Another Zucchini Recipe

If you have zucchini plants growing in your garden, chances are that it is now providing an abundance of fruit.

If not watched carefully, the fruits grow into mammoth proportions. This has happened to us a few times this summer! Fortunately, there are hundreds of ways to use zucchini of all sizes. DH has chopped up the really large ones to make into relish. I have spiralized a few to make “spaghetti”, sliced several lengthwise to make “lasagna” and shredded the smaller ones to make into zucchini bread.

Gluten-free Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 small – medium sized zucchini, shredded

6 Tablespoons cocoa

2 cups almond flour

6 tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered stevia (or sugar, if preferred)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons extra light olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 4 small loaf pans.

Shred the zucchini and put into a paper towel lined colander to absorb excess moisture.

Using a wire whisk, combine all the dry ingredients in mixing bowl.

Stir the eggs and oil together.

Press as much moisture as you can from the zucchini, then  add it and the egg mixture to the dry ingredients.  Mix everything together and divide into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Cool completely before slicing.

Tip: This zucchini bread freezes very well.

 

 

 

Just Peachy

Our Civic holiday weekend began with an hour long drive through fog to  the airport so that our week long house guest could catch his 6:00 a.m. flight back home. After dropping him off at the departures entry, we decided to take a different route home, stopping along the way for coffee, and a visit to a farmers market where we purchased two baskets of Niagara peaches. August is the peak season for this delicious, juicy, fuzz-skinned fruit here in the Niagara Peninsula, and we can’t seem to get enough of them.

There are so many ways to use peaches: pies, muffins, cakes, smoothies, salads, and ice-cream.  They can be  preserved them for winter enjoyment by canning, freezing, making chutneys and jams. However, I think  the best way of all is to eat peaches raw, when they are in season locally.

Since it was a holiday weekend, we treated ourselves to waffles for breakfast on Sunday, and what better way to serve them than with sliced fresh peaches. To prepare the fruit, I just wash it and slice into the stone. Since these peaches are a freestone variety, the stone comes out easily.  As an aside, is there anyone else who thinks that peaches aren’t as fuzzy as they used to be? I seem to recall that when I was a child the peach fuzz was thicker and scratchier.

 

 

 

A drizzle of maple syrup (the “real stuff, the stuff that comes from trees” as our GS once told us),  added the finishing touch.