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Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

August 2nd, 2013 . Posted in Recipes | No Comments »

So last week I told the whole world, or maybe just the inter-web, which translates to pretty much no one how I have zucchini brain. I also set a goal for my self to blog for 7 days about all things zucchini in my life. I know, I know, it’s not really chocolate related but these days that’s what’s up. So this is my re-cap. But first I wanna share my garden wit ya. I really wanted a garden and man did I get it. It’s so amazing how fast everything grows! Pictured at left I have just a few baskets of harvest, at first it seemed normal until around the 20th when I started getting a basket every two days. Still going strong I picked four zucchinis just yesterday.

May 18th All seed starters besides roses, peppers, artichoke and berries.

 Harvest of cucs began on 6/26 and squash 6/30. Picture is from July 22nd- Cucumbers, Squash, Watermelon, Okra, Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Herbs. Soybeans were getting burnt by the sun so I attempted to shield them with this sunny umbrella.

Quick Zucchini Re-cap

Super Green Bean Zucchini Salad

Grilled Mama Rule Zucchini

Oven Roasted Lemon Pepper Zucchini

Veggie Burgers

Zucchini Cannelloni

Almond Joy Zucchini Bread

Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Bread

Top 3 Favs!

 

Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Bread

August 1st, 2013 . Posted in Recipes | No Comments »
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Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

Day 7: Zucchini Bread Again

Finally! Day seven. Not sure why I thought it was a good idea to blog for a week straight after scarcely blogging at all and about something other than chocolate but here we are. I may have cheated a little but since no one actually reads this I am sure it’s not a big deal. I do think now I have a more realistic idea of the type of blogging timeline I can keep. I know I said I wasn’t big into zucchini bread yet here we are again. I did make zucchini bread four times so 50/50 isn’t so bad. But in my opinion, this one is the best out of all four, hence the saving it for last. Apple sauce to replace the eggs, a little bit of apple chunks and crispy dry roasted pecan pieces throughout. Top it all off with a graham cracker crumble and droolz. I’m now a little more excited about zucchini bread and all that it can be if you just pack it full of deliciousness.

Ingredients

  • 1c apple sauce
  • 2c grated zucchini
  • 1c brown sugar
  • 1c sugar
  • 1/2c butter softened to room temp.
  • 3c flour(1/2wheat,1/2white)
  • 2t baking soda
  • 2t baking powder
  • 1/2t salt
  • 1tbl cinnamon
  • 3/4c chopped dry roasted pecans
  • 1 large apple peeled and chopped (approx. 1c)
  • Topping
  • 1c graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 brown sugar
  • 1/4c butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9×5 loaf pans. Prepare the topping by melting the 1/4 cup butter and then mixing in the brown sugar and graham crumbs by hand. In a large bowl, mix the apple sauce and sugars, then the butter and then the zucchini. In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, powder, cinnamon and salt. Next add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combine, then fold in the apples and pecans. Pour into prepared pans and top with crumb topping lightly pressing it in. Lastly bake for one hour and then cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then on to a wire rack for the rest of the cooling.

I think this may quite possibly be the best zucchini bread I have ever had, if I do say so myself. But is it really zucchini bread at all? You decide. Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen switch out the pecans for your favorite nut or add raisins, if your into that. The possibilities are endless and once I realized this I’ve became excited about zucchini bread for the first time!

Almond Joy Zucchini Bread

July 31st, 2013 . Posted in Recipes | No Comments »
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Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

Day 6: Go Nuts

Whenever the Summer of epic zucchini proportions began everyone immediately said, “zucchini bread!” Personally I’m not a huge fan and if I’m gonna load up on calories of sweet bread I need it to really be worth it. After all I love experimenting and making recipes my own. Naturally I really wanted to make a chocolate zucchini bread but I went a little bit nuts here with the addition of coconut and almonds. So maybe the zucchini is hidden in there somewhere but it does add fiber and water. I decided to give this a whirl with out eggs and substituted yogurt and coconut oil. When baking, I often prefer to use an infused vanilla sugar I made rather than adding vanilla extract. I usually have extra vanilla bean pods lying around from making ice cream and marshmallow so I just store them in large containers of sugar for a few months.

Ingredients

  • 2c zucchini
  • 1c coconut oil
  • 1c cocoa nibs
  • 2c sugar
  • 1c yogurt
  • 3c flour
  • 2t salt
  • 2t baking soda
  • 2t baking powder
  • 3/4c chopped dry roasted almonds
  • 3/4c sweetened coconut

Begin by preheating oven to 350 and grease two 5×9 loaf pans. I had raw almonds so I chopped and then dry roasted them in a small frying pan on the stove.

Grate the zucchini into a large mixing bowl.

I started mixing using the vitamix blender, I have never attempted to put cocoa nibs in any other blender so I’m not sure how they will do. Pulverizing the cocoa nibs, they turn into a powder and then add the coconut oil. My oil was already in liquid form, I suppose you could slowly melt it in the microwave at short intervals.  Blend the nib dust and oil until mixed and then add the sugar, again blending well and then lastly add the yogurt.

Pour over the zucchini and stir together.

Next, mix all of the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then add them to the wet mixture until fully incorporated but try not to over mix. Mix almonds and coconut together in a small bowl and then measure out 1c to be mixed into the batter. Reserve the rest for the loaf tops. Fold in the 1c of almonds and coconut and then pour into two prepared pans. Sprinkle the left over on top and bake for 55 min. Let cool in pans afterwards for 10 min. and then cool completely on a wire rack. Voilà!

Zucchini Cannelloni

July 30th, 2013 . Posted in Recipes | No Comments »
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Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

Day 5: Stuff It!

If zucchini can be a substitute for pasta noodles why not stuff it and call it cannelloni. I know how delicious and meaty mushrooms are in my vegetarian spaghetti and thought they would make the perfect stuff. Mushrooms are so used to being the stuff-ed so how bout a little role reversal to spice things up! Add goat cheese and olives to this perfection and top it with your favorite red sauce. Now that’s amore!

Ingredients

  • 1 large zucchini (or 2 medium)
  • 2C Brown Mushrooms
  • 1/2C Greek Olives chopped
  • 1/4C Red Onion chopped
  • 2 Garlic Cloves chopped
  • 1/4tsp sea salt
  • 1/4tsp black pepper
  • 4oz crumbled goat cheese
  • 1 Jar spicy red pepper pasta sauce

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Slice zucchini into oblong 1/4in slices
    3. Chop mushrooms, olives, onion and garlic.
    4. Mix chopped ingredients with salt and pepper and stir.
    5. Lastly add the goat cheese and stir until just mixed.
    6. Oil a 9x9in baking pan.
    7. Roll up zucchini slices one at a time and hold while you spoon in mixture.
    8. Place seem side down into baking pan.
    9. Poor 2c of pasta sauce over the top and bake for 30 min.

Start by slicing a large zucchini into oblong 1/4in thick slices. It helps that at first, I let the one’s in my garden over grow a bit so I had some big mama-jamas. Everyone says if you let them grow too big they are bitter but garden fresh they are still delicious and after they are cooked you really don’t notice. Once again I utilized this handy gadget called the chef’s envy which cuts easily and consistently. If you don’t have one I’m sure a knife will suffice. Either way be careful and watch your fingers!

Another gadget I love it this onion saver. I’m not sure why onions are so huge these days so I couldn’t possibly use one all at once. This cute container is awesome and air tight keeping the onion fresh and saving my whole fridge from stinking. A quick word about the mushrooms- lets face it, brown mushrooms or portobello have way more flavor so don’t cheat by using white ones.

Chop the next four ingredients. Again I chose to play with the vitamix in chopping up the mushrooms, pulsing it on the 4 setting. They became a pleasing consistency that reminded me of ground meat. Then mix all of these ingredients with the salt and pepper. Lastly add the cheese. I like to believe in my heart that goat cheese is less fattening than ricotta, if that’s not true just please don’t spoil it for me.

Roll up the zucchini slices one at a time and stuff by the spoon full. I held it in my left hand while stuffing with my right, alternating one side then the other so it wouldn’t fall out. Don’t be afraid to pack it in there a little. I also packed them into the greased baking dish seam side down in hopes they would stay together, which worked pretty well. Once they are all done top with 2c of sauce or use the whole jar if you would like! My favorite sauce is a spicy red pepper which gives it a little kick and complexity. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Zucchini is 95% water so if the pan has a little excess water in it just spoon it out as you serve. I plan on making one delicious cup of soup with my excess liquid cause that’s how I roll. You can also prepare this dish and substitute eggplant for the zucchini’s. Hopefully I will be doing in a few short weeks If I have any eggplants to harvest. Good Luck!

Veggie Burgers

July 29th, 2013 . Posted in Recipes | No Comments »
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Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

Day 4: Patty-Cake

It’s Summer and oh how I love to enjoy a grilled homemade burger. Previously I was in love with a turkey burger recipe that includes grated veggies. With all this zucchini I thought it would be my go-to, but lately I’ve been feeling more adventurous. I’ve also had a quinoa obsession and thought it would be the perfect addition. I’ve made this recipe twice already because I could eat these patties everyday! Bun-less they make a superb snack. The first time I grated the zucchini and carrot, the second time I cheated.  Chopping them in the blender on pulse, using my handy new toy, the vitamix. I cut the zucs into quarters and then pulsed them with the dial at 7, until pretty much evenly chopped. I did the same with the carrot but turned the dial to 9. Honestly I prefer them grated because I like consistency but the blender is a time saver.

Ingredients

  • 1c grated zucchini
  • 1c grated carrot
  • 1c cooked quinoa
  • 1 slice of toast
  • 2 lightly beaten eggs
  • 1/4c onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1/2tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • goat cheese for topping

Instructions

  1. Put toast in the food processor and pulse until fine bread crumbs result.
  2. Mix all ingredients thoroughly with hands to make sure they are combined. (I like to use food safe gloves for this.)
  3. Shape into aprox. 8 patties.
  4. Store in the fridge covered in plastic wrap for 1-2 hours. (This is optional but I think it helps them hold their shape for cooking.)
  5. Grill on greased foil, medium heat for 7-10 minutes. Turn about every three minutes to ensure even cooking and browning on each side.

Pounding patties has never been my thing, but meat or not you really have to pound and smack to get a tight shape. My favorite way to love these babies is topped with goat cheese crumbles and chipotle mayo. It feels good to enjoy a grilled homemade burger.

Oven Roasted Lemon Pepper Zucchini

July 28th, 2013 . Posted in Recipes | No Comments »

Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

Day 3: Tickle your Fancy

I like fancy and I believe fancy is what tickles us. I have always fancied pandas and sea shells. In the kitchen I fancy cutting boards, serving platters and more recently finishing salt. It tickles me to explore taste and texture and that’s exactly what finishing salt does. A few years ago a friend picked up some chocolate salt for me from a place in Portland called The Meadow. Then last Summer during our epic road trip I knew I had to see it for my self while in Portland. Of course I couldn’t leave with out three or four various new salts. Sadly they just sat in the spice drawer for way to long, until recently. I’m not sure why I was being so timid with my discovery but that time has passed. So I know this recipe isn’t far off from yesterdays Grilled Mama Rule Zucchini but maybe your not the grill master you thought you were and there’s always the trusty oven, which is great for roasting veggies on broil.

 

I’ve also been really into this red chili pepper infused olive oil which I used in the Super Green Bean Salad Recipe on day 1. Once this is all gone I aim to make some my self because I have a plethora of dried chilies from last years harvest. Funny, I grew these peppers which I thought were jalapenos and they totally were not. What they were was something with way more kick! I think fresh infused oil will have a brighter flavor with more heat. Take some time to roam your local gourmet food market and look for oils and spices that excite you to experiment with. If your on a budget the food isle at your local tjmaxx/homegoods store has great bargains on gourmet foods. Don’t be afraid to get a collection going and let it inspire you to change up your normal dishes. After all everyone’s fancy can’t be the same. What tickles your taste?

 

Ingredients

  • 2lbs Zucchini (1/4in slices)
  • 1/4C Pepper Infused Olive Oil
  • 1tsp Lemon Salt
  • 1C Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to broil on high.
  2. Cut zucchini into 1/4 in slices and toss with oil.
  3. Spread onto foiled cookie sheet and cook on high for about 12 min turning once halfway through.
  4. Next toss with salt and cheese

Bon Appetit!

Grilled Mama Rule Zucchini

July 27th, 2013 . Posted in Recipes | No Comments »

Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

Day 2: The new Old Fashion

Mama Rule is everybody’s mama and anything but old fashion. We first met in college when I became quick friends with her daughter and thirteen years later I couldn’t imagine my life with out either of them. Mama is pretty much the most hospitable person on the planet, agreeing to let me rent a room at their house when I lost my first apartment. At a time when I ate granola bars for breakfast and a can of tuna(PLAIN!) for lunch everyday, dinner’s at the Rule house were always a treat. She not only taught me a thing or two about cooking she taught Brian as well. Always preaching the importance of a well balanced meal and teaching things like how important it is to eat the skin of a potato. Coincidentally enough she is flying into LA today for a two week visit from her Florida home and I’m super stoked!

I’m going on about all of this because in those days she reintroduced me to zucchini. The only zucchini I ever knew was my grandmothers. I consider nanny’s way of cooking it old fashion, on the stove top with LOTS of butter. Isn’t that the way they cook everything in the country, swimming in butter. Basically cooked to a mush it was never too appetizing to me. Ironically when I was young I was an extremely picky eater and ate very little veggies out side of corn and cucumbers. During my stay at the Rule house I really opened up to an array of foods, thanks to mamas cooking. I couldn’t bear to be rude and tried everything, lucky for me the selections were healthy and delicious. Now I eat pretty much everything.

I think the stove top is old fashion and the grill is where its at. The absolute best and easiest way to eat zucchini is the mama rule way. All you need are some zucs, olive oil and two key ingredients. Garlic Salt and Paprika. Yep that’s it! I’m so obsessed with that combo lately I’ve been putting it on all my roasted veggies, like broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. If you have normal zucs from the store you can halve them, if they are gargantuan like mine you can cut them into quarters. Spray flesh with olive oil and then top with garlic salt and paprika. I say top and hesitate to say sprinkle because you don’t wanna be shy. I told my hubby the other day he makes these better than I.  He replied that mama taught him to never be shy with the spices. Here I am using my “eye ball” method again but I think you can do it! Then grill them on oiled tin foil over medium heat for about 7 min. If they are thinker pieces they will take a bit longer but be sure not to cook them into mush.

A couple of weeks ago we had a dinner party and when Emily commented on how good the zucchini was, I asked her if she knew where I learned to prepare it. When she replied no, I said “Your Mama!” Em often says I learned more from her mom than she did but seeing now what a great mom she her self has become, I doubt it. Old fashion or not we always become our mothers.

Tomorrow, Day 3: Tickle your Fancy

Oven Roasted Lemon Pepper Zucchini

 

Super Green Bean Zucchini Salad

July 26th, 2013 . Posted in Recipes | No Comments »
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Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

Day 1: Baby I like it raw

Ok, so maybe all this dip it in hummus party is getting boring. Or maybe you snagged a summer cold from that double dipper and need to stock up on some vitamin C. After all, zucs are high in this powerful antioxidant and pack the most punch raw. A one cup serving (196g) boasts 58% of your daily value. For more Health Benefits of Zucchini check out yesterdays spiel. I sliced up these bueauts with a handy contraption I would have never bought called the chef’s envy.  It was a gift from a bff that sat in the box for way too long before I discovered how awesome it really is. She bought it from a guy doing demos at Ralphs, something I would have also never done but what are friends for! I’m sure a knife would suffice but gadgets are fun.

This is just something I tossed up on a tuesday trying to be creative and use ingredients I had.  Please excuse the informality of the spice additions and the use of my crappy iphone photos! Still rockin that 3GS and getting back into the swing of posting recipes and not just winging it in the kitchen.

Ingredients

  • One large (or two medium) Zucchini julienne cut
  • 3C Green Beans
  • 2tbl Olive oil
  • 3 Garlic Cloves
  • 1tsp Season Salt
  • Paprika
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 2C Celery chopped
  • 1C Green Pepper chopped
  • 2 Rosemary sprigs
  • 1tbl Olive oil
  • 1/4C Rice vinegar
  • OPTIONAL – Red Chili Flakes & Pickled Brussels Sprouts.

Instructions

-Its a good habit to prep veggies and get ingredients ready first. This makes cooking go smoother instead of frantically cutting veggies while something is burning. Cut the zucchini and set aside to add last. Chop celery, green pepper and peel garlic. I chose to snap the ends off the green beans and snap in half because I get all nostalgic thinking about how I used to do it with my great-grandmother that way when I was small. But it’s not necessary for broiling.

-Next set the oven to broil on high. Toss green beans and whole garlic cloves with 2tbl olive oil and 1tsp of season salt. I had a fancy citrus sea salt which is mixed with herbs, but whatever you have is ok too. I also sprinkled fresh ground pepper and paprika using the good ole “eye ball method.” It’s really about personal taste, we like peppery foods so I’m not shy with the pepper but also know not to go overboard.

-Then while the oven is preheating sauté the celery and green pepper with 1tbl of olive oil and the rosemary sprigs over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Then add the rice vinegar and simmer on low covered while you cook the green beans. if there is too little liquid you can add water a tablespoon at a time until you have just enough to simmer.

Finally

-Dice garlic, I like to use a chopper gadget for this and toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.  SUPER GREEN

OPTIONAL ~ for extra flavor! Toss in a tsp of red chili pepper flakes.  Take it up a notch with 1C pickled  brussels sprouts, I happen to stumbled upon some at tjmaxx. If your not into the whole pickled idea or if you can’t get a hold of some, fresh brussels sprouts could always be broiled with the green beans. Just add oil and spices accordingly.

Have fun with it. Hone in on your sense of smell and taste. Cooking is organic for me and all about exploration and creativity. We all have different palates and with endless flavor combinations we have become spoiled, maybe that’s partly why it’s an obsession.

We all have different taste and the beauty of it is that we have to power to cater to those taste. With so many fruits and vegetables readily available to us why waist energy on processing food.  Raw food is clean eating and makes you feel good. It’s light and full of water that wont clog the system and make us fragile to illness and disease. I’m not a vegetarian or angel by all means but I believe in moderation of all things.

 

Tomorrow, Day 2: The new Old Fashion

Grilled Mama Rule Zucchini

 

Zucchini Brain

July 25th, 2013 . Posted in Health, Recipes | No Comments »
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New Confession- zucchini is running out of my ears! Yes, it’s true, my life isn’t all about chocolate. I know its a shock but there are a lot of hours in a day and plenty of time for many things, including gardening. So I built a garden, a nice one and stuff totally grew! Especially zucchini. Good thing I really like zucchini and it’s so versatile. NEWS FLASH- “You can totally eat zucchini raw and it’s delicious!” Eat it plain or dip it in your favorite hummus. Grate it or chop it into your salad.  I once went to a raw food workshop were they used a gadget called a spiralizer to magically cut a zuc into noodles for a spaghetti dish and it was phenomenal.

Health Benefits!

Zucchini is not only easy to grow, versatile and delicious, it’s a nutritional powerhouse! But remember most of the good stuff is found in the skin so no peeling. These bad boys not only contain the ability to lower cholesterol and blood pressure they can help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Not to mention prevent disease AND support a healthy immune system. Other benefits include protein for energy and fiber which aids in digestion. Fiber also helps to bond key vitamins and minerals for optimal nutritional delivery. This is especially useful since zucchini are loaded with vitamin C and also contain valuable vitamins B-6, A and K. I think the coolest thing I found in all my research is the inclusion of the trace mineral manganese, which helps the body to metabolize protein and carbs. It is also essential in amino acid production that allows the forming of collagen, creating healthy skin and wound healing.

Let’s not forget hydration, one of the most important factors in our health. Zucchini is mostly water, like 95%. This also means its low in calories. One whole medium zuc, (196g) is only 33 calories. So load up and feel good about it!

In honor of all this zucchini brain I’m going to put my recent kitchen madness out there.

Zucchini. Seven Days. Seven Ways.

Get ready!

 

 

 

 

Another Instayear

July 11th, 2013 . Posted in Chocolate Making, Lady Chocolatier Products, News | No Comments »
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Last spring I confessed to my obsession with: Photo’s from the kitchen: A year of Instagram. I must admit, it’s still a thing! I’m not sure when that will wear off, if ever and I’m ok with that. Another thing I’m not sure about is this video invasion, I’ve never been big into video but we’ll see. For now just photos from this girl. I still keep my followers and following to a minimum like I’m living in a small town and I like it that way. I even had prints and a couple of rad posters made a few months back using Printstagram. Which,  by the way turned out awesome and I’m still rocking my 3GS! My pics make it obvious I’m obsessed with food and I’m not sure how to embrace that but for now I will only subject you to my sweet side.

 

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