Friday sounds like the weekend but it’s actually one of the most tiring days of the week—for me anyway. It’s the end of five days of work and most likely when you’re at your most tired. Since I’m so lazy on Fridays, I like to sit around in my pajamas which means cook at home because it’s cheaper than takeout, but lazy + cooking sometimes means putting together scraps of food into a whole wheat tortilla and calling it a night. Not always yummy.
Well, this three-course dinner—zucchini chips, veggie pasta and apple crisp à la mode (all baked)—is a great option for those Friday night woes and one that won’t drive you nuts to prepare.
ZUCCHINI CHIPS
What you need:
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 egg, whisked
- Zip-Loc bag filled with 1-1½ cups of whole wheat bread crumbs (add 2 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley like I did if you so desire)
- Olive oil spray
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray baking sheet with olive oil spray.
2. Dip one zucchini slice in egg wash. Drop wet zucchini slice into Zip-loc and shake to coat slice fully (like Shake ‘n Bake!). Repeat for all slices.
3. Arrange slices on baking sheet, giving them at least 1 inch in between. Bake for 7-10 minutes then flip slices and bake for an additional 7-10, until tops have turned golden brown.
Serves 2-4
BAKED PASTA PRIMAVERA
What you need:
- Olive oil spray
- 6 oz. whole wheat pasta cooked al dente
- any veggies you like, but I chose baby spinach (½ cup), chopped bell pepper (1 cup) and chopped squash (¾ cup)—all steamed
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste
- ¾ jar marinara sauce (or as much or as little as you like)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1½ cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch baking pan with olive oil spray
2. Mix pasta and veggies together in pot and season with crushed red pepper, cumin, pepper and salt.
3. Stir together with marinara sauce and olive oil, and layer half of the pasta mixture into pan.
4. Top with ricotta and ¾ cup of shredded cheese.
5. Add second and final layer of pasta. Top with remaining shredded cheese then bread crumbs.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes uncovered until top has browned. Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serves 4-6
APPLE CRISPS
(Adapted from All You, February 2009)
What you need:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- 3 tbsp finely chopped walnuts
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (I tried to use less, but it’s better with the recommended amount)
- 3 large tart-sweet apples (such as Braeburn, Gala or McIntosh), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tsp lemon juice
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, walnuts, 2 tbsp of sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
2. Pour butter over dry ingredients and mix with a fork, breaking up any large chunks. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine apple cubes with remaining 2 tbsp sugar and lemon juice, tossing to coat. Divide among four small oven-safe ramekins and top each with ¼ of walnut mixture.
4. Place ramekins in oven and bake until fruit is soft and topping is browned, 30-35 minutes. Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Serves 4
