Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

We have hit that point in summer where zucchini is beyond abundant.  My favorite thing to do with zucchini is to bake with it.  Super fresh zucchini grated and mixed into a bread or muffin is just so good. 

My favorite recipe this summer comes from Smitten Kitchen.  It is so easy to mix up and it holds up long enough for us to enjoy muffins for a quick breakfast for several days during the work week.  My favorite combo for the extra-goodness-ingredients would be chocolate chips, walnuts and golden raisins.  Yummy.

Zucchini Bread

Very slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Yield: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins (or 1 loaf and 12 muffins - my preferred combo!)

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.

Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Zucchini Cookies

During a recent trip to my parent's farm I had the urge to bake so found myself flipping through my mom's cookbooks.  It felt a little bit like I stepped back 20 years as those Betty Crocker cookbooks from the sixies were how I killed time many, many afternoons when I was a kid and "running down to the garden" for ingredients was a daily task.  When I landed on the recipe for Zucchini Cookies with a Lemon Frosting I was intrigued and so had to try them.  And of course take the subsequent trip down to the garden for the zucchini.

They are really quite wonderful.  Light, moist, and almost spongy in texture with a hint of fall in the nutmeg that is balanced by the tart of the frosting.  I was happy to come across this little recipe as it is a nice break from the traditional cookie flavors.

Zucchini Cookies

Adapted from Betty Crocker

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all -purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 to 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix sugars, butter, and eggs in a mixing bowl.  Sift together in a medium sized bowl the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.  Stir the flour mixture in with the butter mixture.  Add the remaining ingredients.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched.  After they cool frost with Lemon Frosting.

Lemon Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix powdered sugar, margarine, and lemon peel. Beat in lemon juice; stir in additional lemon juice or water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until spreading consistency.  Use water to thin if you prefer a little less tartness.

Enjoy!

- Tara

Veggie Baking Goodness: Zucchini Bars

There is something funny about zucchini being the star ingredient of a baked good, no?  Growing up in an evironment where our garden was bigger than most city back yards we ate a lot of fresh veggies and I really didn't question it that zucchini was in a baked dessert, it tasted good and that was enough.  Just recently I discovered that zucchini botanically is an immature fruit... so no wonder its versatility!

Zucchini Bars are one of those family favorites from childhood that I find myself needing to make every once in a while.  I used to bake a lot when I was growing up as I enjoyed the methodical nature of making something with just myself in the kitchen but how everyone's eyes would light up a little when saw a fresh baked treat.  I still love that.

Zucchini Bars

From: My family's recipe box

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup walnuts (optional)
3 tsp vanilla

Cream the brown sugar, eggs, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Whisk together the salt, flour, baking powder, and soda; mix in with the egg mixture.

Mix in the vanilla, zucchini, and nuts.

Bake in a jelly roll pan (10" x 15") at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups powedered sugar
8 oz cream cheese

Beat well & spread on cooled bars.

Enjoy!

 - Tara

Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini and Pasta

A perfect summer meal, in my opinion.  Nothing is worse than having to use the oven and multiple burners when its 95 degrees outside and the air conditioning is working hard to keep the apartment cool.  This recipe is incredibly simple, it only uses two burners, is quick, and the only real cooking technique you need to know is how to devein and clean shrimp.  If you don't know how to devein shrimp, you can use precooked, but it won't taste as good as the shrimp will be too chewy since you want to sautee them in butter.  There is a short video here on how to devein shrimp, definitely worth learning how to do this if you love to eat shrimp.

Recipe: Summer Shrimp Scampi
Serves 2 - 1 lb of fresh shelled and deveined shrimp
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 Tbs fresh Parsley
- 1 medium Zucchini, chopped and quartered
- 1 medium Red Pepper, chopped and quartered
- 1/2 cup halved red grape Tomatoes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese
- Half box of linguini pasta, cooked

Devein and clean the shrimp, saute in butter for about 3-5 min stiring frequently.  Add garlic, white wine and lemon juice, saute further until sauce reduces about 3 min.  Set aside in a large bowl.  Add oil to pan and set to medium low heat.  Add zucchini and peppers, saute for about 4-5 min stiring frequently.  Add tomatoes, and parsley to pan and continue to saute for another 2 min.  Combine cooked vegetables in large bowl with shrimp and pasta, stir to combine.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

All in all a very healthy and easy recipe.  If you don't have shrimp, or want to try something different, Scallops can be substitued.

- Dan