Carrot & Zucchini Cake Bars

During this time of year it is so easy to over indulge in all the sweets, cookies and cakes around the house. This a recipe for a great treat that fulfills the want for something sweet, but sneaks some healthy vegetables in, too. I have always been a lover of carrot cake and these little bars and the perfect size for that sweet (but not excessive) treat.

Recipe yields 16 bars

Ingredients
2 large eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda

Frosting:
8 oz light cream cheese
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, honey and vanilla extract.

Shred the carrots and zucchini. Fold them into the mixture along with the walnuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger and baking soda. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated, being sure not to over mix.

Pour batter into a well greased baking pan (13X9). Bake for 25-28 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. In the meantime, combine all ingredients for the frosting and mix together using a hand mixer or your stand mixer.

Cut into bars and top with the frosting. Enjoy!

Pasta alla Ratatouille

A quick disclosure - this is MY version of a ratatouille. It does not follow classic French cooking standards, but I think it tastes just as good. I had a surplus of great vegetables on hand from my crop share and this was one great way to use them up. This is great as a side dish, but you can also throw it over pasta or rice to serve it as a meal.

Recipe yields 8-10 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 head of garlic
3 large zucchini
1 large eggplant
1 medium yellow onion
5 lbs. tomatoes
1/2 lb. green beans
1-2 tbsp salt (this is based on a taste test and preference)
1 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 lbs whole wheat pasta

Start off by preparing your vegetables. You are going to want to mince the garlic, slice the onion and dice the zucchini and eggplant. If your green beans are extra long, you can cut them in half to make them more manageable when it comes time to eat.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add your garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant and add in the onion, zucchini and eggplant. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, start to dice the tomatoes. You want to cut them into about 1/2" cubes. Add the tomatoes and all the juices to the pot and stir it all together. Using the back of your spoon, 'smoosh and squish' the tomatoes to extract more juices. Remember, this is a very rustic dish, so nothing has to be perfect. After all the tomatoes are added, bring the mixture to a boil. Add your salt, pepper and chopped basil and continue to boil. You can lower the heat to medium, but you still want to see some bubbles. Cook for about 15 minutes before adding the green beans.

Cooking time will vary depending on the sizes of the vegetables and how small/large you cut them. Continue to check the vegetables until they are tender. The zucchini is likely to take the longest to cook. Overall, my pot sat at a slow boil for about 15 minutes. Once your comfortable with the flavors and textures (remember, you can always add more salt and pepper depending on your tastes), shut off the heat and mix in the chopped parsley.

Now you can pour this delicious mixture over your pasta and serve alongside a crispy French baguette. Delicieux! Bon Appetit!

Red Onion & Zucchini Chicken Sandwiches

I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing Labor Day Weekend. This has been my go-to sandwich for lunch on Saturday's all summer long. It is so quick to put together and is filled with refreshing flavor. Whether we were going to the beach or spending the day out on the boat, I was constantly getting requests to prepare these sandwiches to bring with us.

Recipe yields 3 sandwiches

Ingredients 

1 Rotisserie chicken

1/2 red onion

1 medium zucchini (in a pinch, I've substituted cucumbers as well)

1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp fresh parsley

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 loaf Italian bread

Shredded lettuce, optional

Start off by thinly slicing the onion and zucchini. You want the zucchini to look like thin ribbons.

Mix together the onion, zucchini, olive oil, vinegar, juice from one lemon, about 2 tbsp lemon zest, chopped parsley and the salt and pepper. Let that marinate for at least 15-20 minutes while you get the chicken ready.

In the meantime, remove the breasts and legs from the chicken. Remove the skin and using two forks, shred the meat into bite sized pieces.

Mix together the shredded chicken with the marinated vegetables. Add extra olive oil if the mixture seems too dry. Use your judgment and preference here. Slice open your Italian bread and load it up with the mixture. 

Top off your sandwich with shredded lettuce, if you prefer. You could even add some tomato slices if that is your thing. Cut into individual sandwich size pieces. Either wrap up to enjoy later on at the beach or on the boat, or serve with a bag of chips and enjoy it right now!

Baked Zucchini Rounds

I love simple baked eggplant rounds sprinkled with a little grated Parmesan cheese or dipped in tomato sauce. With that in mind, and plenty of zucchini flowing from my crop share, I decided to slice up the zucchini and prep it like I would an eggplant. These are similar to fried zucchini sticks but have two key differences. First, they are much healthier since we are going to bake them and not fry them. Secondly, it is much easier to cut these rounds than it is to slice the zucchini into sticks. A healthy and easy treat, let's get started!

Recipe yields 3-4 servings (as an appetizer)

Ingredients

1 large zucchini

1 large egg

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Peel and slice the zucchini into 1/4" slices. Prepare your breading station with the usuals - egg and water in one bowl for your egg wash, flour in a second bowl and bread crumbs in the third bowl.

For each piece, first coat in flour, then dip into the egg wash and finally cover in the bread crumbs. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and arrange the prepared zucchini rounds.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Flip each piece and bake for an additional 8 minutes. You want the zucchini to be golden brown and crispy on the edges. Remove to a serving dish alongside tomato sauce for dipping.

Serve as an appetizer or alongside a bowl of pasta. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash with Sauteed Vegetables

Before the storm, I had gotten a new mandolin and this is a great recipe to use it. As I said yesterday, spaghetti squash is a great alternative to pasta. This version is with garlic and oil and adds in extra vegetables.

Recipe yields 4 servings (as a main dish)

Ingredients
2 large spaghetti squash
2 large carrots
1 large zuchini
1 large yellow squash
1 head of garlic
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Using my new mandolin, on the the fine julienne setting, I sliced the carrots, zucchini and yellow squash. If you don't have a mandolin, julienne the vegetables with a knife.

Heat olive oil in a a large skillet. Add minced garlic and cook until golden brown and fragrant.

Add the julienned vegetables to the skillet. Cook until tender, roughly 10-12 minutes.

Add the sauteed vegetables to prepared spaghetti squash. (Look here for how to prepare: How To: Prepare Spaghetti Squash)

Stir well to evenly incorporate the vegetables with the spaghetti squash. Add more oil if needed. Serve and enjoy!