Ricotta and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Have you ever had stuffed zucchini flowers?    I can probably only count on one hand the amount of times I have had them.  And out of those few times, it has always been at an Italian restaurant in the summer time. So if you are out to eat and they are serving these delicious little delicacies, order some as fast as you can!

We went to the Hudson Farmers Market this weekend for a change.  I'm so happy we switched it up this time because one of the vendors was selling zucchini flowers.  I have always wanted to make these homemade but have never been able to find the fresh flowers.  Once picked, they have a very short shelf life so you will rarely ever find these in a grocery store.  

This was my first time making these and if zucchini flowers were readily available, I would be making these again.  And again.  And again. 

Remove the green leaf "thingys" from the bottom of the flower.  

Remove the stamen from the flower.  Rinse out any remaining pollen. Excuse my wrinkled fingers... I have had the hands of an 80 year old for as long as I can remember.  

Ricotta is typically used as a base for the stuffing but you can add anything you would like or have on hand.  I added some garlic goat cheese and sausage for extra flavor.  These would be great vegetarian style as well with just ricotta, parmesan and fresh chopped herbs.   

Don't worry if the leaves tear.  The stuffing will help hold everything together.  Use your hands to form the stuffing into the flowers.  Loosely twist the ends.  

Gorgeous tomatoes from the market.  

It is very important to whisk the eggs and water for a long time.  The bubbles help to make the batter very light and airy.  

Drain the excess batter.  You want the coating to be very thin.  

Zucchini Flowers
12 zucchini flowers
1/2 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup goat cheese
3 thick slices of fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
8 basil leaves, finely chopped

Remove stamen from zucchini flower, rinse with cold water and dry.

Preheat skillet over medium heat.   Brown sausage and use wooden spoon to break it up.  Once sausage is almost fully cooked, add garlic.  Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain and cool.

In a large bowl, add ricotta, goat cheese, mozzarella and basil.  Mix until fully combined.  Add sausage.

Spoon cheese mixture into a large ziploc bag.  Use scissors to cut off tip.  Make sure the hole is large enough so sausage and mozzarella chunks can pass through.  Place the tip of the bag into zucchini flower and squeeze until filled.  Twist top leaves and place on a large plate.  Repeat until all flowers are stuffed. Refrigerate for at least one hour so stuffing can firm up.  

Tomato Sauce
1/4 of a large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves
2 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped
8 fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
pinch of rosemary
pinch of salt

Preheat a small saucepan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.  Add onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent.  Add tomatoes, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary and salt.  Cook over medium low heat for 30 minutes.  Transfer to a blender and pulse until you reach desired consistency.  Pour in bowl and cover with foil until ready to plate.

Batter
1 egg
1 cup ice cold water
1 cup flour
pinch of salt

For frying
vegetable or peanut oil

Crack egg in large bowl.  Beat vigorously with a whisk until frothy.  Add water.  Beat until fully incorporated.  When bubbles form, add flour and salt then beat until completely smooth.

Heat 3 inches of oil in deep pan to 375 degrees.  Dip stuffed zucchini flower in batter and let all batter drip off.  Place in hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Do not fry more than 3 flowers at a time. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel lined plate.

Spoon sauce onto a platter.  Place fried zucchini flowers into sauce and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.  

Asian Cabbage Salad with Peanut Dressing

This salad is for all of you who struggle to find something healthy to eat all week for lunch.  I know that if I don't bring my lunch to work, I end up getting something that is quick and usually not high on the nutritional scale.  

I am obsessed with this salad.  It is so fresh, flavorful and the best thing is that it lasts all week.  I made this last Sunday and had it for lunch everyday this week.  Even today, the vegetables were still crisp and fresh. It is also great to add half of a chopped avocado when you are ready to eat.  You could also add grilled chicken or shrimp for additional protein.  

This recipe makes a ton of salad.  It is also a great dish to bring or make for a party to serve a lot of people.  I like to bring it to parties that I know will have a huge spread of unhealthy options.    

Picked up some gorgeous green onions and carrots from the farmers' market. 

You need a huge bowl for this salad.  Preferably one with a lid so it will stay fresh all week.  

Keep a close eye when the almonds are in the oven.  They can easily burn.  

Mason jars a great to have on had for homemade dressings.  

Asian Cabbage Salad
1 head of savoy or napa cabbage, finely chopped
1 head of red cabbage, finely chopped
2 carrots, shredded
4 green onions, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 bag shelled edamame 
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

In a large bowl, green cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, green onions, cilantro and edamame. Toss until combined. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and evenly spread out almonds.  Toast almonds for 6 minutes.  At 4 minutes, add sesame seeds.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  

Once almonds and sesame seeds are cooled, toss with salad along with the mandarin oranges.  When ready to serve, toss 2 cups of salad with 2 tablespoons of peanut dressing.  If desired, garnish with chia seeds and add half of a chopped avocado.    

Peanut Dressing
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha 
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and mashed into paste
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
 2/3 cup grapeseed oil (you can also use vegetable oil)

Add all ingredients into a mason jar and shake vigorously until combined.  You can also add whisk all ingredients together and then slowly drizzle in oil. 

Strawberry Rosemary Ice Cream

I love strawberry ice cream.  In the world of ice cream flavors, there are about a ba-jillion different combinations.  Every time we go out for ice cream, I study the menu, contemplating  a new, exotic flavor to try.  But in the end, I usually end up going with the classic strawberry and I’m never disappointed. 

Matt bought me an ice cream maker for my birthday and of course I knew that the first flavor I would make would be strawberry.  I made it to the farmers’ market bright and early this weekend to get some the fresh, local strawberries.  I've always been a big fan of mixing herbs and fruits so I decided to add a hint of rosemary to the ice cream.  Here’s to summer and the cold, frozen treats that go along with it! 

Strawberry Rosemary Ice Cream

3 cups fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cup sugar, divided

1 1/4 cups whole milk

3 cups heavy cream

2 sprigs of rosemary (or 1 for a more subtle flavor)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours. Strain the berries, reserving juices. Mash or purée half the berries.

Over low heat in a medium sauce pan, heat the cream, rosemary and vanilla.  Let simmer for 20 minutes then strain though sieve to remove the rosemary.  Chop the rosemary sprigs very fine and set aside. 

In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk and remaining granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, reserved strawberry juice, mashed strawberries, and rosemary.   Place bowl in refrigerator and completely cool for at least 4 hours. 

Turn the machine on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 25 minutes.  Five minutes before mixing is completed, add the reserved sliced strawberries and let mix in completely. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Garlic Scape Kale and Pistachio Pesto

If you can't tell, pesto is one "staple" that I normally have in my refrigerator.  It pairs great with couscous, bread, vegetables, pizza, pasta and spaghetti squash.  You can also use it for stuffed mushrooms or mix it into ground meat for added flavor and nutrition.  

Do you ever have greens that have just about used up their shelf life?  Do you ever buy a package of nuts and come to find out that you already had some in your pantry?  Pesto is a great way to use up these things before they are on the verge of going in the trash.  Since it is all pulled together with olive oil, you can store it in the fridge for 1-2 months.  

We went to the farmer's market again today and I bought a huge bag of garlic scapes.  They are basically the tops of garlic plants and have a strong garlic flavor.  The bag was so large that I would have never used them all, so I decided to make a pesto.  It just so happens that I had some kale and pistachios on hand, all of which go together very nicely.  

Garlic Scape, Kale and Pistachio Pesto
1/2 cup of garlic scapes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup of shelled pistachios
3 cups of kale, roughly chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Place scapes, pistachios and kale in food processor.  Pulse until mixture looks like a rough sand.  With food processor running, slowly drizzle olive oil in until a paste forms.  Add parmesan cheese and pulse until fully combined.  

Copper River Salmon with Brown Sugar Soy Glaze and Sesame Snap Peas

This is not just any salmon.  It is Copper River Salmon.  I didn't even know what it was until Matt told me that he bought me some sort of fancy salmon at the grocery store.  After doing a little research, it seems that Copper River Salmon is kind of a big deal...  

Copper River is a mineral rich and intense river system in Alaska in which the salmon must make a 300 mile swim upstream in order to reach their spawning grounds.   To do this requires extra stores of omega-3 fatty acids that make this salmon some of the most coveted in the world.  The combination of the cold, pure Alaskan water along with the fish's superior genetics, produces salmon with amazing flavor and great texture.  It is only harvested mid-May through mid-June each year.  

It's flavor was incredible.  The fish was perfectly flaky and moist.  In the future, I will definitely splurge on this fish because this was hands down the BEST salmon I have ever had.

Such a beautiful color

Those are the garlic scapes chopped up.  

These are from the farmer's market.  Trim off the rough ends.  

Brown Sugar Soy Glaze 
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon of fish sauce
2 garlic scapes, thinly sliced (if you can't find scapes, then just use 2 cloves)
1 salmon filet (So sad... my husband doesn't like salmon)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a bread baking dish with foil.  Place brown sugar, ginger, sriracha, soy sauce, fish sauce and scapes in bowl and whisk until combined.  Place salmon filet in bottom of foil lined dish and top with brown sugar glaze.  Seal foil on all ends and place in oven to cook for 20 minutes.  

Remove from oven and place salmon on a plate.  Pour all of the juices and sauce over the salmon and serve with a side of sesame snap peas.  

Sesame Snap Peas
1 cup snap peas
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds

Preheat pan over medium-low heat.  Melt butter.  Add sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil.   Mix until combined.  Add snap peas and sesame seeds and cook until they are a bright green color.  Remove from heat and serve with salmon.