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Meatless Monday Katies Super Secret Zucchini Bread
Hello sweet bloggy friends. We have had an abundance of zucchini from our garden lately. We have had it grilled, sauteed, raw,baked, stir fried and now in my super secret zucchini bread. That’s right friends, I’m sharing my secret low sugar recipe with you today, Enjoy!
What You’ll Need
1 ½ Cups all purpose flour ( sifted)
2 tsp Ground cinnamon
½ tsp Baking soda
½ tsp Baking powder
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Nutmeg
1/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup Splenda
1/4 Cup applesauce ( low sugar)
½ Cup cooking oil
1 Egg
1 Cup zucchini, skin and seed removed (very finely shredded, it should look like applesauce)
1/4 Cup raisins
¼ Cup walnuts (chopped) (optional)
Cooking spray
Whipped topping (or freshly whipped cream) optional
Large mixing bowl
Medium mixing bowl
8 x 4 x 2 loaf pan
Sifter
Grater/Shredder
Wire cooling rack
Before You Start Preheat oven to 350˚ and generously spray loaf pan (bottom and sides) with cooking spray.
Let’s Make It! Put all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combined using a fork . In a medium bowl combine shredded zucchini, applesauce,sugar, splenda, cooking oil, egg, raisins and walnuts and mix well using a fork or whisk. Slowly pour into dry ingredients mixing a little at a time until moist. (It will look a lumpy, but shouldn’t look dry, if dry dd a dribble of oil). Spoon into prepared loaf pan. Cook for approximately 50 -70 minutes. It’ll get a nice light brown color. Test for doneness with a toothpick or wooden chopstick. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Gently remove loaf from pan and let cool on wire rack. Cool completely.
Serving Suggestions Slice in ½ inch pieces and top with whipped topping. Butter, or my favorite, margarine.
**Katie’s Tid Bits** if you prefer it sweeter. Skip the applesauce and the Splenda and use 1 1/4 cups of sugar instead.
Sending prayers for all of those affected by Irene’s storm and flooding.
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Pick A Purple Pepper
This beautiful deep purple bell pepper in our garden got me thinking about this old blog post about the rainbow of colors you can find in the vegetable aisle. Looks like I followed through with the purple bell pepper planting. Now it’s time to start picking some peppers.
Originally posted July 2010
There’s a rainbow of color in your vegetable aisle and at the local farmers markets! Have you noticed that bright white cauliflower now has a purple friend? Or that green peppers aren’t always green? I don’t mean yellow, or red, I mean purple!
Purple, my favorite color, is making its way onto our plates. Thanks to hybrid farming your dinner plate can look like a rainbow. Now, I don’t mind trying something different so purple cauliflower may be the next new thing on our dinner table.
Our vegetable garden has been thriving this season. We are currently overwhelmed with fresh tomatoes. No complaints, we love them even if they are just a beautiful red color. I wonder if someone will develop purple tomatoes! That would be perfectly fine with me. I’ll plant them alongside the red ones.
Our green peppers are green and that’s just fine too. But next year, I think we’ll try purple ones and maybe purple carrots too. Maybe our grandchildren will eat more vegetables if they resemble candy.
Don’t forget to stop by your local farmer’s market and help support your local farms.
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Dear Katie and Fourth Of July Winner.
I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. To all in the US I hope you had a wonderful Independence day celebration.
The winners of the 4th of July giveaway are: Tanya904 of Starry Eyed and Angelina of Ruby Jean. Congratulations to you both I will be sending you an email with details on claiming your prize. Remember you only have 72 hours to respond.
Dear Katie, why do cucumbers reduce eye puffiness. Thanks, Fredrick
Hello Fredrick! Cucumber slices on the eyes have been a tried and true eye puffiness reducer for a long time. They are a natural astringent. which causes the blood vessels to constrict, add the cool temperature (right out of your veggie crisper) and you’ve got a perfect inflammation reducer. I use this trick too.
Thank you for your question and I hope to hear from you again.
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Meatless Monday Recipe Garlic and Herb Tomatoes
Unfortunately it will be a while before we’ll be picking fresh tomatoes from our garden. But, this yummy recipe is perfect for the sweet little red tomatoes from our local market. Are you growing tomatoes this season?
What You need
3 Tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 pints cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
2 Tbsp fresh basil (chopped plus a little extra for garnish)
2 Tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped plus a little extra for garnish)
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (chopped)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Large non stick skillet , or saute pan ( large enough to hold all of the tomatoes in one layer)
Before you start: Wash and dry tomatoes
Lets Make It! Heat the olive oil in a the pan. Add the garlic to the oil and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds (do not let garlic burn). Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, gently tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to lose their firm round shape (some may burst but that’s okay). Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped basil and parsley and serve hot .
Serves 4-6
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