Cheri Dishes

Crispy Parmesan-Garlic Zuccini Chips w/Garlic-Basil Aioli

3 medium zucchini in 1/4” slices
3/4 cup flour (can use GF)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups of Panko (can use GF Panko)
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon zest
salt/pepper
*vegetable oil, if frying

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix together the Panko, parmesan, garlic powder and lemon zest. Dip the zucchini slices in flour, then in the eggs and then in Panko. Place on prepared baking sheets and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake 15 minutes. Turn over and spray again and let brown another 5 minutes.

*The zucchini can also be fried for 2-3 minutes until browned. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce or the Garlic-Basil Aioli.

Garlic-Basil Aioli

3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper

Blend all and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Really---I not an oatmeal eater, except in cookies. I've never gotten up in the morning and said "Gee, I think I'll have a bowl of oatmeal this morning", never...until now...

For some reason, I got it in my head to try a baked oatmeal. I think I actually love oatmeal after tweaking this recipe. Love the dried cherries, almonds and apples! Plus, I love that you can make this ahead, even better. Best of all---it's even more delicious the next day!

Amish Style Baked Oatmeal w/Apples, Dried Cherries, Almonds
8-9” pan (GF, vegan option)

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (I used Trader Joe’s GF)
1/2—3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries, halved
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs*
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 3/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp. almond extract
4 Tbsp. butter*, melted
1—2 apples, peeled, cored and diced

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter pan or use non-stick spray. In a medium bowl: Add oatmeal, brown sugar, 1/2 cup almonds, dried cherries, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir to blend.

In a smaller bowl: Whisk eggs, maple syrup, milk and extract. Add to the oatmeal mixture along with the melted butter. Stir to blend. Place the chopped apples in the bottom of the pan. Pour the oatmeal mixture on top and top with the other half of the almonds. Bake 40-45 minutes until lightly browned.
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*Vegan substitution: for each flaxseed egg—combine 1 Tbsp. flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp. water, let sit for a 3-4 minutes before adding. Use 4 Tbsp. melted vegan “butter” in place of regular butter.

This is a first---I made a GF coffee cake for my client's and when they raved about it, I decided to make us one--making adjustments for regular flour. It turned out to be the best coffee cake I have ever had. General consensus of 5 people who tried it--5 stars! I used blood oranges (from our local Major Market) for the rosy glow. It's so pretty with all those delicious layers!

Coffee Cake w/Citrus (*GF version follows)
One 9” Springform pan

Filling:
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
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Cake:
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. citrus zest—(blood orange, oranges or lemon)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup juice from oranges or 2 Tbsp. lemon
1 cup sour cream
OPT.: 1-2 Tbsp. almond milk if batter is too thick
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Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. softened butter
2 Tbsp. citrus juice
pinch salt
2 tsp. zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare springform pan.

For filling: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

For cake batter: In a large bowl—Add the sugar and zest and stir to infuse zest into sugar. Then add remaining dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, and salt—stirring well. Add the eggs, butter, almond extract, juice, sour cream and stir well to make a smooth batter. If the batter is too thick, add almond milk 1 Tbsp. at a time.
Spread 1/3 in the bottom of your springform pan. Reserve 1/4 cup of the filling and set aside. Sprinkle half of the remaining on top of batter. Spread another 1/3 of the batter on top of the filling. Then sprinkle the remaining half on top of the batter. Spread remaining batter on top. Sprinkle with the reserved 1/4 cup filling. Using a knife, cut through the batter both ways several times to make a swirl pattern in the cake. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake tests done. If the top is getting too dark you can place a piece of foil over the top.

Combine the glaze ingredients while the cake is cooling. Pour it into a small ziplock bag. Clip off a tiny corner of the bag and drizzle cake with glaze.
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GF version: Use 2 cups Pamela’s GF Baking & Pancake mix and omit the baking powder and salt.

Ripe bananas? Yup, me too. While I wanted to take the calories down, I didn't want to compromise the flavor or the moistness. I tweaked the ingredients a bit to make this healthier and your tastebuds will never know the difference. Delicious!

Best Banana Bread Ever!
Two 9 x 5” loaves

5 medium ripe bananas, (2 cups mashed)
3 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups sugar
2 tsp.baking soda
1 ts. salt
4 oz, applesauce
1/2 cup avocado oil (or canola)
1/2 cup + 2Tbsp. buttermilk
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups toasted pecan pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl: Combine flour, sugars, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl: Combine bananas, applesauce, oil, buttermilk, Egg Beaters, eggs and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir well to combine. Fold in the pecan pieces.

Pour into 2 prepared bread pans. Bake 60-70 minutes until bread tests done. Cool on racks for 5 minutes before turning out of pans.