Zucchini Banana bread

This is what happens when coop order has zucchini and bananas - a best of quick breads combination. This recipe is adapted from the America's test kitchen version of both recipes.

1 small-ish zucchini
2 bananas
2 eggs
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbs Lemon juice
6 Tbs butter
3/4 cup pecans
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1. A key principle here is to eliminate the extra juice from the zucchini and bananas so you can get more flavor. For the Zucchini- grate it and toss with 2Tbs sugar and place in a paper towel lined colander to drain. For the Bananas- place in a glass dish, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 min to get the juice out - alternatively use frozen bananas which juice easily when defrosted. Put the bananas in the paper towel lined colander with the zucchini and leave it all to drip for about 30 min.

2. Toast the pecans over medium high heat for a few minutes (or in the oven) - chop to desired consistency and allow to cool.
2a. melt the butter in the microwave and let it cool.

3. Combine the flour,remaining sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and toasted nuts in a large bowl

4. combine eggs, yogurt, lemon juice, vanilla and melted butter in a medium bowl and beat well.

5. squeeze and bananas and Zucchini in the paper towel to get out all the juice, then add them to the wet ingrediants and mix well.

6. add wet to dry and stir until just combined.

7. put in a buttered and floured loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 50-55min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5 min bread

I am home sick from work so what better activity than making bread? A few minutes mixing, a few hours napping with a yummy ending. This recipie is from the book "Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day"

3 cups warm water
2 scant Tbs yeast
1 1/4 Tbs kosher salt
6 1/2 cups flour

1. Dissolove yeast and salt in water in a large container (skip dishes by mixing in whatever you want to keep it in in the fridge)
2. Add flour and mix until combined - Don't knead!
3. Loosely cover and let rise 2-5 hours until fallen or flat. Now would be nap time!
4. Refridgerate until you want it at least 3 hours and up to a week

when you're ready to bake:
1.take a grapefruit sized lump ( approx 1/4 of the dough ) and form a ball
2. Let rise 45 minutes
3. Preheat a pizza stone to 450
4. Bake untill crusty - yum!

Steve's Shrimp Salad

As originally conceived this was a Mexican salad, then when I smelled the basil in the garden it became a Thai Salad and now I am giving credit where credit is due, Steve from da van - yea for carpool brainstorms!

1 can yellow corn
1 can garbonzo beans (aka chickpeas)
8oz peeled, cooked, deveined frozen shrimp
1 lime
1 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp thai red chili powder
1/2 tsp lemongrass curry powder
dash of salt
3 large leaves, fresh basil
1/2 jalepano
2 small zuchini or summer squash (about 3 cups sliced)
1/4 of a red onion
avocado
lettuce

1. combine juice of lime, honey and spices in a small bowl (suggest chili powder and cayenne pepper if you don't have a collection of odd spices you've been waiting to use).
2.Thaw the shrimp (I soak 'em in hot water) and put them to marinate in the honey-lime mixture.
3. drain and rinse the corn and beans and put them in a large bowl. Dice the onion and jalepaneo very fine (to taste) and add them. Cut zuchini/squash into chunks and add to the vegtables.
4. add the shrimp and mix well.
5. chop basil finely and mix into salad
6. serve on a bed of lettuce topped with avacodo

Nutrition ( per serving without avacado or lettuce, above amounts makes aprox 4 servings, 2 cups each. )
Calories 210.3 Total Fat 3.1 g Saturated Fat 0.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.3 g
Cholesterol 96.7 mg Sodium 398.6 mg Potassium 217.7 mg Total Carbohydrate 29.9 g Dietary Fiber 4.5 g Sugars 7.5 g
Protein 18.3 g

Rob's feast

For today a guest post by Rob, my husband, who is an amazing cook when he has time and a peanut-butter-a-holic when he doesn't.

Pan seared, and Grilled Ahi Tuna served on a salad bed, with a side of roast garlic stuffed mushrooms sauted in olive oil and white wine, and Pasta Romesco


Chez Piggy Romesco Sauce

1/2 Cup Olive Oil
2 Red Bell Peppers
1 tomato, halved
5 cloves of garlic
2 finger-hot chilies
1.5 cups blanched almonds, toasted
1 tsp. red-wine vinegar
Pinch coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350, Warm 1tsp oil in ovenproof pan. Place tomato in pan, coat with oil, roast 20 min.
Roast red peppers, and steam for 25 min, remove skin, stems, seeds.
Place all ingredients into food processor, blend to a paste.

I did two vine ripened tomatoes instead of one, both halved, with a bulb of garlic in the center of the pan, and poured olive oil over them all. The tomatoes were finished in 20 min, the garlic bulb took another 20 minutes to roast (I your blue iron pot - which worked amazingly - and cleaned up really well afterwords).

I added the juice of 1/2 a lime - although, I don't think it added much to the flavor.

The sauce is really good (if I do say so myself), but I think I'd add less almonds next time. The sauce by itself, without the almonds is rich and creamy, and I think if one were to put in the juice of a couple limes, and to not add almonds at all - one would have a basic roasted red bell pepper mole, or a mole rojo.




A basic salad of home-grown lettuce (various types including spinach), chopped tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Pan seared and then grilled tuna steak with a zest of lemon (from the brand-new zester!)



The mushrooms were stuffed with roasted garlic and then refrigerated until dinner time. They were then sauted in the pan the tuna was seared in. The mushrooms were browned on both sides, and then white wine was added (Sauvignon Blanc). They were then cooked in the wine sauce, while covered for about another five minutes. If I had to do it over again, I would probably add the roasted garlic stuffing after the mushrooms were done - this seemed to cause the garlic to loose some flavor!
yummy- mushrooms.

double chocolate cookies

Yummy enough to be handed down through two generations. (Disclaimer- original source was the back of a package, but they are delicious!)

1 cup butter (real butter not margarine works best!)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 c white chocolate chips (12oz pkg)
Macadamia nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and fluff with a fork. Add dry to wet and mix well. Add chocolate chips and 1/2-3/4 cup macadamia nuts if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 min at 350. Do NOT overbake. Allow to cool 2-3 min before removing from sheet. I dare you to eat just one!

Italian sausage, bean, kale soup!

No photo, but very good. Adapted from a conversation with someone in my yoga class

3 links hot italian sausage
1 diced onion
1-2 diced carrots
2 15oz cans cannelli beans (white kidney beans)
6 cups chicken broth
1-2 cups kale
In a heavy bottomed pan, brown the sausage (take out of the casing first). Remove from pan and add one onion, saute until translucent and add carrots. Return sausage to the pan and add the chicken broth. Drain and rinse the beans. Add 1 can to the pot as is. Take the other half of the beans and mush them up with a fork into a paste and then add them. Cook until the carrots are hot and then add the kale. Cook 5 min more until kale is wilted. Serve with crusty white bread.

Fish Tacos

When coop order has both Tilapia and cabbage, there's just one thing to do - fish tacos! I had never made them before but they turn out to be quite easy. After chopping prep there's only a few minutes cook time and they are just as good as Lone Star's (the SLC Taco place on Ft. Union, not the state of Texas). The amount of fish determines how many people you can feed. Rob and I ate 6 tacos (3 Tilapia fillets) and there was enough sauce leftover for at least that amount 2 more times.

Fish Tacos
Prep: 30 min Cook: 5 min Difficulty: Easy
1 pkg corn tortillas

for the fish:
1-2 6oz Tilapia fillet per person, thawed
1 lime
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
cayenne pepper to taste

for the sauce:
1 6oz container greek style yogurt (sour cream would work as well!)
3 Tbs mayo
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (1 handful)
1 lime
salt
1-2 Tbs red onion

Toppings:
1 cup green cabbage, sliced thin
red onion
salsa (whip up a quick batch of my current favorite recipe)
more fresh cilantro

1. Marinate the fish by combining all ingredients in a bowl and stir to coat well. Cumin or corriander or hot curry spice are other good additions depending on your spice tolerance
2. Put all sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix for 1-2 minutes until the sauce turns green-ish. (I'm sure you could just mix with a spoon but you get that great Lone Star sauce color when you blend - besides, you had the food processor out for the salsa anyways, right?)
3. Chop up toppings. Cabbage is a must along with either salsa or plain old tomato.
4. Preheat a frying pan over high heat. Add 1 Tbs butter and coat the pan and return to a sizzling level of heat. Cook the tilapia for 3 min on the first side, then flip and 2 min on the other side. (Depending on thickness of the fish - when done it should flake easily, fell free to rip it open in the pan to double check)
5. Assemble the tacos! Start with 1 or 2 corn tortillas (double thickness for re-enforced strength), add 1/2 of a tilapia fillet broken into peices, then salsa, onion, a bunch of cabbage. Top with that magic green fish sauce and serve to smiling people.