Potato Latkes

Potato Latkes aka Potato Pancakes

Keeping it "old school" I prepared fresh, homemade Potato Latkes (Potato Pancakes) for family and friends this past December for the holiday of Chanukah (or Hannukah). Using a traditional recipe from my well-used cookbook (btw those are the best recipes coming from a worn-out cookbook) I had an extra challenge: make Gluten-free Potato Pancakes! No problem since I enjoy several Gluten-free products and know where the very large supply of Gluten-free products are in my market.

Among the many varieties of Gluten-free Pastas, Cookies, Cake Mixes, I saw a bag of Gluten-free Brown Rice Flour! Yes, this would be an excellent exchange for regular white flour. With the little amount I needed for this Latke Recipe, I purchased the Brown Rice Flour and began the process of preparing Potato Latkes as usual.

Guess what? There was NO difference in flavor or texture from substituting Brown Rice Flour for the White Flour. So simple and stress-free!

Brown Rice Flour
(I am not being paid for mentioning this product.)

Preparing this recipe I did need to keep it simple, therefore, I did use a food processor to grate the potatoes and onion. To prepare Latkes the "old-school way," one would grate the potatoes and onion on a box grater which produces a smoother texture. The flavor is still the same with grating potatoes and onion in a food processor producing larger pieces and more string-like crispies as seen in the photo of Latkes cooking in the fry pan.

Serving suggestions for Potato Latkes: a side of applesauce or sour cream and perhaps a plain, thick yogurt.
This recipe produces 20-25 Latkes depending on size of choice.
Preparation and cooking time is about 30 minutes but there is a "refrigeration time" of about an hour before the grating process!
Also, these delicious Potato Latkes make a great appetizer or side dish any time of the year, not just for a holiday celebration.

What you will need:
Food processor or large box grater
Large kitchen knife
Large cutting board
Vegetable peeler
Two large mixing bowls
Large colander
1 small mixing bowl
whisk or fork
Wooden spoon
Large fry pan
Spatula
Pot holders
Large baking sheet
Paper towels

(Optional: preheat oven to 300 degrees F. to keep Potato Latkes warm on a baking sheet, with paper towel liner removed, until serving time.)

Ingredients:
6 large Russett or Yucon Gold Potatoes preferred, all-purpose baking potatoes ok also: peel potatoes
1 large onion, peeled
2 well-beaten eggs
2 tablespoons flour (All-purpose White or Brown Rice Flour)
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed Black Pepper
4 plus extra tablespoons of Canola or other vegetable oil.

The Process:
Peel potatoes and onion.
Soak for about one hour in a large bowl of cold water in the refrigerator.
After the soaking in cold water, drain the water from the large bowl.
Cut the potatoes and onion on the cutting board with the kitchen knife into pieces that are able to fit into the tube of the food processor.
Using the grating attachment for your food processor, grate both the potatoes and onion. (you may have to emptly the bowl of the food processor when it gets full and put the mixture into a large bowl and continue to grate the remaining potatoes and pieces of onion.
At this point after the grating process, you have two options: drain all the liquid out of the mixture from grating by pressing the mixture down in a large colander. Then continue with adding remaining ingredients to the drained mixture in a large bowl.
Option: further grate the mixture in the bowl of your food processor with the blend attachment to get a smoother texture to the mixture of grated potatoes and onion. Then drain all remaining liquid carefully out of that mixture in a strainer with small holes. Then continue adding the remaining ingredients to the blended mixture in a large bowl.
Either process mentioned above will create a flavorful Potato Latke, it is an option for the texture you prefer.
The most important step in the process is draining the liquid away from the grated potatoes and onion. Discard the drained liquid.
Add the remaining ingredients to the grated mixture: beaten eggs, flour of choice, salt and pepper.
Mix all the ingredients carefully in a large bowl with the wooden spoon.

The Cooking Process:
In a large fry pan, add some of the cooking oil and turn the stove burner to a medium-high temperature.
When the oil in the fry pan is hot in just a minute or two, carefully spoon the mixture into the fry pan. The cooking mixture will begin to sizzle and in a few minutes the edges of the latkes will begin to brown. At that time, carefully turn the Latkes over with a spatula to continue to brown on the other side.
When both sides of the Latke is browned, put the Latke on the prepared baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil from cooking.
Make several Latkes at one time, but do not crowd the fry pan as it will decrease the temperature of the oil in the fry pan.
Add a little more oil when the fry pan looks dry. It is the oil that makes the Latke have the brownish color, therefore, crispy.
The outer layer of the Latke should be crispy, keeping the center of the Latke softer.

Serve the cooked Latkes immediately on a clean platter or remove the paper towel layer of the baking sheet and put the cooked Latkes onto the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until serving time.

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

My new photo of Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup (non-dairy) (The Souper 2012)

What do you do when there is a brisk chilly feel to the outside air and the wind is howling around the house but it is brilliantly sunny outside? You make soup, of course!
I took out from my refrigerator the very basics for a good hearty, spicy vegetable soup. There was a half of a large butternut squash sitting quietly in my refrigerator along with a large bag of carrots. I discovered a half of a large onion just waiting to jump into a food creation of mine. Supporting the major components of this throw-together soup are my spices always ready to flavor-up a dish.
With a full stock of staples in the pantry, I of course had a box of low-sodium chicken broth to blend into a pot of soup or rice stirfry sidedish.
There you have it. Chopping the vegetables, adding seasonings and broth blends into the most satisfying, creamy tummy-warming soup in just about one half an hour. Yes, from the chop to the blend I was eating not one but two bowls of this velvety smooth liquid meal in under an hour! How wonderful is that?
With the basic kitchen skills and tools, you too can impress yourself as well as your loved ones with a healthy, nutritious pleasure.

Prep time about five minutes. Cooking time about one half an hour.
Serving suggestions: Add soup crackers, or small cooked pasta to a bowl of soup. (If you can tolerate dairy, grate some melting cheese on top of the soup or a tiny bit of cream.)

What you will need:
Cutting board, large
Kitchen knife
Vegetable peeler
Small bowls for chopped vegetables
Large pot with matching cover
Wood spoon
Large soup spoon
Measuring spoons
Pot holders
Immersion blender or food processor (even a blender if soup is cooled.)

Ingredients:
Canola or Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 large butternut squash, cubed into small pieces
2 medium carrots, washed, peeled and cut into thin discs
1 box, 32 ounces of low-sodium chicken broth. (Swanson's)
Kosher salt, add during cooking and flavor cooked soup
(about 1 teaspoon during cooking onions, 1 teaspoon when butternut squash and carrots added to the cooking onions. Add 1 teaspoon if needed when soup is finished cooking and still in the pot if more flavoring is needed.)
Crushed black pepper, 1-2 teaspoons during the cooking process
Turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon on top of the cooking butternut squash and carrots
Smoked Papika, 1/2 teaspoon on top of the cooking butternut squash and carrots.

The process:
Wash, peel, cut the carrots and set aside until needed
Peel butternut squash and cut into small pieces
Peel the onion and chop into small pieces and set aside until needed
Peel clove of garlic and crush into small pieces
Add the oil into the large pot and put on the stove burner turned on medium-high heat
Add the chopped onions, some salt and stir with the wooden spoon often.
When the cooking onions look shiny and appear to be softer in texture, add the crushed garlic and keep stirring with the wooden spoon often.
Quickly add the cut butternut squash and cut carrots into the cooking mixture and keep stirring around often with the wooden spoon.
Add more salt, add crushed black pepper as well as the turmeric and smoked paprika and keep stirring with the wood spoon.
When the cooking vegetables appear to be softer, slowly add the chicken broth and keep stirring the mixture.
Reduce the heat under the pot to a low setting, cover slightly with the matching cover.
Check on the cooking soup in about 25-30 minutes, taste a little bit with the clean, large soup spoon and add more salt or crushed black pepper to your personal taste.
The flavors come together with a correct balance of seasonings. (Your tastebus will tell you if more seasonings are needed.)
With the stove burner off, use the immersion blender slowly to blend the cooked chunks of vegetables into a smooth, velvety texture.
If using a food processor or blender, let the soup cool a bit before blending.

Stirfry

Chicken and Shrimp Stirfry

At what age did you become responsible for your own meal preparations? Are you a young adult, living independently from your family, and relying on take-out food or easy pick-up, prepared meals from the supermarket? If you notice this is your regular meal planning stategy for satisfying your immediate hunger pains, then have you also noticed that your weight is increasing as you continue these eating habits?

This blog post is about how Scott took a desire to eat healthier by preparing a meal at home with ingredients he chose himself. Scott also increased his time at the gym during the week. When possible, Scott is making better food choices for his overall health. Scott is in his early thirties, lives independently in his own home, has a very busy business career involving lots of travel and has lots of social events with friends involving food, of course.

This fresh stirfry dinner was prepared by Scott, on his own. He thought ahead what he wanted to prepare for his dinner, went to the supermarket to purchase fresh ingredients and took a little time to organize and cut his produce and protein before beginning the cooking process. Scott, without knowing, utilized the process of "Mise En Place" meaning everything in its place before cooking. This is how the chefs cook in restaurants. By having all the ingredients of a meal washed, cut and measured just before you begin the cooking process, allows you to efficiently introduce each ingredient into the cooking process. Therefore, less frustration and chaos while cooking. The result is a smooth, organized, stress-free prepared meal.

"Mise En Place" - Organizing ingredients, everything in its place.

Another thing Scott shared with me is a couple of photos of his meal preparation. He even presented his photos on white dishes which is the choice of the professional food photographers, as I have learned as well.

I think Scott took responsibility to prepare a healthy, nutritious meal at home and gained some confidence during the process of preparation and cooking. With a tasty dish like this stirfry, imagine what other home cooking meals await Scott? By controlling the ingredients during home cooking, Scott controls the salt, sugar and fat content and does not let others do this for him. This is a much better way to eat for your overall health, I think. How about you?

Reminder: cut fresh produce first and put into medium bowls. Wash kitchen knife and cutting board to cut the chicken tenders and put pieces into medium bowls. Wash kitchen knife and cutting board again to cut the shrimp and put the pieces into a medium bowl. This prevents cross-contamination of food.

What you will need:
Large cutting board
Kitchen knife
Large fry pan or skillet
Large spoon, metal or wooden
Medium bowls for ingredients (3-4)
Serving plate
Serving spoon, large
Fork and knife

Ingredients:
Olive oil or vegetable oil, two tablespoons
Green pepper, small to medium, chopped into small pieces
Red onion, small, chopped into small pieces or slices
Chicken tenders, fresh and skinless, cut into small pieces
Shrimp, fresh, shelled, cleaned and deveined
Kosher salt, one teaspoon
Black Pepper, crushed, one-half teaspoon
Optional: one teaspoon soy sauce, low sodium.

Cooking process: Fast, total cooking time about five minutes.
Add the olive oil or vegetable oil into the fry pan or skillet. Turn heat on stove top to medium-high.
Add the red onions and green peppers and stir as they cook in the oil.
Sprinkle the salt and crushed black pepper on top of the cooking vegetables.
When the cooking vegetables look softer add in the chicken and keep stirring the mixture. When the cooking chicken looks like color has changed from pinkish to more white color and looks firmer, add the shrimp and keep stiring the mixture. If adding low-sodium soy sauce, add this now and keep stirring to cover all the vegetables, chicken and shrimp.
When chicken is white color and shrimp is more firm and pink color, stir and taste the stirfry.
Add more salt and black pepper for your personal taste.
Turn off the stove top burner and put the cooked stirfry on a clean plate using a clean large serving spoon.
Bring the serving plate to the table where your clean fork and knife have been placed for you to enjoy your home cooked stirfry meal.

Salsa

Gathering my fresh produce definitely stimulates my imagination. The colors inspire me to create in the kitchen. Today I must make fresh Salsa. I will include fresh sweet corn I just picked up from my local Farmers' Market.

This fresh, colorful Salsa is sure to please the pickiest of palates. The seasonings bring warmth and mix well with the cool, cut vegetables creating the perfect blend for my tastebuds. Did I mention how healthy this Salsa is? It sure is :)

Serving Suggestions: Tortilla chips, Corn Chips in the shape of scoops, Hearty Bread drizzled with fresh olive oil, baked on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F. until browned. When cooled, cut in triangles for better scooping of the Salsa.

What You Will Need:
Large cutting board
Kitchen knife
Large bowl
Large spoon
Matching cover to the bowl or clear plastic wrap.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, two fresh, medium or one fresh, large.
Green and Red Peppers, one half of each color pepper.
One half Sweet Onion, Vidalia or a Spanish Red Onion.
Garlic, three cloves, peeled.
Corn on the Cob, two whole ears, cooked kernals of corn.
Easy microwave cooking instructions for the corn below:
(peel the husks of corn, wash in cold water, wrap in wax paper and microwave for 4-6 min. on high. The corn will steam. When cooled, cut corn kernals off the cob and add to the bowl of cut veggies.)
White Vinegar, one teaspoon.
Lime juice, one half fresh lime.
Kosher Salt, one half teaspoon.
Black Pepper, one quarter teaspoon, crushed Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes, one quarter teaspoon.
Optional instead of Red Pepper Flakes use chilies of choice, one or two small, chopped.
Chopped Cilantro or Fresh Flatleaf Parsley, one half teaspoon.


Walsh the vegetables and dry them before cutting into small pieces on the cutting board.
Put the cut vegetables into a medium bowl and season with the rest of the ingredients above.
All flavoring is up to personal taste, so be sure to taste the mixture often.
The final mixture will marinate, covered with plastic wrap or matching cover to the bowl, in the refrigerator for several hours or better when left overnight.
It is helpful to mix the Salsa a few times to blend in the flavors.
Before serving, mix the Salsa with a spoon once again.

New Potato and Vegetable Scramble

New Potato and Vegetable Scramble

What is like a Scavenger Hunt? My weekly visit to my local Farmers’ Market starts off with my list in hand, ready to gather fresh produce and baked goodies to bring home to enjoy. As soon as I reach my destination, my excitement builds, my eyes dance around from the assembled tables of each vendor, and I forget the items on my list and buy with my eyes! Knowing the produce I select has not traveled far from the very ground it grew in, makes my choice of vegetables even more special.

Each week the farmers bring the most seasonal offerings to the market. This week I purchased adorable, little new red potatoes. My mind was racing with so many ideas on ways to prepare these little beauties. Then I chose some sweet corn and in my mind I could immediately taste the sweet little kernels dripping in melted butter and sprinkled with a bit of salt to bring out even more corn flavor. Glancing back at my prepared list, I did pick up some summer squash, zucchini and my weekly brownie treat.

With so many recipes to create with my new little red potatoes, I could easily make a sensational mashed potato side dish. Roasting these little ones would bring out their sweet, hearty flavor enhancing their goodness with olive oil, salt and pepper enabling the potatoes to brown and develop a crispy outside surface.

The recipe I would like to share with you is one for a nutritious, comfort breakfast. Starting off a new day with a filling, healthy breakfast allows me to have energy to get on with the day and to reduce hunger cravings before my next meal at lunch time.

I call this recipe New Potato and Vegetable Scramble. Why? This dish is filled with fresh vegetables blended together with the protein of whole eggs or just egg whites, brought together as one meal filled with flavors from seasonings such as salt, pepper and paprika. As the nutritional experts tell us, "eat vegetables and good proteins." The simplicity of all the ingredients produce mouth-watering comfort. You know you have had a good meal after the full feeling you experience after this hearty breakfast, almost wishing for more comfort, but knowing you are totally satisfied and can eat no more.

Total Preparation Time approximately 10 minutes.
Total Cooking Time approximately 10 minutes.

Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe:

Ingredients for Two Servings:
Olive Oil, 2 tablespoons.
Butter or Vegan Buttery Spread, 1/4 cup.
Vidalia or Sweet Onion, 1/2, chopped
Summer Squash, one small, cut into small pieces
Red New Potatoes, 2-3 small potatoes, cut into small pieces
Large Eggs, 4 whole or optional 7 Eggwhites only, for fewer total calories.
(optional: prepared EggBeaters or Eggwhites from supermarket.)
Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon
Black Pepper, crushed, 1/2 teaspoon.
Paprika, 1 teaspoon

What you will need:
Large cutting board
Kitchen knife
Large frying pan
Spatula
Small bowl
Whisk or fork
Measuring spoons
Serving plate or bowl

Preparation:
Wash the summer squash, red potatoes and dry them.
With the kitchen knife, cut the onion, summer squash and red potatoes on the cutting board.
Crack the whole eggs into the small bowl and whisk together to blend or if using just eggwhites, separate the eggs into two small bowls. Save the yokes in a covered small bowl and place in the refrigerator. Discard yolks if not using for future recipes.
Put the frying pan on the stove burner and turn heat up to medium-high temperature.
Immediately add the olive oil and the butter at the same time to allow for maintaining the high temperature without burning the vegetables and eggs during the cooking process.

Add the onions into the melted butter and olive oil in the frying pan, keep stirring around with the spatula so the onions do not burn.
Sprinkle some of the salt to bring out the liquid of the cooking onions.
When the cooking onions look shiny and opaque, not clear, then add the summer squash and keep stirring around the vegetables with the spatula.
At this time add more of the salt and the crushed, black pepper.
Now add the cut red potatoes into the cooking onions and summer squash, keep stirring around so these vegetables do not burn.
Sprinkle the paprika on the cooking vegetables and keep stirring.
When the potatoes look softer and a little brown in color, turn down the stove burner to Low Heat.
Add the eggs or eggwhites and let the liquid of the eggs settle smoothly on and around the cooking vegetables.
When the eggs or eggwhites look firm, take the spatula and carefully slip it between the side of the frying pan and the outside edges of the cooking eggs or eggwhites. This keeps the eggs or eggwhites from sticking on the sides of the frying pan and allows for other liquid from the eggs or eggwhites to settle into the outside of the cooking vegetable and egg mixture.
When the vegetable and egg or eggwhite mixture looks cooked and firm, take a spatula full of the mixture and turn it over. Continue this process until all of the egg and vegetable mixture has been turned over to fully cook.
This process takes just a minute or two and then turn off the heat of the stove burner.

With your serving platter nearby, scoop up portions of the vegetable and egg or eggwhite mixture to the serving platter.

Roasted Turkey Breast - any day of the week.

(Uncooked split-turkey breast ready to go into the oven.)

What a wonderful surprise to find a small, fresh split-turkey breast in my supermarket. This special find fulfilled my goal of purchasing poultry that fits my criteria: Humanely Raised; Vegetarian Fed; No Antibiotics; No Growth Hormones. Thank you, Plainville Farms. www.plainvillefarms.com Check out their website or on Facebook.

The simplicity of my recipe for roasting the fresh split-turkey breast on a bed of cut veggies made up of carrots, celery and onions creates a magical sauce in the bottom of the roasting pan. The flavor dripping off of the cooking turkey into the vegetables under and around the turkey breast makes a gravey that is sweet and light in texture and flavor.
If you want to enhance and thicken this gravey, just add flour mixed in some cold water, add it to the gravey in a small saucepan, heat and stir until the gravy is your style. That's it. All done.

(Cooked split-breast turkey breast)

Preparation time before cooking is about 15 minutes.

Cooking time about one hour and forty-five minutes, depending on oven temperature accuracy and size of the turkey breast. The size of this split-turkey breast is 2.58 ounces and will serve six to eight people if serving about 4 ounces per person. (or cook and freeze small portions for fewer numbers of people eating.)
Test for doneness: A meat thermometer should read 170-175 degrees F. or
until juices flow clearly with a prick into the turkey breast meat.
During the cooking process, if you check the turkey breast and see that it is browning on top, cover lightly with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent further browning and drying out.
If you notice the vegetables have very little water around them, just add a bit more for the duration of the cooking process.

Ingredients:
Carrots, 2 medium, peeled and sliced
Celery, 1 stalk, peeled and sliced
Onion, 1/2 sweet onion, sliced
Split-turkey Breast
Salt, 1 teaspoon
Black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon, crushed
Paprika, 1 teaspoon
Olive oil, 1/4 cup dripped over the turkey breast
Water, 1/4 cup cold

Preparation:
Have oven rack in the center of the oven
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Wash and pat dry the turkey breast
Wash and dry carrots and celery. Peel and slice
Peel and slice the onion
Put all uncooked vegetables in the bottom of a roasting pan
Put the turkey breast on top of the uncooked veggies
Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika on top of the uncooked turkey breast
Drip olive oil on top of the turkey breast
Add water around the vegetables in the roasting pan
Put the roasting pan with the uncooked turkey breast and vegetables into the oven on the center rack placement.
Roast the split-turkey breast until done.

Take the roasting pan out of the oven, cover the turkey breast with some aluminum foil and let stand without cutting for about 15 minutes to let all the juices remain in the turkey breast, leaving each slice moist and flavorful.

Veggie Medley Sauteed

Tonight's sidedish with dinner was a medley of veggies we had on hand in the refrigerator and pantry. A small zucchini, small yellow squash, one small carrot, half of a Vidalia onion and three cloves of fresh garlic. Assorted herbs and olive oil completed this sidedish. Fresh cherry tomatoes added at end for garnish.

Prep: Gather your veggies, wash and dry them. Have a cutting board, a sharp knife, a large frypan, three cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and sliced, not crushed. Sliced garlic gives a milder flavor. Cut the zucchini, yellow squash and carrot into small cubes or short sticks. Cut the onion in slices or dice it. Your choice. Dried herbs of choice this evening were oregano, basil, tarragon, pinch of red pepper flakes, and Kosher salt. Have a wooden spoon ready for stirring.

Saute: Put a few tablespoons of regular olive oil in the frypan. Turn heat on stove to med.high temp. When heated, add the onions first with a pinch or two of Kosher salt and stir around with wooden spoon. When onions look shiny, add the sliced garlic and keep stirring. After a few minutes, add the rest of the cut veggies and keep stirring. If more olive oil is needed, add some now. Sprinkle your dried herbs on the veggies while cooking and add a pinch more of salt to taste. When veggies look a bit softer, this dish is done.

Serving: Put the sauteed veggies into a nice serving dish. Add a few cut, washed fresh cherry tomatoes for a pop of color contrast. A sprinkle of dried tarragon gives a fresh look to the cooked veggies and another pop of color contrast.

Enjoy.

Veggies Grilled, Roasted or Steamed

Think of your favorite veggies in spring,summer,fall and even winter. I like to buy veggies in season for freshness and lower price. Have you ever visited a local Farmer's Market? If not, take a little time to stroll through one. It can be an adventure! Imagine, purchasing veggies directly from the farmer who grew them? No shrink-wrapped packages, no box from a freezer from a supermarket. Hmmm, how much did that packaging cost you? Your veggies from a Farmer's Market did not take an airplane ride for you to spend more money to transport them.

Ok, so here is the prep: Wash, dry, peel if necessary any veggies of choice. Examples for grilling: Vidalia Onions (peeled,sliced); Zucchini (sliced lengthwise in thick strips); Peppers (cut into wide strips); Eggplant (unpeeled, sliced in wide, thick strips); Asparagus (cut off bottom tough ends.)

If grilling: use a mesh rack, place veggies on the rack. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Have tongs ready to turn the veggies so they do not burn.

If roasting: Use a large baking sheet with rim (lined with parchment paper)or baking dish to serve in that can go into the oven. Brush the veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roast until veggies are soft and a little browned. The delicious smell will tell you when they are ready. Cooking time is about 20 minutes depending on your oven. Roasting brings out sweetness in veggies.

If steaming: Use a large pot with some water in the bottom. Use a steaming basket to put inside the pot. Cut your veggies of choice to fit in the steaming basket. Cover the pot when filled with veggies and turn heat first to a medium high, then when steaming begins, turn the heat down to low. Veggies take about five minutes to steam. The should not be soggy, but they should not be hard either. You will know when they are done with just a taste test.

Always make extra veggies as these make great leftovers to put into tomato sauces, egg scrambles, added to a sandwich, and even turned into a pureed soup with added broth.

Enjoy your veggies!

Zucchini & Vidalia Onions

Summertime easy sidedish: Zucchini & Vidalia Onions

Prep: Wash & dry zucchini (s) Take skin off onion(s) Numbers depend on servings. It is a good idea to prepare more than you need for one meal because using leftovers makes meal prep easier for your next meal. Cook once, eat twice!

On cutting board, cut zucchini into small pieces/chunks; chopp onion into small pieces.
Have Kosher salt and ground pepper nearby ready to use.
Have a saute pan or frypan chosen for size required.
Have some good olive oil available to put into frypan (about 1-2 tbs) or as needed for cut veggies.
For some flavor (heat) have some red pepper flakes available (a pinch).
Have wooden spoon available for stirring.

Heat olive oil into frypan on med.high heat; add chopped onions and stir around.
Add sprinkle of salt to bring out juice of onions. When onions are shiny, add chopped zucchini and stir around with cooking onions.
Add some ground pepper and keep stirring the veggies. (lower heat if cooking too fast.)
Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes (to taste).
Ready when zucchini is cooked.

Options: Add cut fresh red peppers (for a nice colorful, healthy dish.)
Use leftover cooked veggies in an eggwhite scramble for breakfast!

No calorie counting for now. Concentrate on veggies, flavor & quick prep.