The Charmed Kitchen

Zucchini Pancakes

I read once, that in August, there are more zucchini than people in America.  Seems easy to believe. If you grow zucchini, or know someone who does, you are probably enjoying a lot of zucchini right now. You might even feel a little overwhelmed. I decided to share a whole bunch of my favorite zucchini recipes. There are savory and sweet recipes and a few that are gluten-free, too.  Remember, you can also shred and freeze your extra summer squash or dehydrate them to use later. Hope this helps.

Zucchini Pancakes

2 c. shredded zucchini

1 medium onion, diced

2 eggs

1/2 c. flour- you made need a little more or less depending on how moist your zucchini is

2 t. hot pepper sauce, or to taste

1 t. baking soda

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Combine all ingredients, except the oil, in a medium bowl. Heat oil in skillet and spoon batter in. I used a little over 1/4 cup for each. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned around the edges. Flip and cook until golden on both sides and pancake springs back when touched lightly. Remove to platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with salsa or sour cream. Makes 8.

Zucchini and Cheese Tartlets

Since zucchini are so prolific there never seem to be enough recipes for them. I like this one as an appetizer. You can bake up a big batch, bake and then freeze some for whenever you need them.

 

1 recipe of pie crust dough, enough for 2 pies, home made or store bought

1 medium zucchini shredded, about 1 1/2 cups

1 T. flour

1 c. shredded cheese- any kind you like. I like cheddar.

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. minced onion

1 t. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place dough circles in mini muffin pans. Press them in gently being careful not to tear them. Repeat with remaining dough and re-roll scraps. You’ll end up with about 3 dozen in all. If you don’t have enough pans, keep the extra dough circles under a towel or plastic wrap so they don’t dry out until you are ready to use them. In mixing bowl combine zucchini and toss in the flour. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Place a rounded teaspoonful of zucchini mixture into each of the tartlet shells in the prepared pans. Don’t over fill. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. They will puff up while baking but flatten when cooling. Can be served hot, warm or at room temperature. Makes about 3 dozen.

Can be frozen. To reheat take straight from the freezer and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes, but check after 15 minutes.

Baked Zucchini with Mushrooms

2 T. butter
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
½ t. salt
1 clove minced garlic
Pepper to taste
½ t. Italian seasoning
4 medium zucchini, about a pound, shredded
¼ c. bread crumbs
4 T. fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4 eggs, slightly beaten

In a skillet heat butter and sauté mushrooms until tender and liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Place mushroom mixture in mixing bowl and add the zucchini, seasonings, bread crumbs and half of the cheese. Combine ingredients and spoon them into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Pour over the eggs and bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes or until custard is set. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and return to oven for 5 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Zucchini Carrot Cake

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. oil

1¼ c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

½ t. salt

1 c, grated carrot

1 c. grated zucchini, squeezed dry and packed tightly

½ c. chopped nuts

Beat eggs with sugar until frothy. Beat in oil then add dry ingredients. Beat on high for 4 minutes. Stir in veggies and nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool and frost

Frosting

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 T. butter, softened

1 t. vanilla

2 c. powdered sugar

Beat together cream cheese and  butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla and sugar. Spread over cooled cake.

These are wonderfully spicy, moist cupcakes. Instead of frosting them, I decided to top them with melted butter and cinnamon sugar.  It’s something I’ve done with muffins, in the past. I just never thought of topping cupcakes that way before. It was a really good idea. The cupcakes were baked for a picnic, and in the heat, frosting would have melted. Besides, not everyone likes frosting. As an added bonus- it is a another recipe using zucchini, and that is never a bad thing.

Zucchini Carrot Cupcakes

2 eggs
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. oil
1¼ c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon- I think I would use a little more next time
½ t. salt
1 c. grated carrot
1 c. grated zucchini, squeezed dry and packed tightly
½ c. chopped nuts, optional
Beat eggs with sugar until frothy. Beat in oil then add dry ingredients. Beat on high for 4 minutes. Stir in veggies and nuts. Pour batter into 18- 24 paper lined muffin tins, filling them 2/3 full. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool and frost. Makes 24.

Note: These cupcakes deflate a little while cooling.

Classic Vanilla Frosting

3/4 cup butter
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the vanilla, salt, and 1/3 cup of the milk. Gradually beat in the 3 remaining cups of confectioner’s sugar. Beat in additional milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) if needed, to make frosting of spreading consistency. If desired tint the frosting with 6 to 8 drops of food coloring.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Brownies

1½ c. shredded zucchini
1 c. almond butter- but you could use peanut butter instead
1 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. honey – but you can use 1/2 cup if you want a sweeter brownie
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. allspice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 inch pan, set aside. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until well blended. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool before cutting. Makes 16.

Bacon Tomato Mini Quiches with Zucchini Crust

 Gluten Free

Crust:
1¾ c. shredded zucchini
1¼ c. cooked rice- white or brown
1 egg
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients together.

Filling:
8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
1 c. shredded cheese – I like Swiss, but use what you like
1 tomato, seeded and diced
½ c. chopped sweet onion

Combine ingredients in small bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

Custard:
1 1/3 c. half and half
4 eggs
½ t. each basil, garlic powder, paprika and salt
1/8 t. pepper

Place in medium bowl and whisk together until smooth.
Grease 12 muffin cups. The mixture will fill 12 cups very full- but you can make your quiches a little smaller, if you like and make a few more. Pat 2 tablespoons of the crust mixture into each muffin cup. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool before filling. While baking and cooling crusts prepare filling of your choice and custard. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling over each cooled crust. Spoon about 3-4 tablespoons of the custard over the filling. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Can be served warm or cold.

Other fillings:

Tomato, broccoli, mushroom:
In 1 T. butter, sauté 1¼ c. sliced mushrooms, ¾ c. chopped fresh broccoli and 1/3 c. diced onion. Cook until tender, cool. Stir in 1 C. shredded cheddar cheese and 1 tomato, seeded and diced.

Spinach and onion:
Combine 1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, cooked and drained well, with ½ c. diced onion and 1 c. shredded Swiss cheese and ½ c. diced sweet red pepper.

Zucchini Rice Casserole

1 c. water or broth

½ c. raw rice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb. small to medium zucchini, about 3-4, sliced

1 sweet pepper, seeded and diced

8 oz. tomato sauce

1 c. shredded cheese, any type you like

¼ c. freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Bring water or broth to a simmer and stir in rice. Cover and cook over low heat until rice is tender, about 20 minutes for white rice and 40 minutes for brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste, using less salt if cooking in broth. Meanwhile heat oil in a skillet and cook onion until wilted and tender. Add zucchini and pepper and cook until both are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine vegetable mixture with the rice and tomato sauce and pour into 1½ quart casserole. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake in a 350 degree oven until heated through and cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serves 6.

Quick Corn and Zucchini Sauté

2 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into strips

2 medium zucchini, sliced

Oil

2 c. corn kernels cut from cobs, about 4 ears

1 t. garlic salt

½ t. Italian seasoning

In oil cook peppers and zucchini until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 4 more minutes, or until heated through. Serves 6-8.

Fresh Summer Squash Relish

2 c. shredded summer squash, any type, peeled if desired

1 c. finely diced sweet onion

¼-½ c. bottled Italian dressing or other vinaigrette, I make my own

Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to use. Nice on cold and hot sandwiches and in tuna salad. Keeps in fridge for a couple of weeks.

Multi-Grain Zucchini Bread

1¼ c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 c. wheat germ

½ c. sunflower seeds or chopped nuts

1 T. baking powder

½ t. salt

¾ c. shredded zucchini

1/3 c. honey

¾ c. milk

1 egg

Grease a 9-inch cake pan and preheat oven to 375-degrees. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In medium bowl combine remaining ingredients and stir in flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 -35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool in pan ten minutes then remove from pan and cool on a rack.

Pepperoni Pizza Bread

I had a special request from my brother for this bread. It is one of his favorites. The bread is like a stromboli. You can fill them with all sorts of other fillings. This one just happens to be his favorite. I made a double batch of the dough, so I would have 2 loaves. Here is the recipe.

Pepperoni Pizza Bread

3 ¼ c. flour

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt

1 package quick-rising yeast

1 c. hot water

1 T. oil

Extra oil for brushing on the dough

1/2 c. marinara sauce

6 oz. mozzarella or provolone cheese

2 oz. sliced pepperoni, about

Set aside 1 cup of the flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle about 16 x 8. Brush with oil down center middle of dough. Top with sauce, cheese and pepperoni. Cut one-inch wide strips of dough from filling to edge on both sides. It will sort of look like fringe. Alternating sides, fold strips up and over the filling at an angle. Carefully lift loaf onto greased baking sheet and place at an angle. Cover with a towel and place sheet on top of a roasting pan half-filled with simmering water for 15 minutes. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers. Makes one loaf.

Note: The variations for this bread are almost endless. Some favorite combinations are ham and Swiss with mustard, roast beef and cheddar, chicken, broccoli and cheese, spinach with ricotta or feta and onions, curried veggies . You get the idea. Use your imagination and have fun. Just be careful not to overfill, or the bread will be hard to move, use fillings that aren’t too runny and always use cold fillings.

If you want to use regular yeast, use warm, rather than hot water.  After kneading cover dough and let rise 45 minutes. Punch down and assemble as in original recipe. Cover with a towel and let rise until dough looks puffy, about 40 minutes. Bake as directed above. These breads can also be frozen.

Cut strips of dough and fold over the filling

Transfer to baking sheet to rise.

Cool a few minutes before slicing

I have had a lot of breadsticks over the years, but honestly, I didn’t like most of them. They were always too dry or flavorless. I love these. They are full of flavor. You can bake them until they are really crisp, or until they are still a little tender and chewy. Either way, they are great. For the tomato puree, I used a fresh tomato, cooked it down a little, and tossed in the blender. I also used fresh basil.

Tomato Basil Breadsticks

2 T. olive oil
1/3 c. chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. tomato puree
1/3 c. water
3-3 1/2 c. flour
2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
2 t. dried basil, or 2 T. fresh, chopped fine
1 packet fast-acting yeast
1 egg combined with 1T. water
coarse salt for sprinkling

Sauté onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Stir in tomato puree and water and combine well. In bowl, with electric mixer combine 3 cups of the flour with salt, sugar, basil and yeast and stir in tomato mixture. Beat until smooth, adding the rest of the flour, Mixture should be sticky. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of the dough and roll into 8-inch long strips. Place on baking sheets covered with parchment paper. Brush lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with the salt. Bake in upper third of 325-degree oven (it will take 2 batches) for 45 minutes (soft breadsticks) or 1 1/2 hours (crisp breadsticks). Makes about 25.

Ready to bake

Lavender and Vanilla Shortbread

I really enjoy cooking with lavender. It goes well in savory dishes, but also in desserts and sweets. Seemed only natural to add some lavender to shortbread. It is one of my go-to recipes. This time I added some vanilla sugar, too. The combination of lavender and vanilla is one of my favorites. The slightly spicy flavor of the lavender blossoms pairs well with the sweeter, sort of floral flavor of the vanilla. If you don’t have vanilla sugar (directions follow), you can add 2 teaspoons of vanilla to the dough.

Lavender and Vanilla Shortbread

 1 c. vanilla sugar, plus extra for sprinkling*

2 c. butter

4 c. flour

2-3 T. lavender blossoms

Cream together the one-cup of sugar and butter. Stir in the flour and lavender blossoms. Press mixture in to a greased 9×13 inch-baking dish. Cut or score into small squares, or on the diagonal for diamond shapes. Sprinkle with extra sugar and bake in a preheated 300-degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Re-cut the squares as soon as you remove the shortbread from the oven. Cool before removing from pan. Make about 100 small squares.

* If you don’t have vanilla sugar just use granulated sugar and add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the dough.

Making Vanilla Sugar

Some specialty stores sell vanilla sugar and it is expensive. I find it easy to just make my own. Vanilla sugar can be used in baking or to top desserts, in tea, and other drinks. I love to sprinkle vanilla sugar on sugar cookies and on muffins, too.

I buy vanilla beans by the pound online and use them in cooking and to make my own vanilla extract.

To make vanilla sugar just cut vanilla beans in half lengthwise and then into 1 inch pieces. Place granulated sugar in a jar and add the vanilla beans. Cover jar and shake once in awhile. The sugar is fragrant in about a week but will get stronger the longer it sits. I use one vanilla bean per cup of sugar. You can add more sugar to the jar as you use it. The beans will continue to flavor new sugar added to the jar for some time.

Easy Spiced Chicken

I was having a friend over and needed a quick dinner idea. I had chicken breasts marinading in sherry. I went through the fridge and found some cauliflower. I also grabbed a bunch of lambsquarters* from the yard for something green. I had some spinach angel hair pasta, so decided to use that, too. My dinner companion really likes spicy food- so I added hot pepper sauce to the chicken both before and after I cooked it. It came out great.

Easy Spiced Chicken

8 oz. pasta- I used spinach angel hair

2 T. oil

1 lb. chicken, cut into cubes- I marinaded mine overnight in sherry and hot sauce

1 onion, sliced

1 T. chopped fresh garlic

2 c. cauliflower, cut into flowerets

4 c. lambsquarters leaves, washed and drained

2 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 T. chopped fresh chives

1 T. hot sauce

1 t. cumin

1 t. smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

cashews and sesame seeds, optional

extra hot sauce for drizzling

Start  by boiling water for your pasta. Heat oil in skillet. Drain marinade off chicken and discard. Fry chicken over high heat, stirring until chicken is just cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside. While pasta cooks- heat a little more oil in skillet and add the onion, cooking over high heat until onion is tender and just turning a light golden color. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Start cooking your pasta. Add cauliflower and lambsquarters and cook until cauliflower is tender/crisp and greens are wilted. Return chicken to the pan with the veggies and add herbs, hot sauce and seasonings.  Cook a couple more minutes, over medium low heat. Adjust seasonings. Drain pasta and place in serving bowl, add the chicken mixture. Top with cashews and sesame seeds right as you serve. Drizzle with more hot sauce.

*Lambsquarters are a common plant that grows most anywhere ground has been cultivated. It tastes like spinach when cooked- you could substitute spinach instead.

Bob the Bagel

I have been posting pictures on Facebook all week of some of the foods the kids made in camp this week. I decided to talk a little about what a cooking camp is like. I also want to talk about what the kids have taught me.

The ages ranged from 9-13 this week. There was a mix of boys and girls. In the morning we made what the kids ate for lunch. We tried to do as much from scratch stuff as possible. We made pizza, cooked with tortillas, baked bread and had a day devoted mostly to salads.  There was a wide range of cooking skills in the kids.

The lesson I have learned, having done this for a number of years now, is to let them fail sometimes. I used to want the kids to have all perfect dishes to take home to share with their families. For younger kids, I’d fuss over their cakes and do more of the work for them than I probably should. I know better now.

I show them how to do something, then step back and let them do it themselves.  I let them be creative, try, and sometimes end up with a lopsided cake or a pizza that’s shape looks like an amoeba. In the end, it all tastes good and the kids did it. I watched, I guided, but I also let them create there own culinary work.

I often tell kids, when they get flustered, that brownies were a mistake. Story is that a woman was trying to make a chocolate cake, but couldn’t find her recipe. She threw the ingredients together, baked it, and her cake fell. Turned out she liked what she made. Anyone who enjoys brownies today should thank her.

There is also a fearlessness in kids, I think adults forget. When we work with yeast, for example. Kids are told how yeast works. I put some yeast in a container with warm water and a sprinkle of sugar and we watch it get all bubbly. I explain the science behind bread baking. They go in with no expectation that it won’t work. No fear. I love that.

So in the end, we all learn something from working in the kitchen and cooking together. We learn the pride in making a meal all by yourself. We also feel the happiness in sharing that meal with family and friends.  But maybe the best part, we learn that mistakes happen. They are not the end of the world. We learn that mistakes in kitchen still taste pretty good, even if they might not look perfect. And sometimes, if you are lucky, your mistakes just might be brownies.

Here are some pics from this past week. Enjoy.

Kneading dough

Pizza from scratch

Bagels

Pupcakes

Three bean taco salad

Making ravioli

Waffles for breakfast

Making veggie fried rice

Under the Sea cake

Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas

I had some spinach and wanted a quick meal. Its been hot, but I wasn’t in the mood for a salad. I had some tortillas and a few Portobello mushrooms.  Throw in a little cheese- and I had a pretty nice meal. These quesadillas are really good. They are rich and packed with flavor. I just cooked them in a skillet,  but you could also bake them in the oven or brush with oil and cook them on the grill. You can serve them alone- or maybe serve with some salsa or sour cream. I had mine with some fresh, sliced tomatoes.

 Mushroom and Spinach Quesadillas

1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach
2 cups shredded cheese, I used Swiss
2-3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced                                                         salt and pepper to taste
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Saute spinach in a little  butter until wilted. Cool and chop. Set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes. Mix in spinach, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Place an equal amount of the mixture on one side of each tortilla. Top with equal amounts of cheese. Fold tortillas in half over the filling. Heat oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Place quesadillas in the skillet, and cook 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges to serve.

Zucchini and Corn Saute

For those of you looking for another way to use some of those zucchini this dish is really fun and easy. The flavors of the zucchini, corn and peppers work really well together and makes a tasty side dish in just a few minutes.

Quick Zucchini and Corn Sauté

2 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 medium zucchini, sliced
Oil
2 c. corn kernels cut from cobs, about 4 ears
1 t. garlic salt*
½ t. Italian seasoning

In oil, cook peppers and zucchini until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 4 more minutes, or until heated through. Serves 6-8.

*Feel free to use 1 teaspoon of salt and some fresh garlic, I often do.

Zucchini and Potato Pancakes

I really liked putting potatoes and zucchini together in these pancakes. They work so well together to produce a  pancake that was crispy on the outside and tender inside. I’ve made this dish with just potatoes and with just zucchini- and I like them both. For some reason the pairing, works well, too. I made this dish for a friend and he really liked it a lot. I served them with sour cream.

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

4 medium potatoes, I used red skinned
2 medium zucchini
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T. flour
¼ t. baking powder
1 t. salt or to taste
Pepper to taste
2 T. grated onion, I used dried chopped onion
½ c. oil

Peel *and grate potatoes. Place them in cold water and set aside. Trim zucchini and grate coarsely. Place in large bowl. Drain potatoes and squeeze dry. Place between towels to get out excess moisture and place in bowl with the zucchini. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the oil and stir to combine. Heat oil in a skillet. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the potato batter into the skillet. Cook several minutes per side or until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve. Serves 6-8.

* Peeling is really optional. I chose not to and I think they worked out fine. Personal choice.