Remembering Zucchini cake...

I was presented a week or so ago with a GIANT zucchini, which I shredded a 1/4 of in one night. The rest I shared with two other people as I certainly had more than enough. This week a friend emailed me a recipe, which arrived in a timely manner as I was thinking of searching for some old zucchini recipes. I hadn't made a zucchini loaf in a long time. This however is chocolate zucchini cake, anything with chocolate can't possibly be bad.

1/2 cup of soft butter (skip this & just use oil if you wish)
4 Tbsp cocoa (I used low fat)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (now you know why to skip the butter)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup sugar (Splenda is fine. I used 1 cup sugar)
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs (or egg substitute)
2 cups grated zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chcolate chips
2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients, bake in oiled 9x13 pan for 45 minutes at 325. I took my friend's suggestion and made cupcakes instead. Icing them is optional.

This recipe can be adjusted to use rice milk, rice flour, I used rye flour. You can substitute some of the fat with mashed banana or apple sauce.

Pampered Chef

I attended a Pampered Chef party with several of the women from my office. We had a lovely evening of good food and a demostration of the Pampered Chef items. I purchased three items, although I do admit if I'd had more money I would have purchased a lot more. Already some of us are ready to put in another order. Which means I may be able to get those other items.

One of the most interesting food items, was the dessert which was a chocolate pecan tart. It was made with two frozen pie shells that were rolled together on a baking stone with the Pampered Chef rolling pin (I want one of those!). Crushed pecans were sprinkled on top, these were chopped in the Pampered Chef chopper. Then Joy, our Pampered Chef consultant, mix other ingredients in the glass mixing bowls. Whatever she conconcted was delicious!

I sure hope I get invited to the next Pampered Chef party!

Hemp hearts request

I made some cookies that Louise and her work colleagues loved. She's been looking for recipes using hemp hearts, which are sold in health food stores and in Thrifty's grocery store. This is a variation on the basic snicker doodles recipe from Home Ec class.

Hemp hearts cookies

½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
1 large or 2 small eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ cup flour

2 tblsp sugar
¼ tsp nutmeg or cinnamon (or to taste - I use 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

2 tblsp hemp hearts

Cream butter and sugar together, beat in egg. Blend in half the flour and baking powder, then the rest of the flour. May need up to another ¼ cup flour if dough is too soft and the cookies melt together while baking, or a teaspoon of milk if the dough is very stiff.

The dough will be soft enough to pinch off a spoonful and roll it into a ball. You may want to butter your hands and the cookie sheet before rolling any dough. Roll the ball in the spiced sugar, then press one side of the ball into the hemp hearts. Put that side up when you lay the flattened ball on the cookie sheet.

Bake at 350°F for eight to twelve minutes, until the top of a cookie springs back when pressed with a finger. (Luckily these cookies are also reasonably good if a little over or under done.)
This recipe is based on snicker doodles. It works with white or brown sugar or sucanat, and white or whole wheat flour. You can also replace 1/2 cup of the flour with 3/4 cup of rolled oats.