Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Not only is this a great way to burn through your stash of zucchini, it is a really delicious dessert. The deep chocolate flavor is complimented by the small amount of coffee, and the zucchini makes for an incredibly moist cake. A simple way to wow your guests and get a small dose of veggies while you are at it!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
via Clotilde's Chocolate and Zucchini blog
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 scant cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or 2 tablespoons strong cooled coffee -- this is just to deepen the chocolate flavor, you won't taste it in the finished product
3 large eggs
2 cups unpeeled grated zucchini, from about 1 1/2 medium zucchini
1 cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
Confectioner's sugar to garnish

Serves 12.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand in a large mixing bowl), beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla, coffee, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, chocolate chips, and about a third of the flour mixture, making sure the zucchini strands are well coated and not clumping too much.

Add the rest of the flour mixture into the egg batter. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick.

Fold the zucchini mixture into the batter, and blend with a spatula without overmixing. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and level the surface.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or a chocolate glaze if desired.

Zucchini Slaw

I have been on a slight Sara Foster kick lately, so when I ran across this recipe for zucchini slaw I thought it would be a new and delicious way to use up all that zucchini.
Although some readers may scoff at the idea of using raw zucchini and summer squash, I urge you to give it a go. Because the veggies are julienned, the texture is crunchy and the taste is fresh, much like you would expect from any slaw recipe. Unless you have mad knife skills, I would highly recommend that you purchase a julienne peeler. For under $10 you can impress your friends and family and sway them into believing that you are on the fast track to auditioning for the next Top Chef.
Note: I have included the Sweet and Tart Dressing recipe if you would like a lighter version of this slaw.

Zucchini Slaw

Serves 4-6
2 medium zucchinis, cut into 2-inch julienne
2 yellow summer squash, cut into 2-inch julienne
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch julienne
4 scallions, julienne (white and green parts)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Creamy Slaw Dressing
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine the veggies and parsley in a large bowl as you cut them. Drizzle with the dressing, salt and pepper, and toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container. With the creamy dressing the slaw will keep nicely for up to 3 days. With the sweet and tart dressing the slaw should be served immediately.

Creamy Slaw Dressing (makes about 3/4 cup)
1/2 mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar **I used Raspberry Vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.

Sweet and Tart Slaw Dressing (makes about 1 cup)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a jar and shake until the sugar dissolves. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.

Makin' Whoopie

I couldn't resist the title which transports me back to the good 'ol days of skinny microphones, tuxedos, and Bob Eubanks talking about makin' whoopie on the Newlywed Game was probably the most off-color phrase the FCC had to worry about.
Those simpler times also make me think about my grandmas overflowing Tupperware cookie jar and her delicious recipe for zucchini chocolate chip cookies. When I saw a recipe for zucchini whoopie pies over at Gourmet I was convinced the I could adapt it by using my grandma's recipe, sans chocolate chips, as the base. My overabundance of zucchini was finally paying off!!
These delicious pies had the perfect balance of sweet and tangy with the addition of the cream cheese filling. Next time I throw these together I will go more the bite size route since they are quite a filling treat.

Zucchini Cookies

1 cup grated zucchini
1 tsp soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped nuts


Mix the zucchini, soda, sugar, shortening and egg until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; add to the zucchini mixture. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoons on greased pan. Bake at 375 degrees until they start to brown, 12-15 minutes.

Filling

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Scant 1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and salt with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pipe or dollop filling on flat side of cookie and top with another cookie.

Zucchini Sticks

In my quest for zucchini recipes I stumbled across these delicious baked zucchini sticks featured on the Skinny Taste website. I have mentioned the site previously, but it really is a treasure trove of great tasting, healthy food. If you are following Weight Watcher's, it is practically a must.
Being that the zucchini sticks were a fairly healthy alternative to something fried, I thought I better punch up the calories be serving them with cilantro ranch sauce. The sauce was very simple and had some powerful flavor that complimented the zucchini sticks perfectly. I imagine it would be a great sauce for fajitas, french fries, or even a dressing for sandwiches.

Zucchini Sticks
very slightly adapted from Gina

3 medium zucchini sliced into 3" x 1/2" sticks
1 large egg white
2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
cooking spray
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt
fresh pepper

In a small bowl, beat egg whites and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place breadcrumbs, garlic powder and cheese and shake well. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Dip zucchini sticks into eggs then into bread crumb and cheese mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 425° for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cilantro Ranch Sauce

1 pkt Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
8 oz salsa verde
1/4 cup cilantro
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
Tobasco to taste

Combine all ingredients and blend. Season with Tobasco.

Zucchini Tart

You better get used to seeing a whole mess of zucchini recipes because they are coming out of my ears! We have six plants and I never imagined we would have this kind of luck, but we are harvesting at least a couple every day.
Although I would never consider freelancing in the baking department, cooking is something I am much more comfortable with taking risks. I knew that I wanted some type of tart, so I turned to Smitten Kitchen for a simple no-shrink tart that did not have to be par-baked. I have to say it wasn't as flavorful as some tart doughs I have made, but I can make some adjustments next time.
As the dough firmed up in the fridge, I caramelized some onions and sliced the mushrooms and zucchini. I only par-cooked the mushrooms and zucchini since it would have lots of time to cook in the oven. Then I set about layering the tasty goodness in the tart dough. First, a healthy dose of goat cheese seasoned with fresh basil, chives, parsley, salt and pepper. Next came the caramelized onions and mushrooms, and finally I layered the zucchini on top. I baked the tart for about 25 minutes at 350 and voila...my freelancing paid off.

This is a great example of using items you have on hand to make something really delicious by just trusting your instincts and experimenting with tastes you enjoy.