Turkey, Butternut Squash & Zucchini Curry With Wild Rice

Dinner this evening was a bizarre combination of what we had in the fridge and what I felt like. No real recipe - ground turkey mixed with butternut squash and zucchini with a with lot of curry!

Baked Gnocchi in Tomato Gorgonzola Sauce

Last Friday we went out for dinner to The Melting Pot had they had a to-die-for Gorgonzola dip. It was creamy and had these little bits of strong cheese speckled throughout. As we like to try new cheeses every so often, we decided to ask for a chunk at our weekly visit to the Italian Market. When the deli guy brought us a package of moldy cheese, we were slightly taken aback but took the plunge. We've never actually bought blue cheese or any sort of moldy cheese but recently discovered we DO enjoy it when others add it to food! This was a big step in the world of cheese for us. During this same visit to the Italian Market I found gluten free gnocchi which was made in Italy so I had to pick that up as well.

Now to find the perfect recipe. Gnocchi, Gorgonzola and I pretty much have to use zucchini everyday for the next few weeks. I lucked out and found this great recipe I could easily add zucchini to on the Canadian Living website:

Ingredients 
2 pkg (each 500 g) fresh gnocchi (I halved everything.. so 1pkg gnocchi for me)
1 tbsp butter, melted
6oz gorgonzola cheese or fontinacheese, crumbled or cubed (I, of course, used gorgonzola and only used a little bit. About half the size of a deck of cards. I didn't want to overdo it my first time cooking with moldy cheese!)
1 can (796 mL) diced tomatoes (half a can)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I just sprinkled.. probably not this much)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Chopped Zucchini - Not in the original, but works fantastically!

Preparation:
In large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi until tender, about 6 minutes; drain and return to pot.

Add butter, Gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes and pepper; stir to coat. Pour into 10-cup (2.5 L) casserole dish; sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.)

Bake, uncovered, in 400°F (200°C) oven until bubbly, about 45 minutes.

 To go with this, carrots and peas. Why not?

MY REVIEW: Was this ever good! Good smelling, good looking, good tasting. It was extremely easy to make and I would make sure to add the zucchini if I did it again! We did enjoy the extra little zing from the cheese but I do think this would be just as tasty without if you're not down with the mold. I've never really been crazy for boiled gnocchi but baked gnocchi is a whole new world!

JASON'S REVIEW: I like moldy cheese. You're the best.

Food Lately

Lately, we've been living off the garden. Lots and lots of zucchini:

Our pumpkin went a little wild and may have cross polinated with the zucchini. It ventured through the fence into our neighbours yards on both sides:

I've tried a few different things with the zucchini. For lunch today we had left over quinoa with thinly sliced zucchini and onion from the garden that had been sauteed in butter with a little lemon juice. I melted some asiago cheese on top as that's my new addiction:

Actually quinoa is kind of an addiction lately too. I like to have it in the fridge as you can pretty much throw anything in there and eat it hot or cold. A tiny bit of red curry paste on quinoa is becoming a staple for me.

This evening for dinner I tried another zucchini recipe that featured... you guessed it... asiago!

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini , sliced in half lengthwise  (I used half of one monster zucchini and we still have leftovers)
2 -3 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup asiago cheese grated (parmesan will also work)
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper , to taste  

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
2. Score zucchinis, add a squeeze of lemon juice and add salt and pepper lightly. Let marinate for a few minutes.
3. Add garlic bits to the olive oil.
4. Brown both sides of zucchinis in the garlic and oil.
5. Sprinkle asiago cheese on cut side of zucchinis and oven broil on a cookie sheet until cheese browns.
6. Serve while warm.

MY REVIEW: Yummmmmm..... love zucchini and asiago. The house still smells amazing after making this.

JASON'S REVIEW: Epic taste. Crazy squeak. 10 stars.. out of 9.

Saffron, Zucchini and Herb Couscous

This was last nights meal. The only reason I tried this recipe was because I just got some saffron and wanted to try it out!

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon saffron thread
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (didn't use this)
2 zucchini, diced large (i only had one)
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 cup basil leaves, chopped (only had dried basil)
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped (none of this either!)


1. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepan and turn off the heat.

2. Add the salt, pepper, cumin and saffron threads and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and melt the butter in a saute pan.

4. Add the zucchini and cook for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

5. Bring the chicken stock just back to a boil.

6. Place the couscous in a large bowl and add the cooked zucchini.

7. Pour the hot chicken stock over them.

8. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

9. Add the basil and parsley.

10. Toss the couscous and herbs with a fork and serve warm or at room temperature.

MY REVIEW: It was OK... it was really salty. I usually don't put salt in things I cook and add it when I'm eating if it needs it. It was good though. It made waaaaay too much for 2 people and I should have known.

JASON'S REVIEW: It was salty but it was still good.