Tag Archives: zucchini

zucchini oatmeal gluten free chocolate chip cookies… my new favorite breakfast cookie!

14 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by in cook, whole grains

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

zucchini oatmeal cookies

I found a new favorite breakfast cookie! These are moist and filling, loaded with oatmeal and just enough chocolate for a special treat. I came across this recipe on Nicole’s blog: Gluten Free On a Shoestring. Check out the beautiful pictures on her blog. I used spelt flour so mine wasn’t gluten free, just wheat free. You could also use all purpose flour and skip the xanthan gum.

zucchini

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups (280 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour

1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar

3 cups (300 g) certified gluten free rolled oats (1 cup (100 g) ground into flour)

10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs (120 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups packed grated zucchini

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.

In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar and whisk again, working out any lumps. Add the oats and oat flour and mix to combine. Place the chocolate chips in a separate, small bowl, add about 1 tablespoon of the combined dry ingredients to the boss and toss to coat. Set the chips aside.

To the large bowl of dry ingredients, add the butter, eggs and vanilla, and mix to combine well. Add the grated zucchini, and mix to combine. The mixture will be very, very sticky. Add the chocolate chips and the tablespoon of dry ingredients, and mix until the chips are evenly distributed throughout.

Drop the dough in small mounds, about 2 tablespoons each, 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. With wet fingers, smooth each mound of dough into a flat disk. Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown on top, darker brown around the edges (about 14 minutes). Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Thank you, Nicole! I look forward to trying more of your recipes in the future!

quinoa with zucchini and basil

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in cook, whole grains

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Another great recipe from Lorna Sass’s Whole Grains cookbook. I adapted it by omitting the anchovies (as I had run out) and using zucchini instead of yellow summer squash. Lorna mentions that instead of quinoa, you might also try using farro, kamut or coarse bulgur.

Quinoa with Zucchini and Basil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons mashed oil-packed anchovies

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound (3 medium) zucchini or yellow summer squash, coarsely grated

3 cups cooked quinoa

salt, to taste

1/4 cup (tightly packed) fresh basil, chopped

Mix the anchovies and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until the squash is tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the quinoa, the remaining tablespoon of oil, salt (to taste) and the basil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

mushroom and pepper frittata

03 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in cook

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

There are so many flavor combinations and ways to make a frittata! For an extra sizzle of salt, try adding chopped bacon or prosciutto ham. Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano or parsley add a nice tangy layer of flavor. Also, instead of the peppers you can add 1 cup of chopped spinach, Swiss chard or beet greens. A wonderful, heart breakfast or served as an appetizer with a glass of white wine.

Mushroom and Pepper Frittata

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 organic, free-range eggs

half a red onion, diced

half a red pepper, diced

half a yellow pepper, diced

half a small zucchini, diced

8 shitake mushrooms, diced

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven on the broil setting.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, salt and pepper and beat lightly with a fork. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof nonstick skillet and sauté the onions on medium heat until they are translucent. Add the peppers, zucchini and mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Pour the egg mixture over top, cover and cook for 5 minutes, (the top will still be a bit runny and uncooked). Sprinkle the cheese over the frittata and then put the skillet into the oven and broil until the top is fully cooked and the cheese is beginning to brown.

Slide onto a plate, garnish with the chives and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Serves 2 for breakfast or 4 for appetizers.

chocolate zucchini muffins

15 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in cook, muffins

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

It’s not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let’s face it, far more reliable than a man. Miranda Ingram

Here is another way to use up all that zucchini in your garden! This recipe comes straight from the epicurious website. I found it today in my search for the perfect… moist… chocolately… zucchini mmmmmmuffins. This recipe satisfied my craving and so it wins the prize! The lemon and orange zest give it that extra flavor that sets it apart from other recipes that I have tried. I only made half the cream cheese icing (and used only half of the sugar than it called for) and left the remaining half of the muffins plain.

2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
2 1/4 cups shredded zucchini
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
Zest (finely grated) and juice of 1 orange
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
8 ounces Neufchâtel or cream cheese, at room temperature
3 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 3 mini-muffin tins with nonfat cooking spray (or rub butter into your muffin stoneware).

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each, then add the buttermilk or yogurt. Whisk in the zucchini, lemon zest, and half the orange zest.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, whisking to aerate. Stir half the flour mixture into the egg mixture, then the other half. Fold in the nuts (if using) and distribute the batter evenly into the muffin tins.

Bake on the center rack until springy but firm to the touch and lightly browned around the edges, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.

To make the icing, blend the cheese and butter in the bowl of a food processor until they are well combined and no lumps remain. Add the confectioners’ sugar, orange juice, and the remaining vanilla and orange zest, and process until smooth.

Ice the muffins with a knife (or forgo the icing if you’d like to convert these muffins from an after-dinner treat to a healthy breakfast). Serve the same day or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter.

To keep squash fresh for as long as possible, handle it carefully to avoid bruising, and don’t wash it until just before use. If stored in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator, it should keep for 4 to 5 days.

Man cannot live on chocolate alone; but woman sure can.

Enjoy!

tasty zucchini muffins (wheat-free, gluten-free option included)

12 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by in cook, gluten-free, muffins, wheat-free

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

At this time of the year, anyone who has one or more zucchini plants in their garden is scratching their heads and asking themselves, “What am I going to do with all of this zucchini?”

Here is a great recipe that is healthy, moist and flavorful. You can make a few batches of these and freeze some. Or, put some in nice little gift bags and hand them around to the neighbors as treats (this is what Lucy and I did yesterday).

Zucchini Muffins

3 cups zucchini, grated

1-2/3 cup sugar (or natural sweetener of your choice)

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup whole wheat flour (or spelt flour)

2 cups all-purpose flour (or spelt flour)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1/2 course chopped nuts (I often use ground almonds left over from making almond milk)

1/2 cup raisons, currants, dried cranberries or chopped dates, if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease 1 loaf pan or a dozen muffin cups.

Mix together zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Pour into pan or spoon into muffin cups. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for ten minutes. Removed loaf or muffins from pan and place on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

Note: I substitute spelt flour for the whole wheat and all purpose flour for wheat-free, gluten-free muffins. Delicious!

Enjoy your zucchini harvest! And if you do not grow your own, beg some off of a neighbor. I am sure that right about now they are scratching their heads and asking themselves, “What am I going to do with all of this zucchini…???”

the Medicine Wheel garden

08 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in garden, medicine wheel

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I would like to show you the vegetable garden. When we bought the cabin last fall it was just a little postage stamp of a plot with some potatoes left behind. We dug these up in October and they lasted us until March.

By November, the land was covered in snow and I spent the winter planning my garden, making endless lists and researching ‘deer- and rabbit-resistant gardening’. In May, my wonderful neighbor, K, came over with her tractor and tilled the soil for me, enlarging the garden into it’s current size. The soil is good in this spot and I was told that years ago this used to be a large garden.

Once tilled, I mapped out a Medicine Wheel design using mulch for the pathways. I added some plants and sowed some seeds. Then I spent an afternoon pounding in large stakes for the fence. My budget was very limited so I used what I could find on the land. I also found some rusty barbed wire fencing in large rolls around the property. I carefully unwound these and wrapped these around the poles, using wire to fasten it to the stakes. I did two rows of fencing, one on top of the other and wired these together. This was tricky as I did this on my own, holding the fence in place with my head while wiring the fencing together with needle nose pliers and being careful not to get scratched with the rusty wire…

I choose a Medicine Wheel design as I wanted to be intentional in my creation of a garden. This place would be set aside as a quiet place for contemplation, a source of nourishment and healing. For some reason, stepping into a circular garden invokes a feeling of reverence and quiet power.

Both the design and use of sacred space are processes that draw on both the conscious and unconscious levels of mind and spirit. We learn as we create and we change as we garden. Let the process inform you spirit. ~Peg Streep

The circle has four quadrants (which were further subdivided into pie-shaped plots) set to the cardinal directions (north, east, south and west). Each direction has a corresponding element (earth, air, fire and water). The center of the circle is a place of concentrated ‘power’ and peace. At the door of the garden is a pile of stones found previously buried in the soil. Visitors are invited to take a stone, envision a prayer or request, wish or blessing, and imagine that they are putting it into the stone. Then they can place the stone in the center bowl. As I spend time each day working in the garden, I meditate, contemplate and pray. I sing songs, I laugh, I dance, I express gratitude for the earth’s abundance. I imagine this good energy being absorbed into the growing plants.

The creation of sacred space- how we set apart and arrange a certain spot and imbue it with reverent feelings… draws us closer to nature and affirms our personal ties with the earth. Medicine Wheel gardens are places for celebrating and teaching. Some go to the Medicine Wheel garden for vision quests, prayer and personal renewal. Others see it as a place to gather together for drumming, fire ceremonies and singing. -E.Barrie Kavasch

The above shot was just taken today. I love spending time in the garden and taking care of it never feels like a chore. I feel the earth supporting my body as I kneel to work, I listen to the wind and the birds, I feel the sun and sometimes rain on my skin and all of this brings me deep contentment. Today, it was a very hot and sunny day. Here are a few more shots of things growing in the garden…

I am noticing lots of green and yellow in the pictures but very little red. I do have red beets and radishes and red lettuce and potatoes; and soon will also have red peppers, chili peppers and loads of tomatoes, if only we would get more warmer weather. In fact, everything is behind this year due to the cool, wet summer. Perhaps we will have a hot late summer/autumn in time for harvest?

This season marks phase one in the Medicine Wheel garden design. Next year, I will add raised beds and incorporate the four elements into each quadrant (a bowl of stones for earth, prayer flags and wind chimes for air, a small fire bowl for fire, and a bird bath for water). In the meantime, we have a few months of harvest ahead of us. I will show you more pictures of the garden as the summer progresses.