Zucchini – Gotta Love It- With Chocolate, That is

Gardens are overflowing with zucchini, mine included.  I happen to like Zucchini – I like it in pasta, I like it grilled, I like it with chocolate.  I’m  starting to sound like the Green Eggs and Ham Book!  LOL

Do you like Zucchini?  Or must you disguise it, hidden in chocolate?  Either way this chocolate zucchini bread rocks!  It is moist and chocolate and only the most discerning of palates can tell there is zucchini in there.  There is a good reason it received 4-1/2 stars out of 5 on Allrecipes.com by 500+ reviewers.  So whether you like zucchini or not, go and make this bread … ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate 3 eggs 2 cups white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 2 cups grated zucchini

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.
2.	In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate; beat well. Stir in the flour baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
3.	Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean.SOURCE:  Allrecipes.com

Zucchini – Gotta Love it – With Pasta, That is!

The evening I made this I got up in the morning, took a chicken breast out of the freezer to defrost for later, and had every intention of making a great tossed salad with grilled chicken for dinner.  I went to work and there sitting on the table for anyone who wanted them was a bag of zucchini and cucumbers!  The best laid plans quickly changed when I saw the zucchini.  I took one in hand, as mine are not ready to be picked yet, and dismissed any ideas of yet another salad for dinner (I’ve been averaging 3-4 large dinner salads a week from my garden lettuce).  I was trying to decide what I was in the mood to eat now that I had changed my plans and I came up with PASTA!  Go figure?! Ha  Ha

I found a recipe that sounded good and improvised on some of the ingredients with vegetables from my garden.  The end result was spectacular … so fresh … so good … so eat your zucchini now!  ENJOY!

Ingredients:
-12 oz penne pasta
-1 tsp olive oil
–3 cloves garlic, diced
-1 zucchini, chopped
-garlic sea salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-3/4 cup chicken broth
-1 lb chicken, grilled and cut into small pieces
-1 red pepper diced
-3 cups fresh swiss chard
-3 oz light cream cheese
-1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot and cook for 8-10 minutes, until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until tender. Add the zucchini , red peppers and season with the garlic sea salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 10 minutes, until tender (do not over-cook).
3. Stir in the chicken broth and reserved pasta water  into the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, until heated through. Add the chicken, swiss chard, and cream cheese. Stir to combine, until the swiss chard wilts and the cream cheese melts.
4. Mix the pasta with the zucchini mixture and stir to mix well. Top with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Adapted From:  thesweetslife.com

Zucchini Boats

I’m always on the lookout for new recipes for vegetables. This recipe was a winner!  It is easy and quite tasty.  I made the recipe as written, but I think next time instead of roasting the zucchini in the oven I would grill the zucchini and then finish roasting in the oven to melt the cheese.

Stuffed Zucchini

Be sure to pack stuffing tightly in the zucchini shells so it doesn’t fall out as it cooks.

Ingredients

• 4 medium zucchini, (6 to 8 ounces each), halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• Freshly ground pepper
• 7 1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Using a tablespoon, scoop out zucchini centers to form “canoes,” leaving a 1/4-inch border. Roughly chop centers; set aside.
2. Arrange zucchini, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet; bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chopped zucchini, and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. Fold in feta and tomatoes.
4. Turn hollowed-out zucchini cut sides up, fill with vegetable-feta mixture, and bake until top is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Lift zucchini from baking sheet with a wide spatula, and serve.

Source:  Martha Stewart Recipes