Quick and Easy Zucchini

The summer squash harvest is beginning. A really quick and easy way to serve zucchini is just to slice and saute. Slice, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour to draw the water out of it. Rinse well and pat dry. Heat a little bit of olive oil and saute until done. Yum!

What to do with all of the zucchini.....

I made muffins last night and they were super yummy. If you are not gluten free, you can subsititute regular flour and omit the xanthan gum.

GFCF Zucchini Muffins

1 ½ cups GF Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Blend)
½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup finely shredded zucchini – peel and all
1 egg
¼ cup coconut oil
Zest of one lemon
1 cup chocolate chips (optional – you could also add nuts if desired)

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the first seven ingredients and set aside.
In another medium mixing bowl beat together sugar, zucchini and egg.
Add oil and lemon zest; mix well.
Stir flour mixture into zucchini mixture.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Spoon batter into muffin cups that are lined with paper liners or well greased.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

From the mouth of babes.........

Don't you just love the conversations kids have with each other? I know I do. My son Andy had his friend Sylvester over today. Andy took Sylvester in the kitchen to show him the zucchini I had just picked from the garden. There conversation went like this:

Andy: Look at these zucchini my Mom picked today.

Sylvester: I don't like zucchini.

Andy: Yes you do.

Sylvester: No I don't.

Andy: You do when it is cooked in cake.

Sylvester: No I don't.

Andy: Yes you do.

Sylvester: I most definitely do not.

Andy: Well, you had seconds of my birthday cake at my birthday party so you must have liked it.

Sylvester: Your birthday cake had zucchini in it?

Andy: Uh huh.

Sylvester: Wow, your Mom is sneaky.

Andy: Well yeah, where do you think I get it from?

So you don't have to search the archives for my recipe - here it is - and if you aren't GFCF, just substitute regular ingredients for the GFCF ones.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
2 1/2 cups gf flour ( I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (use aluminum free!)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup shortening
2 cups rapadura (you could use regular sugar, but rapadura is healthier)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons grated orange peel (make sure you grate an organic orange - you don't want to know what chemicals are on non organic ones)
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk substitute (I used Dari Free)
1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but any would be fine or omit if you are nut free)
Glaze (directions follow)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1 Combine the four, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
2 With a mixer, beat together the shortening and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the shortening and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.
3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk substitute into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.
4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan (use a stainless steel pan – please don’t bake in aluminum. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack to cool thoroughly.
5 Drizzle glaze over cake.
Glaze:
Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk substitute, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Cut in thin slices to serve.
Makes 10-12 servings.

Making Zuchinni Dill Pickles

Cut up 2 pounds of small zuchinni and two medium onions

Preparing the Zuchinni and Onions

Layer the zuchnni and onions in a small crock or a bowl made of glass or ceramic. Sprinkle each layer with pickling salt - do not use regular table salt. Cover with water and weight down the top with a small plate or bowl. Let sit for two hours.

Prepare the brine

Use two cups of vinegar and two cups of water. Add fresh dill from the garden, or dill seed and pickling spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Brining

After the brine has simmered for the 5 minutes, add Zuchinni and Onions and bring back to a boil. Turn off, cover and let sit for two hours, stirring occasionally.

Preparing the Jars

Use clean jars. Check the rims to make sure there are no cracks or nicks that will interfer with the seal. Then put fresh dill and garlic in jar before filling with the zuchinni and onions.

Getting the air bubbles out

It is really important to run a knife along the edge all around the inside to get the air bubbles out. Trapped air bubbles can cause a bad seal. After putting the seals on , process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Finshed Pickles

The pickles should set for at least a week before opening - longer is better if you can keep your children away from them.

Zuchinni and Cucumbers

Today's harvest of Zuchinni and cucumbers. Come on, can you really tell me they look anything alike? My poor husband is never going to live it down that he mixed them up.

Pests

Something is eating the leaves of the zuchinni and the bell peppers that are planted in the ground (the bell peppers in the earth boxes are untouched).

I learned something new today

I learned a couple of new things today. First I learned that it is a good thing we planted my son's sunflower house on a hill where we really don't want anything to grow: http://www.thisgardenisillegal.com/2006/08/is-your-sunflower-inhibiting-you.html

Next, I learned that some people can't tell a zuchinni and a cucumber apart (like my husband). Dan thought that he would make a salad for dinner - which I thought was really nice and I hated to hurt his feelings by picking the zuchinni out, but I really don't like zuchinni and I thought he knew that (unless it is baked in something like zuchinni bread). But, of course he noticed me picking them out and asked - "what's wrong? I thought you liked cucumbers?" He honestly thought he had cut up a cucumber! To me, the difference is obvious - guess it is always good to see the world through someone else's eyes.

Zuchinni

I had to replant the zuchinni 3 times (I only planted one plant at a time - I do not want too much zuchinni), but at last I have a healthy producing plant.

This is along the back of the house - just past the earth boxes. I have day lillies, cucumbers, bell peppers, zuchinni and some new flowers there (I can't remember the name of them). Once the plants are all up, I am going to cover the black plastic with mulch - it is not a solid plastic, it does allow the rain to go through it.

One tray of plants in the basement. Cauliflower is on the left. Pumpkin and Zucchinni are the large plants on the right. There are some flowers getting dwarfed out on the far right.