Homemaking

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Warm, deliciously most, chocolate-y with subtle undertones of cinnamon and vanilla….what could be better? This is one of my absolute favorite uses for zucchini. Try this recipe and see if you don’t agree. Your kitchen will smell heavenly and you’ll have a wonderful snack, breakfast, or dessert to feed your family.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

1  cup olive oil
1 cup sugar, white or brown (or 1/2 cup of each)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini, squeezed dry (about 3 medium)
1/2+ cup cocoa
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan and set aside. In an electric mixer, beat oil and sugar on medium speed until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Beat in zucchini.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the yogurt to the wet ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for  1 1/2 hours or until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Cut in slices and serve. Enjoy!

Homemaking

Quick and Easy Fresh Tomato Sauce

Today’s post is a delicious recipe. A recipe that uses up leftover tomatoes from your garden. Or you can just buy extra tomatoes if you want to make your own fresh tomato sauce!

To start, you’ll need a powerful blender (I use our Vitamix) and about 6 medium tomatoes.           I used 7 or 8. :)

Wash the tomatoes, cut them into quarters, and dump them into your blender.

Add the following ingredients on top:

1 small onion, peeled and halved
1 small carrot, halved
2 tablespoons or more of tomato paste  (I used the whole can because they’re pretty small)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend on high for 2-3 minutes, using the tamper (if you have one) to press the ingredients into the blades. When done, the consistency will be a bit weird, but don’t worry. I promise it will turn out! Whatever you do, DON’T stop now. It would taste terrible uncooked. :)

Pour mixture into a saucepan.

Simmer for 35-40 minutes. I usually stir in a bit more dried basil for color. You can use this in any recipe calling for tomato sauce. Or serve over cooked pasta for a quick meal! Enjoy! :)

Have an abundance of zucchini? Try this amazing recipe. I’ve made this healthy cake at least half a dozen times this summer, and we never get tired of it! :) Happy Monday!