Savory Zucchini and Onion Bread

A lot of times, Zucchini is made into a chocolaty cake or a sweeter bread, but this recipe is a savory version that is sure to please.

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, grated
1 medium onion, grated
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs
1/4 cup of honey
3 cups whole wheat white flour or 1 1/2 cups white flour and 1 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup milk (if necessary)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Butter a loaf pan or place parchment paper in it.

Stir together the zucchini, onion, eggs, butter, and honey. Make sure you don't squeeze out any water from the zucchini or onion because the liquid is crucial for the batter. Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Depending on the amount of juice from the zucchini and onion, you may need to add some milk to the batter if it is too thick to combine. You wont need more then 1/3 cup.

Put the batter in the pan and bake for 30- 60 minutes. It all depends on your oven. Start with 30 and then check every 10 minutes until its cooked. A skewer will come out clean when its done.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing. The loaf will taste good the day of but is also great the next day.

Strawberry Shortcake

Here is another great strawberry recipe. This recipe can be cut in half to make a smaller cake but this is the right size for a party.

Ingredients:

• about 2 quarts fresh strawberries
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks of butter, chilled
  
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/3 cups milk
• whipped heavy cream

Directions:

1. Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/2 cup of white sugar. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F . Grease and flour one cake pan.
   
3. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and milk. Stir until just combined.
4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for about 30 minutes, or until a knife stuck in the cake comes out clean. Let cool partially in pan on wire rack.
   
5. I served the cake by putting it on some sort of big bowl or platter and pouring the whipped cream and strawberry mixture.
   If you want you can cut the cake in half horizontally and put some whipped cream and strawberry's inside. and then more on top.
   

Strawberry Pie

Its Summer Everyone! I know I haven't posted since the spring, but I have some great summer recipes. One great fruit this summer is strawberry, and this pie is an easy dessert that can be made the day before a party and left in the fridge until guests arrive. If you have time to make a homemade pie crust that would be great, but a store but crust works just fine in this recipe.


Ingredients:
1 9 inch pie shell
1 quart of strawberries
1 package frozen raspberries or mixed berries
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water



Directions:


The first step is to bake the pie shell in advance. If its a store bought shell follow the directions on the package and if you make it yourself follow directions of the recipe for prebaking. While the pie is baking cut the strawberries in half and set aside.

pound your hand on the frozen berries or use something hard that will crush up the berries a little.

Next on a medium stove top place the frozen berries sugar cornstarch and water. Allow this mixture to simmer until slightly thickened.

The final step is simply to assemble the pie. Take your pie shell and make a layer on the bottom with strawberries. Pour about half the warm berry sauce on top of the strawberries. Continue with a second layer of strawberries and then a second layer of sauce. There might be a few extra strawberries and sauce.

Put the pie in the fridge and allow to cool for at least 4 hours.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

INGREDIENTS
4 sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 (15 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth
3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt



DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F Place the sweet potatoes directly on the rack and bake until tender enough to easily pierce with a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and heat for 1 minute, then whisk in the coconut milk and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. cut the sweet potatoes into bite size chunks. Add to the soup and cook for 5 more minutes so they can soak up the flavor. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and enjoy!

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/4 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 small chicken bouillon cubes
1-1 1/2 cup boiling water
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 lemon, juice of
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch





Directions
1In a pot, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 10 minutes.
2Add half a can of beans, salt and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.
3Puree soup (I use an immersion blender which makes it easy to do it right in the pot).
4Add the rest of the beans to the soup.
5Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.
6Add the lemon and the cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients:

For the Topping:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick/2 oz./56g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 pound fresh or frozen cranberries

For the Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz.) unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Instructions:

To Make the Topping:
Butter a 9-inch (23cm) round cake pan. Put the butter and brown sugar in the prepared pan and place the pan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. Scatter the cranberries over the butter-sugar mixture. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F

To Make the Cake:

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well. Using a silicone or rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk. In a bowl, using a whisk or an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Using the spatula, fold the whites into the batter. Spoon the batter over the cranberries in the cake pan, spreading it evenly. Bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake. Invert onto a serving plate, let stand for 5 minutes, then lift off the pan. Makes one 9-inch cake; serves 8 to 10.

Acorn Squash and Apple Puree

this dish is a healthier and in my opinion more flavorful version of a mashed potato. I doubled the recipe and had enough to serve 10 people. Also I used onions instead of shallots so either can be used. I made the recipe a couple hours in advance and put the pureed dish in a low oven for about 20 minutes just to warm it up again before serving. The picture makes it look more like an applesauce but although it has some of that sweetness from the apples it is a savory dish.

Ingredients
2 1/4 pounds acorn squash (2 medium to large), halved and seeded
3 tablespoons, plus 4 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
2 Fuji or Gala apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock or broth

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the squash halves, cut sides up, in a large baking dish. Place 1 teaspoon of the butter in the center of each squash. Sprinkle the insides lightly with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/4-inch (about 1/2 cup), cover tightly with aluminum foil, and roast until the squash is tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove the squash from the oven, uncover, and let sit until cool enough to handle. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh from the squash into the bowl of a food processor..
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is foamy, add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add the apples, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the stock and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the apple mixture to a food processor with the squash. Puree the mixture on high speed until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and serve warm.

White Bean Dip

a perfect dip for chips or crackers or even a vegetable platter! The spices I used can easily be changed up depending on whats in your kitchen. you could use paprika, or some red pepper flakes to add spice instead of the Cayenne. also parsley would probably work instead of basil. This makes a good simple appetizer for any party.

Ingredients:

2 Cans of White beans such as Navy Beans, Butter Beans or Cannelloni Beans

2 large clove of garlic

5 basil leaves

a handful of spinach leaves (about 1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

between 1/8-1/4 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper


Preparation: Very simple just throw all the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender and start blending. Slowly pour olive oil until the mixture gets smooth and is similar in consistency to guacamole.

Vegan Banana Cookies

Sugar free and dairy free these cookies are still yummy but also healthy...and they are really easy to make!


Ingredients:

2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the bananas and molasses until well combined. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Pumpkin Mousse

When your making food for the holidays it can be very stressful to get pumpkin pies made but for those who still want some pumpkin in their thanksgiving can enjoy this recipe. Although there is heavy cream its vacation so enjoy all you want! This recipe serves 6-8 people depending on the size of the serving.

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spices (i used cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ginger snaps or crystallized ginger, for garnish


Directions:

Combine pumpkin, 1 cup cream, sugar and spice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cool fully.
Whip remaining heavy cream and vanilla to soft peaks and fold into cooled pumpkin mixture. Pour into a serving dish and crumble the ginger snaps over top before serving. For serving dish I used wine glasses and made individual servings.