Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

When I made this baked goody, I was feeling the need for a bit of chocolate-ly, sweet baked comfort food.  Having it include some veggie was an added bonus.  This recipe for ~ Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread ~ was a perfect way to go.  I swapped some of the flour for ground oatmeal (oat flour) just to sneak in a little oat goodness.  Chocolate chips just added to the decadent feel of this yummy bread/cake.  We enjoyed it at teatime, as well as for an after dinner dessert.  This is perfect for when you have a bounty of zucchini in late summer, but it's just as good anytime of year.  Give this recipe a try if you've got a craving for chocolate.  I think you'll like, too.  :)

 

Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs ~ from Dan's kitchen & The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook ~ Guest Cook Post

Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs ~ from Dan's kitchen and The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook

More creative cooking from my friend Dan's kitchen and The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook. (with a little flavor boost from making ~ Homemade Ghee)  This time Dan made ~ Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs.  He served them with the Union Square Zucchini recipe that I shared with you last week.

'The Girls'

Dan has a few chickens that he keeps in his backyard, so he usually has plenty of 'free range' eggs at his disposal.  But, 'The Girls' aren't laying right now, so he had to make do with store bought eggs.  That's why he made the Ghee, to add a little extra oomph.  (to 'Meet The Girls' check out this post from late last spring ~ when my son & I were taking care of them for a few days)  So, without further ado, here are Dan's photos/commentaries on...

Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs with Homemade Ghee ~ from Dan's kitchen and The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook 
slightly adapted version

This is clarified butter also called Ghee. It is pretty simple to make. You take a couple of lbs of unsalted butter and put them in a slow cooker or sauce pan and warm slowly until it just simmers. Spoon off the milk solids and then strain through a few layers of cheese cloth into a quart jar. The clarified butter can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 months. It has a higher smoking point than regular butter and has a distinctly richer flavor than regular butter.  ~  (just finished Ghee on the left & cooled and ready for cooking/storage Ghee on the right)

Middle Eastern Flavored Scrambled Eggs and Union Square Zucchini ~  The eggs are flavored with cumin and cilantro. Valuable lesson to making scrambled eggs is slow heat. I used Ghee instead of grapeseed oil (that the original 4-Hour Chef recipe called for) to add some additional richness that these store bought eggs were lacking. (My girls haven't started laying since they moulted.) Great taste, and rich buttery texture.

'The Girls' ~ dining al fresco

Union Square Zucchini ~ from Dan's kitchen & The 4-Hour Chef ~ Guest Cook Post

Union Square Zucchini ~ from Dan's kitchen & The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook

My friend, Dan, just shared a photo/recipe on Facebook, less than an hour ago.  It was of a zucchini dish he just made today ~ Union Square Zucchini ~ from The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook.  Man, that looks good!  I'm pirating his photos and written how-to of the recipe and am making it today's blog post. (I so want this cookbook for Christmas!)

Bet you didn't know you were doing another Guest Cook Post, did you?  : )  Thanks so much for writing this for me, Dan!  heehee

Union Square Zucchini ~ Dan's slightly adapted recipe from ~ The 4-Hour Chef Cookbook 

Made by slicing up a a small zucchini with the Star Peeler. (photo to left ~ it can be used as a peeler, but also as a thin slice handheld mandolin slicer) Warm skillet with Medium Heat, put about a 4" circle of olive oil in the skillet, then put about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes in the skillet, promptly stir with a fork that has a clove of garlic on the tines. This adds flavor and prevents scratches to your skillet.

Put in half of the zucchini that you have dried with paper towels into the skillet. After two minutes, put the zucchini in the skillet to the side, then add remainder of the zucchini and squeeze half a lemon for juice. Let sit for two minutes. Promptly move to plate. I add a bit more red pepper. You can salt and pepper to taste, but it is pretty good without. This is the second time in two days, I have made these. They are great! Nice citrus/sour flavor mixed with the spicy hotness of red pepper flakes.

 

Zucchini Spiced Pumpkin Oat Bread

Zucchini Spiced Pumpkin Oat Bread ~ A blend of the classic zucchini bread and traditional pumpkin bread.

My friend, Trina, is a gifted photographer, great cook & a foodie.  I asked her for a recipe she would like to share on the blog, and she was kind enough to give me her recipe for zucchini bread.  Since I'm still craving all-things-pumpkin, I decided to tweak her original recipe (just a bit) to include some of that golden fruit I just can't seem to get enough of.  Then, I figured as long as I was tinkering, I might as well add some oatmeal & few other goodies.  So my recipe for ~ Zucchini Spiced Pumpkin Oat Bread ~ is a hybrid from her kitchen, to my kitchen, to your kitchen.  Little tip ~ If you can hold off on eating the bread until it has had a chance to cool completely, then let it sit well-wrapped, for a few hours ~ the flavors & texture will develop more and make the bread even better.

I've gotta say, I just love the little emerald green flecks of the zucchini combined with the deep golden orange of the pumpkin.  It just looks so pretty and smells so good with all the spices, raisins & nuts.  This delightful bread will be enjoyed by all of us with our morning/afternoon/evening tea (we drink A LOT of tea around here! ~ English hubby :).  Hope you enjoy this unique spin on the classic zucchini bread... or is it an unusual spin on the traditional pumpkin bread?  heehee


Zucchini Spiced Pumpkin Oat Bread
makes one loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground oatmeal 'flour' ~ (grind a 1/2 cup of quick oatmeal in a food processor or blender until it becomes 'flour-like')
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp allspice 
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini 
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts (toasted if you like)
• Optional topping ~ 1/2 Tbsp raw oatmeal, a sprinkling of sugar & a light spray of Pam

             

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside.

Mix first 8 ingredients (flour through allspice) in a medium bowl, until well combined.

Take one Tbsp of the flour mixture & in a small bowl/cup, toss the raisins & nuts to coat thoroughly with the flour. (this will help the raisins & nuts from sinking to the bottom of the loaf)  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set both bowls aside.

In another bowl, combine the egg, sugar, shredded zucchini, pumpkin puree and oil until will mixed.  Add zucchini/pumpkin mixture all at once into the well in the center of the flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).  Fold in the raisins and nuts.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Sprinkle the top of the loaf with ~ a 1/2 tablespoon of oats, a sprinkling of sugar & a very light spray of Pam ~ if desired.

Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Cool in pan, on a wire rack, for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel & cool completely on wire rack.  Once completely cool, wrap & store in an airtight container for freshness.  You can eat the bread sooner, but it has a better flavor & texture after sitting for a few hours.  Enjoy!

 

Lemon Basil Chicken Tenders with Zucchini Ribbons

Lemon Basil Chicken Tenders with Zucchini Ribbons ~ this chicken dinner has all the sunny flavors of the Mediterranean since it has fresh lemon, lemon zest & basil.  The zucchini ribbons are a low carb stand in for pasta noodles & the tomatoes/green onions give it a 'light tomato sauce' taste. It cooks up quick, so it would be a great midweek meal.

I saw this recipe in our newspaper last week & decided to give it a try.  Happy to say, it was easy to make & we enjoyed it.  I added a few things to their recipe & tweaked/adapted it a bit ~ no surprise there, heehee.  :)  I really enjoyed the sunny flavors of fresh lemon, lemon zest & basil, all mingled together.  This meal kinda reminded me of a low cal, low carb, low fat version of Chicken Piccata.  Just make a few tweaks ~ add a little white wine, capers, exchange the basil for parsley & add a bit of Parmesan cheese ~ & now you've got a whole different meal.   Love when that happens ~ two different recipes for the price of one!   This dinner is quick enough to throw together for a midweek meal, but is nice enough to serve guests.  It's also a good meal if you are eating Fat Flush Plan style...how cool is that?  :)  Enjoy!

Lemon Basil Chicken Tenders with Zucchini Ribbons

serves 2

• Juice of 1 lemon
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil  or 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 green onion, chopped, green & white parts
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
• smoked paprika (or regular paprika) ~ to sprinkle on chicken while cooking

• 1 medium zucchini 
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped, green & white parts
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp water
• salt & pepper, to taste 

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl ~ add chicken to the marinade and turn to coat.  Let sit in marinade while you prepare the zucchini ribbons. 

Use a vegetable peeler to shave the zucchini into very thin "ribbons."

Heat a skillet over medium.  Add chicken tenders and the marinade.  Sprinkle on a little smoked paprika on the chicken tenders.  Cook chicken tenders 3 minutes ~ flip, sprinkle a little more smoked paprika on other side, cook another 3 minutes.  (Approx. 6 minutes total, 3 minutes per side) 

While chicken is cooking ~ in separate pan, over medium heat, add the oil & water, when hot ~ toss in zucchini ribbons, tomatoes & green onions.  Cook until zucchini/tomatoes start to wilt & is hot throughout, about 3-4 minutes.  Salt & pepper, to taste.

Serve chicken tenders with any juice from the pan & zucchini ribbons, on the side.  Salt & pepper, to taste.   Enjoy!