Zucchini Bread Muffins

I love summer veggies! I decided I had to do something other than Zucchini Pancakes this time around, and since my grandma sent me her recipe I had to try it out! 

The recipe is pretty basic, produces a delicious result, and is a great way to use your local, organic zucchini! 

Zucchini Bread Muffins

Yield: 2 loaves or 2 dozen muffins

2 cups grated organic zucchini

4 local free-range eggs 

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup olive oil (or any oil/butter)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon 

2 cups sugar (I did only 1 cup) 

3 1/2 cups flour

Optional: walnuts, chocolate chips, or whatever you want! 

First grate the zucchini. 

Mix the wet. 

Mix the dry. 

Mix it all together and then pour it into your muffin tin or a greased load pan. 

Bake at 350F - 25 minutes for muffins, 55-60 minutes for loaves. 

Our favorite way to eat them is slathered in chocolate peanut butter, or Nutella. 

Fresh out of the oven is delicious too!!! 

Banana Bread

I know bananas aren't exactly local. However, they do seem to be Ross' favorite, and who am I to deny whole, healthy fruits?

However, since we buy organic, they tend to brown  if we don't eat them quickly enough, or make smoothies often enough. So, good excuse to make Banana Bread.

You need:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) softened butter* 

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 cup your choice - chopped walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips. 

*Wow that seems like a lot of butter, but that keeps it moist and light. Try replacing half with yogurt or applesauce, use a vegan buttery spread, or just enjoy the rich taste. =)






Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. With a hand mixer or whisk, add the softened butter and eggs, mix, then stir in the bananas. It's OK if it is a bit lumpy.

Stir in the nuts or chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, until nicely browned and the bread comes clean to a toothpick. Cook on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. 

And, as always, enjoy the simplicity of a sweet, quick bread. 

Recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. 

Beer Bread

Looking for simple, hearty, perfect companion for soup? Look no further!

Beer bread is simple because it requires only 4 ingredients, no kneading and no yeast. I got this recipe from my dear friend Sarah Halstead - which she recited to me from heart! That's how simple it is!

All you need is: 

3 cups flour (I used half wheat and half white) 

3 Tbs sugar

3 tsp baking powder 

1 12oz beer  

So, measure it all out: 

Add the beer: 

Mix well:

Be sure to grease the loaf pan with butter - it will give it great flavor - but not too much or it will make your bread soggy.

                                                               Bake for 45 minutes at 375 F.

And you have a loaf of beer bread!

What I think is the most fun about beer bread is choosing the beer. Typically, the darker the beer the more flavor, which is why I went with the Oatmeal Stout from Trader Joe's. Oh yeah, and it's cheap and I like the chocolate-coffee flavor. (Yes, you can drink beer while making this bread.)

I would recommend avoiding light beers, and I would never recommend any domestic lagers (for drinking or bread). Stronger beers like an amber, a red or an IPA are fun to experiment with.

This bread is somewhat crumbly and therefore doesn't work well for sandwiches, but it prefect for soup! And what better way to spend the next couple rainy days? (Well, in you're in the PNW anyway.)

Cheers!