Tag Archives: zucchini

Weekend Baking: Bluegrass Zucchini Muffins

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A pleasant, bright fragrance wafted from the work bowl of my food processor as I pulled the top off. I had just whirled granulated sugar and chopped lemongrass through the sharp blade of my faithful workhorse, producing a delicately-scented lemon-infused sugar.

I was preparing to mix up a batch of zucchini muffins with subtle hints of lemon without the tart bite and plump, sweet blueberries.

I have lemongrass growing in my little garden this year. Lemongrass is a staple of Asian cuisines, used like an herb to add aromatic, lemony flavor without the bite of citrus. It looks like grass, but the portion closest to the soil eventually becomes long, thick, pale green and reed-like. This lower portion is the usable part of the plant.

Generally available in most well-stocked supermarkets, it is most often sold in plastic packets hanging with all of the fresh herbs.

In Asian markets and specialty food stores, you will probably find the whole stalk with grass-like blades still attached.

The lemongrass in my garden needs a bit more growing time before it’s ready to harvest. I bought one of those plastic packets holding lemongrass that didn’t look very fresh.

As soon as I started to remove the tough outer layers from each stalk, the scent of lemon rose to my nose. I chopped up a couple of stalks of lemongrass and put it into the food processor with sugar measured out for the muffins. I turned on the machine and let it do its thing.

I used 2 stalks of lemongrass to achieve a faint and mysterious taste of lemon in the baked muffins. Use 3 stalks if you want more pronounced lemon flavor.

Bluegrass Zucchini Muffins are a tasty way to enjoy fresh, local blueberries and some of that zucchini that is showing up in home gardens. Moist, not too sweet with a slight taste of lemon and some good-for-you ground flax seeds, these muffins are freezer-friendly — great for breakfast, snack or on the side of a salad plate.

You may decide to plant lemongrass in your garden next year.

Bluegrass Zucchini Muffins

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 or 3 (6-inch) stalks lemongrass
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
  • 1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners.

Cut off and discard the root end and reedy top of lemongrass, leaving about 6 inches of usable stalk. Peel and discard the outer two or three layers from each stalk, or as many as required to reach the pale, soft inner core. Slice, then chop the stalks. Put sugar in food processor with chopped lemongrass. Process until none of the lemongrass can be seen in the sugar.

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add lemongrass-sugar, oil, vanilla and zucchini. Beat well to mix. Sift flour together with baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to mixing bowl along with ground flax. Mix only until blended. Gently stir in blueberries.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins to 3/4 full. Bake about 20 minutes, until firm to the touch. Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Carefully remove muffins from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen muffins. Store in airtight container for up to 3 days.

 

 

 

 

 

These muffins are the last of the zucchini for this year — promise!

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I just couldn’t allow a zucchini season to come and go without at least one batch of our family-favorite muffins.

I began making these muffins when my older son was a tot. He’d gobble up the tiny two-bite-size miniature muffins that I made for him. I’ve been making them every year since. Now my grandchildren enjoy the muffins. But, I never had a chance to make the zucchini muffins this year at times when I would see them.

So, with some grated zucchini I had in the refrigerator, I made the sweet cinnamon-flavored muffins for the folks who work at the veterinary clinic that Gracie goes to for her care. She turned 16 weeks old on Friday and was scheduled for an appointment to finish up her puppy shots.

Here’s Gracie:

She loves visiting her friends at the clinic. And they lover her. After all, not every dog can bake.

This is the end of my zucchini recipes until next season. I promise!

Zucchini Muffins

  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2/3 cup canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 18 muffin cups and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in oil, vanilla and sugar. Stir in zucchini. Measure flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a sifter and sift the dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture in bowl. Stir just until combined.

Fill prepared muffin tins 3/4 to the top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until tops of muffins spring back when pressed lightly with your finger. Top of muffins should not look moist. Remove from oven. Run a table knife around each muffin. Allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes in the pan before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen muffins.

Tips from the cook

  • These muffins freeze very well. Seal tightly in plastic freezer bag or freezer container before putting in the freezer.
  • Batter can be refrigerated overnight and baked in the morning.
  • Most times, I peel the zucchini that will be used for these muffins. It guarantees there will be no green specks in the muffins, giving good indication that zucchini is one of the main ingredients. This time, though, the zucchini in my refrigerator had actually been grated when I was planning to make a baked dish. I never got around to it. You can see the green specks in the muffins.

Seasonal Vegetable (and zucchini) Soup with a Fresh Basil Dollop

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A friend came to my house last week to help me prepare for an open house/book signing event that my Simple, Good and Tasty Book Club was hosting. Our guests of honor were to be the authors of the recently published book, “The Minnesota Table: Recipes for Savoring Local Food Throughout the Year,” Shelley N.C. Holl and B.J. Carpenter. It would be held at my house and we were expecting 70 to 75 people to come meet the authors. I definitely needed help getting ready for the special evening. My friend was planning to arrive around lunch time, coming from another appointment. I decided the least I could do would be to offer her a nice lunch before we got down to work.

My refrigerator was loaded with produce that I’d received in a market basket filled with fresh, local herbs, vegetables and flowers.

I cooked up a pot of vegetable soup, added some whole wheat elbow macaroni and stirred up a small batch of basil pistou (the French version of the Italian pesto). It was a simple and flavorful lunch, combined with a Marinated Zucchini, Tomato and Mozzarella Stack nesting on a bed of fresh spring greens and a slice of whole-grain peasant bread. It was just the fuel we needed as we began work on things that needed to be done for the open house.

The next day, Minneapolis authors Holl and Carpenter arrived at my house just in time to make some of their mint iced tea and honey lemonade and freshen up before guests began to arrive.

Members of my book club prepared food for guests to sample, using recipes from “The Minnesota Table.” One of the favorites was Wild Rice Salad with Dried Cranberries. Oh, what a party it was. The authors seemed to be bursting with passion and pride as they talked about their book, how it came to be and the experiences they had in the process.

They graciously signed many cookbooks, but not without a short visit with each purchaser in order to make more personal comments with each signing. Not every author does that. Everyone was impressed.

There were a few tidbits of food remaining after all the guests had gone home. My friend, Polly, stopped over as the two authors and I were nibbling some of the leftovers and sipping wine. Polly and Shelley Holl graduated from high school together. What a small world. Polly snapped this picture of Shelley, B.J. and me.

Two local bloggers were in attendance that evening and both have posted nice photos. You’ll enjoy reading their take on the book signing/open house. Get right to Heather Hanson’s blog post by clicking here. Rachelle Houle has her story about the event along with beautiful photos, right here.

Read more about the authors, their book and see their recipe for Wild Rice Salad with Dried Cranberries in my newspaper column this week. You can also listen to a short audio interview I did with Shelley Holl.

Added 9-9-10: Watch B.J. Carpenter make Honey Lemonade, a recipe from “The Minnesota Table.” If you’ve ever tasted the Honey Lemonade at the Minnesota State Fair, B.J.’s version tastes just like it. Yum! Click here to watch the segment B.J. did with me for Lakeland Public Television.

And, before I forget, here is the recipe for the soup I made for lunch the day before the book signing open house. It might be just the thing you need to warm up on a cool Labor Day weekend.

Seasonal Vegetable Soup with a Fresh Basil Dollop

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large carrots, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 large leek, trimmed, cut lengthwise into four equal pieces and sliced (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups)
  • 1 cup peeled, cubed potatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cups chopped zucchini
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 pound fresh tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
  • Pistou

Heat butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add carrots, onions and leeks. When vegetables are crisp-tender, add potatoes, broth and water. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer gently until potatoes are almost cooked through. Add green beans, zucchini, crushed tomatoes, chopped tomato and beans. Continue cooking, uncovered, until vegetables are tender.

Cook macaroni separately according to directions on package. Add cooked and drained macaroni to soup in pot. Stir in 1/4 cup Pistou. To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Spoon a small dollop of remaining Pistou on each serving. Makes about 12 cups of soup.

Pistou

  • 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 chubby cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Process fresh basil leaves and garlic in a mini-food processor or blender. Gradually add olive oil and continue to process. Scrape mixture into a bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Makes about 1/2 cup.

This Pistou is delicious stirred into an omelet, a bowl of hot pasta, or homemade tomato sauce. Spread it on homemade pizza, too. A little dollop on top of tomato soup is good, too. Oh, so many ways to use this versatile Pistou.

Wild Rice Country Zucchini, Leek and Chevre Tart

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It seems I’m not the only one who is watching their intake of white flour. And saturated fat. So, when I came up with a morning quiche that is baked in a wild rice crust rather than a pastry crust, I made my breakfast guests very happy.

In the last week I’ve made Zucchini, Leek and Chevre Tart twice. Once it was served for dinner and the next time for breakfast. Both times, it was absolutely delicious.

Typically, an egg-and-cream-laden quiche is baked in a pastry crust. The crust most likely has a hefty amount of some kind of saturated fat as well as white flour. I was raised on a flaky, tender crust made with lard. My grandma said it was the only way to make pie crust — with lots of lard. I don’t think this Hungarian grandma of mine, who lived and worked with my Hungarian grandpa on their Indiana farm, knew anything about wild rice. I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t be impressed with a wild rice crust used in any way.

When you live in northern Minnesota, though, wild rice is a local ingredient and a staple in many pantries. Some people I know harvest their own wild rice in the Mississippi River that runs right outside my door. I am using a golden wild rice that my neighbor harvested from the river.

When cooked in water, wild rice has no saturated fat or cholesterol, but it does provide protein, fiber, vitamin A, Niacin, Calcium and Iron. It’s quite healthful when you compare it to a flaky pastry.

I love this wild rice crust. I stir in an egg to bind it together as it bakes, Parmesan cheese and some herbs for flavor, a little bit of pure “real food” butter, a squirt of fresh lemon juice. When it is prebaked for 15 minutes, it seals together, ready to hold a filling of your choice.

It is a perfect crust to hold any kind of quiche filling. I’ve also put a layer of mozzarella cheese over the prebaked crust, added a layer of thick slices of summer-fresh tomatoes, sprinkled threads of fresh basil over the tomatoes and drizzled some olive oil over everything before putting it back in the oven. For this juicy tomato filling, I pat the wild rice crust into a shallow tart pan.

Wild Rice Country Zucchini, Leek and Chevre Tart in a wild rice crust makes a satisfying breakfast with some fresh fruit and a hot cup of dark coffee. Serve it for lunch or brunch with fresh tomato slices or a green salad. Or, how about dinner with corn on the cob and sliced fresh tomatoes?

Yes, this tart does have heavy cream and eggs in the filling. Soft chevre, or goat cheese, adds just a slight, pleasing tang. Have just one piece and you’ll be satisfied. Don’t eat it everyday. Take an extra-long walk and drink lots of water, and the slight saturated fat splurge won’t kill you.

You can try using evaporated skim milk in place of the heavy whipping cream. You won’t get the velvety smooth texture that cream produces, but it will work. I guess I’d rather have a little extra fat once in while with lots of flavor, rather than making this tart with reduced fat.

I had overnight guests for the last couple of nights. Because of a commitment I had this morning, I knew I was going to have to leave them on their own for breakfast. Last week, before my guests arrived, I prepared the wild rice crust through the 15-minute pre-bake. When it was completely cool, I covered it and sealed it up tight before tucking it into a spot in the refrigerator. I sauteed the leek and zucchini and stored that separately in the refrigerator. This morning, while my guests were still sound asleep, I mixed up the egg and cream filling, put the tart together and slid it into the oven.  As my sleepy-eyed guests woke to the smell of coffee, the tart was baking. And, as I was ready to leave the house, the tart was resting, just about ready to slice. The French press coffee was ready to drink. My guests were ready to eat.

You’ve just got to try this tart. You can’t imagine how delicious it is. And who doesn’t need another wonderful way to use zucchini?

Wild Rice Country Zucchini, Leek and Chevre Tart

  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups thinly sliced leeks
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup crumbled chevre cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons melted butter and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Stir in cooked rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon into a lightly greased 10-inch glass pie plate. Use a spoon to press mixture into bottom and up sides of pieplate. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack. At this point, crust can be covered tightly and stored in refrigerator.

To continue to prepare tart, saute leeks in 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini. Saute until vegetables are tender. Set aside.

Combine whipping cream and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a wire whisk until blended. Stir in reserved vegetable mixture. Pour into the prebaked wild rice crust. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until filling is set and golden. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tips from the cook

  • You really will need to use a 10-inch pie plate. Even with this large size, the filling will puff up and drip over the sides a bit. I put the pie plate on a baking sheet in the oven. This prevents a big smoky mess in the oven.
  • Use any herbs you like in the crust or the filling.

Zucchini “Noodles” Make Great Alfredo

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It was chef-demo day at my local farmers market this week. Two featured chefs, Reed Olson, chef/co-owner of Wild Hare Bistro & Coffehouse and Chef Chase Fleaman from Concordia Language Villages were busy cooking up beautiful dishes using fresh produce farmers had at the market that day.

A group of interested shoppers watched as Olson created Zucchini Alfredo. He used a tool called a Turning Slicer to turn whole zucchini into delicate "noodles" resembling spaghetti. I came home and immediately ordered one. It’s already sitting on my kitchen counter, ready to get slicing.

Both chefs gave me permission to share their recipes with you. I wasn’t able to stick around for Grilled Marinated Zucchini with Basil Herb Cream Sauce prepared by Fleaman, but he was kind enough to give me the recipe. I’ll need to make it myself and share it with you very soon.

For now, enjoy Reed Olson’s special zucchini dish. It seems like a great dish to take to a picnic this weekend.

Zucchini Alfredo

(prepared at North Country Farmers Market by Chef Reed Olson of Wild Hare Bistro & Coffeehouse, Bemidji, Minnesota)

  • Large zucchini or yellow baby squash
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 small yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese

Spin zucchini through Turning Slicer or thinly slice into long matchsticks and set aside.

Place remaining ingredients in food processor or blender. Process until completely blended and thick, probably one minute or more. Pour over zucchini "noodles" and top with more parmesan.

Teeny Peachy-chini Muffins

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This time of year, zucchini is everywhere. It’s coming out of our ears. And, it’s this time of year when I make dozens of tiny (and big) zucchini muffins. They are the same muffins I’ve been making for years. When my sons were just little guys, they loved picking up the sweet mini-muffins — just the right size for their little hands. As they got older, the muffins got bigger.

I made another batch this morning. It didn’t take long, because I had the dry ingredients already measured out, ready to be poured out of a zip-top storage bag. I usually have a few bags of the premeasured dry ingredient mix in my pantry this time of year. It doesn’t take me long  to peel and grate zucchini. My food processor makes fast work of the grating. I grate more than I need, measure out 1-1/2-cup-portions and refrigerate or freeze them for the next batch of muffins.

This morning I made more muffins, but with a peachy twist. I peeled a couple of peaches and tucked a thick slice into each of the large muffins just before popping them into the oven. In the mini-muffins, I pushed a peach chunk into the middle of each. I sprinkled a full teaspoon of turbinado sugar over each large muffin before baking. Together with a little peach juice that oozed out while baking, each muffin had a crinkly, crunchy top.

Besides the fact that each bite of Peachy-chini Muffin is moist, sweet and delicious, I love the fact that the batter can be refrigerated for up to a week. Warm, fragrant muffins can be baked at anytime. And, the baked muffins can be wrapped up tight and stored in the freezer. They’re great warmed up and eaten with a big mug of hot cocoa on a cold winter morning.

I’ve saved a little batter this time. I’ll bake them when my assistant is here to help me get ready for my demonstration at the Women’s Expo in Bemidji this Saturday. They’ll be just right for a coffee break.

If you are in the Bemidji area, come see me on Saturday morning at the Expo. I’ll be giving a cooking demonstration at 11:00, sharing some of my favorite recipes for unique healthful and "skinny" fun-to-eat dips, dippers and finger foods that will take you from these last hot days of summer all the way through the "fat" holiday celebration season.

Looking ahead:

I’ll be presenting another cooking program in Dickinson, North Dakota at the Women’s Expo on Saturday, September 12th at 10:00.

Saturday, October 10th you can come see me at the Women’s Expo in Willmar, Minn.

Thursday, November 5th I’ll be teaching a cooking class in Moorhead, Minn. titled, "The Start of Something Big — Holiday Appetizers." Registration begins August 28th through Moorhead Community Ed. Details will also be available at their web site beginning August 28th: https://communityed.moorhead.k12.mn.us/

I’ll be looking forward to seeing many of you during the next few months.

In the meantime, enjoy these Peachy-chini Muffins.

Peachy-chini Muffins

  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2/3 cup  canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and shredded zucchini
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 to 2 peaches, peeled and cut into thick slices (a thin-skin peeler works great for removing the skin from peaches)
  • Turbinado or sparkling sugar (1 teaspoon per muffin)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat eggs. Stir in oil, vanilla, sugar and zucchini.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and soda in sifter. Sift into zucchini mixture. Mix just until blended.

Coat muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. Fill muffun cups 2/3 full. Push a peach slice into each muffin-cup of batter. Sprinkle each muffin with 1 teaspoon of turbinado sugar.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Size of the muffins will determine the number you will get and how long they will take to bake.