Zucchini Bread

This year I've grown my first successful garden. Since I moved to the country I planned on planting extra because I thought I'd be in constant battle with the wildlife. So far, my garden has been untouched! Now I have abundant zucchini and squash. I've been eating it almost everyday on a pizza, fajitas, stir fry, on the grill, and I still have left overs. I've failed at making zucchini bread in the past, but I thought I'd try again, it's not like I don't have enough zucchini!

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

Makes two loaves.

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour two loaf pans. Shred the zucchini and place in a towel to wring out the excess liquid. I left the skin on and used a food processor for shredding it. It was so much faster.

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and add the shredded zucchini. Combine the two mixtures. Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and bake for 45-60 minutes until the bread is golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean. 

Pineapple Upside-down Rum Cake

For my birthday cake this year I created a recipe that combines two delicious cakes: Pineapple upside-down cake and a traditional Caribbean rum cake.

Ingredients:
Cake:
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. softened butter
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) vanilla pudding mix
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. milk
4 eggs
1/2 c. dark rum
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 c. pineapple juice (from can)

Topping:
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 can pineapple, crushed or tidbits, drained
2 Tbsp rum

Glaze:
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. rum
1/4 c. water

1 c. coconut

Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
For the topping, mix pineapple, butter, sugar and rum together and place in the bottom a fluted pan that has been sprayed and floured. Reserve 2/3 c. pineapple juice for the cake batter.

For the cake, cream butter and sugar. Add the rest of the liquids and beat until well combined. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquids and beat until smooth. Pour the batter over the pineapple topping.

Bake 55-60 minutes.

Meanwhile spread the coconut onto a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for around 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on it so they don't burn.

For the glaze, mix the butter, water, and sugar together and microwave until boiling. Stir in the rum. When the cake has finished baking, poke holes all the way through the cake. Drizzle 3/4 of the glaze over the cake, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Add the toasted coconut to the rest of the glaze. Flip the cake out onto a plate. Top with the glazed coconut.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream sugar, butter, and peanut butter until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to combine. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Add this to the butter/sugar mixture and stir to mix well.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a fork to make a criss-cross pattern and flatten the dough. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Taco Salad in a Taco Bowl

Ingredients:

Small-medium tortillas

cooking spray

Boca crumbles (or ground meat)

taco seasoning

Onions 

peppers

toppings: lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, plain Greek yogurt, hot sauce. 

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

To make taco bowls, spray each side of the tortillas with cooking spray. Invert a muffin pan and wedge the tortillas between the muffin cups. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crispy. 

On the stove-top, brown crumbles along with the onions, peppers, and taco seasoning. 

Place the meat mixture in the bottom of the taco bowl and then add your preferred taco toppings!

Pancake and Veggie Sausage Muffins

I used to love eating pancake and sausage on a stick, but I haven't eaten them since becoming vegetarian. Thanks to the many varieties of soy products, I came up with this healthier version of the delicious pairing of pancake and sausage.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 c. milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp melted butter
Gimme Lean ground veggie sausage
Syrup
Olive oil for frying

Recipe:
The above pancake ingredients make awesome fluffy homemade pancakes if you're looking for a simple pancake recipe.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Makes 12 muffins.

Roll out 12 balls of the veggie sausage. Fry balls in about one tablespoon of olive oil until browned.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Whisk in the milk, egg, and melted butter making sure not to over-mix. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full with the pancake batter.

Drop one "meat"ball into each muffin cup, and press down slightly so that the batter will cover the ball. Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Serve immediately and drizzle with syrup.

Almond Milk Biscuits

I didn't have any buttermilk so I improvised with my almond milk and added a small amount of vinegar to give these biscuits a buttermilk-like taste.

Ingredients:
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 c. butter, cubed
1/2 c. almond milk
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp vinegar

Recipe:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and butter in a food processor. Pulse until all the butter has been well incorporated. Slowly add the milk, yogurt, and vinegar while the processor is running on low. 

Turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the mixture comes together. Flatten dough to 1/2 inch thick, and use a biscuit cutter or a round cookie cutter to form biscuits. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Makes 10-12 biscuits.

Blanco Bean Dip

1 can of white beans, drained
5-6 slices jarred jalapenos
1 1/2 Tbsp brine from jalapenos
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 fresh jalapeno, sliced
1/2 c cheese, I used pepper jack and queso fresco

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor, except cheese. Save 1/2 of the fresh jalapeno for the topping. Place in an oven safe dish and top with cheeses and sliced jalapeno.

Bake until completely heated through, approx. 15-20 minutes.

I sprinkled with a little black pepper and hot sauce. Serve warm with tortilla chips.