Zucchini Bread

My husband has this saying and he's usually right.  "Don't change horses in the middle of the road" or "If it's not broken, don't fix it".  I recently tried to fix it using a different recipe for zucchini bread.  I'm sure the recipe probably worked but in my rush to bake this delicious bread, I grabbed the wrong measuring cup, thus using half the amount of flour for the bread.  So, as I watched the oven, needless to say after ample amount of baking time, the bread was still like mush.  All was not lost though.  I grabbed some frozen blueberries and proceeded to build a blueberry cobbler, of sorts.  It turned out okay, but lesson learned on measuring correctly.

I realized while glancing through my blog that I hadn't posted my zucchini  bread recipe which is fairly fool proof!  It's the perfect way to put a dent into a huge zucchini harvest!   Hopefully it works for you....

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, beat until foamy.  Add 

2 cups shredded zucchini
1 c crushed pineapple

In another bowl blend (I use a whisk instead of sifting)

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg

Add the flour mixture into the egg/sugar mixture  folding until well blended.  Add the 

1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (I like pecans)

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Enjoy! 

Zucchini Palooza

I feel it is my civic duty to provide a few recipes for dealing with the prolific zucchini.  We've been fortunate once again to have an abundance of zucchini, yellow squash and the ripening, as I speak, "better boy" big juicy red tomatoes!   I discovered this year that eggplant, whether the thin Japanese type or mini globe specie, is a delicacy for squirrels!  Here one day and gone the next!  Oh well, they must be hungrier than me.

If you're wondering what to do with your bounty, look no further.  You can make zucchini hash, zucchini soup, ratatouille, zucchini patties or sticks and for dessert, try the chocolate zucchini cake!  In addition to these you can also, steam, saute with a bit of olive oil or coconut oil and eat it fresh from the garden, raw along with good ole ranch or blue cheese dressing!

Just click on the items above for each zucchini post.

Stay tuned for delicious tomato ideas!

Zucchini Hash

I sadly gaze out my window at what was once a thriving garden filled with the Summer's finest producing  zucchini plants this backyard has ever seen.  After a rambunctious wind storm this past weekend that hammered our yard, downed tree branches and stripped them of their ever changing Fall colors, I can, at least, reminisce about a staple side dish of zucchini hash!  I will surely miss my sweet fresh zucchini..

I think of the word hash and remember my mom combining potatoes, cubes of meat, onions and whatever else she could think of and calling it dinner.  Somehow it worked quite nicely and is the inspiration for this meatless dish.

Zucchini Hash

2 cups chopped zucchini (bite size pieces)

5-6 small Yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried or fresh rosemary

1-2 Tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

1/3 cup broth

Optional herbs:  lemon balm, parsley, Thai basil (all fresh and chopped)

In a pan of water parboil the potatoes first leaving the skins on.  Cool slightly and cut into bite size pieces.

In a large frying pan add the oil and butter, melt on medium heat.  Add the zucchini, potatoes, onion,  and garlic powder.  Cook until zucchini starts to soften, stirring as you go.  Add the rosemary and other herbs and broth.  Keep stirring occasionally until done.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

By now those of you who planted a garden have been in the "harvest mode" and you're wondering what to do with all your bounty.  I think this year my zucchini harvest will go down in history and into the record books.  And I don't even want to mention the prolific tomato harvest, yet!  I've given quite a bit away to friends, neighbors and family, but I don't seem to be putting a dent in the zucchini!  I've made almost everything imaginable, except a pure and simple zucchini soup.  Here goes...

Cream of Zucchini Soup

3 medium size zucchini, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

32 oz. of veggie or chicken broth

1 tsp herb de Provence

Place all of the above ingredients into a large pot, bring to a boil, turn down the heat to low and simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Puree in a blender (cover the blender top with a towel and puree in batches to avoid overflow)   Then, return the soup to the pot.  At this point I refrigerated until dinner time.  The flavors just get better, too.  Reheat, and season with salt and pepper.  To make it "creamy" I added 2 Tbsp of fat free sour cream or yogurt cheese which is plain yogurt that has been strained in a coffee filter overnight.  The consistency is thick and not as tart.  

It serves about 4 and would be even better with the addition of rustic home made croutons.

Ratatouille

For those of you, not in the know, ratatouille is actually the name of a French Provencal stew.  It's what you do when the zucchini, tomato and eggplants in your garden have decided it's time for a coup.  A take over!    Several years ago I had a VERY prolific tomato plant about the size of one of those "smart cars" you see around.  It virtually attacked and claimed a corner of my yard and even though it was attacked by the dreaded spiny looking tomato worm, the plant still provided pound after pound of huge juicy tomatoes.

Enter the heirloom black zucchini plant!  In my neck of the woods, high desert and usually dry, we don't plant most veggies in the ground until late May or early June.  Even then, weather can be fickle with bouts of dry, alternating with snow and quick freezes.  My zucchini plant struggled at first and while I went on a short vacation my dad watered and watched over my garden.  Now, I don't know what he said to these plants, but upon my return,  Magic!   He's always had a green thumb.  I began to grow zucchini in a big way, picking consistently two or 3 a day.  I also planted one Japanese eggplant which was almost nibbled to the ground by a resident rabbit.  Thanks for the trim!  Now, it thrives, too.

This ratatouille recipe is great when your garden is going gangbusters!  While I had measurements, you don't have to be so exact.  You're not baking a cake, it's a stew!  Ratatouille is even better the next day as the flavors blend.

2 cups, chopped peppers (I used an assortment of colors)

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3-4 small Japanese eggplant.  (no need to peel, chop into 1/2 inch pieces)

2 cups zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch or bite size pieces

1 1/2 -2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 c of diced canned organic tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 tsp herbs de Provence

1/2 tsp thyme

a handful of chopped parsley (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Once everything is chopped up this dish is easy.  I started with 2 Tbsp of olive oil to get the veggies cooking.  Add the peppers, onions, eggplant and zucchini, stirring until the onions begin to soften.  Add the tomatoes, garlic, canned tomatoes, bay leaf, herbs and thyme.  Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat. 

Cover and reduce the heat to low.  Let it simmer for another 30 minutes or longer, checking to see if the liquid has evaporated.  You can add a bit (1/4 cup) of water or broth to keep them moist.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Make sure you let a spoonful cool,; the veggies are very hot at this point!

You can serve after letting it cool a bit or refrigerate for the next day.  I like to put a dollop of goat cheese on top...delicious!

Zucchini Sticks

This morning I was surprised to find my first zucchini blossoms!  Yes, the stars must be perfectly aligned because, so far, two plants are thriving  and haven't been nibbled on (cross my fingers!).  I picked a few blossoms to scramble with one egg for breakfast.  Last week it was arugula omelets and a few weeks before, spinach on toast.  Assorted lettuce was at its peak waiting to be tossed as a FRESH salad.  So, yes, I get excited when I can go into my garden and pick something to go with each meal of the day. 

Zucchini sticks in the past were deep fried and delicious, don't get me wrong.  But, when you want to eat healthier put away the fryer and bake them.   You can create a crunchy coating by using egg whites and panko bread crumbs.  These are worth a try!

Zucchini Sticks 

2 medium size zucchini, cut into large matchstick shapes

1 egg or equivalent of egg white liquid

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

a sprinkle of garlic powder, paprika and salt

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 lemon (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put egg white in a bowl.  Place the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, paprika a, salt and cheese into a shallow pie plate.  Dip zucchini into egg, coating both sides and move into the crumb mixture.  Use a cookie sheet which has been sprayed with pan spray.  

Bake for 10 minutes on each side for a total cooking time of 20 minutes.  Squeeze a bit of lemon if you wish.  Serve immediately.  Good with ranch dressing or all by themselves!

Mexican Pizza

Years ago, probably over 30 or so, I used to order a Mexican pizza at a local restaurant.  It was smothered with cheese and heaped four inches tall with lardy refried beans.  Not really a healthy vegetable to be seen.  Those were the days when I actually had a metabolism and a waist!  Nowadays that would be a TOTAL splurge.  Ordering something like that would send me into a guilt pattern of thinking for at least a week!    Not to mention the time and energy it would take to possibly work it off!

 Here's a meal you can throw together in a matter of minutes.  Perfect for a week day when most of you are short on time and energy!   The amounts aren't exact, but this isn't rocket science!  It's a much healthier version of my Mexican pizza of the past.  Enjoy!

Mexican Pizza

(makes 4)

4 medium size whole grain or combination corn/wheat tortillas

1 can nonfat spicy beans

1 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese blend or jack cheese

about 3-4 sliced mushrooms, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 medium zucchini or summer squash, sliced

1/4 cup vegetable stock

roasted garlic fresh salsa (optional)

avocado slices (optional)  for garnish

non fat sour cream (optional) garnish

Saute the vegetables in stock first and set aside.  I like to heat the beans in a small saucepan as I do the veggies.  To make one pizza, spread a tortilla with beans, top with veggies, add 1/4 cup cheese.  Put on a plate and microwave for about 40 seconds.  Remove and garnish with your choice of salsa, avocado. sour cream, etc.  Do the same for the rest of them.

This is a great "beginner" recipe for kids, just be there to supervise.

Crispy Baked Squash Chips

When I saw this recipe online last week,  I knew it would be a hit.  It's great for snacks and a good low carb selection.  I had to try it!  It beats plain old steamed squash.  This a MUST TRY for the self professed "culinary challenged" crowd, and you know who you are.


Crispy Baked Squash Chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small pie pan mix the following: 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp herb de Provence (optional, but good)  Dried thyme would also be a good substitute.

Cut 2 medium size summer squash or zucchini into about 3/4 inch slices.  Place 1 Tbsp of olive oil into a bowl, throw in the squash and mix.  Dip the oiled squash rounds into panko on both sides.  Some  of the breading will stick although  they won't be completely covered.  That's okay.

Place each round onto a cookie sheet which has been sprayed with pan spray.  Salt and pepper is optional.  Put the extra panko on top of each until mixture is gone.  

Bake for about 10-12 minutes.  No need to turn.  Serve immediately.  

Zucchini Patties

Is your  kitchen counter overflowing with zucchini, yet?  Mine is, but I don't mind.  There's so much you can do with this vegetable!  I've been hiding it in bread, cake, assorted vegetable dishes and now the classic zucchini patties.  At least they were a classic in my home for many years.

I've pretty much thrown ingredients together over the years, sometimes getting good and some bad results.  The most important thing you can do to insure the best result would be to press all the liquid you can from the grated zucchini.  If you don't, they will ooze and run all over the place.  These zucchini patties were moist on the inside, yet crispy on the outside.  So, if you're searching for another zucchini recipe, try this one.

Ingredients:

2 cups grated zucchini, liquid drained

1/4 cup diced onion

2 Tbsp flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp either plain Greek yogurt, mayo or an egg  (use what you prefer.  I used Greek yogurt this time.)

salt & pepper to taste

 For the coating:

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 small egg

For the pan:

a combination of 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp of butter

In a bowl mix the zucchini, onion, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Stir in either the yogurt, mayo or egg.  The mixture should be stiff enough to form a patty.  It may help to moisten your hands with a bit of water first.  Yes, it is messy!  As you make each patty, gently set them onto a sheet of waxed paper.  These patties were roughly 2 1/2 inches in diameter.  The recipe makes about 6-8 patties depending on size. 

In 2 different pie plates or shallow dishes, put the bread crumbs in one and the beaten egg in another.  Heat the oil/butter combo in a large skillet.  Turn up the heat to medium and gently start to dredge the each patty in egg first, then coat with breadcrumbs.  Quick note for first timers:  You may want to coat them ALL first and lay them back onto the waxed paper if you can't work quick enough.

Cook on the first side for about 6-8 minutes, turn and continue to cook for about the same time.  The coating will get quite brown but not to worry.  They're really tasty.

Tangy Zucchini Slaw

For the longest time I turned my nose up at the thought of eating any kind of slaw.  My first job was at Kentucky Fried Chicken where you got cole slaw or mashed potatoes instead of fries with that!  I would pour huge bags of cabbage into trash can-like containers, open bags of liquid dressing and mix away, practically diving into the mess slaw with every stir.  You get the picture.  So, yes, it took me a while to realize I was better off making my own.  Most of the time I know exactly what goes into my food.

For some unknown reason I  recently had a craving for slaw!  Here's my version of it with the addition of shredded zucchini.  MUST get rid of this zucchini any way I can!

Ingredients:

2 cups very thinly sliced "ribbons" of red cabbage (green cabbage can also be used)

1 cup shredded zucchini  Squeeze the excess liquid from it before measuring.

1/3 cup thinly sliced onion.

Vinaigrette

juice from 1/2 lime

1 Truvia packet (or the equivalent of other sugar, a tsp or so)

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar  (I used roasted garlic flavor)

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put the cabbage, zucchini and onion in a large bowl or container.  In a smaller bowl whisk the vinaigrette together and pour over the cabbage.  Blend well and season with salt and pepper to taste. This can be served immediately but it's best if it "marries" in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  Serves 4.

Italian Fried Zucchini

Although not a bumper crop, my zucchini is finally gaining momentum!  Apparently, the "farmer" who grew the zucchini for this recipe did have a bumper crop of gigantic foot long squash.   I like to  use those big ones for shredding to put into a zucchini bread recipe.  1/2 of one went to the previous chocolate zucchini cake while a whole zucchini, along with an eggplant, was fried up with an Italian twist.

I know there's a healthier way to prepare this, but why ruin a good thing.  Just don't eat it as often.  It is time consuming, so not for beginners unless you like a good challenge.  The key is to set up a "work station" so it flows better.  From right to left, picture this.  (I guess a picture would have been nice, huh?)  Next time I make this, I'll take a picture of the "work station".

In a column I have the sliced zucchini or eggplant in a bowl or plate waiting to be cooked.  Below that, a pie plate size dish containing the beaten egg.  Lastly, below the egg is a pie plate of flour.  On the stove top is a 12 inch frying pan you'll cook the zucchini in.  To the left of that will be a saucepan with your favorite marinara sauce.  To the left of the sauce will be a casserole dish waiting for the finished product.  Below that will be a plate covered with paper towels.  After you fry the zucchini, place on the paper towels to absorb some of the oil.  The last container on the left will be some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for garnish. 

Now you've got the idea!  Take zucchini and dredge in egg, then flour and place in the heated pan with the oil in it.  When done on both sides, remove the zucchini to the paper towels, blotting (gently pressing down).  Leave there to start the process over with more zucchini.  When that batch goes into the pan, remove the absorbing ones to the casserole dish placing a layer at a time, salt and pepper, smear a dollop of marinara on top and a sprinkle of cheese.  Whew!  I never said this would be easy, but tastes so good.

NOTE: About half way through the frying process the oil turns a yucky brown.  This is when I remove from the heat, cool the pan down and pour the drippings into a "safe place" (old coffee can) and wipe the pan to remove the rest of the yucky.  Pour more oil into the pan, heat up and your ready for the second half.

So, have I lost you yet?  If not, here are the ingredients:

1 large zucchini or eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch thickness rounds.  I don't peel the zucchini, but I do peel the eggplant.  

2-3 eggs, beaten  Sometimes when I cook the eggplant only,  I can get away with 2 eggs.

About 1-2 cups flour  Again, you may start out with 1 cup and need to add more flour.

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil   I start with covering the bottom of the pan - about 1/8 inch and may need to add more between batches.  Eggplant absorbs the oil like a sponge, it seems.

1 - 1 1/2 cups marinara

1/2 cup or more of grated cheese - Parmesan or Romano

Okay, so this sounds a bit like rocket science but I can do this process in my sleep by now.  Hey, I'm married to a wonderful Italian man.  He likes his zucchini and eggplant Parmesan.  His mother would make it for the family and he'd bring his eggplant sandwiches for school lunch only to get them stolen.  It's that good and ALWAYS better the next day.  Enjoy.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

If you have an over abundance of zucchini from your garden, and most people do right now, here's a way to put a dent in it and enjoy your harvest.  As for me, my harvest has been slow and sporadic.  For some reason I've gotten shriveled or tapered ends on my zucchini.   Although unsightly, it doesn't stop me from using these.  Who's going to know if they're shredded up!

Not so pretty but perfect for breads and cakes!

When I run across recipes, I check over the ingredients to see if I can cut off some of the fat or sugar. I guess this behavior comes from a lifetime of dieting and trying to eat right.  But, I was in one of my moods that made me declare "Who gives a rip!"   The only adapting I did was using vegan cane sugar (because that's what I had) instead of regular sugar.  Besides, there is healthy zucchini in the recipe making it moist and satisfying.  I rarely put frosting on top unless it's a special occasion so I figure I'm cutting back, right?  Sure....

Chocolate Zucchini Cake - Adapted from The Italian Dish Blog

2 - 2 1/2 cups of medium grated zucchini.  I used my handy box grater.

1 Tablespoon of coconut oil or butter can be used to grease the pan

1 cube  (8 Tbsp)unsalted butter, room temp and cut into pieces

2- 3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1- 1/2 cup sugar.  I used vegan sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk  (if you don't have any, put 1/2 Tbsp of white vinegar in milk  and let it sit for 15 minutes before using.)

Grate your zucchini and make sure it is squeezed and well drained.  Grease a 9 inch round baking pan with the coconut oil or butter and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.  In another larger bowl beat the butter and sugar until fluffy,  Add the oil while beating, then the eggs one at a time, add vanilla and start to incorporate the flour and buttermilk in batches using a low speed on your mixer.  Stir in the zucchini and pour into the pan.  Bake until done, for about an hour.  Check with a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake.  When it comes out clean, it's done.  Remove from the oven and cool for approximately 15 minutes.  Invert and carefully remove it from the pan.  Dust with powdered sugar or frost with your favorite frosting.

Kitchen Remodel - Getting Down to the Wire

We are beginning week three of the kitchen remodel.  The granite is almost complete and I'm a happy girl.  Today the sink, faucets, cabinet doors, hinges, knobs, etc. are being installed as I speak.   Light fixtures, carpet tacking, baseboards, and appliance installation are in the near future.  I should be back in business by week's end, hopefully.

A peek at the granite

We were thankful for the dinner invites over the weekend.  Although, cameras were a bit intrusive, we enjoyed our dear friend's dinner, yard and friendship, immensely.  Their property is very zen-like, with tall pines, grasses and huge waterfall tumbling towards the patio area.  Beautiful, relaxing!

Meals continue in my gourmet garage.  I snagged some rustic Italian bread which was leftover from our meal by "waterfall resort".  So, last evening, I threw together a panzanella penne pasta.  I'll post  the recipe later this week.  Other than the pasta, our meals were a bit lack luster.   I'm proud to say that we haven't had any meals out, other than with friends and family.  We survived on baked potatoes, mixed sauteed veggies, quesadillas with the first harvest of zucchini.  I will surely be inundating you with a bunch of zucchini recipes once again!

Veggie quesadilla

Grilled chicken with foil wrapped veggies

Sauteed zucchini and beet tops

All in all, this major remodel has been a breeze, thanks to a great crew, a little more patience, and help from our friends and family.  We appreciate you all!

"Personal Pan" Mini Garden Frittata

For lunch the other day I was craving veggies from the garden.  My beets are growing nicely and now that a proper wire fence to keep the critters out has been installed, I've been able to salvage a few zucchini blossoms before the rabbits and squirrels get them!  These are great in scrambled eggs, (blossoms and beet tops, not rabbits and squirrels!) and also excellent in frittatas.

While trying to be a little health conscious, I used egg whites, only.  I realize making a frittata is not rocket science, however, have you ever tried to make one on a hotplate in your garage.  I thought not! 

Place a tablespoon of butter into a nonstick frying pan and melt on medium heat.  Add what ever you want in your frittata.  My choice was a few cut up zucchini flowers (or thinly sliced zucchini) and cut up beet tops.  (Spinach would be a good substitute if you don't have beet tops or leaves hanging around.)  Cook these until barely limp.  Add egg whites  (about 1/4-1/2 cup) or the whole egg (2), slightly beaten.  Continue to cook until egg sets and is dry around the edges.  At this point, I added some buffalo mozzarella medallions (2 cut up).  Now you'll need to flip this over to cook on the other side.  This should be easy if you used a non stick pan!  If you didn't, so sorry...  It will still taste great!

Other remodel meals we've had during the first week were chili dogs last night. 

Gourmet Delight!

 Then my dad and mom brought over the best homemade clam chowder, the night before.  What a blessing that was!

The Best Clam Chowder!

So as the week comes to an end, here's a look at some progress:



Passed the electric and gas inspection!  (Thanks to the furry "inspector in training)



Not much difference, but I'll keep you posted.

Zucchini Oatmeal Spice Cookies

What a mouthful for a cookie name! These small cookies pack a big punch when it comes to flavor and you'll want a mouthful because they're almost "guilt free". I had a request to make more "healthy" cookies so I went to the pantry to see how I could switch it up. I found raisins and oats summoning me. I also had a small amount of hazelnuts waiting to be used. This is how I cook. My pantry has a way of dictating my meals.

I substituted a few ingredients from the chocolate zucchini cookie version I posted a few weeks ago and came up with the following equally good if not better healthy cookie. I even eliminated the butter and eggs in this recipe!

Ingredients:

1/2 c applesauce

1 c brown sugar

1 1/4 c oats

1 T oil

1 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground

1 1/4 c grated zucchini

1/2 c raisins

1/2 c hazelnuts

1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl or stand mixer cream applesauce and brown sugar. Combine flour, oats, spices, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to the sugar mixture until blended. Add zucchini, mix and add nuts, raisins, and zest. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased or parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for around 15 minutes. These are soft, healthy and full of flavor. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.

My next cookie extravaganza experiment will be a Zucchini chocolate chip oatmeal cookie! Yum!

Road Trip Chocolate Zucchini Cookies

We took a road trip of sorts last Wednesday. A quick ride to the OC in California and back a day later. I can't tell you how many times we've driven this road since we moved from there over 35 years ago! We can probably do it in our sleep. It was actually for my aunt's funeral and you just do what you have to do and always do what's right. More on that later.

When it comes to food and snacks on our road trip it has always meant, Cheetos! Although I'm not a fan of chips and crackers I love, love Cheetos. I even had a cat that would help me eat Cheetos. He'd sneak into the cupboard, pry open the door and dump them on the ground to eat them! Pretty smart!

Anyway, this trip was different, No Cheetos. How will I survive? Chocolate is always a good substitute so I came up with these chocolate, zucchini, of course, cookies. I used a recipe from allrecipes.com but changed a few ingredients to make it even healthier! They taste much better than they look. (They resemble a cow paddy, sorry.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet or simply use parchment paper.

Ingredients:

1/2 c butter, softened

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 c white flour

2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c rolled oats

1/3 c cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 c zucchini, grated

In a bowl cream the butter, and sugars until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla and spice. Combine the flours, oats, cocoa, baking soda and salt and gradually stir into the other mixture. Fold in the zucchini and drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for approx. 11 minutes. Allow to cool. Makes about 4 dozen soft cookies. Perfect for that road trip! Enjoy!

Stuff That Zucchini!

Forgive me for doubting the "almighty zucchini" this season. It got a slow start so I figured we had received most of the harvest. Then the warm weather returned this past week and I'm inundated with more zucchini! What to do!

I found one hiding under the gigantic leaves, avoiding the "pick". It must have been 1 foot in length and 3 inches round. That's rather large according to my standards but to some maybe not. Remember, I have all those garden helpers scampering about so this was the mother lode! It was crunch time for dinner so I challenged myself to make this meal without having to go to the store on a Sunday afternoon.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. I cut the foot long squash in half and then half again only lengthwise. I parboiled them for about 5 minutes to softened the pulp. Using a spoon, scoop out the pulp leaving a trench for the stuffing. Place zucchini on a foil lined sheet pan. In a saucepan, saute:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

1 T onion

about 4 mushrooms, chopped

cut up the removed pulp

add 1 T tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

After cooking the above, put 2 T ricotta and 1 T seasoned bread crumbs together in a bowl. Add mushroom mixture to the bowl and mix well. Start stuffing the mixture into carved out zucchini mounding as you go. Sprinkle with a small amount of Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Sorry to say there will be more zucchini creations in the near future! Any ideas?