Zucchini Coconut Bread

Source: Two Peas and their Pod

Zucchini Coconut Bread

Yield: 1 loaf of bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50-60 minutes

Total Time: 75 minutes

Zucchini Coconut bread made with coconut oil and coconut! You won't miss the butter, I promise!

ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour
3/4 cup whole wheat Gold Medal flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (squeezed and drained in a paper towel)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use Chobani 0%), at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a separate large bowl, combine shredded zucchini, sugars, coconut oil, yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Stir in the shredded coconut.

5. Pour the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let zucchini bread cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and cool completely before slicing.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

A really yummy way to use up our squash this week. Even though the recipe calls for two of each squash, (which is what we had), our squash were so big that I ended up doubling the rest of the recipe to go with our 4 jumbo summer squash (and baked it in a 9 x 13).

Source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium zucchini (about 7 ounces each), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 2 medium yellow squash (about 7 ounces each), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup panko
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add zucchini, yellow squash, shallots, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini and squash are crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Add cream, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in 1/2 cup panko and cup Parmesan.
3. Spoon mixture into a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining panko and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Bake until top is golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

Ratatouille

Source: Smitten Kitchen

I had a bunch of zucchini and some homemade goat cheese ready,  and have been wanting to try this for a while so I went for it. Delicious and light!  I can only imagine how much better it would be with all the different veggies in it.  I also added some ground beef for some protein into the sauce.

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille
As envisioned by Smitten Kitchen
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi) - could use the whole can of tomato sauce if adding beef. I also add some honey to offset the acidity of tomatoes.
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly)
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme  (I didn't have fresh thyme on hand so just liberally sprinkled some Italian seasoning on it)
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)
Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.

Grilled Vegetable Tostadas

Source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grates
• 3 medium zucchini (1 1/2 pounds total), cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices on the diagonal
• 4 portobello mushrooms (1 pound total), stemmed
• 1 1/2 bunches scallions, root ends trimmed
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 flour tortillas (10-inch or burrito-size)
• 3 cups store-bought fresh salsa, or Fresh Tomato Salsa
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
• 1 lime, cut lengthwise into 4 wedges (optional), for serving

Directions

1. Heat grill to high; lightly oil grates. In separate piles, arrange zucchini, mushrooms, and scallions on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, remove each pile of vegetables from baking sheet. Grill, turning once, until lightly browned and tender, 2 minutes for scallions, 6 minutes for mushrooms, and 8 minutes for zucchini. Return all vegetables to baking sheet. Slice mushrooms into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Set aside.
2. Brush tortillas with remaining tablespoon oil; grill, turning frequently, until browned and very crispy, about 2 minutes. Place 1 tortilla on each serving plate; cover evenly with mushrooms and zucchini. Using kitchen shears, snip scallions over vegetables. Top with salsa, and sprinkle with feta; serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Roasted Salmon With Zucchini, Lemon, and Dill

We also made a quick "tartar" sauce by squeezing some of the roasted lemon juice and adding some roasted dill into a couple spoonfuls of mayo. It really helped as the salmon can get a little dry while roasting.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds (about 3 medium) zucchini, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick pieces
• 2 lemons, quartered, seeds removed
• 8 sprigs fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 (about 8 ounces each) skinless salmon fillets

Directions

1. Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Combine zucchini, lemons, and dill on a large rimmed broiler-proof baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
2. Nestle salmon fillets among vegetables; season generously with salt and pepper. Broil until vegetables are tender and fish is opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes.

Springy Shells

Source: Pioneer Woman

Springy Shells

16 ounces medium pasta shells (or other short pasta)
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (avoid tough parts)
1/2 pound broccoli, cut into small florettes
1/2 pound zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini), diced
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 green onions, sliced (white and light green parts)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
20 to 22 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Extra olive oil, for drizzling

Cook pasta until extremely al dente—with still quite a bit of bite.
Melt butter with the olive oil over medium-low to medium heat, then add in the garlic.
Add the asparagus to the pan and cook for five minutes. Sprinkle in a little salt. Add the broccoli and cook for one minute, then add the zucchini and cook for one or two more minutes. Add the frozen peas and green onion, stir together, then turn off the heat. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, salt, and pepper until well combined.
To assemble, butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add half the pasta, then spread 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture over the surface. Sprinkle 1/3 of the Parmesan over the ricotta, then 1/2 of the vegetables. Repeat with the rest of the pasta, the rest of the ricotta, and another 1/3 of the Parmesan. End with the rest of the vegetables and the rest of the Parmesan.
Drizzle with a couple of tablespoons olive oil, then bake for 25 minutes on 350 degrees or until nice and hot.

I served with crusty French bread and chilled lemonade. :o)