Chocolate Kahlúa Zucchini Bread

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chocolate, Kahlua, zucchini

It may not be zucchini season anymore, but I found some pretty zucchinis for a good price so I couldn’t resist! Plus, it has chocolate… and Kahlúa. I loooove Kahlúa!! And chocolate! Put it all together, and you have an amazing bread. It’s moist and flavorful. Plus, Kahlúa is coffee liqueur, and coffee means breakfast, hence we have a perfect breakfast bread (it’s okay, the alcohol is burned off anyways)!

I adapted the recipe from it’s original to make it truly a quick bread. No creaming of butter and sugar required, and no stand mixer needed. Just a spoon and a bowl, and your a little arm muscle! I love quick breads that you can pretty much just throw together!Chocolate Kahlúa Zucchini Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup canola oil
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup Kahlúa
1 cup shredded zucchini
½ cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8½x4-inch loaf pan; set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, and eggs. Whisk to blend, then add Kahlúa. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently stir in zucchini and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until wood pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes then turn out onto wire rack and finish cooling.

Source: Adapted from Worth the Whisk

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Zucchini-Pineapple Cupcakes with Lemon Sour Cream Frosting

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cinnamon, cupcake, lemon, pineapple, sour cream, zucchini

One last zucchini recipe to finish off the week! I realize a lot of people are switching to fall mode now, with pumpkin and apple recipes and lots of warming comfort foods. These do not fall under that category. But in my defense, it is still hot here and still feels like summer, so I can’t bring myself to shift from summer to fall just yet. There is an apple stand on my way to work that’s just calling my name, but I’m not yet ready for apple pie or other yummy apple goodies. Their time will come soon enough, and there will be a large box of apples waiting for me when I’m ready!

As for these cupcakes, they’re very light with a bright flavor, perfect for summer or hot days. I was drawn to these because I thought the pineapple and sour cream were unique twists. I try to avoid cake mixes since it’s so easy to make your own from scratch, but sometimes it’s nice to have the simplicity of using a box mix (and I couldn’t figure out a simple way to replicate box mix). The original recipe called for an orange icing, but I’m not a huge fan of orange in baked goods and lemon seemed like it would go better. While I can’t compare the lemon with the orange, I thought the lemon went perfectly, but feel free to switch it up!Zucchini-Pineapple Cupcakes with Lemon Sour Cream Frosting

Cupcakes:
1 package (about 18 ounces) yellow cake mix without pudding in the mix
3 eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini, about 1 medium zucchini
1 (8-ounces) can crushed pineapple, well drained

Frosting:
3½ cups powdered sugar
⅔ cup sour cream (not non fat or fat-free)
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons lemon zest

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 standard muffin pan cups with paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, buttermilk, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice; beat according to package directions. Fold in the zucchini and pineapple, mixing well to distribute evenly. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.

Bake 20 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on wire rack. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting: While the cupcakes are cooling, combine powdered sugar, sour cream, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl with electric or stand mixer at low speed. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes with an offset spatula. Garnish with additional lemon peel, if desired. Serve at room temperature. Store leftover cupcakes in refrigerator.

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

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cheese, rice, vegetarian, zucchini

Yes, this is another zucchini post, but at least it’s a savory recipe this time! After all, I’m only trying to help all of you out there with excess zucchini! I’m still super jealous of all of you, even though I recently acquired two giant zucchinis that shredded down to about 4 cups each. Yay me!

This simple side dish is super tasty, and super easy. It’s not strong in zucchini flavor, but it helps to add texture and it’s a great way to sneak vegetables into people who aren’t veggie fans, such as myself. After making it, I proceeded to tell myself that I didn’t need a veggie with the meal now, since my starch and vegetables were merged into one dish! The cheese makes the rice incredibly creamy, too. So make sure all your zucchini doesn’t go to waste, and give this a try!

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup white rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium zucchini, grated on the large holes of a cheese grater
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer rice for about 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove from heat, add the butter and zucchini, and cover.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then stir to incorporate.  Stir in the cheese, mixing well to combine; season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Source: Slightly adapted from Pink Parsley

Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches

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cream cheese, oats, walnuts, zucchini

So along with the strawberry lemonade icebox pie, these cookie sandwiches were the other request of my coworker. He found them in another issue of Martha Stewart Living. I think he figured if he gave me two options, I could pick whichever one seemed easier or pick one I was craving. Something along those lines… it’s hard to think like a guy. 🙂 These cookies were a huge hit at work, and even deemed “healthy” by one coworker due to the zucchini and oats. Sounds like a good thought to me!

I’m not a fan of nuts, so I didn’t include them when I made these and I didn’t feel they lacked without them, but I’m sure fans of nuts would love them to be included. The cookies are perfectly spiced, delicate, and delicious! If you have any leftover cream cheese butter cream or frosting, from carrot cupcakes for example, feel free to use that instead of making the filling! And if you’re like me and lack differently sized cookie/muffin scoops, just make due scooping as you would with normal cookies and match similar sized cookies when making sandwiches. They still come out pretty, don’t worry!Zucchini Nut Bread Cookie Sandwiches

Zucchini Nut Bread Cookies:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated zucchini
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Filling:
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

To make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined. Slowly beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in zucchini, oats, and walnuts, if using. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Using a 1½-inch ice cream scoop, or 2 spoons to drop about 2 tablespoons, work quickly to drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1½ to 2 inches apart. If dough starts to soften too much, put it back in the refrigerator until firm again. Bake until edges are golden, about 17 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese, and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Match up similar sized and shaped cookies and spread 1 heaping tablespoon of filling onto the flat side of 1 cookie, and sandwich with its matching cookie. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies. Cookie sandwiches can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin

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eggplant, Parmesan, ratatouille, tomato, zucchini

The last two days, I got to go play with goats! A bunch of cute, cuddly baby goats. 🙂 One of our volunteers at work just got a couple wee bitty babies who are about as big as small dogs, and my coworker/best friend and I got to go play with them and the two older goats. Then yesterday, we went to the ranch of a work vendor (she does goat rentals) and we got to see her adorable bottle babies. They were so cute and cuddly, and just wanted love and attention! Sorry, I’m a huge goat fan, and if I ever get enough property, I’m so getting goats. My love of goats follows my trend of loving animals that most people don’t consider cute… rhinos and sea turtles are my top two favorite animals. 🙂

In honor of the goats, I decided to post a vegetarian dish today. A very uncommon thing in my repertoire since I’m not a big vegetable fan and would probably starve if I didn’t have my meaty proteins to fill me up! But, here we have it. A truly delicious vegetarian dish from none other than the famous Julia Child. This was the first recipe of hers I have ever tried as they tend to be complicated and long, hence quite intimidating. She calls this gratin a simple version of ratatouille, and it is decadent in its presentation and in its flavor. I changed how I sliced things just because I wanted everything to be rounds, instead of some rounds and some long slices. I would highly recommend this gratin whether it be for your family or for entertaining guests. Personally, I definitely plan on making this again, and hopefully trying some other Julia Child recipes soon!Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin

½ cup olive oil, divided
2 Japanese eggplants
2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound total
3 or 4 ripe tomatoes, about 1 pound total
1 tablespoon herbs de Provence, divided
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Arrange the rack on the lower-middle level of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Pour ⅓ cup olive oil onto a baking sheet, and gently tilt it to evenly disperse the oil.

Trim off ends of eggplant and slice crosswise on the diagonal into ½-inch thick slices. One at a time, dip the slices in the oil on the sheet, pressing to lightly coat one side with oil. Arrange the slices on the sheet, oiled side up, in a single layer and sprinkle on ½ teaspoon each of salt and herbs de Provence. Bake for about 15 minutes until the eggplant slices are soft and somewhat shriveled; allow to cool briefly.

Meanwhile, trim the ends off the zucchini and cut crosswise on the diagonal into slices about ¼-inch thick. Salt the zucchini and let it sit for about 15 minutes then wipe off the moisture; this will work to pull excess moisture from the zucchini so the gratin isn’t watery. Slice the tomatoes into ¼-inch thick slices.

In a gratin dish, or a similar sized 11 by 7-inch baking dish, lay three or four eggplant slices against the narrow side of the dish. Arrange four or five zucchini slices in front of the eggplant slices, and three or four tomato slices in front of the zucchini. Repeat vegetable rows until the pan is full of alternating rows of eggplant, zucchini, and tomato, placing them so the colorful top edges of the previous row are still visible. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence and drizzle 1½ tablespoons olive oil over the vegetables.

To prepare the topping, combine the Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and a teaspoon of herbs de Provence. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and toss it to coat the crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the vegetables.

Place dish in center of oven and bake for 40 minutes until vegetables are soft, the juices are bubbling, and the top is a deep golden brown. If the crumbs need more browning, you can stick them under the broiler for a few moments. Serve hot directly from the baking dish.

Note: If you wish to prepare this in advance, stop after the vegetables are laid in the gratin dish; cover and refrigerate. Add the oil, herbs, and breadcrumbs right before baking.

Source: Adapted from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child