Author: zucchinicarmama

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

This glorious little recipe came from my Omi.  I never liked zucchini as a kid (I’m still not a big fan), but these chocolate muffins don’t taste like zucchini at all and so when I discovered that I could say I ate something green after chowing down on a warm chocolate muffin, these became one of my breakfast favourites.  They are best warm in my opinion, do well in the freezer and can be reheated easily in the microwave.

1/4 c. salted butter

1 1/4 c. white sugar

1/2 c. vegetable/canola oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. buttermilk

2 1/2 c. flour

4 tbsp. cacao (cocoa if you please)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. grated zucchini

1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Cream butter and sugar, add oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.  Combine flour, cacao, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.  Add to wet ingredients.  Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.  Pour into lined muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Makes ~2 dozen.

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Thai Beef Salad

This is a recipe that my talented mother came up with. It’s tasty, fresh, fun, and I love it.  She came over to help (read: make it for me) tonight to share with you all.

Thai Beef Salad

1 pound beef tenderloin tail, sliced in half lengthwise (tonight we used NY strip)

1/2 c. soy sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

4 tsp. sugar

3 tbsp. Sriracha hot sauce

1/4 c. lime juice

2 tbsp. fish sauce

3/4 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. sliced green onions

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

2 tbsp. chopped peanuts

fresh baby greens, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers (red, yellow, and/or orange), shaved carrot, and sliced cucumber (really you can make the salad how ever you so choose but this is what mama suggests)

Place tenderloin in a shallow dish. Combine 1/4 c. soy sauce, sesame oil, and 1 tbsp of the hot sauce.  Pour over steak and marinate for at least 1 hour turning several times.

In blender, combine remaining soy sauce, sugar, hot sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, green onion and cilantro and blend until cilantro is finely chopped.

Grill steak over hot coals, turning once until done as desired.  Let stand 5 minutes (hint: always do this to help the steak retain its juices). Slice steak thinly on diagonal and place on salad.  Drizzle with the dressing and serve.

Serves 4

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Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe is one I came across on Pinterest from the blog, Let’s Dish.  It sounded simple and delicious so even though my son can’t take anything with nuts to daycare, I decided to try it as an at-home snack.  I’m sure the neighbours won’t mind helping if it turns out too much for the two of us.  Hope you enjoy them too!Reese's Peanut Butter Bars - A Pat & A Pinch

Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used the food processor to make a fine meal of the graham crackers)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. In a metal bowl over simmering water (to create a double boiler), or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the remaining 4 tablespoons of peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars - A Pat & A PinchReese's Peanut Butter Bars - A Pat & A PinchReese's Peanut Butter Bars - A Pat & A Pinch

zucchinicarmama12 Comments

Anona’s Sour Cream Lemon Pie

 

Sour Cream Lemon Pie - A Pat & A PinchAnona and her husband, Tak, are old friends of my parents and every time we get to see them it is a real treat. Their property is magnificent and about 5 years back when we last visited, we sat out on the deck overlooking the pond and the weeping willow I’ve always loved, shucking oysters for dinner to be followed by lemon pie as the adults drank Dark and Stormy’s.  At the time I was so taken with the pie that we took the recipe back to Saltspring with us.  I believe my mom made the recipe once since, so it is time to give it another go I figure.

Incase you love art, as I was raised to do, here is a link to an article on Tak’s amazing work, Takao Tanabe’s love affair with landscapes, to give you a better feel of just how much beauty surrounds my memory of this lemon pie.

Sour Cream Lemon Pie - A Pat & A Pinch

3/4 c. sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. grated lemon peel

1/3 c. lemon juice (I doubled this today)

1 c. light cream or milk

1/4 c. margarine (you can use butter but it heavily influences the flavour)

1 c. sour cream

1 pie shell baked

Combine sugar, cornstarch, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Add butter and cook until thick and smooth. Set aside to cool.

When cool, stir in sour cream and pour into a baked pie shell. Refrigerate until ready to serve, uncovered at first and then covering once chilled (to avoid condensation).

 

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Makhouda D’Aubergine from The Traveler’s Lunchbox

This dish is one I came across on one of my favourite blogs, The Traveler’s Lunchbox, in which this is described as a Tunisian Eggplant Frittata.  The recipe is originally from Kitty Morse’s North Africa: The Vegetarian Table.

Now I do not love eggs, I think they’re great for baking with, but when it comes to breakfast, no matter how they are served, I simply cannot have them so I also don’t eat quiches or frittatas…ever.  But I love eggplant (ever since I was old enough to contemplate that eggplant was entirely unrelated to egg – as a child my parents could only convince me to eat it if it was called Aubergine), so here we are with this Makhouda D’Aubergine in my terrible little electric oven and I am excited! I’ve made a couple changes due to lack/want of ingredients.  This dish is suggested as a side to tagines, but I intend to call it a meal given the effort that went into making it. Verdict is it’s delicious, eggs and all.

1 large eggplant
salt for sprinkling
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and diced
8 large eggs
a handful (about 1/2 cup packed) chopped fresh parsley or coriander/cilantro leaves, or a mixture (I used parsley)
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz (225g) gruyère cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup (50g) dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon bharat (Tunisian spice blend; you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon rosewater) (I used the pepper and the cinnamon alone)
about 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
harissa (North African hot pepper paste) or cayenne pepper, to taste (optional) (I added a seeded and minced serrano pepper)
lemon wedges 

Peel and cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch dice. Sprinkle generously with salt and place the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook the eggplant, onion, and pepper, stirring occasionally until golden and soft, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a colander to drain off as much of the oil as possible.

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and add the herbs, garlic, cheese and bread crumbs. Add the eggplant mixture. Season with the bharat, salt, and a small spoonful of the optional harissa or cayenne pepper, (and the serrano if you want the extra heat).

Grease a 2-quart soufflé dish (I don’t own one and used glass cookware instead). Pour the egg mixture into the dish and bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and puffed in the center, 40-45 minutes (a knife inserted into the center should come out clean). Let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a serving platter (you can also just leave it in the dish). Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges on the side.

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Soy Sauce Marinated Cucumber Salad

This dish was my favourite way of eating veggies as a picky little girl.  It’s simple, quick to prepare, and a tasty side to anything you toss on the BBQ.

2 tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tsp white sugar

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 english long cucumber halved, and seeded and thinly sliced (about 1 mm)

sesame seeds

Place the slices of cucumber in a dish or bowl.  Mix together the soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar and pour over.  Use a fork to gently ensure that the cucumber slices are coated and refrigerate for 3 hours, occasionally re-coated slices in their marinade as the ones near the bottom will absorb the most. Serve cold as a side garnished with sesame seeds.

Preparation time: approx. 15 minutes (if you are a slow cutter like me)

Note: you can replace the white sugar with brown if you need to and although I haven’t tried it myself, I imagine this would work with Tamari or Bragg’s for a gluten free version.

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