Zucchini Basil Cous Cous

Our garden is growing!  It has a lot of direct sunlight and with the heat, some things didn't make it (most of our strawberries, broccoli, lettuce) but other things are coming in great (zucchini, carrots, herbs, sunflowers, tomatoes, and chile peppers).  It's small but the girls have delighted in planting, watering, and especially picking.  Our zucchini plant is hard to keep up with - we've given away some to family and neighbors and I've been making lots of new and old favorite zucchini recipes.  Middle loves it just steamed or sautéed with a little salt and has been opposed to grating and baking with it which is actually great.

You could do lots with this basic recipe - varying the herb that you use (mint? thyme?) to go with the rest of your meal would be a start.  I was thinking some feta cheese would also be a good addition for next time.

Zucchini & Basil Cous Cous (8 side dish servings)
Original recipe from Food Network

10 oz couscous
2 cups chicken broth
2 T olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 T green onion, sliced
2 T basil, sliced thin
salt & pepper

Bring the broth to a boil.  Stir in the couscous, remove from heat and cover.  Let it stand for about 5 minutes.

In a large pan, heat the olive oil.  Add the red pepper flakes, garlic, zucchini, and green onions.  Cook until tender (about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Fluff the couscous with a fork and fold in vegetables.  Stir in the basil.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Zucchini Bread

I want to post this recipe before I do another vacation post.  I've made a few different quick bread recipes that are GF and my favorite remains this pumpkin bread.  However, it didn't seem like a summery treat to serve at my sister's bridal shower so I made the zucchini bread pictured above.  It was good - passed as a "normal" bread and the texture was pretty moist.  The original recipe called for chocolate chips (tossed first in a little cornstarch so they don't sink to the bottom) but I left them out.  If you have lots of zucchini in your garden and have someone in your life who is gluten free, make this for them!

Gluten Free Zucchini Bread (makes 2 loaves)
adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

3 cups high-quality all purpose gluten free flour mix
1 tsp. xanthan gum (if your mix doesn't already have it)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. packed light brown sugar
2.5 cups grated zucchini
3 eggs
1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Grease 2 standard loaf pans.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (including the sugars) and whisk to combine.  Whisk until there aren't any lumps from the brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, place the zucchini, eggs, banana, oil, and vanilla and mix to combine well.  Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Mix to combine.  Divide the batter between two loaf pans and smooth the top with a wet spatula.

Bake for 40-60 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and cool for about 30 minutes before removing from the pans and transferring to wire racks to cool completely before slicing.

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

Fall baking is in full swing!  I made this for a visit with an old friend last week and it was yummy.  Big didn't like it that she could see the flecks of zucchini in the bread (picky!) but Little ate it up.  I think if I had put in some mini chocolate chips, she could have been persuaded, but oh well - more for the rest of us!  It made a little more than 4 small loaf pans but you could do two large or even make muffins (not sure how many . . . probably 18?).

Pumpkin Zucchini Bread (2 large loaves or 4 small loaves)
Adapted - original recipe here

3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup oil
1 T vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 cup shredded zucchini

In a bowl, combine eggs and sugar.  Add pumpkin, vanilla, oil and applesauce and stir well.  In another bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.  Stir in zucchini.  Pour into two greased and floured 9x5 in. loaf pans (or 4 small ones or muffin tins).  Bake at 350 degrees until bread tests done (my small loaves took about 20 minutes.  Original recipe says 45-55 for big loaf pans).  Cool in pans 10 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack.

Summer Vegetable Frittata

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - 

just good food from fresh ingredients" - Julia Child

Summer Vegetable Frittata (serves 4)
from Better Homes & Gardens

3/4 lbs fresh asparagus
1/2 yellow sweet pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/4 wide inch strips
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. half and half or milk
1 T snipped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a pie pan and set aside.  Snap off and discard the woody bases of the asparagus and cut it into 1 inch pieces.

In a saucepan, bring about 1 inch water to a boil.  Add asparagus, yellow bell pepper, and onion.  Return just to boiling; reduce heat slightly.  Boil, covered, about 1 minute until crisp-tender.  Drain well.  Spread the asparagus mixture evenly in prepared baking dish.  Layer zucchini slices over asparagus.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper.  Pour over vegetables in baking dish.   Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake about 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  (186 cal / 13g protein)

Zucchini from the garden, part 2

Now for a savory take on zucchini.  My mother-in-law brought me an enormous zucchini from her garden in Temecula (think baseball bat) and it sat on the counter for about a week.  In that time, two different friends were over and told me that I should stuff it.  And, then, Elise had this recipe on her blog.  Perfect.  I haven't made stuffed zucchini before and this version doesn't use the scraped out zucchini pulp in the actual stuffing but it's a hearty vegetarian dish and we used cherry tomatoes from Big's garden.  I really loved how it turned out and now that Big has some huge zucchini ready to go, I'll probably be making it again soon.

don't know why my pictures turned out so bad this time around . . . 

Pesto Stuffed Zucchini (serves 4)
from Simply Recipes

2 cups of day old bread, cubed
1 T. butter
2 T. pine nuts, toasted
1 very large zucchini (at least 2 lbs)
1/4 cup pesto (I used store bought)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
A handful of cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
salt

The bread should be a little dry so it will toast better.  If you don't have day old bread (which I didn't), cut up fresh bread and spread on a baking sheet.  Heat in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes to dry it out.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium skillet, melt butter on medium.  Add the slightly dry cubed bread, toss to coat at least some of the sides in a little butter.  Lay out in a single layer and cook without moving the croutons until one side is lightly browned and then toss and let a few more sides get a little brown.  I burned mine a bit so watch out :)  Remove from pan and let it cool to the touch.

When the croutons are cool, toss together with mozzarella, and then the pesto.  Add the parmesan cheese, chopped cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and toast some more.

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the inner flesh with a metal spoon leaving about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness in the zucchini boats.  Place zucchini boats in a roasting pan.  Sprinkle the inside of the zucchini lightly with salt.  Fill them with the stuffing mixture.  Pour a cup or so of water into the bottom of the roasting pan (so that the zucchini doesn't dry out on the outside), to about 1/4 inch depth. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the stuffing is toasted and the flesh of the zucchini feels soft when poked with a fork.

Zucchini from the garden, part 1

"the best day of my life"

Big is super proud of her garden.  It's not as big as last year and she doesn't care for her most bountiful crop, the cherry tomatoes, but we have been harvesting some great stuff.  The last few years our tortoise George would eat her sunflower seedlings before they got very big and we never had a flower.  This year, Daddy made some raised planter boxes for Big and the sunflowers are growing.  A few days ago when the first blossom opened, Big said, "this is the best day of my life."

In the last few weeks, we've made 3 batches of these zucchini muffins with the zucchini from our garden.  They're a huge hit and a more healthful muffin recipe (no white flour or sugar except in the chocolate chips).  Hope you enjoy!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins (1 doz regular or about 30 mini)
from Bash!

1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
2 medium zucchini, grated
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
handful of chocolate chips (I used mini ones)

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes for regular sized muffins and about 12-15 minutes for mini muffins.  

Lamb & Zucchini Casserole

Ok, Martha Stewart calls this recipe a lasagna and although I guess lasagnas are technically casseroles, without cheese between the layers (or any pasta), I had a hard time selling this to my family as lasagna.  It was delicious and I'll be enjoying the leftovers and making it again soon.  I liked how the zucchini was roasted first and it still held it's shape and texture by the time the whole casserole was baked.

I made it ahead of time (naptime) and baked it at dinner time.  If you want to make it more lasagna-like, I might add feta (or ricotta) between the layers.  If you are like my mom and consider lambs to be friends, not food, substitute lean ground beef or ground turkey.  The fresh oregano made the recipe (in my opinion) and the nutrition information is pretty decent for a hearty dish like this - about 500 cal/serving.

Here's a photo of the first two layers:

Lamb & Zucchini Casserole (serves 6)
from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking sheets

5 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 yellow onion, diced small

2 garlic cloves

1 1/4 pounds ground lamb or beef

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 large tomatoes, diced large

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves

10 ounces part-skim ricotta (1 cup)

1/2 ounce Parmesan, grated (2 tablespoons)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush two rimmed baking sheets with oil. Divide zucchini between sheets; arrange in a single layer, turning once to coat. Season with salt and pepper; roast until softened, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add lamb and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until browned, 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer lamb to paper towels to drain and pour off fat from skillet. Return lamb to skillet; add tomato paste, tomatoes, and oregano. Stir to combine. Cook until tomato liquid is almost evaporated, 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce oven to 400 degrees. Spoon half the lamb mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish. Top with half the zucchini slices, overlapping to fit. Repeat layering with remaining lamb mixture and zucchini. Spread ricotta over top; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is browned in spots, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Tortellini & Veggies

Tortellini and ravioli are sort of a cop out homemade meal in our house.  Usually, it's just boiling a big pot of water and heating up some sauce from a jar.  A little better than take out or frozen pizza, but not much.  However, I'm pretty proud of this tortellini recipe.  It's been a favorite around here for a long time but I hadn't made it in quite awhile.

Ingredient note:  I used a natural refrigerated pasta brand I hadn't used before (whatever that Natural Vons brand is . . . not the "O" organics but the other one) and the actual tortellini was sort of lousy (the cheese filling was really chewy not creamy) so go with Buitoni or something you know you like.

Tortellini & Veggies (4 servings)

1 c. chopped onion
1 8oz package of sliced mushrooms
3/4 c. red pepper cut in chunks
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
9oz package of refrigerated cheese tortellini
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. red wine
2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 small zucchini
1/2 c. shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and cook onions, mushrooms, red pepper and garlic over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until the onion is tender.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, tortellini, water, wine, and seasonings.

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, simmer covered for 10 minutes.  While tortellini is simmering, cut your zucchini in half lengthwise and then in slices.  Stir the zucchini in and cook for 5 minutes more uncovered (until zucchini is crisp tender).  Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

And another summer salad

This was sooo good.  I wish I had more squash from our garden!  

Shaved Summer Squash Salad (4 servings)
from Bon Appetit, June 2011

1 lb summer squash (mix of green and yellow)
2 1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 minced garlic clove
1-2 cups of baby arugula
3 T whole almonds, toasted and coarsely crushed
or 3 T pine nuts, toasted
salt and pepper to taste
freshly shaved pecorino or parmasean cheese

Trim the ends off of the squash and use a vegetable peeler to thinly slice the squash lengthwise into strips.  Transfer to a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic clove, and salt (to taste).  Pour dressing over squash and let stand for a few minutes.  Then, add some baby arugula, shave some cheese over the top and toss.  Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with the nuts.
(134 cal/serving)

Ratatouille

When I saw this movie in the theater, I went into labor (on Labor Day) with my first baby girl.  I don't think that's why she loves cooking and food like me, but it demonstrates how even 9 months pregnant, my mind was on food.  I had a great time watching this movie with her recently.  She liked it a lot and had lots of questions about everything (as usual), one not surprising question being, "When can we make ratatouille?"  It worked out perfectly that one typical ingredient is summer squash, so after harvesting, we made ratatouille for the first time.

Ratatouille is a vegetable dish with a tomato sauce and the main vegetables are zucchini and eggplant.  Originally made in Provence, it was introduced to American cooks by Julia Child (how else?)  If you want to read it or try it, here's Julia Child's recipe.  I was going to make this recipe, but limited by time and not wanting that much oil/fat, I landed upon and used the recipe on Smitten Kitchen.  This recipe was inspired by the movie and was a departure from the traditional preparation of sauteing each vegetable before combining and baking the dish.  I followed it except for using fresh thyme (forgot).  The mandolin slicer works awesome here!

As for the result, let's just say that this is a work in progress.  It wasn't a crowd pleaser in my family but I really loved it.  Lots of vegetables, good sauce . . . I'll make it again for sure but next time I'll add more fresh herbs and possibly cook the sauce before putting it in the pan underneath the veggies to give it more depth of flavor.  We ate it as a main dish with crusty french bread and goat cheese but my husband said he would like it more as a side dish with some meat.  I think next time, I might use it as a filling for crepes.  Big sister liked making it (she loves patterns and was chanting "eggplant, squash, zucchini, pepper, eggplant, squash . . ." )

Ratatouille Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

How it looked coming out of the oven:

Green Stuff

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Today is the birthday of my dear sister-in-law.  She and my brother have only been married 6 years but it feels like she's been part of our family forever.  In addition to being a great mom to my adorable niece and nephew, a very giving and supportive friend, she's a fantastic cook.  She has thrown herself some birthday parties where the invitation was a menu for a crepe party . . . and the year after her first baby was born and she was battling candida, she made an amazing Irish feast (that she couldn't even eat) for about 30 people.  Happy birthday to you, Sonia!

Let's talk green . . . some exciting green stuff is poking up out of big sister's garden.  She went out there this morning to take pictures.  Hers are a little blurry but here's one I took of a squash plant:

Spring has sprung . . . 

And, although these aren't green, we made a St. Patrick's Day treat called "Irish Potatoes."  They're really homemade candies (think truffles or Mounds) rolled in cinnamon to look like little potatoes.  Big sister was a great help making these but she and I have ingested WAY too much sugar.  I'm already planning to try rolling them around a whole almond and dipping them in dark chocolate to make my own Almond Joys.

Here's the recipe.

And, the green stuff that's healthy for you.  I found a sad looking fennel bulb all by itself on a table at farmer's market last week and came up with this soup idea.  The end result was a little brownish (from the brown vegetable stock I used) but the green vegetables were beautiful while I was sauteing them.  I liked the end result - hope you do too!

Fennel & Zucchini Soup (about 4 cups)

1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
1 leek, sliced (white parts and some of the green)
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 T olive oil
4 c. vegetable broth
salt and pepper

Make sure you wash the leek well and separate the slices into rings.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the fennel, zucchini, leek, and fennel seeds.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 5 minutes.   Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until everything is really soft (about 15 minutes).

Blend up the soup (you can just puree the soft vegetables with a little broth and return to the pot or use a hand blender).  Taste, season with salt and pepper, and add a little lemon juice, sherry, or vinegar if you'd like.

The Real Reason She Bakes With Me

I let her lick the spoons, bowl, and mixer attachments when we're done!  

And yes, she dresses herself these days.  Got to love the "matching" stripes.

The afternoon of this picture we were making a Chocolate Zucchini Cake.  I know it sounds a little gross at first, but I've seen these recipes around forever and always wanted to try one out.  The taste was pretty good and the zucchini adds some good moisture to the cake and allows you to cut down on the fat (see the amounts of oil & butter below) but I had some air bubbles in the batter.  I think the texture of the cake would have turned out better if I didn't overmix it.  And, I'll share a little bit of the blame with my sous chef who loves cranking up the speed on my stand mixer.  When I'm not looking.  Or when I've just added flour or cocoa powder.  It's a mess, but still a lot of fun.

I also wasn't crazy about the one-bowl method in the recipe I used from the King Arthur Flour website so I changed it in the recipe below.  I was, however, a fan of the way that the icing is done . . . pretty nifty!  If you want to make a 9x13 pan, double the recipe below and bake it between 30 and 35 minutes.


Chocolate Zucchini  Cake (one 8x8 pan)
original recipe here


1/4 cup butter, room temperature 
1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup  granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup (4 ounces) sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt
1 1/4 cups  All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup plus 2 T cocoa powder
1 teaspoon1 espresso powder, optional but tasty
1 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips, for icing

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lighlty grease a 8" x 8" pan. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla.  Beat in the eggs.In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in the sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt alternately with the flour mixture. Finally, fold in the zucchini.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for 27 to 30 minutes, till the top springs back lightly when touched, and it seems set. Slide the cake out of the oven, sprinkle it evenly with the 1/2 cup chocolate chips, and return it to the oven for 5 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, and use a cake spatula or rubber spatula to spread the chocolate chips into a smooth glaze. Cool on a rack. 

Pumpkin Zucchini Carrot Bread

It felt a little fall-ish last week and I wanted to do some baking. I thought of making some pumpkin bread in my new mini loaf pans and then I decided to buy zucchini and make zucchini bread. I really could't make up my mind, so I got the idea of trying pumpkin zucchini bread. Well, I didn't have enough zucchini so I pulled some carrots out of the refrigerator and used some grated carrot too.

My mini-loaf experiment turned out pretty good. Big sister and I ate a whole mini loaf that afternoon but it tasted better the next day.

An added bonus of using carrots is that carrots are naturally pretty sweet so I decided to decrease the amount of sugar I would have used. If you don't want to use the agave or whole wheat flour, increase the sugar to 1 cup and use 2 cups of all purpose flour.

Pumpkin Zucchini Carrot Bread (4 mini loaves or 1 regular loaf)

1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. agave
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. grated zucchini
1 c. grated carrot
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat oil, sugar, agave, eggs and vanilla with a mixer until smooth, creamy and yellow. Then add the zucchini, carrot, and pumpkin and mix until well incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients together with a whisk. Add to the wet ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Divide evenly among four greased mini loaf pans (or one regular sized loaf pan) and bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Roasted Zucchini & Fennel with Rosemary

An easy weeknight side dish! I love having a rosemary plant in my backyard and it was a good compliment to the fennel.

Roasted Zucchini & Fennel with Rosemary (2 servings)

1 medium sized zucchini
1 fennel bulb
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 T pine nuts
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
olive oil
salt and pepper

Cut the zucchini lengthwise, cut it lengthwise again, and then cut across the zucchini in thirds to make spears. Cut the fennel into chunks about the same size as the zucchini. Toss in a bowl with enough olive oil to lightly coat it, the rosemary, and some salt and pepper.


Spread on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle half of the parmesan cheese on top and all of the pine nuts. Roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese over the vegetables before serving.

Zucchini

Happy May . . . my daughter learned the months of the year so I could explain when August is (the month of baby girl #2's expected arrival). Yesterday morning, she kept saying, "It's May now? Now it's May, mom?" 15 more weeks to go!

On to the food . . . I read in Russ Parson's book "How to Pick a Peach" that more than 6 million tons of summer squash are grown every year and that zucchini has only really been in the US since World War I. I know a few friends with gardens who tell me that they aren't hard to grow and usually bountiful. I'm not a gardener but this year (maybe it's that nesting thing?) I find myself wishing I had room to have a vegetable garden. Maybe next year in our new house!

I buy zucchini often and grate it or thinly slice it and add it to pasta sauce, lasagna, muffins, even cupcakes. When I serve it by itself, it's usually the boring way: steamed with a little salt and pepper. But, here are two delicious, easy ways that I've learned to prepare zucchini where it's the star of the show, not just those little green flecks in another recipe.

Braised Zucchini (quoted directly from How to Pick a Peach, p164).

Cut it up and cook it with a little olive oil, about 2 tablespoons water and some garlic in a covered skillet over medium-high heat. When the squash begins to become tender, remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring constantly, until the squash begins to glaze.

Lemon-Ricotta Zucchini with Pine Nuts (4 servings)

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 lb zucchini, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 oz ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the zucchini with olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast until crisp tender and slightly brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Sprinkle with nuts and scatter dollops of ricotta cheese on top and serve.

Teriyaki Salmon & Zucchini

I try to eat more Omega-3 fatty acids while I'm pregnant but sometimes I have a hard time preparing fish. I was intending to make this on the stove top this week but in the end, asked my husband to grill the fish outside.

I love homemade teriyaki sauce. This version isn't as thick as the bottled or restaurant versions, but it's light and flavorful. The zucchini goes nicely and I served it all with steamed jasmine rice. Even little girl ate a few bites!

Teriyaki Salmon and Zucchini (serves 2)

2 salmon filets, skin removed
2 zucchini sliced thinly
1 T toasted sesame seeds
1 c. teriyaki marinade (recipe follows)

Put salmon and 1/3 c. teriyaki marinade in a large ziplock bag and marinate for 20 minutes. Discard marinade and grill salmon until cooked through and flaky or heat a non-stick skillet or grill pan and cook on the stove top over medium heat until cooked through - about 5 minutes/side.

In a skillet, (you can use the same one as the salmon but take the salmon out first), saute the zucchini for 3-4 minutes. Add 2-3 T of the teriyaki sauce and cook until the zucchini is done. Serve the zucchini over or next to the salmon and sprinkle with sesame seeds and additional teriyaki sauce.

Teriyaki Marinade (makes 1.5 cups)

1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
2 T worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 T white wine vinegar
2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 T dried onion flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Save me from myself

If I'm not inspired about making main dishes or figuring out what's for meat these days, I'm way over-inspired when it comes to baking. As in I've made 2 batches (6 dozen) cookies, a cake, granola and a batch of muffins in the last four days and my butt feels huge. The three miles I ran this morning wasn't enough. I need an intervention.

There's a cake in the oven now and if it turns out well, I'll share that recipe soon but what I just finished baking is (luckily for me) to share with friends tomorrow. I'm seeing a college friend that I haven't seen in over two years and we get to meet each other's kids for the first time. So, in honor of that, I baked. As if I need an excuse.

I read about these muffins on Food Librarian and but the recipe is originally from Martha Stewart. The changes that I made were to sub part of the flour for whole wheat (you can use all-purpose for the whole 1 3/4 c.) and I decreased the sugar by 1/4 cup. They are a bit tart with the cranberry and definitely muffins, not zucchini cupcakes, but delicious.

Zucchini Cranberry Muffins (1 dozen)

1 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 eggs
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 t vanilla
1 c grated zucchini
1/2 cup cranberries, cut in half or quarters

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a muffin tin (or use paper liners). Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Then combine the eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and zucchini in another bowl. Add the wet to the dry, and stir until just combined. Then, stir in the cranberries. Don't overmix. Divide evenly in a muffin tin and bake for 18-22 minutes at 375 or until a tester comes out clean.

Sonia's Stir-Fry

Up next: My sister-in-law Sonia. I learned a lot about food and yeast when she was doing the Candida diet this past year - and a lot about perseverance! We share a love of cooking and I'm excited to try this - the combination of coconut milk and red curry sounds great.

Don’t be alarmed that one would follow a recipe for a meal as simple as a stir-fry. When I was on the Candida cleanse diet (for 7 long months) we all got really tired of rice, veggies, and meat “for meat” each night. But you might be surprised at all of the different ways to approach a stir-fry. I was inspired by Food and Wine’s May 2009 issue that presented a variety ways to cook veggies and meat in a fry pan prior to tossing it onto a plate full of white or brown rice. The following is a great stir-fry recipe that compliments a Candida cleanse diet (God forbid any of Bec’s foodie readers ever have to do that) and it proves that you do not have to have sugar or gluten or yeast or broth or mushrooms to enjoy a tasty stir-fry.

Thai Chicken, Zucchini and Tomato Curry Stir-Fry 4 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts sliced ½ inch thick
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 onion sliced ¼ inch thick
2 zucchini cut into 2 by ½ inch sticks
1 ½ cups of cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk (I ended up using about 1 tablespoon more, and the real stuff is better than the LIGHT)
2 tablespoon water
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ cup chopped cilantro
rice for serving
optional garnish: cashew pieces

1. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until just white throughout, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

2. Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Add the onion and stir-fry over moderately high heat for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and cherry tomatoes and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the curry paste, coconut milk, water, lime zest and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and stir for another minute or two. Sir in the cilantro. Transfer to bowls and serve with rice.
WINE: Strawberry-scented rose: 2008 Domaine du Bagnol. Or in our household, a chilled glass of white Charles Shaw does the job.

Don’t be scared off by the curry either… it is mild enough for those who can’t handle spicy food (however, I make it spicier). I like to add cashew pieces for garnish (they also sweeten it a little). And because you don’t use soy sauce, this recipe is also low in sodium. My husband douses his with table salt (I try not to be offended).

Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

Again inspired by the Food Librarian's post, I was excited to make these cupcakes this weekend. Paula and I had fresh zucchini from the Eugene Saturday Market and we made an entire batch - yes, 24 cupcakes. She was hosting a book club on Sunday night so her friends got to enjoy our efforts but I'm embarrassed to tell you how many we ate between the time we made them and that book club meeting.

The original recipe is from Martha Stewart's cupcake book but we left out the walnuts, substituted lemon zest for orange zest, used olive oil instead of canola, and freshly ground our own cloves. The texture was great and if you don't like zucchini bread, you'll probably still love this. The zucchini makes them really moist and Paula was making cream cheese frosting before her book club - everything is good with cream cheese frosting on top!

When I asked Paula how the cupcakes were, told me that they were talking about death and the holocaust when the cupcakes were being eaten and one girl said she wanted to yell out "these are amazing" but didnt think it would be appropriate.

I don't have anything very new or interesting to say in the debate about the differences between cupcakes and muffins, but I agree that qualifies for cupcake status. One thing we tried that I had never done before was use the foil muffin liners on a baking sheet (instead of in a muffin tin). I've seen on the container that you can do that but have always been a little chicken. The result was that those cupcakes weren't perfectly round but it worked great!



Zucchini Spice Cupcakes (2 dozen)

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup olive oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 cups packed grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In another bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla, and zest until well blended; whisk in brown sugar until smooth. Stir in zucchini, then add flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full. Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Frosting options: You can make a cream cheese frosting or a powdered sugar icing for the top to make them like real cupcakes but I enjoyed them plain!