Friday, October 14, 2011

Zucchini Parmesan

The last of the zucchini is in.  We've been eating zucchini for months, and amazingly, it still tastes good.  But it's a challenge to find something easy and different to do with it.  The zucchini in this recipe is firm, not mushy. It's beautiful, and smells delicious.

Zucchini Parmesan

1 large zucchini
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 C bread crumbs
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp dried basil or 1/2 tsp fresh, chopped
1/8 tsp dried oregano or 1/4 tsp fresh, chopped
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 C spaghetti sauce (homemade or jarred)
1 C grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Slice the zucchini on the diagonal into 3/8 inch slices.

Mix the egg and the olive oil.

 Mix the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and salt.

Dip each slice of zucchini into the egg mixture then the bread crumb mixture.  Place on the baking sheet.  Bake the zucchini for 20 minutes, turning half way.  Spoon spaghetti sauce over the zucchini slices, and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.


That's the recipe format.  Here's the reality. I do not actually measure anything. I have never yet made bread crumb / parmesan amounts come out right when I measure.  I use equal amounts of parmesan and bread crumbs and add the herbs, and hope for the best.


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Carrot Muffins

I love carrot cake.  We had carrot cake as our wedding cake 27 years ago, made by my mother and decorated by her caterer friends.

I also love muffins.  Muffins used to be a special weekend breakfast.  Then we moved to the farm, and now we have muffins all the time.  Muffins are the perfect to-go breakfast, for days when a bowl of cereal seem like just too much cooking to manage before morning chores.  So I bake a dozen muffins before bed, and the next morning is so much easier.

This recipe takes carrots from the garden, adds all the goodies from my mom's carrot cake, and bakes it all into a convenient little package.

Carrot Muffins

1 C whole wheat flour
1 C unbleached flour
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C crushed pineapple, drained
1 C buttermilk (or a mix of milk and yogurt, if you're out of buttermilk)
1/4 C oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 C finely shredded carrots
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 375.  Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract until well blended, Stir in the carrots, walnuts, and coconut.  Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups. Bake 20-22 minutes, until the tester says it's done.