Skillet Squash with Garbanzo Beans

When the garden starts producing, I have to become creative. This is a recipe I put together last night. I don't personally like onions, but imagine that they would do well here for those who do.

1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 medium zucchini, cubed
2-3 yellow squash, cubed
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained
1 large can tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. spaghetti sauce mix
1 Tbs. chicken flavoring
Salt & pepper to taste

In large skillet, saute first 4 ingredients in olive oil until tender-crisp. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cover & simmer 25-30 minutes until tender. Serve over rice.

Creamed Chicken and Asparagus Casserole

I had 1/2 a rotisserie chicken from Sam's leftover so came up with this casserole tonight. We really liked it.

3 c. uncooked ziti pasta (elbow macaroni or other pasta would work fine)
1 lb. fresh asparagus
2 c. cubed, cooked chicken (or the 1/2 chicken)
1 small can mushrooms, drained (or 1 c. fresh would be great)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. milk
1/2 to 1 c. shredded cheddar
1/3 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1/4 c. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water for 10 minutes; drain. Cook asparagus just until tender, then cut into 1" pieces. Put into bowl with chicken. Mix soups, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, cheddar, & seasonings. Pour over asparagus mixture & mix to coat. Add pasta & stir to coat. Add pasta & stir to coat. Pour into greased 9"x 13" baking dish & sprinkle with cracker crumbs mixed with the melted butter. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until heated through. Serves 8-10.

Falafel or Chickpea patties

We had these at bookgroup tonight...several asked for the recipe. A middle-eastern treat. I got the recipe from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients
Serves 4.
2 scallions, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup plain mashed potatoes, room temperature or chilled (1 potato cubed, boiled and mashed)
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Assorted garnishes, such as olives, crumbled feta cheese, lettuce leaves, lemon wedges, and warm pita bread (optional)
Directions
In a food processor, combine scallions, carrot, cilantro, parsley, cumin, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper; process until finely chopped. Add potatoes and chickpeas; pulse until just combined (mixture should be stiff). Shape into eight 2-inch patties.
Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties; reduce heat to medium, and cook until golden brown and heated through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. (after pan frying, I put my patties in the oven to bake so they would become toastier (is that a word??) 350 for 20-30min --
Transfer patties to a platter, and serve with garnishes (we had ours with hummus, naan, and olive tapenade) as desired.

Spinach Smoothies - great for St Patrick's Day

This is my sister's recipe for spinach smoothies. You can really just add spinach to any smoothie recipe and it adds lots of vitamins without changing the flavor.

fresh spinach leaves
orange juice*
1/2 C frozen pineapple tidbits
2 frozen bananas
1/2 C plain yogurt
ice cubes

Fill blender with spinach leaves to the top, then mash down. Pour the orange juice to spinach level. Add pineapple and bananas, then add yogurt. Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes if it needs thickening. (*You can use other fruit juices).