops with parmesan cheese (try to get as much of it on the tops as possible, you can pick up what was sprinkled off to the sides of the zucchini and add it to the tops) and season lightly with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven 11 - 13 minutes then, adjust oven rack near top of oven and broil for several minutes until parmesan is golden brown. Serve warm.

Original article and pictures take www.cookingclassy.com site