Zucchini Pizza Slices with Orzo

Ricardo found this idea from a Facebook page we follow called Foodies TV.  I get many ideas for meals and desserts from this page!  So, I have tried a few different ways to get him and the kids to eat zucchini, because I just absolutely LOVE it and think they should too!  Haha!  So, he suggested I try this recipe, since he is a pizza maniac, and maybe he would be able to eat zucchini...

I went to Pinterest and that's where I found the recipe that I basically followed, of course doing a few things differently, but here is the original recipe if you want to check it out:  Zucchini Pizza Boats.

End result:  I got the kids to eat zucchini AND my picky man thought it was absolutely delicious!  I loved it as well, but I am a food fanatic and pretty much love everything.  Successful dish and pretty simple!

Zucchini Pizza Slices with Orzo

Zucchini- 

(This first time I used 2 zucchinis and was able to get four slices from each one.  It depends on how thick you want your slices.)

Olive oil

Minced garlic (fresh or jarred)

Black pepper

Italian bread crumbs

Oregano

Pizza sauce (fresh or jarred)

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Pepperoni

*Any other pizza toppings

Orzo pasta

Butter

Milk

Garlic salt

Parsley

Grated Parmesan cheese

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Start to boil water for the orzo.

-Cut the ends off of the zucchini and peel about two strips from opposite sides of the zucchini to create flat surfaces on each side.

- Although in the recipe it says just to cut each zucchini in half, I went with thinner strips in an attempt to not overwhelm my hesitant zucchini eaters!  I was able to get 4 pretty thin slices from each zucchini.

-Mix olive oil, minced garlic, and black pepper together. (Yes, that is a baby spoon!  I love using baby spoons when I cook to work with small amounts!)

-Spread this mixture over zucchini slices.

-Sprinkle bread crumbs on zucchini slices over olive oil spread.











-Spread pizza sauce over slices.


-Add cheese to slices.


-Sprinkle oregano over each slice.



-You can use mini pepperoni slices or regular sized pepperoni for the pizza.  I went ahead and cut the pepperoni slices in half to fit better on the zucchini.




-I did this part while zucchini was baking...

-Cook orzo and drain water.  
-Return orzo to pot and add (*again, I apologize for my bad habits of not measuring when I cook!) about two tablespoons of butter and two pours of milk.  Mix until butter is melted.
-Shake garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, and parsley into pasta and mix.  Add more to taste.
-You may want to add more milk or butter.  I like it to form a slightly creamy/cheesy sauce.




-Bake the zucchini at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 mins- it depends how cooked (crispy or tender) you want your zucchini.  Keep an eye on it!

-Serve beside or on top of the orzo pasta and ENJOY!




.eatmorezucchini.<3LML.

Italian Chicken Skillet

Quick and easy skillet I came up with during the week using ingredients I had in the pantry!  Total time:  30-40 mins.

Italian Chicken Skillet

Chicken breasts

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Garlic Garlic *Tastefully Simple

Onion Onion *Tastefully Simple

Chicken Broth

Hunt's Diced Tomatoes- Basil, Garlic, and Oregano

Italian Style Bread Crumbs

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

White Rice or Pasta

Heat skillet and drizzle with olive oil.

 Add chicken breasts to hot skillet and season both sides with salt and cracked black pepper.

Flip chicken breasts occasionally, cooking both sides evenly. 

After chicken is mostly cooked on both sides add chicken broth to skillet, filling until broth reaches top of chicken.

When broth has mostly boiled out, remove chicken from skillet and cut into chunks.

Add more broth, cooking until chicken chunks are fully cooked through.

Add the diced tomatos and season with Garlic Garlic and Onion Onion.  These are my two favorite seasonings that I use in EVERYTHING I make, but you can easily use minced garlic or garlic salt and onion powder as well.    

Cook in skillet until tomatoes and chicken broth form a sauce.  Another option that I did the first time I made this dish was to chop cherry tomatoes instead of using canned tomatoes.  This time though I was trying to save time which is why I went with the canned tomatoes...both tasted delicious, so it's up to you!

Once the water (chicken broth) has mostly boiled out again, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and heat until cheese is melted.

Shake bread crumbs over melted cheese and leave over heat for a few additional minutes.

Serve over rice or pasta.

YUM!

<3LML.

"Undone Sushi" Salad

My favorite time of year has to be gardening season!  Even though I don't get that great of a crop of veggies here in TX due to the extreme heat, I still love the actions of maintaining a garden.  Even with the heat though, I have found that I am pretty successful at growing lettuce each year.  This summer, however, has been pretty damp for where we live so I am having some pretty significant growth in my plants!  

I plant an artisan lettuce mix each season which includes arugula, one of my favorites!  It grows and matures really quickly (even in the heat) and I love being able to go outside and harvest a super fresh batch of lettuce when I crave a salad.

"Undone Sushi" Salad

lettuce (artisan- arugula, etc.)

chopped red onion

chopped cucumber

chopped avocado

1 can tuna in water

Hellman's mayo

black pepper

soy sauce

For this simple salad, I started to throw together whatever veggies I had. I chopped red onion, cucumber, and avocado and for some reason, I started to think back to when I studied abroad in Spain and my host mom used to serve us tuna over a bed of lettuce as a salad.  I just loved it, so I thought I would go ahead and use tuna to top the salad I was making.  Keeping in mind the combination of cucumbers and avocado with the tuna, I thought maybe I could achieve a salad that mimicked sushi!

I drained and mixed one can of tuna with a scoop of Hellman's.



Then I added the tuna on top of the chopped veggies and bed of lettuce.  I topped the salad with fresh cracked black pepper and hm, dressing?...soy sauce, of course, to bring my "sushi" idea together!






I was very satisfied with the result- super simple, very tasty, and rather healthy!  It also definitely curbed my sushi craving and I didn't even have to leave the house!

<3LML