Mushroom Leek Zucchini Gratin

Packed with fresh vegetables and feta with more Parmesan and cheddar on top, this flavorful Mushroom Leek Zucchini Gratin is a delicious dish to put in rotation when zucchini are in season.

This is an easy dish for a dinner party and if you have individual baking dishes to cook the gratin in, it makes a pretty presentation. If you don’t, just bake the mixture in a casserole dish. 

Mushroom  Leek Zucchini Gratin

For this dish, I used a combination of zucchini and yellow squash because 1. That’s what I had on hand and 2. I love the contrast in colors.  All of either would be just as delicious.  This recipe is adapted from one on Delicious.com.au.

Ingredients

2 lbs or 900g zucchini and/or yellow squash

2 leeks (about 11 2/3 oz or 330g whole, 5  1/3 oz or 150g after trimming)

8 oz or 227g button mushrooms, sliced

1 small red chili, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

7 oz or 200g feta, crumbled

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 egg

1 tablespoon canola or other light oil

1 3/4 oz or 50g grated extra sharp cheddar

1 3/4 oz or 50g grated Parmesan

Method

Grate all but two of the zucchini and put them in a clean teacloth and squeeze out excess liquid over the sink. Finely slice the other two. 

Remove and discard the hard green part of your leeks and wash the white parts thoroughly. Slice them thinly. Clean and slice the mushrooms. 

Heat the butter in a skillet over low heat and add leek, garlic and minced chili pepper and a good sprinkle of salt. 

Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the leeks start to soften. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture. 

Continue cooking till that liquid has evaporated. Scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool. 

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Once the mushroom/leek mixture has cooled, add in the grated zucchini with the lemon zest. Lightly season with salt and black pepper. Mix well until combined. 

Add in the egg and crumbled feta and stir again until well combined. 

Spoon the mixture into individual baking dishes or one large one. Toss the sliced zucchini with 1 tablespoon of oil and layer on top. 

Add a layer sprinkled cheese, then more sliced zucchini and finish with more cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes in your preheated oven or until golden and bubbling.

Enjoy!

National Zucchini Day is next Monday, August 8th. How will you celebrate? May I suggest you make one of the lovely dishes my Foodie Extravaganza friends are sharing today? Check out the list below. Many thanks to our host, Juli of Pandemonium Noshery

• Hummus Bar Style Zucchini Topped Hummus by Pandemonium Noshery
• Keto Beef Mince with Broccoli and Zucchini by Sneha's Recipe
• Mushroom Leek Zucchini Gratin by Food Lust People Love
• Zucchini Agrodolce by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zucchini Fried Rice by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Zucchini Kofta Curry by Magical Ingredients

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin this Mushroom Leek Zucchini Gratin!

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Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad

This Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad with pomegranate molasses vinaigrette is a fresh, delightful salad, perfect for the hot days of summer ahead for many of you. Here in Houston, they have already arrived!

Now it seems that watermelon feta salads abound on the internet but several years ago, while we were still living in Dubai, I saw my first one. By the hostess station – please wait here for us to seat you! - it was just a photo on a new restaurant menu with the watermelon and feta cut in perfect alternating cubes. It was both beautiful and, I imagine, delicious. 

We were meeting a friend for lunch elsewhere in the mall so I never got to try it but I’ve never forgotten it either. I wanted to create the same dish here but my feta would not cooperate. As I tried to cut it into cubes, it just kept crumbling. 

That’s when I threw my model salad aspirations to the wind and decided to add the cucumber for color and crunch. It was a good decision. Nothing more cooling than cucumber, except perhaps for juicy watermelon.

Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad

For the vinaigrette, to keep with my Middle Eastern theme, I used pomegranate molasses, which is tart with a hint of sweet and is very more-ish in salad dressings and marinades. Most Middle Eastern or Mediterranean shops will carry it. If you truly cannot find it, substitute rich balsamic vinegar. Or you can make your own, as I’ve done when I’m desperate, by gently boiling down pomegranate juice until it’s as thick as molasses. I know, I know, I'm weird like that. 

Ingredients

For the salad:

(about) 2 lbs or 900g cubed watermelon

1 English cucumber (about 10.5 oz or 300g)

1/2 small purple onion

3.5 oz or 100g sheep’s milk feta, crumbled

For the vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (available in most Middle Eastern stores or online)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

fresh ground black pepper

good pinch fine sea salt

Method

For the vinaigrette, whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside. 

As I mentioned above, I was trying to make cubes of my watermelon so I cut a large cross-section in the middle, lengthwise. 

Since the feta didn’t cooperate, my watermelon didn’t really need to be perfect cubes, yet here I was, not knowing yet, so I was cubing. 

You do you and cut the watermelon however you want. Flavor will NOT be affected. (No watermelon was wasted in the making of this salad! We ate it all, just not in this salad!)

Next trim the ends and cut the cucumber into half circles. 

Thinly slice your purple onion. (Wanna call it red onion still? See my hill here.)

If you so desire, attempt to cut your feta into cubes. Abandon this step as I did, if not successful. No photos here as it was a crumbly massacre. *shiver* Just resign yourself to crumbles. It’s all good. 

Arrange the watermelon cubes (and feta cubes if you got lucky!) and the cucumber half moons on your platter. Distribute the purple onion slices evenly on top. 

Scatter the feta crumbles (if you didn’t get lucky!) over the watermelon and cucumber. 

Drizzle with the pomegranate molasses vinaigrette and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature. 

Enjoy! 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Chicken and Cashew Salad with Ginger Dressing 
• Sneha's Recipe: Mango & Cucumber
• Pandemonium Noshery: Summer Corn and Pickled Onion Salad
• Magical Ingredients: Vegan Gochugaru Jicama Coleslaw 
• Food Lust People Love: Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories:  White Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin this Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad!

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Homemade Cheese Cracker TIE Fighters

These homemade cheese cracker TIE fighters are cartoonish compared to the real thing but they are so delicious that I hope you will be willing to forgive my artistic license. 

For today’s Foodie Extravaganza party, our host chose a Star Wars theme since it’s May the Fourth and all day long folks will be saying "May the Fourth be with you" and memes will abound. 

I must confess that I’m not a big Star Wars fan. In fact, the only movie of the series I have seen in its entirety is Episode VII: The Force Awakens. That said, the whole franchise is such a huge part of popular culture that there is no way to avoid knowing the characters and general story. Unless you live under a rock. 

In case you don’t know what a TIE fighter is, here’s a photo for you. They are star fighters in the Star Wars universe usually piloted by the Imperial force. TIE stands for "Twin Ion Engine.” This is what I tried to make out of cheese crackers and little cheese balls. 

I think mine are pretty cute but I also understand that “cute” is probably not supposed to be an adjective pertinent to TIE fighters. So sue me! At least I tried. 

Homemade Cheese Cracker TIE Fighters

The chilling time is essential to make sure the crackers hold their shape. Because everyone knows that TIE fighters are hexagonal. I bought this hexagon cookie cutter on Amazon: Hexagon Cookie Cutters <affiliate link. It was a bit smaller than I was hoping for but it was simple to use and wasted very little dough. I got about 48 crackers out of this dough recipe. So 24 TIE fighters. 

Ingredients

For the crackers:

1/2 cup or 63g all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

pinch fine sea salt

3 oz or 84g extra sharp cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons or 43g unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 tablespoon cold water

For assembling the TIE fighters:

2 oz or 56g extra sharp cheddar cheese

2 oz or 56g cream cheese, softened

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Method

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika and pinch of salt. 

Grate the cheddar cheese for the crackers finely into the flour bowl. Toss till well combined. Add the mixture to your food processor along with the cold bits of butter. 

Process about 20 seconds, until the mixture looks like damp sand. 

Add the cold water and pulse until the mixture looks like clumps of dough. 

Transfer the dough to a large square of cling film. Fold the sides over and press the dough down into a neat square about 6 in or 15cm across. 

Fold the ends of the cling film over to keep the dough from drying out. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes (or up to two days.)

Meanwhile, grate the cheddar for the TIE fighters and combine it thoroughly in the food processor with the cream cheese and paprika. 

Divide it into 1/2 teaspoon portions and roll them in balls. Cover with cling film and refrigerate with the cracker dough. You are going to end up with a few leftover cheese balls but they are delicious on their own so no worries. 

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your baking pan by lining it with baking parchment or a silicone liner.  (I couldn’t quite fit all my crackers on one pan so I baked them in two lots, one after the other.)

Remove the dough and the cheese ball from the refrigerator. Open the cling film around the dough, lay another piece of cling film on top, and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle 8x9 in or 20x23cm.   

Use the hexagon cutter to cut the dough into crackers. 

Re-roll out any remaining dough to make the rest. If the dough feels too soft to transfer easily to the baking pan, chill it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before attempting the move. It is already so hot here in Texas that the extra chill time was essential in my warm kitchen. 

Place the hexagons on your prepared baking pan. Use a skewer or chopstick to poke a hole through the center of each. The first batch was 35. The second batch was only 13 for a total of 48.

Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 18-20 minutes, rotating the baking pan halfway through baking.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before assembling the TIE fighters. 

I was impatient so I transferred mine to a wire rack so they'd cool faster. 

To assemble the TIE fighters, gently press one cheese ball onto one cracker. Top with another cracker and press gently. Turn it sideways to balance on the crackers. Repeat until all the TIE fighters are assembled. 

Enjoy! And may the force be with you.

As I mentioned above, the theme for today's Foodie Extravaganza party is Star Wars! Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Check out all the fun Star Wars recipes below. 

• Baked Lightsaber Churros by The Spiffy Cookie
• Blue Milk Cocktail by A Day in the Life on the Farm
  
• Galaxy’s Edge Inspired Blue Milk by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Han’s “Dice”-d Potatoes by Sneha’s Recipe
• Homemade Cheese Cracker TIE Fighters by Food Lust People Love
• Millennium Falcon Peanut Butter Cups by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin these Homemade Cheese Cracker TIE Fighters! 

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Super Fudgy Brownies

These super fudgy brownies are a chocoholic’s delight! Serve them with a glass of cold milk for the perfect afternoon snack or with a small espresso for dessert. 

As I’ve mentioned in this space many times, at least twice a year we make banana cream pie since it’s my husband’s favorite sweet treat. Unlike a custard pie that is topped with meringue, banana cream is served with a heaping helping of whipped cream. This means that after cooking the egg-yolk rich vanilla custard, you are left with four lonely, unused egg whites. 

I’m always on the lookout for recipes to use up those four whites. When I came across one for brownies on The Luna Café calling for exactly FOUR EGG WHITES, I couldn’t resist trying them. 

Super Fudgy Brownies

This recipe is adapted from one on The Luna Café. The original author says she tried the recipe with just egg whites and with whole eggs and the only egg white version is lighter and better. I haven't tried both ways but we certainly loved them. 

Ingredients

3/4 cup or 170g unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan

6 oz or 170g unsweetened baking chocolate, roughly chopped 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1/4 cup or 30g unsweetened, Dutch process cocoa

4 large egg whites, cool room temperature

1 cup or 125g unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus extra for the pan

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups or 337g sugar

Method

Set a rack in the upper middle of the oven and preheat it to 375°F or 190°C. Prepare a 9x9-inch or  23x23cm baking pan by buttering it and adding flour to coat or by lining it with baking parchment.  

In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter. Remove butter from the heat, stir in chopped chocolate until melted.

Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the vanilla, espresso powder and salt. Set aside to cool. 

While waiting for the butter-chocolate mixture to cool, combine the sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder in the bowl of your stand mixer or another large mixing bowl. 

Using your stand mixer or electric beaters, whisk while adding in the 4 egg whites. This is definitely easier in a stand mixer but if you don't have one, enlist the help of a friend or family member who can pour as you beat. 

Mix on medium speed for a full 5 minutes, until the mixture is somewhat thickened, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times in the process.

Add the lukewarm butter-chocolate mixture and mix well to incorporate.

Sift in the flour.  

Mix on slow speed until the flour is completely incorporated, scraping the bowl down with a spatula occasionally. Beat for a full additional minute to help activate the gluten. 

Spoon the thick batter into the prepared baking pan then spread it out evenly. 

Turn the oven down to 350°F or 180°C and bake the brownies for around 35-40 minutes, turning the pan halfway through to make sure it is baking evenly.

Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. To serve, cut into squares with a serrated knife.

Enjoy! 

It’s the first Wednesday of the month so that means I’m joining my Foodie Extravaganza friends to celebrate a random food holiday. This time it’s National Snack Food Month! Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories. 

• Beetroot Hummus from Magical Ingredients
• Bread Pizza Margarita from Sneha's Recipe
• Hot Corn Dip with Bratwurst from Palatable Pastime
• Nutty Chocolate Hearts from A Day in the Life in the Farm
• Spicy Spanish Olives from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Super Fudgy Brownies from Food Lust People Love

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin these Super Fudgy Brownies!

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Cheesy Creamed Leeks

Cheesy Creamed Leeks with their mellow oniony flavor and rich cheddar cream sauce are wonderful as a main dish or side. 

If you are serving this as a main dish, all you need to complete the meal is a lightly dressed green salad with perhaps some crusty bread for sopping up the last creamy, cheesy drops. As a side, cheesy creamed leeks go well with fish or pan-fried chicken breasts. They would even make a great filling for a baked potato or topping for pasta. 

Truly versatile and so delicious, I believe that the leek is underrated as a vegetable, at least on the US side of the pond. It’s much appreciated in Great Britain though and it’s even a national emblem in Wales. If you ever watch Welsh rugby on television, you can’t miss all the fans sporting leek hats, which I find ever so amusing. The ones dressed as daffodils are equally as funny but that’s a story for another day. 

Cheesy Creamed Leeks

This recipe is adapted from one in the Waitrose & Partners Food magazine from March 2019. I used less wine but more cream and four times the cheese. I stand by all of those decisions. It will serve three as a main dish with other sides as suggested above or six as a side dish. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs or 700g whole leeks

1 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup or 80ml dry white wine

1/2 cup or 120ml whipping cream

3 1/2 oz or 100g mature cheddar, grated

2 teaspoons whole grain mustard

Method

Wash the leeks thoroughly, making sure to get any dirt out from between the layers. 

Cut off the root end and the hard part of the green bits and discard (or freeze them to use when you are making vegetable stock.) Thinly slice the tender green and white parts. 

Sauté the leeks in the butter in a large pan over a low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Once the leeks have softened, add the wine and turn up the heat. 

Cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated then pour in the whipping cream and add the mustard. Stir well. 

Cook for a couple minutes then add in 3/4 of the cheese and stir well to combine. 

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top of the dish. 

Put it under the broiler/grill on high for a few minutes, keeping a close eye on it, until it’s bubbling and golden brown in spots. 

Enjoy!

It’s the first Wednesday of the month so that means it’s time for our Foodie Extravaganza party. Today it’s National Whipping Cream Day so we are celebrating by sharing recipes with whipping cream. Check them out below. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. 

• Cheesy Creamed Leeks from Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Truffle Cakes with Cappuccino Whipped Cream from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Havarti, Egg & Dill Breakfast Quiche from Palatable Pastime
• Oven-Baked Au Gratin Potatoes in a Pie Dish from Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Pull Me Up Cake from Sneha’s Recipe
• Raspberry Parfait from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Vintage Icebox Cake from Pandemonium Noshery

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin these Cheesy Creamed Leeks!

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Melon Prosciutto Chèvre Salad with Mint Dressing

This Melon Prosciutto Chèvre Salad is light, tasty and refreshing. The salty prosciutto goes perfectly with the sweet melon and creamy goat cheese, topped with the bright taste of the mint dressing. 

I don’t remember the first time I ate melon wrapped with prosciutto but I’m guessing it was when we were living in France in the early 1990s. Such a revelation! Salty ham with sweet, ripe summer melon is divine and, as far as we are concerned, also the perfect starter just on its own. 

This salad takes that simple starter and makes it into a whole meal (or a bigger starter) by adding salad greens, goat cheese and a delicious mint dressing. It’s the sort of dish that would go over big at an outdoor barbecue, potluck picnic or baby shower. Which is why I am sharing it today. 

Since way back in 2014, I’ve been sharing recipes on the first Wednesday of every month with a group its founder named Foodie Extravaganza party. Lauren was a food blogger (and cattle rancher) when she started the group but has since become a photographer (and still a rancher.) After many years of wanting a little one, she and her husband were recently blessed with a baby girl they’ve named Lucy so this month our theme is A Virtual Baby Shower! Make sure you scroll down to see what everyone is bringing to the party to welcome Lucy!

Melon Prosciutto Chèvre Salad with Mint Dressing

With the ingredient amounts below, you can serve 2-3 as a main course, 4-6 as a starter or 14 as part of a party buffet where each person gets one slice of the melon along with some of the accompanying greens, ham and cheese. This recipe is adapted from one on Food.com.

Ingredients

For the salad:

1 small Charolais melon (or your favorite sweet summer melon) 

6 thin slices (2 1/2 oz or 70g) Italian Prosciutto 

7oz or 200g log chèvre aka goat cheese, well chilled (15 minutes in the freezer makes it easier to slice neatly)

6 oz or 170g frisée or your favorite strongly flavored salad greens

For the dressing – makes about 3/4 cup or 180ml:

1/2 cup, gently packed, or 15g fresh mint leaves, divided

1/4 cup or 60ml white wine or apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup or 120ml olive oil 

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 generous pinch fine sea salt

A couple of good grinds of fresh black pepper

Method

To make the dressing, blend the rest of the ingredients along with half of the mint leaves until smooth. Put the dressing in the refrigerator to chill. 

Cut the goat cheese into circles and then cut the circles in half again. 

Cut the melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut the melon into 14 slices and then cut the flesh off of the peel with a sharp knife. 

Arrange your greens on a large platter and top them with the melon slices. 

Rip the prosciutto in pieces and tuck them, along with the goat cheese semi circles, on top and amongst the melon slices. 

Add the reserved mint leaves to the top of the salad. 

Drizzle with mint dressing to serve.

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, today my Foodie Extravaganza group is celebrating the birth of sweet Lucy, the much-loved, long-awaited daughter of the group's founder, Lauren. We wish Lucy and her parents a long and happy life together! Check out all the tasty dishes we are sharing for this virtual baby shower!

• Classic Carol Chicken Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Cobb Dip from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Coconut Filled Tartlets - East Indian from Sneha's Recipe
• Melon Prosciutto Chevre Salad with Mint Dressing from Food Lust People Love
• Pink and Blue Sandwich Cake Cookies from Our Good Life 
• Red Velvet Cupcakes from Passion Kneaded
• Toasted Sesame Seed Crackers from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Tortilla Taco Cups from Magical Ingredients

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin this Melon Prosciutto Chèvre Salad with Mint Dressing!

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