Coconut Zucchini Cake

Eat your cake and get your veggies!

Yes, I still have zucchini coming out of my ears!  Not literally, but wow, who knew there are so many recipes of cakes, breads, and muffins that you can use for your zucchini?  Well, I had an idea; but I didn't think I would be making all of them within a few months.  I'm not complaining, zucchini is great!  I think I may try to come up with a cookie recipe on my own, so you'll have to check back later to see how it turns out.  

For this week, I made a Coconut Zucchini cake that my husband loved!  It's a very heavy cake, so have some friends to share it with.  I didn't put icing on it at first, and it tasted great...sometimes with a scoop of ice cream just made it better!  I did ice a few of the pieces of cake with cream cheese icing for the pictures, which actually made it taste more like a carrot cake...only better than carrot cake.

So, go raid your neighbor's garden of some zucchini...if you're my neighbor, just give me a shout!... and try this recipe.  You'll be so happy that you did! 

Recipe:
Coconut Zucchini cake
3 c. shredded zucchini (peeled)
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. oil
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 c. coconut
1/2 c. pecans (chopped)

Dirctions:
Combine eggs, sugar, oil and zucchini in a large bowl.  

In another bowl, sift dry ingredients together.

Add dry ingredients to the large bowl of wet ingredients a little at a time and stir together with a spoon until mixed well.  

Add vanilla, coconut and nuts and mix well.

Pour into an greased and floured 9x13 prepared pan... do we still call it greased and floured?  This is an old recipe, but couldn't think of what else to call it to make it sound healthier!

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins.

Enjoy yourself some zucchini!

Dee

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Each year, I plant a garden, where I try different things, instead of just the standard tomatoes and peppers.  Last year, my addition was two zucchini plants, which were blown over and snapped off, just as my first zucchini was starting to grow.  I was so bummed since I was really looking forward to all the zucchini I was going to grow so that I could make the wonderful zucchini bread and cake recipes that my Mom gave me several years ago.  

Oh, and these are great recipes!  I've known people who don't like zucchini, but love the chocolate zucchini cake...with a glass of milk, there is nothing better!  I mean really, you get to eat chocolate cake, and you don't feel guilty because it has vegetables in it!

This year, I made sure I was going to get some zucchini, so I planted 15 plants.  Yep, that's right...fifteen plants.  All I can say now is...I have lots of zucchini and more coming every day!  

Needless to say, I was able to make the chocolate zucchini cake, and remember why people love it so much.  It has this perfect combination of chocolate with some cinnamon and clove spices to add that extra little 'sumtin, sumtin'.  The zucchini helps keep the cake moist, and then some chocolate icing on top that brings everything together nicely.   Yum!

Here are the ingredients for the recipe:

 1/2 c. butter (softened)

 1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 c. shredded zucchini (peeled)

1/4 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. sour milk (add 1 T. vinegar to milk to make it sour)

2 1/2 c. flour

4 T. cocoa

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cloves (ground)

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

Here are the directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in the order given.  Here is what it looks like when you cream the first five ingredients together.

You'll want to shred your zucchini to add into the mixture...I really did shred into a different bowl, but had it on the main bowl for the pictures... 

Mix the rest of the ingredients together

Bake in a 9x13 well greased pan at 325 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.

In the top picture, I used Duncan Hines chocolate fudge icing out of the tub to ice the cake.  I had enough batter left over, that I was able to make a small cake, and made a chocolate mousse icing for it.  Both are good...the mousse icing is refreshing...  and here's the super easy recipe for it

 Ingredients:
1 container of whipped cream (I used Cool Whip free to cut down on the calories).  
1/2 pkg of instant chocolate pudding (I used sugar free...once again to keep calories down)

Slowly pour 1/2 the package of instant pudding into the cool whip and gently fold in.  Continue to fold the pudding in until it is thoroughly mixed together.  Let sit for about 5 mins, and the mixture will thicken.  Spread on top of the cake...or just eat with a spoon.  Guess which one I did!  
 
Hope you get your chocolate fix, with a side of veggies!
Dee

Crockpot Chicken Lettuce Wraps

If you don't subscribe to Cuisine at Home yet....you should.  It is an awesome publication with great recipes...how to's and tips.  My blog this week comes from my 'free gift with purchase of subscription' Slow cooker menus.
I love my Crockpot and have decided that it just gets better with time....the more and more recipes I try in it, the more I love it!  I have had the Crockpot I used for this recipe since 1997.....which was back when I needed a Crockpot to make Rotel dip!!!! (the only thing I used it for over a decade)
This recipe was delicious...and will become a regular in our rotation of dinners.....it takes a little prep before putting it in the Crockpot...but well worth it!

For the Chicken:
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 lb. ground chicken (I like Smart Chicken)
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 C dry sherry
1/2 C hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (the best is the one with the rooster on it...in the Asian aisle)
1 8oz. can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
Salt to taste

Heat oil in skillet and add chicken cooking for 10 minutes, breaking up chunks.

Add ginger, cook 2 minutes. 

Deglaze skillet with sherry, cooking until liquid is evaporated.  

Transfer mixture to slow cooker (3 qt works well).

Combine hoisin, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a measuring cup and stir into meat mixture.  

Cover;cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or low for 3 to 4 hours.

OH.....remember when blue and white was all the rage!!!!

Stir in water chestnuts, vinegar, and salt.

For the wraps....you can use your imagination.....I used Iceberg lettuce leaves (some like Bibb) and red bell peppers to garnish......and lots of Rooster sauce to make them spicy!!!!

I have had them topped with all kinds of veggies, sesame seeds, peanuts...etc......have fun with them.

Super Yummy!!!!

If you are ever out in Kansas City....stop by Blue Koi and try their lettuce wraps.........worth the trip:-)

Quick and Easy crock pot chicken

If you've been reading this blog much, you have probably noticed that I do a lot of slow cooker (aka Crock pot) recipes.  Yep, that's me.  I used to be afraid of experimenting with a slow cooker...I know that's weird, but I think it's because it's magical.  Seriously, you put all this food into the crockpot, turn it on, go away; and then when you come home you have a great tasting, juicy meal ready.  It's magic! 

Well, I've gotten over my fear of experimenting and have come up with the recipe for the best tasting, juiciest chicken around!  And it is super easy!

I used a dry brine...have you seen these?  They are at most grocery stores, and are a super time saver. You can rub the brine on them and wait about 15 mins...or it can stay on longer if you have the time.  I put the dry brine on my chicken the night before, covered and put in the refrigerator, so everything was ready to go the next morning.  

Here's the recipe and steps:

4 chicken breasts with skin on and bone in...this helps keep the flavor in!

1/2 cup dry brine (you may need more depending on the size of your chicken)

1 t. paprika 

1 t. dried rosemary

2 t. black pepper

2 t. seasoned salt

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 med onion roughly chopped

5 - 6 button mushrooms, quartered

1 - 2 cups baby carrots (or how many you want to eat...they make the side dish)

Put the brine on the chicken and let set for 15 - 30 mins (or overnight).  

Rinse off the brine and put the chicken in the crockpot

Sprinkle seasonings (paprika, rosemary, pepper and seasoned salt) over the chicken.

Pour the can of soup over the chicken, and cover with the vegetables.

Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours

 

The chicken will be nice and moist and the soup and vegetables will make a nice 'sauce' to put over the chicken.  I severed the vegetables as a side, which made it a great all in one dinner! 

Keep (slow) cooking!

Dee

Frozen Breakfast Burritos

Get ready to make breakfast where you can grab, heat and go...and it's not chalked full of preservatives!  

I'm always looking for things that I can make for breakfast that are fast and easy to take to work.  The frozen breakfast items in the grocery store are tasty, but they are usually high in calories and and fat, and are getting to be very expensive. 

This recipe is actually a two-fer!  You first make a breakfast casserole in a crock pot...so it's a time and money saver...then you use the leftovers to make breakfast burritos and freeze them for your portable breakfast greatness.  

The crock-pot breakfast casserole recipe is from another blog, that I tried for a trip to the lake, which was super easy to make, but made a LOT.  Since I had all the leftovers, I thought... why not use them to make some breakfast burritos to freeze and take to work during the week?!  

So, here's the steps for making the burritos...

To start out with, follow the link to the breakfast casserole recipe... http://www.alattewithotta.com/2010/11/crock-pott-recipe-egg-brunch-casserole.html.  I did make some adjustments to it spice it up a bit.  Not burn a hole in your stomach hot, just add more flavor... Here are the ingredients I added, but other than that, I followed the recipe (surprising for me!):

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 small can of green chiles

After you've made and enjoyed the breakfast casserole, it's time to make the burritos!

Here's what you need to make the burritos (this assumes you have enough casserole left over for 10 burritos):

- leftover breakfast casserole

- 10 soft taco size tortillas (10 inch)

- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

- Frank's hot sauce

Directions:

Place the tortillas on a microwave safe plate and heat up the tortillas.  Place a tenth of each of the items (casserole and shredded cheese) on the tortilla, and shake some hot sauce over the eggs.  Fold the tortilla to form a burrito...fold sides in first, then fold the end closest to you over and roll up.  

Once you have the burritos made, take some wax paper and roll the burritos up, and twist the ends so they stay wrapped.  They look like little gems of goodness!  Place in a freezer bag and throw in the freezer.  

The next morning, when you're hungry and running out the door, grab a burrito out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes...depending on your microwave, of course.  You can use the wax paper as a wrapper you can use as you hold the burrito to munch on as you go on your way.  

Enjoy!

Dee