Zucchini Yum!!

 By now everyone is probably tired of all things zucchini. It's been in bread, ratatouiile and even cupcakes. Yet think about air frying slices. Breaded and fried to a crisp, they make an excellent side, main course and snack.,

I found a easy vegan recipe.It's just first coating the slices in flavored oil and then coating them in breadcrumbs.These are the spices I used ,

I used pinches of onion and garlic powders along with salt and freshly ground pepper. 

Whisk these into half a half cup of olive oil(you may need more depending on how much zucchini you use. For a zingier taste add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.

It was then  breading them on both sides. I used regular breadcrumbs but you can use everything from panko to crushed cornflakes .

Don;t worry that they're not one hundred percent coated. They;ll still fry up nicely with some empty spots

Place them flat against each other and fry at 400 degrees Farenheit for eight minutes for a full crunchiness. 

This was an excellent way to make zucchini.I love how the squash's sweetness melted perfectly with the breading and spices. It was also crunchy which just added to the whole recipe. I plan on making this again very soon.

If you're  tired of zucchini, this is the recipe to try.It;s a tasty, crispy way to enjoy any late season harvests. Try it for some good eating.

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A Late Summer Feast

 It is still harvest season . There are markets and back yards that still offer up tomatoes and watermelon. Think of these for a late summer feast that features a spicy shrimp curry as the main course.

Regular contributor and chef David Tanis gave these recipes in yesterday's New York Times Food  Wednesday section. He presents a perfect summery meal that's a bit more substantial than the average hit weather dinner. The main meal is from the great Indian chef Madhur Jaffrey's Goan shrimp curry. The creator herself taught him to make it.It starts by adding chopped shallots, black pepper and the fiery red kashmiri chili pepper.It's made into a paste with the addition of olive or vegetable oil. There's also turmeric and ginger added for more zing and bite. They're simmered with coconut milk The shrimp is cooked into it before serving. The seafood should be large and already deveined and peeled.Lemon juice is added later in the cooking just before finishing .(Lime juice can be subbed in for this. It does have a sharper , tangier flavor) . Taste. The seasonings  may need to be adjusted.  Add a small pinch of the pepper or Kashmiri red chili pepper. Serve with steamed basmati or jasmine rice.

As for the side Mr. Tanis has a cooking tomato and cucumber salad to offset the shrimp's fieriness. Again the recipe is from MS. Jaffrey and it's the perfect foil for the main course.Use yellow or gold cherry tomatoes. Try to buy firm ones. However if these can;t be found then used slice Roma or beefsteak ones. The cucumbers. Cut them into batons or spears and arrange them with the halves cherry tomatoes.Salt and pepper them first then add a dusting of  toasted cumin and cayenne pepper.There,s a quick tadka, basically cooking of mustard seeds and curry leaves finishes the dish as a dressing. The dessert is a Sicilian one that involves mixing lemon juice watermelon juice and sugar. It's adapted from another culinary idol of Mr Tanis, Fabrizia Lanza.It's a tale on an Arabic sweet that's also found in Indian and Persian cuisines. Pistachios and mint leaves decorate it but jasmine flowers are the usual ornamentation, a nice nod to the end of summer.

This meal is the perfect way to celebrate the waning days of summer. It features the best of the harvest as well as a nod to the sea. Make the meal to celebrate the end of the season.

Not Your Typical Dorm Food

 Dorm food isn;t always the best. It's Ramen soup for dinner followed by whatever candy the nearby vending machine  for dessert. Yet imagine if food cooked in limited spaces with limited resources could actually taste as good as a meal from GrubHub and Uber Eats.I'ts easy to do and even a student who's more of a whiz with STEM can create a tasty meal.

New contributor and photographer Sharon Atti has compiled some tasty recipes from chefs for today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Breakfast is one of the most important meals in a college kid's life. Take a student's favorite - overnight oats and matcha latte and combine them with high powered and densely nutrient  ingredients. Ifrah Ahmed, a Somali -Irish activist gave this recipe .in it she adds chia seeds which are great for building young bones and makes for good heart health. Maple syrup is added instead of sugar .It's topped with Greek yogurt and fruit the last can be bought at local farmer's markets. (these are usually located near campuses) The oats are not cooked, just mixed and stored in the fridge. It can last for up to five days,.Yes, there is ramen thanks t another Food section contributor and chef, Eric KIm. This one ,however, uses spaghetti. creamy peanut butter , butter and Parmesan.. The pasta is cooked and a quick sauce of the oth ingredients is made using some for the pasta water. It's a different spin on a dorm classic.

Hardier dishes and even a dessert round out the rest of the recipes. Ms. Fahr also gives a tasty and energy boosting chickpea spinach salad with curry yogurt dressing. The dressing is  not processed but fresh. Ms Fahr adds curry powder and Dijon mustard for flavor and color to a mix of olive oil, mayo vinegar and yogurt.Finely chopped scallions and parsley are added. This is finely blended and dressed over  two cans of mashed chickpeas and spinach. (you can leave the chickpeas as , if you want more texture). drizzle with olive oil before serving.eric Kim also gives a tuna mayo rice bowl. It just takes leftover rice (or a packet of Lidl's easily microwaveable rice) a can of tuna and mayo. THe mayo and tuna are blended with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Its'a great way for a dormie to get protein and flavor. what about dessert? Kids love a good dessert. Ali Slagle provides a three recipe mug cake.All it takes is Nutella, one large egg and baking powder. Microwave in a mug for  forty to sixty seconds until the edges a re set and the middle is gooey. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Dorm food doesn' have to be just ramen and candy bars.It can be tasty salads and warm desserts, tuna bowls and oatmeal breakfasts. It can be good food ,made quickly,.

A New Form Of Food Chain

 It's is beyond tough  to maintain a pantry nowadays. More and more do our family and friends need help in getting proper foods  alongwht proper nutrition.It's time to create a new kind fo food chain, one where we cna help family and friends and they us when we need help.

One  way to create a food chain is to have everyone with a garden to gather up their extra produce. It;'s still summer. There are still tomatoes peppers, squash and eggplant along with lettuce and herbs. to be gathered. everyone should bring these to one designated backyard. Then everyone picks out what they need. If you can have extras like bread crumbs and small bottles of olive oil ol for cooking these. Inexpensive varieties of  the oil  and breadcrumbs can  be found at Lidl , Aldo or Walmart. Fruit tree owners should bring any early harvest too.Another idea is  have a group go apple or pear picking. Split the cost of a bushel or basket  and let those who need it ,take more fruit than the others.An extra link in this chain is everyone getting involved in a baking fest where pies and tarts can be made and baked. Everyone can take home a pie and tarts or mini pies for the kids.Apple and pear cakes can also be made with everyone going home with a homemade dessert.

The food chain can alo be expanded by buying extra. Give the second to family and friends who need it. This can also apply to neighbors who are financially struggling too.Many groceries have buy one get one free or half priced. Take advantage of these.. That extra salad or box of cereal can go a long way for many families. A free package of cheese or bread will be able to fill a few lunchboxes.If you think this can be too embarrassing then get the family a gift certificate for the food store. It  does make for the perfect anniversary , birthday or holiday gift. They can even splurge on extras like certain seafood or beef for a special meal.Pot luck dimmers also make for an excellent way to add to the food chain. make foods that can be brought home for a second and even third meal.What wo9rks for this? A big pot of chili with homemade cornbread. pasta with meatballs and garlic bread,  a meat or veggie lasagna. One person who can afford it  can also make a turkey or a ham. These can be sliced down into left over dinners . This works well with the ham. SLabs can be taken home and turned into everything from sandwiches to  a hot meal.

We have to create a new form of food chain to help each other.These are tough times. we're all struggling. yet we can help each other with extra food and love.

A Nod To The Laborers

 With it being labor Day we need to honor those who grow, truck cook and serve our foods. ANy kind of food service is hard work, whether it's picking produce, cooking exotic and enchanting dinners or serving those dishes.

We need to fight for the rights of farm helpers and to help farms maintain their land . So many are now financially strapped and they're selling the lands for strip malls and Mc Mansions. We need to support those mom and pop restaurants that give us the best pizza, lo mein and curry.Let's not forget those work the school and college cafeterias who make sure our kids eat well and at some schools twenty-four hours a day

It is Labor Day . Honor those in the industry who labor hard. They deserve our support not just today but everyday.

Those Little Lunch Extras

 School lunches can be boring. School days can be stressful. How to ease both? By putting some fun lunch box treats that'll brighten the day and meal. Kids will love this and that you care.

A simple treat is just a Hershey 's Kiss. They now come in a variety of flavors form the original milk to dark chocolate. There's also the milk chocolate ones with almonds as well as white chocolate birthday cake ones., cookies and creme, ones with caramel and a white chocolate and milk chocolate blend called Hugs. Buy a few bags for these and vary them in the lunch box. There are some cute mini bars from Hershey's  as well that feature such classics as Mr. Goodbar loaded with nuts and Krackle. Another fun candy add in is miniature Tootsie rolls.  Two or three of these can go a long way in making a memorable lunch box treat. If you want the kids to eat healthy then grapes are a fun treat that are just as sweet.Another fun I love you treat is apple slices with a small cup of caramel such as Marzetti's individual caramel cups. you can do the same with sliced pears too since they'll be in season You can also go the savory route by adding some string cheese (always a kid favorite) or a handful of pretzel sticks or pretzel twists.

If you want to really show them some love, then think about baking. Of course cookies work every time.Slice and Bakes are handy if you don;t have time to get all the ingredients or have the tie to mix and bake. Add some red or pink icing hearts on them to let  the little ones know you love them.Scratch cookies are a fun weekend project that can  result in treats for the week(if they're not all gobbled up first). Some recipes are very easy and only require three ingredients like a brown sugar one. You only need salted butter, brown sugar and flour . That's it.  A sprinkling of cinnamon sugar can add another layer of flavor an d make them look decorative. Chocolate chip cookies are a classic and liven up any lunchbox or backpack. The recipe can be varied .Use almond flour to make them gluten free o r oatmeal for an earthier taste. Vary the chip size. One batch could have giant chips while the next could feature the mini ones. Snack cakes are another great treat that'll bring about a smile. There are so many different varieties. A square of chocolate or banana i s the perfect lunchroom dessert. You could add frosting to make even more special.

Add some love along with a sweet message or origami figure to your student's lunchbox it'll make a stressful day less stressful. It 'll make lunch tat much more interesting.

Vegan Chemistry

 It is tough trying to cook and bake a variety ina vegan household. There are a lot of good recipes that require some kind of meat or fish. The question is howto turn a dish into a vegan one.It requires a lot of thought and vegan chemistry , adding certain ingredients to get an exact taste.

Certain dishes are more or less easy to recreate.A lobster roll can have any kind of sub in in. I like  a chopped tomato and mayo. Yes, it's a fancy take on a simple tomato and mayo sandwich but serve ti on a brioche hot dog roll and it becomes elevated.

I could also try to make it with hearts of palm which can be chopped up to look like lobster meat and then added Old Bay Seasoning, leom juice , herbs and lemon juice. This is easy vegan chemistry,.

The problem is that I want to make a vegan bagna calda. This is the savory and highly delicious anchovy sauce that cabbage and London Broil is dipped into . The base is anchovy fillets which are strictly off the table for any vegan or vegetarian. How then to get that briny, fishy flavors that's also blended with garlic , butter and doil? (The butter part is easy  - vegan butter like Melt can be used)? I've looked at the various recipes out there.One calls for walnuts which I just can;t see using. One recipe caught my eye.,It has seaweed powder which could work along with red miso. Could this work? The problem is trying to find out what the seaweed taste would be like. would a teaspoon do or more? If I can;t get it then what? According to the web Kalamara olives can be subbed in. Anchovies have a rich unami flavor so I may have to find that in Japanese ingredients such as umeboshi paste which is made from salty pickled plums.This could work but would it have a slightly fruity flavor from the plums? Would adding a teaspoon of Worcester sauce and amd miso give me the same salty ,briny flavor? This is going to take some serious calculating. This is vegan chem . 

The perfect vegan bagna calda can be created. It will be shown here.it may take a lot of mixing and tweaking . HOpefully the effect will be worth it