chocolate zucchini muffins

 I've got a lot of zucchini this year (yay) and I like to bake up batches of muffins to then freeze.  Trying this with the zucchini in my fridge currently.

 INgredients

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup (141 grams) whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
• ⅓ cup (27 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled (or sub olive oil)
• ⅓ cup (111 grams) honey, agave nectar or pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded zucchini (from about 1 medium zucchini)
• 1 ripe mashed banana (or you can use ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce)
• ½ cup (120 grams) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• ½ cup (90 grams) regular or mini chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
•  

Preheat oven to 350.  Squeeze excess liquid out of zucchini.  

 

Mix dry ingredients together.  In another bowl, mix together oil, sweetener, vanilla, egg.  Mix well, then add in zucchini, banana or applesauce, and milk.  Mix until just combined, add chocolate chips.

 

Bake 22-25 minutes.  After five minutes resting in pan, move muffins to wire rack.   

 

blackberry crisp

 My blackberry bushes went a little crazy this year and I have gallons in my freezer to use up.  This recipe seemed a good option to try and it's in the oven now.  I plan to freeze and reheat portions of it.  Making a 1/2 batch in a smaller pan is also a good option. Verdict is, except for the lemon juice, this is good!

Ingredients:

• 7-8 cups blackberries (I used frozen, did not thaw, would probably be better thawed)
• 1 Tbsp sugar of some sort (date, ...)
• 1 Tbsp arrowoot, tapioca, or corn starch
• (lemon juice - recipe calls for 2 Tbsp but I found that WAY too much)

Combine above and put into a lightly greased 9x13 pan.  Heat oven to 350.

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup flour (almond or whatever is on hand)
• hemp hearts, etc. - I sprinkled some in
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
• 1/4 oil or melted butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla 

Mix together (by hand) and put on top of berries.

Bake 35-45 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes.  

 

 

zucchini "pie"

 This isn't really a pie but it's still tasty and a good way to use up zucchini.  When I first ate it I wasn't sold, but by the next day I was really glad I'd made it for leftovers for the week, to eat with a salad. 

Definitely worth making again.  

Ingredients 

• 3 cups zucchini, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (recipe called for 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup shredded white Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Instructions  

Salt and drain zucchini if desired. Squeeze to remove excess moisture.

Combine all ingredients, put into oiled pie pan.  

350 degrees 45 minutes 

"Louisiana style hot pepper sauce"

I learned how to make this "Louisiana style hot pepper sauce today" and it is soooo tasty.  Starting a batch now.  Note that you either want to use all green peppers or all any other color.  Mixing red and yellow and orange is pretty, but when you add green to that it turns a brown that's not so appetizing.  

• 1 pound fresh peppers, cleaned and stems removed (weighed after destemming) 
• 4 cloves garlic (20 g)
• 1 tsp salt (6 g)
• 1 cup white vinegar 

Start water bath and heat jars.   

Roast peppers on a sheet pan with the garlic at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  (Note: easier to leave skins on garlic until after roasting, then remove.)  Peppers should be wilted and just starting to char.  Cool and peel garlic.

Puree peppers and garlic with vinegar.  Run in batches for longer than you think necessary (8 minutes in a regular blender, less in a Vitamix.)  Should be smooth except for seeds. 

Put in pan, add salt, and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.   Ladle into hot jars with 1/2" headspace and water bath process for 20 minutes.  

The person who taught me this grew 260 varieties of peppers last year and brought many of them for us to taste.  What I learned is that I really like the flavor of scotch bonnets and can take the heat, but a very hot habanero is unpleasant and I will drink a lot of milk to recover. 

This sauce is great with chips and probably with lots of other things.  

If picking throughout the season, pick & destem the peppers, weigh them and mark that, then roast them, and then they can be frozen.