Crustless Zucchini Pie

Have you eaten your fill of zucchini yet this summer?  Apparently last summer I overdosed Mr Pears with zucchini so he has been poo-pooing all my zucchini ideas lately.  But when I saw this recipe in Whole Living, I decided I was going to make it whether he liked it or not! Luckily, he liked it. :)

This zucchini pie is a great summer side dish. We served ours with grilled salmon and it was just perfect. Though it has all the same elements as a quiche, the veggies outweigh the eggs by alot so it doesn't taste like quiche, it is just a nice light veggie bake. The dill gives it a wonderful summer flavor and I loved the sweet roasted tomatoes on top and the tangy feta cheese.  This recipe was included under "Slim-down Summer Recipes" at Whole Living but unfortunately I couldn't find any nutritional information.  I'm sure it is pretty low-cal but either way this will no doubt find its way back to our table again before the summer is over. I hope you like it is much as we did.

Crustless Zucchini Pie, adapted from Whole Living
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb green zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
4 scallions, chopped 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 lb yellow squash, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
5 whole eggs
5 egg whites  (Save the yolks for making ice cream)
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped  (if you are using dried dill weed, you won't need nearly as much)
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
2 oz low-fat feta cheese

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the zucchini and half of the scallions, garlic and marjoram.  Salt and pepper them and then let them cook about five minutes, or until they are a bit softened and browned.  Pour that all into a large bowl and then repeat the process for the yellow squash.

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

In a smaller bowl lightly beat together the eggs and whites and then pour them over the squash and zucchini in the large bowl.  Add the dill and mix it all together.  Pour everything into a 2 quart pie dish and then top it with the sliced tomato and crumbled feta.

Bake for 1 hour or until the top is set.  This can be served either hot or at room temperature.  Enjoy!

Spicy Shrimp Lettuce Cups

How was your Easter?  Mine didn't go quite as planned. I didn't make Easter bread or Madeleines. The lamb and strawberry muffins were definitely awesome but I forgot to buy most of the ingredients for the Spring Peas. But you know what?  That was ok.  It was actually more than ok because I let some of my plans fall by the wayside so I could better enjoy hanging out with my best friend and with my amazing nephews.  My little boys had a great Easter and loved meeting their cousins for the very first time.  The also loved eating their first jelly beans. :)  I'm so glad we had an Easter full of family and friends and those things are way more important than any of my best laid plans.

But on to new plans.  Plans to eat healthier to counter-balance some of the chocolate and jelly beans still hanging out in my cupboard.  I've got a couple of really great fresh and simple and healthy recipes  I want to share.  Easter candy aside, the warmer weather in Spring always makes me want to eat simpler and lighter.  More grilling and veggies, less pastas and hearty meals cooked in hot ovens.

I found this Cooking Light recipe two weeks ago and I've made it twice since.  The original recipe is titled Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Salad but I don't think that title does it justice.  Yeah there is an itty bitty amount of mayo in the "salad" but really it is more of a lettuce cup type-a-thing.   And while the first time I did make this with shrimp and loved it, the second time I used steak and thought that was delicious too.  I'm sure chicken would be great as well. This "salad" dressing is very versatile and I love how fresh and summery it is, especially the little kick you get from the adobo sauce.  It's also pretty nice that this recipe only takes about 10 minutes to make.  Can't beat that for fast.  I hope you like it!

Spicy Chipolte Shrimp Lettuce Cups, adapted from Cooking Light
serves 4  (approx. 235 calories per serving)
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup diced celery (1 rib)
2 tablespoons diced sweet onion or shallot
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 Boston (or other large green leafy) lettuce leaves

Heat a large saute pan over medium high and spray with cooking spray.  Add the shrimp to the hot pan and season them with salt and pepper.  Cook the shrimp just until they turn pink, about 5 minutes at the most and then set them aside to cool for about 5 minutes.

While the shrimp are cooling, mix the rest of the ingredients (minus the lettuce) together in a small bowl.  The chile and adobo sauce is fairly spicy so feel free to add more or less of that to taste.  Once the shrimp have cooled toss them in and stir to coat them evenly.

Put the lettuce cups on plates and top each with some of the shrimp.  Enjoy!