ZUCCHINI BREAD – BAKING DAY – CLEAN OUT THE REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER
Shredded Carrots and Zucchini
Today I wanted to get rid of some of the items in my refrigerator and freezer, so i decided to make a non-traditional Zucchini Bread, using Zucchini, Carrots, Chocolate Cookie Crumbs and chopped Macadamia Nuts and dried Pineapple.
Since I ended up with 4 cups of shredded fruit/Vegetable (yes, Zucchini is a fruit) I doubled my normal recipe./zuchinni-muffins/ The ingredients that I used are:
6 Eggs
2 cups Brown Sugar*
1 cup granulated Sugar
1 cup Butter
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
4 cups shredded Zucchini and Carrots
5 cups Flour
1 cup finely chopped Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
2 tsps. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsps. Salt
2 tsps. ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground Cloves
*I never use the total amount of Sugar and Oil that the original recipe calls for. Tastes just as good with less sugar and lasts just as long with less oil.
For a bread with more chocolate flavor you can substitute 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup baking Cocoa.
Be sure and grease/spray your baking pans before getting started. If you are making muffins, you can use paper liners instead of greasing the pan.
It is best to measure the flour and mix it together with the other dry ingredients before you get started. The oven should be preheating while you are making the batter.
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Beat the Eggs with a paddle beater in your electric mixer or whisk by hand.
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Add the Sugars and Vanilla; beat in.
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While still beating, slowly add the oil and then stir in the shredded fruit/vegetables.
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Stir in the Flour mixture; mix until well combined.
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Finally stir in the chopped Nut/dried Pineapple mixture.
Pour into the prepared pans (half full) and bake as directed above.
The fruit used can be varied – almost any fruit will do in this recipe.
When a toothpick inserted in the middle of the breads comes out clean, they are done. However, I usually bake them about 5 minutes longer so that the tops are more brown and crispy. If you are muffin top lover, then definitely bake them just a little bit longer than necessary.
Zucchini Bread and Muffins
As an added note, this recipe produces a relatively healthy product. You have your vegies in the Zucchini and Carrots (Vitamin A here). I used Red Carrots which seem to have much more pigment than the orange ones – this means more Vitamin A as the pigment is where the Vitamins are. In the photo at the top of the page, the carrots look orange (dark orange!) but if you look closely you will see the red. Most of the red is on the outside, but the orange is much darker than on regular orange carrots, thereby probably containing more Carotene (Vitamin A source)
The recipe also contains Eggs, Macadamia Nuts and dried Pineapple. The Butter and/ or Oil are also essential products for a healthy body. Whether you think it or not, oils are essential for survival!
Try my version or create your own. This is a very flexible recipe and you can do a lot with it. By the way, I usually use Raisins (good source of Iron) but since I had the Pineapple and am trying to clean out my fridge and freezer, I used that. You can use whatever you have on hand! Enjoy!
Categories: Baking, Baking Tidbits, Bread, National Food Days Tags: baking, Bread, butter, dried Pineapple, Eggs, Fruit, Mac Nuts, National Food Days, Oil, Zucchini
CHANUKA – THE FESTIVAL of LIGHTS – Feasting On Latkes
Apple & Latkes
It is time for the Winter Holidays which include Chanukah, Christmas and New Years. Chanukah usually falls before Christmas and is celebrated by Jewish families around the world. It commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. When the Maccabeans recovered the temple from the Syrians, an oil lamp was lit to rededicate the temple. The oil that was found was only enough to last for one day, but miraculously it lasted for eight days and nights. Hence, Chanukah is celebrated for eight days, with the lighting of one candle the first day and one additional one for each of the succeeding days. The total number of candles in all on a Menorah, the candelabra which is used at Chanukah, is nine. The ninth one is called the Shamus and is used to light the other candles.
Because oil is involved with the rededication of the temple, foods that are traditionally served at Chanukah are often fried. These include Latkes (Potato Pancakes) and Jelly Doughnuts. Latkes are usually made from white Potatoes (Russets are best) but in recent times they have also been made from sweet potatoes, zucchini, and even cheese. Latkes are traditionally served with Sour Cream or Apple Sauce. Recently, for a change I tried making the Latkes with Apples. Apple Latkes do not need Apple Sauce to be eaten with them, but they are good with Cinnamon Sugar or Whipped Cream.
They can be served as an accompaniment to a meat dish or they can be served for dessert or even for breakfast.
When making Potato or Apple Latkes, you want to be sure to squeeze out all the excess moisture from the grated potato or apple. If they are too wet, the latke will not hold together when frying. Potatoes and Apples, like people, can vary. Some may have a lot of moisture and others may be dry. You will have to gauge it for yourself after the fruit is shredded. The apples on our tree do not have a lot of water and therefore, there was none to squeeze out. But the riper the fruit gets, the more moisture that is released from the cells so you just have to judge the water content by feel and look.
The best kind of apples to use for the Latkes would be Granny Smith or Pippins. These varieties are not too sweet and allow you to add sweetener to your taste. They are perfect not only for latkes but also
for pies or turnovers.
Whether or not you celebrate Chanukah, try the Apple Latkes for yourself. They make an excellent side dish or breakfast item and are a good way to use excess apples.
APPLE LATKES
(Pancakes)
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. Apples
1 Zucchini
2 Large Eggs
¼ cup Flour
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
Oil for Frying
DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel and core the Apples and scrub the Zucchini.
2. Shred the Apples and Zucchini using the small holes on a hand grater.
3. To shred the Potatoes in a Food Processor, follow the procedure below:
- Cut the Apples into 4 pieces.
- Attach a fine shredding blade to the Processor.
- Feed the Apples through the small feed tube until they are all shredded.
4. Shred the Zucchini in the same way.
5. Add the remaining ingredients to the Apple and Zucchini; mix well.
Shredded Apples in Processor Bowl, combined with other ingredients
6. Fill a large skillet with 1” of Vegetable Oil and heat until hot.
Frying the Latkes
7. Carefully drop the Apple mixture by the tablespoon into the hot oil and fry until
golden brown, turning once.
8. Drain on paper towels or brown paper.
Blot the excess oil off on paper towels
9. Serve with Cinnamon Sugar or Whipped Cream while still warm or as an accompaniment
for a meat dish.
Yield: 4 Servings
Categories: Breakfast Ideas, Dessert Ideas, Dinner Ideas, Fruit, Holiday Ideas, Holiday Meals, Main Tags: Apples, Chanukah, Fruit, Frying, holiday recipes, Latkes, Oil, Pancakes
