Donna's Zucchini Pancakes

Wonderfully fluffy and flavorful pancakes the whole family will enjoy. Makes 8 large pancakes or 16 silver dollar pancakes. 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

dash of ground cloves

1 beaten egg

1 cup milk

1-2 tbsp grape seed or canola oil

1 cup freshly shredded zucchini 

Butter (if desired)

Maple Syrup or fruit

Gentle twist of a fresh lemon quarter

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

In separate bowl, beat wet ingredients, being sure to add cinnamon, cloves, lemon and honey.

Slowly pour dry ingredients into wet mixture, and stir with fork. Mixture will be slightly lumpy. Lightly toss in zucchini. Over stirring will produce less fluffy pancakes.

Bake on your favorite hot griddle.

This batter is sweet, flavorful and very fluffy.

NOTE: substitute all purpose flour if bread flour is not available.

Serve with your choice of:

Maple Syrup

Fruit Preserves

Butter

Fresh Fruit

Peanut Butter

Apple Butter

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Always on the lookout for creative ways incorporating our prosperous harvests, I find zucchini is the easiest of all to utilize.

This easy Devil's Food Cake is a great way of integrating some fiber and nutrition into a dessert chocolate lovers are sure to enjoy, with no one the wiser as to what you have put into the cake.

First, let me admit to cheating. I used a Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake mix.

In lieu of water, I used 2-3 cups shredded zucchini, including the skin. The zucchini squash contains lots of water and electrolytes, making for a very moist cake. Though layer cakes are perfect for this recipe, a simple cake pan was used to accommodate limited refrigerator space.

Ingredients:

Cake Mix (any flavor is fine)
3 eggs
1/4 cup oil
2-3 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini

Mix eggs, oil.
Add cake mix until blended well, but not overly beaten (too much beating will toughen the cake).

Add the zucchini, thoroughly blending. Pour into pans of your choice.

Baking time depends on your oven. This one actually baked 7 minutes sooner than it would have with water. My husband never knew about the zucchini until he had polished the cake off, and I told him.

Icing:

1/2 brick cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 - 1/3 cup pure cocoa
1 tsp pure vanilla
1-3 tbsp cold water
3/4 box of 10x powdered sugar

(for less icing, reduce the ingredients)

This is a rich cake, and no one even knows vegetables are in it.

Have fun experimenting with unconventional ingredients in your daily baking!

Baked Penne and Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Baked Penne and Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ vegetarian meal found on the Food Network's site here.

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 cremini mushrooms, halved
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• optional 2 chicken breasts
• optional ground sausage
• optional roasted garlic

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

• On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

• In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.

• Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

Zucchini Sautéed with Pine Nuts, Capers and Raisins

A mouth-watering recipe from customer Gini Hayes in Spring Hill Florida (thanks, Gini!)

Gini says: This recipe sounds dreadful, but I promise it is delicious.  Even my not-a-fan-of-zucchini person loves this dish.  The recipe is not my original one and I don’t have any notes about where I found it.

Zucchini Sautéed with Pine Nuts, Capers and Raisins

       Serves 4

2 medium zucchini (1#)

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp pine nuts

2 tsp minced garlic (note measurement is teaspoons)

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp raisins

1 Tbsp capers, drained

Cut each zucchini crosswise into 3 ½” cylinders.  Slice each cylinder into 1/8” strips (remove core if seeds large).  Cut zucchini into matchsticks (about 3 cups).

Heat 1T of oil in medium skillet on medium heat  Add squash, season with salt.  Cook squash until tender.  Put on plate..

Heat remaining oil.  Add pine nuts and garlic.  Heat for 1 minute.  Stir in vinegar, raisins and capers.  Cook 30 seconds, then return squash to pan and heat through.

Season with salt and pepper.  Serve.  Enjoy.

Calories 124; protein, 2 g.; total fat 10 g.

Moist Zucchini Bread

Adapted from allrecipes.com


Over the years we have tried several recipes before finding one with perfect flavoring and moistness. Of course, it is tweaked with a few changes (shown in italics).

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups white sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
a pinch of ground cloves

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, cloves and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. NOTE: be sure to squeeze the grated zucchini in a towel in order to press some of the excess water from the zucchini.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. NOTE: We found 70 minutes was needed, determined by the amount of moisture in the zucchini, and how hot your oven gets.

Serve cooled or warm with any meals, as a snack or a simple dessert.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

If you enjoy the nutty goodness of Whole Wheat and the rich flavor of honey and brown sugar,  this Zucchini Bread recipe is for you. Because the ingredients are dark in color, the baked bread will also appear darker than Zucchini Bread baked with white flour and white sugar.

Ingredients

    * 6 eggs, beaten

    * 1 cup honey

    * 1 cup packed brown sugar

    * 1/2 cup canola oil (we substituted olive oil)

    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    * 2 cups whole wheat flour

    * 4 cups all-purpose flour

    * 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

    * 2 teaspoons baking powder

    * 2 teaspoons baking soda

    * 2 teaspoons salt

    * 4 cups grated zucchini, and rubbed dry

    * 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

   1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8x4 inch loaf pans and set aside. Shred Zucchini, and towel dry to remove excess water.

   2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, brown sugar, oil and vanilla. Combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the wet ingredients until moistened. Gently stir in the zucchini and walnuts until evenly distributed. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.

   3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the crown comes out clean. Cool in the pan until cool enough to touch, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in a plastic bag when cool to keep moist.

Zucchini Custard

Another wonderful recipe sent by customer Jill Yelverton (thanks so much, Jill).  This custard is very much like a crustless quiche. Super rich and flavorful!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. firm zucchini, trimmed, peeled,

   and cut into 2" rounds then each round into quarters

1 1⁄2 cups evaporated milk

3⁄4 cup grated parmesan

3 eggs, beaten

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Method:

1. To a 3-quart saucepan, add salt and 6 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add zucchini and boil until just soft, about 4 minutes. 

2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer zucchini to a paper towel–lined sheet tray. Let dry for 2–3 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. 

(NOTE: Alternately, we found steaming to be just fine for this recipe).

3. Heat oven to 450˚. Whisk together evaporated milk  parmesan, eggs, and pepper in a medium bowl. 

4. Pour cream–egg mixture into a 9" glass pie plate. 

5. Nestle in zucchini. 

6. Bake until golden brown and set, about 40 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

NOTE: We recommend a lower baking temperature, as the cheese on the top of the custard turns dark otherwise. But it does not interfere with the delicious flavor and rich aroma!

Fried Eight-ball Zucchini Rounds

We're showing a very simple, inexpensive recipe. However, many people prefer using bread crumbs or Panko crumbs instead of flour for a crispier texture. 

Another technique dips zucchini into corn starch, then eggs, and finally the bread crumbs.

Whatever the method chosen, fried zucchini tastes delicious.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 cups flour

Canola Oil

Salt

Pepper

Cumin (if desired)

Method:

Slice Zucchini 1/4” - 1/2” thickness, as desired.

Beat 2 eggs in bowl. Add herbs if desired.

Place favorite seasonings in flour and mix.

Dip zucchini saucers into egg and then into seasoned flour.

Fry dipped pieces until brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with salt (if desired) and freshly cracked pepper.

Eight-ball Zucchini Lasagna

Do you have family members who must avoid flour, wheat, or pasta? 

I prefer vegetables to pasta, so Jack came up with this recipe for me. 

It was delicious and not watery at all!

Ingredients:

6 Eight-ball zucchini (or regular zucchini)

favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce

Ricotta Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Parmesan Cheese, grated

salt and pepper to taste

fresh oregano (less if dry oregano is used)

Method:

Slice 6 medium sized 8-ball zucchinis into 1/4” saucers

or

Slice 6 medium regular zucchini into 1/4” saucers or lengths, depending on personal preference

Steam zucchini about 15 minutes, pat dry on paper towels, and set aside.

In baking dish, begin layering ingredients:

spread a little sauce on bottom

layer zucchini

dollops of Ricotta Cheese (to taste)

sprinkle on oregano to taste

Mozzarella Cheese

sauce

and repeat process until last layer:

sauce, topped with Parmesan Cheese

Bake 350 for about 30 minutes or until thoroughly warm and cheese is melted.

Zucchini Casserole with Ground Beef

Slice vegetables (the 8-ball zucchini is excellent for this recipe, but regular zucchini “coins” or lengthwise cuts are also good!)

Slice Veggies

Season and brown ground beef as desired.

Drain beef and set aside.

Layer the vegetables as you would lasagna...

... with layers of beef and ricotta cheese.

Layer more vegetables.

Continue layering for a deep dish.

Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for approximately 50 minutes until vegetables are cooked to your satisfaction.

In place of beef, tofu, rice or potatoes may be substituted.

In place of zucchini, yellow squash may be used.

For a delicious vegetable side dish, eliminate the ground beef, but layer as shown.