Gold Zucchini

What I’ve Planned – Week 15

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With all we’ve received from last week’s and this wee’s basket, half of our kitchen island is covered in tomatoes. I don’t mind that they come a little under ripe, because when we get this many at once, I like to save them up for a big batch to can whole or diced for storage. This week they’re destined for sauce that I’ll freeze to use at a later date. Here’s what I have planned this week for the rest of my veggies.

I’m also planning to try my hand at making some hot sauce with the ground cherries!

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What I Made – Week 14

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The most visually impressive meal of the week is these blackberry almond sweet rolls. I recommend straining the blackberry filling after cooking it down to keep out the seeds. It’s an extra step but makes the outcome much less crunchy!
Even though it looks like green peppers in this shrimp quinoa pilau, that’s just the color the purple peppers turned when cooked!
A quick no-recipe meal made from leftover roast chicken, purple peppers cooked with seasoning, and a fresh tomato-onion-cilantro salsa is wonderful for a hot summer evening.
Cheesesteak stuffed peppers are a very fast meal – just layer a slice of cheese, some deli roast beef slices (and I added sautéed onions) and top with another slice of cheese, and bake 20 minutes. I used about a half pound of deli meat here.

This zucchini oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe was a new one for me. The oats help absorb some extra moisture from the zucchini, but it’s still definitely soft, even if the edges looked crispy. Next time I would refrigerate it per the directions instead of a quick dip in my freezer!

I STILL have some zucchini to use up, as well as lots of watermelon and cantaloupe to eat, but the cucumbers are slowly becoming dill pickles as we speak!

What I Made – Week 10

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I had great lighting for all my dishes this week, even if many of them were mostly the same. (And all served in bowls?!) Not pictured are the leftover pulled pork we paired with blistered green beans, quiche with chard, loaf of zucchini bread, and some zucchini chocolate chip cookies I made this week.

I like the bright flavor of the herbs (parsley and mint here) with the earthy beets and tangy dressing of this Farro Salad with Beets, Scallions & Pistachios.
Some day I’ll remember to cook down the tomato sauce until it’s really thick so my zucchini lasagna doesn’t end up watery. Didn’t manage it this week, but I thought this vegetarian version with mushroom tomato sauce and finely chopped kale mixed in with the ricotta was a tasty change.
The flavor of the sauce for these drunken zucchini noodles is spot on, and almost makes you forget you’re having zucchini for dinner again. (Almost)
I’d never attempted this Broccoli and tofu stir fry, but newly equipped with a tofu press, I battered and fried them for a stir fry that takes some extra effort, but definitely tastes more complex than our usual basic recipe.
Sundried tomatoes really would have brightened up this Greek farro salad, but the salty cheese, spicy peppers, and tons of herbs pack lots of flavor, even if the colors are a bit dull.

We used everything this week except a couple of cucumbers, some of the parsley, and yes, still more zucchini! Even when the months seem like they all run together, that’s how you know it’s July.

What I’ve Planned – Week 10

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Welcome to another week of balancing leftovers with the new bounty from this week’s basket. No doubt we’re moving quickly into the peak of summer season now. Here’s what I am planning to make (or still plan to make, in the case of some of last week’s basket ingredients!)

I’m also still hoping to make a zucchini chocolate cake of some sort, maybe to freeze, since the fridge is already overwhelmed with leftovers as it is!

What I’ve Planned – Week 9

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Like I mentioned last week, we have some soggy lettuce hanging around, so you’ll notice some recipes this week that feature ingredients from weeks past as we try to not let anything go to waste.

What I Made: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

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This post begins with a tragedy and a word of warning.  REFRIGERATE THIS CAKE. If you do not, it will get moldy and you will have to throw out more than half of it and you can probably still hear my anguished cries. *sniffle*

But enough doom and gloom, before this “unfortunate incident”, I was raving to everyone about how great it tasted and how happy I was with how the cake turned out.  It’s moist, but still light and very chocolately.  And fear not, I’ve got tons of zucchini and plan to make it again soon.  The full recipe is after the jump.

The recipe starts out pretty basic and has the consistency of a regular pudding cake, until the 2 cups (!) of grated zucchini are added.  Hidden veggies are still some of my favorite veggies.

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Top with 2 cups of chocolate chips and a half cup of chopped walnuts, and the cake comes out as pretty as it does tasty!CCZucCake2

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What I Made: Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread with Walnuts

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Even though zucchini keeps pretty well in the fridge, I still feel the pressure to use it up.  Zucchini bread is a classic, of course, but this recipe ups the ante with chocolate chips and walnuts.  Now, I don’t usually choose to add nuts, but since I’ve been eating more veggies and less meat, I thought it was a great way to sneak a little extra protein into my diet.
Grating zucchini is a great arm workout for those of you as out of shape as I am! You’ll need 1 and 1/3 cups.  I didn’t peel my zucchini, but the original recipe suggests you do.
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By far the greatest part of this recipe is the “dump and stir” aspect.  Add all ingredients to a bowl.  Stir. Bake. Eat.

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90 minutes at 350 F later, the zucchini bread is ready.

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About 5 minutes before the bread is actually cool enough to handle, I am already burning my fingers enjoying a steaming slide with a glass of milk.CCZBread6

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