Zucchini Pancakes!

What you need:

1 1/3 cup zucchini, grated

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced

4 eggs

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

2 1/3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley 

2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/3 cup feta cheese, finely crumbled

1/3 cup pine nuts

olive oil, as needed

What to do:

1. Place the zucchini in a colander.  Sprinkle with the salt, and let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Squeeze the zucchini to remove as much liquid as possible.  Dry the zucchini by pressing it between several layers of paper towels.
3. Combine the zucchini, green onions, eggs, flour, dill, parsley, and tarragon.  Season with salt and pepper.    Mix until evenly blended. Fold in the feta.
4. Fold in the pine nuts.  (If desired, the pancake mixture can be prepared through step 4 up to 3 hours ahead.  Cover tightly and refrigerate.  Stir to blend before continuing.)
5. Pour enough oil into a large saute pan to come to a depth of about 1/8 inch.  Heat over medium-high heat until the surface of the oil shimmers. 
6. Working in batches, drop 2 to 3 tablespoons of the zucchini mixture into the oil, leaving enough room for the pancakes to spread as they cook.  Fry the pancakes until golden brown and cooked through, about 1 to 1.5 minutes on each side.  
7. When removed from the oil, blot the pancakes on a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper. 

These pancakes are delicious!  They're pretty healthy, and have great flavor due to all the fresh herbs.  I hope you like them!

Jalapeno Ranch Dip!

What you need:

• 1/3 quart sour cream
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup green tomatillo sauce
• 1/3-1/2 cup chopped jalapeno (depending on how spicy you want the dip)
• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 packet of the dry Ranch dressing (1 ounce)

(makes 2 cups of dip)


What to do:

1. Combine the sour cream, buttermilk, green tomatillo sauce, jalapeno (make sure you remove the seeds!) and cilantro in a blender.  Mix until combined.  Stir in the packet of dry Ranch dressing.  
2. Serve with chips, and enjoy! :)

This dip is delicious, and extremely easy to make!  It can be served with chips, but also goes great with veggies, salad, and fried pickles! (the recipe for fried pickles can be found on this blog).  I hope you like it!

Garlic Lover's Salsa!

What you need:

• 4 tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 4-5 cloves of garlic (depending on the size of the cloves)
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 drops of Tabasco
• salt and pepper
• tortilla chips (optional) (my favorite is Tostitos: Hint of Lime tortilla chips)

What to do:

1. Cut your tomatoes into quarters, and peel the garlic cloves.
2. Put the tomatoes, garlic, cilantro leaves, red pepper flakes, orange juice and olive oil in the food processor, and pulse until combined, but still chunky (don't over-mix).
3. Put 3-4 drops of Tabasco in (depending on how spicy you want it), and season with salt and pepper.  Stir.
4. Serve with tortilla chips (and a coke!), and enjoy!

There's nothing better than chips and salsa!  It makes for a perfect appetizer or snack. Aside from eating with chips, my family likes to put this salsa on salads, wraps and tacos!  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I do! :)

Addicting Fried Dill Pickles!

What you need:

• Flour 
• 1/2 cup Panko
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon each: cayenne, paprika, garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (you may want to omit salt if your pickles are really salty)
• a dash of pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice
• 8 dill pickle spears
• vegetable oil (for frying)
• ranch dressing (for dipping)

What to do:

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg, milk, and dill pickle juice together.  Set aside.
2. In another shallow bowl, combine Panko, bread crumbs, dill weed, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, pepper and salt (if your adding salt). 
3. On a plate, put approximately 1/3 cup of flour.  
4. At this point, I tend to make an assembly line with the plate and two bowls.  Put the plate w/ the flour first, then the egg batter, and then the Panko mixture.
5. Coat the pickles in flour.  
6. One at a time, put the pickle into the egg batter, coating all the sides, and then place the pickle in the Panko mixture, coating all the sides.  
7. Repeat for all the pickles.  
8. Heat vegetable oil in small, shallow pan.
9. When appropriate temperature is met, add pickles.
10. Fry each pickle for approximately 2 minutes, (one minute on each side), until golden brown. (you can fry pickles in batches of 3-4).
11. When done frying, place pickles on a plate with a paper towel, and allow the paper towel to absorb the oil.
12. Serve with ranch dressing, and enjoy! :)

I LOVE making and eating these fried pickles!  After about 3 years of experimenting with different recipes, this is what I've come up with.  I hope you enjoy them as much as my family and I do!