BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

I wish I could promote this recipe as a way to use a bumper crop of broccoli; unfortunately only those miserable little white butterflies have ever had a bumper crop of broccoli from MY garden! Fortunately, broccoli is inexpensive most of the year and some lucky folks may even have some they've grown. There are many versions of this favorite on the web; I present this one because of its low-fat, low-cost qualities, as well as its rich, full taste. There's no milk, cream or butter, but they really aren't missed. And best of all, everything needed to make it might already be on your pantry shelf, if you keep freeze-dried potato flakes handy as I do for dinner rolls. (Note: when using a blender with hot liquids, make certain the lid is firmly on the blender jar and keep a pot-holder-protected hand on top of it. The last thing you want to do is launch scalding broccoli soup all over you and your ceiling!)

1 medium head of broccoli, peeled if tough, and cut into 1/2" chunks
1/4 cup dried onion (or 1/2 cup fresh onion, chopped)
1 14 oz can 99% fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup mashed potato flakes
2 slices cheddar cheese
Tabasco sauce

Pour broth into 2 quart sauce pan and add broccoli and onions. Add 2 cups of water (enough to cover the broccoli, but just barely). Cook over medium heat for approximately 25 minutes, or until broccoli is tender enough to smash with a spoon. Add the potato flakes and carefully pour into a blender. Blend, starting on low speed and gradually increasing speed until soup is fairly smooth. Break the cheese into small chunks, add to the soup, and blend a little longer. Return to heat just long enough to melt cheese. Season to taste with hot sauce. Makes two generous servings.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN WRAPS

The lurking Costco (read: any deli pre-cooked chicken) chicken turns into a real asset in this recipe. While it's perfectly legal to saute a frozen chicken breast and dice the meat, having chicken already cooked makes this recipe come together in minutes. Should you need to cook some chicken, do it first, as the remaining ingredients should only be lightly sauteed, not stewed, in order to retain some crunch and individuality. The following quantity will fill four wraps, and one makes a good-sized serving for all but the hungriest individuals. You may notice that zucchini also shows up here, but only in a supporting role. Using a little olive oil in lieu of the Pam is also allowed, but not so much that the wraps become greasy.

1/2 cup chopped onions
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups black beans, rinsed if canned
1 medium-sized zucchini, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1/2 to 1 lime, depending on juiciness)
8 ounces of boneless cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 packet Taco Seasoning mix
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup lite sour cream
4 wraps (I prefer sundried tomato wraps, but whole wheat are good, too)

Spray a skillet with PAM, heat over medium high for a minute or two and then add the onions, pepper and garlic. Stirring frequently until the onions are softened. Add the beans and zucchini. Continue cooking while you squeeze in the lime juice, and add the chicken and taco seasoning mix. Add 1/4 cup of water and mix all ingredients thoroughly. As soon as the water has blended in, remove from heat and divide between the four tortillas. Top with avocado slices and sour cream (either inside before wrapping, or outside for a garnish after wrapping). These are pretty much knife and fork food -- likely to spill everything if you try to pick them up -- but really, really good.

HEALTHY, YUMMY, WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK?

This makes a delicious hot lunch, and the wonderful aroma will tempt the most ardent zucchini-avoiders to dig in. The fact that it's low calorie, vegetarian, and cheap fades to irrelevant against the outstanding flavor. The following recipe serves two adults or one teenager.

HOT ZUCCHINI SANDWICHES

2 6-8" good crusty rolls (the rest of this lunch costs very little, so splurge on these)

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil or PAM

1 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4" cubes

2 mushrooms, sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

sprig of fresh oregano, chopped fine (optional)

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon Parmesan

sprinkle of garlic salt

Turn on oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 12x12" chunks of foil with Pam and set aside.

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil or spray and then zucchini and mushrooms. Stir frequently until zucchini starts to brown. Add in garlic and continue to cook until you smell the garlic. Add pepper flakes, spaghetti sauce, and oregano and stir a little longer until all is hot.

Split rolls almost all the way through. Ladle in the zucchini mixture, top with cheeses and the garlic salt. Wrap up in the foil and put in oven to melt the cheese and crisp the rolls (about 15 minutes).

EAT POPCORN, GET VEGETABLE CREDIT!

Okay, so it only tastes like popcorn, but I dearly love this hominy-zucchini recipe for its great flavor and nutrition (not to mention its service to zucchini overpopulation problems).

MEXICAN ZUCCHINI AND HOMINY

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons salad or olive oil

2 or more cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

1 larger or several smaller zucchini (or half a monster, peeled and seeded) chopped

1 can (14 ounce size) hominy, drained and rinsed

1 can (14 ounces, again) chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon or more (taste along the way and keep adding) chili powder

In a big skillet over medium high heat, cook the onion until it starts to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and zucchini and stir to blend the flavors. Dump in everything else and cook over medium heat, uncovered, approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the

zucchini is tender but not limp and soggy.

Serves 4

Variation #1: Stir in a drained can of black beans and call this a complete meal.

Variation #2: The next morning, put left-overs in a skillet with just a little oil in the bottom. Break 2 eggs/serving on top, put on a lid, and cook over medium heat until the eggs are as done as you like. Great breakfast.

Variation #3: Push the Mexican envelope by adding a minced jalapeno pepper with the onion and a teaspoon or more of cumin with the chili powder.

ASSETS, LIABILITIES AND ZUCCHINI

THE ZUCCHINI AMOUNGST US
I checked last Monday: only infant zucchini. By Friday there was one as large as a human infant! A six pound zucchini in the refrigerator looms as large as a frozen holiday turkey. So when life gives you zucchini, make: ROAST VEGETABLES Notice there's not a mention of zucchini in the title; no need to tip off the family in advance. When they're done licking their lips, that's the time to 'fess up.

CARAMELIZED ROAST VEGETABLES

6 smallish new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered, but not peeled

1 medium onion, peeled and wedged

2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin slices

Zucchini -- how much is up to your conscience, but approximately as much volume as the
potatoes. For stealth mode, peel it, take out any central, seedy core if it's a large one, and
cut it into 1" by 2" pieces.

Other vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, whatever's handy, cut into similar

sized pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon rosemary, or other fresh herbs (optional)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix up the oil and spices in a bowl and add the vegetables as you prepare them. Toss well to make certain there is a little oil on everything.

Line a cookie sheet or roasting pan with foil, spray it with Pam and spread the vegetables out evenly. Bake for 1 hour, or until everything has a little caramel tinge to it, stirring a few times to insure even browning. Makes four side servings. This is another one where I could eat the whole thing by myself and call it supper.

MY FRIEND, THE ZUCCHINI

There are two vibrant zucchini vines growing by my back fence this year, healthy and productive with almost no care. The over-watering of my next door neighbor, the free attention of the noonday sun, and the shovel of compost added when the seeds went in provide everything a good zucchini needs.

Care must be taken not to adopt too many zucchinis simply because of their over-eager ability to repay your kindness. Too many zucchinis lead to snide comments by ones family about planting zucchinis, not because one loves them, but rather because they will be so obliging. I, on the other hand, love the challenge of using them in dozens of ways to make inexpensive meals, the convenience of always having a supply at hand, and the delicious results of a little labor. As the season wears on I will plant two more seeds in a different part of the garden. One planting seldom will last the entire summer without abruptly wilting away from pests or mildew at some point. I would rather start over than use chemicals to try to hold back Mother Nature. Seeds will stay viable a number of years if they are stored in a cool dry place. This is year number three for my $1.89 packet of "Black Beauty" zucchini seeds, fast on their way to becoming one of the all-time grocery bargains.

Consider ZUCCHINI FRITTERS. Not really a fritter by the standard definition, but maybe a hybrid pancake-fritter, I could make a meal of these. This recipe will serve two as a side dish, or just me.

1 8-ounce zucchini, 2 smaller ones, or flesh of a giant one that lurked under the leaves too long (peel the giant and scoop out the tough seeds in the center)
salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (or other grated cheese)
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter

Grate the zucchini on the large hole side of a grater. Put the zucchini in a colander in the sink, sprinkle with the salt, and stir it around until the salt is well mixed in. Let it stand for 30 minutes to an hour. Rinse out the salt and squeeze the zucchini with your hands to extract as much liquid as possible.

Beat the egg in a small bowl and mix in the flour, baking powder, cheese, and pepper; add the shredded zucchini.

Heat the butter in a small skillet. Divide the batter into four parts and drop each part into the hot butter, pushing down with your fingers --if you're quick -- or a spatula to flatten to about 1/2 inch high. Cook over medium heat for five minutes, turn carefully and cook approximately five more. Serve with a little more butter and salt.

This is dinner for a dollar at its finest.

I HAVE SIX HARD-BOILED EGGS. NOW WHAT?

Beyond the obvious grabbing of the salt and pepper and digging in, I use hard-boiled (hard-cooked) eggs mainly for deviling, potato and macaroni salad, egg salad sandwiches and garnishes. We'll get to some of the others later, but since it's spring and asparagus season, one of my favorite uses for cooked eggs is the following:

ASPARAGUS ON TOAST

(makes one serving: multiply accordingly)

1 or 2 hard-cooked eggs (use two if this is a main dish, one for a side dish)

1 slice of good bread, toasted

6 spears of asparagus

1/2 cup white sauce

So let's start backwards, with the white sauce. Put 1/2 cup of milk, 2 teaspoons of flour, and a pinch of salt in a microwave-safe cup or bowl that holds at least two cups so it won't run over. Stir until all the flour is mixed in and then microwave on high for one minute. Stir again and re-zap at 30 second intervals until it thickens up. Add 1 teaspoon butter, stir and set aside.

Asparagus needs to be bent until the tough base snaps off and you're left with the nice tender stuff. Depending on the quality of your spears, the tough part might be 1 inch or many. Just go on, grab both ends and bend it -- the asparagus knows! Put the asparagus and 1 teaspoon of water on a microwave-safe plate, cover loosely with wax paper or another plate and zap for about two minutes. You want it to be just barely tender when you stick it with a fork.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...put the bread in the toaster and slice the egg(s) as neatly as you can. Or, chop them up if neatness is an issue! Butter the finished toast and slice it into strips.

To assemble all this put the toast strips on a plate, lay the asparagus across them, spread on the white sauce and garnish with the eggs. All this takes about as much time as it takes to explain the process and you have dinner for less than $2.00.