Zucchini Carrot Bread

I had never baked a sweet recipe with a vegetable before. I've never made zucchini bread or carrot cake, or whatever other recipes rely on vegetables as opposed to the sweetness of fruits.

I was skeptical about how this bread was going to turn out. I mean, I know what carrots taste like and I know what zucchinis taste like, but in a quick bread? I just had no idea what I was getting myself into.

And really, what I was getting myself into was delicious. With this loaf sitting in my kitchen, I had a hard time not picking at it when I was walking through the kitchen. It lasted through about 3 days of breakfasts before it was no more.

This is definitely not a recipe I would throw away. I will make this again and again.

Zucchini Carrot Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup sugar

6 tbsp egg substitute

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup shredded zucchini

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

pinch cardamom

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup chopped pecans (or other nut - or just leave it out)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a loaf pan by spraying it with Pam.

2. Beat the egg substitute until frothy. Combine the oil and sugar with the egg substitute and mix well. Mix in the vanilla, zucchini, and carrots, and then set aside.

3. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Slowly add the zucchini mixture until blended. Fold in the nuts.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spoon. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

* makes 1 loaf - 8 slices per loaf

* 326 calories per slice

Pound Cake French Toast

I have been pretty good about making sure that one day a week (usually Sundays) I make an actual breakfast. I've never been a big breakfast lover in my life, but when I do eat breakfasts I prefer them to be sweet. This lends itself well to pancakes, crepes, and french toast.

I don't think I've made french toast since Mother's Day many years ago. I have a feeling I burnt it also, because that's how me and the kitchen used to communicate - I would try to cook something, it would burn miserably, and then I'd just be pissed and hungry. I'm really glad the kitchen and I learned to get along better, because I really don't like the taste of charred anything.

I mean, is anyone?

Anyway, I was inspired to make this french toast while reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg for Cook the Books. I really enjoyed the book and how Molly connected stories with her recipes, stories that reminded her of the recipes or were the inspiration to those recipes. Because really, everything we cook tells a story - even the shrimp over ramen noodles I made for dinner tonight. The story with that was, I didn't have anything planned and was trying to just use stuff in the house that wasn't promised to other dinners for the week.

While I was reading Molly's book, she talks about a delicious pound cake that her mom would make. In the notes, she writes, "the next morning,their friend warmed leftover slices on the grill for breakfast." As I read that I thought NOMMMMMMMM!!! And then I thought OOOOHHH FRENCH TOAST POUND CAKE.

As I continued to read I found that Molly's dad, Burg, loved to make french toast. And then I knew, I'd do it.

Of course, this isn't a breakfast for anyone dieting. But it is hearty!

I made the bread the night before and let it sit out overnight. Then I made french toast of it in the morning.

Pound Cake French Toast

Ingredients - for the bread

2 cups + 8 tbsp cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

5 large eggs

1 2/3 cups sugar

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced at room temperature

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried well

Directions - for the bread

1. Preheat oven to 300. In a loaf pan, spray with Pam and then dust with flour.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups plus 6 tbsp of flour, the baking powder, and the salt.

3. In a food processor, blend the eggs and sugar for 1 minute. Add the butter and lemon juice and pulse for another minute, until fluffy.

4. In a large bowl toss the blueberries with 2 tbsp of flour. Pour the batter over the berries and fold gently until combined, main sure that all the flour is absorbed. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 1 and a half hours.

5. Cool over night.

Ingredients - for the french toast

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

pinch of nutmeg

canola oil for frying

6 slices of the blueberry pound cake bread

Directions - for the french toast

1. Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl. Whisk the eggs. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend.

2. Place a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and pour in enough oil to completely coat the bottom of the skillet. Let the oil heat.

3. Put 2-3 slices of bread into the egg mixture, resting 30 seconds per side. Place the slices on a skillet. Cook until the underneath of each slice is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove and place on a paper towel and sit for a minute before serving.

Lemon Verbena Cinnamon Rolls

Making cinnamon rolls when the temperature is getting close to 100 degrees probably wasn't the smartest idea I ever had. Because of the heat, the dough was sticky, the filling melted, and I had a really hard time getting the log to hold together. I've never lived somewhere this hot before, so I had no idea how the heat could effect baking. I mean, it makes sense but I never had experienced it firsthand until last night.

I made these rolls because of Cook the Books and the book Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I'm not going to lie, this book wasn't something I would have picked up on my own. The magical aspect of it just isn't something I typically get into. But really, things like this, like Cook the Books, force me to read things I wouldn't otherwise read.

And to quote my goodreads account:

I read this book for a foodie event called Cook The Books. Basically, the gist is you read a book and make a recipe inspired by the book, blog about it, take a picture of it, post it, etc. This isn't a book I would have picked up on my own, as the genre isn't typically what I'm interested in.

There was obviously much mention of food in the dish, with one of the main characters making magic in her kitchen through her meals. The main characters are notorious in their town for being part of a rather eccentric family.

The characters in the book are drawn out pretty well. The storyline is easy to follow. The mentions of food make me drool.

I am giving it a 3 not because it's not a good book, it really is, but because I still probably wouldn't read it or anything like it again as it's just not the type of book I usually gravitate towards.

What I did like about the book though was all the delicious food references. The book included a lot of references to different floral and spices to use in cooking. I've never really experimented with either of those, so it seemed like a good opportunity. So I mixed lemon verbena and cinnamon rolls.

Why the two?

"Claire stayed up late to make her regular order of six dozen cinnamon buns, which she delivered early to the Coffee House on the square every Sunday morning."

From what I know about Claire, she didn't just make cinnamon rolls. There was something more to them, just like there was something more to mine:

"Lemon Verbena – produces a lull in conversation with a mysterious lack of awkwardness. Helpful when you have nervous, overly talkative guests. "

Lemon Verbena Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

DOUGH
4 1/2 cups flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp dried lemon verbena + a pinch
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 large eggs

FILLING
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 tbsp half and half

GLAZE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp half and half
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer combine 2 1/2 cups flour and the yeast.

2. Fill a tea ball with the dried lemon verbena. Place in the milk and let sit for about 10 minutes. In a small saucepan combine the milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Heat, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted.

3. Gradually pour the milk mixture into the flour, beating slowly and consistently. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with each addition. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead in the rest of the flour until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add a pinch of the lemon verbena.

4. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and put in a warm spot for an hour and a half, until the dough doubles in size.

5. Punch down. Place on a lightly floured surface and let sit for 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and the butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients to get a granulated crumble.

6. On the lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Sprinkle with the filling. Roll the dough into a log. Slice the log into 8 pieces and place in a greased baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes.

7. Brush the dough with 1 tbsp half and half. Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly brown. Brush with more half and half.

8. To make the glaze combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Drip over the cinnamon rolls.

Chicken Tikka Masala and Sweet Potato Roti

I'm a sucker for everything Indian. It's definitely not the easiest cuisine to perfect. The flavors are different, they're strong, and they're not always easily available.

When I see a curry recipe (or any Indian recipe) I am always inclined to try it. Unfortunately the dumb boyfriend isn't excited about Indian food, but this is why I cook things I like, even when he's around. Tonight it didn't matter though.

During college I went to India with my mom for a 2 week excursion. In India (despite eating some of the tastiest food of my life) we participated in an event put on by WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts). The 2 week session involved planning and running a 4 day summer camp for some of the poorest children in India. These children all were the children of construction worker families. I learned so much in India, things I never could have learned from a textbook. I learned about the beauty of other cultures. I experienced true culture shock. I saw that things that I find normal are not normal everywhere and that some things that I find atrocious are not universally seen as such. I learned about the spirituality in India, learning about both the Hindu and Buddhist religions. I became even more aware of the caste system and saw more oppressed people than I've seen in my life. I befriended a beautiful little girl, Prema, despite us not speaking the same language. I learned how to communicate beyond words. I saw the biggest smiles on the faces of these children.

I miss it so much and I really wish I could go back, but I doubt I'll ever have that opportunity again.

When I eat Indian food though, it reminds me.

Chicken Tikka Masala
from here

Ingredients
2 tsp canola oil
1 small onion, minced
1 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
4 oz fat free plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
16 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size chunks

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet. Add the onions and cook until golden. Add the garlic and ginger until fragrant.

2. Mix in the spices and cook for less than a minute.

3. Mix in the tomatoes, milk, and yogurt. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken. Simmer the sauce with the chicken for 15 minutes.

* serves 4

CALORIES: 226 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 60 milligrams
FAT: 4 grams
SODIUM: 437 milligrams

Sweet Potato Roti
from here

Ingredients
1 sweet potato
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Directions

1. Peel potato and cut into chunks. Place in a pot of water and cook until soft.

2. In a food processor pulse the sweet potato until mushy.

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients together to create a soft, pliable dough. If the dough is too dry add water. If it's too sticky add flour.

4. Pull the dough into small ping pong size balls. Flatten with your hands and roll thin with a rolling pin.

5. Cook in a skillet covered with Pam, butter, or oil until golden brown. Flip and repeat.

* makes 10 rotis

CALORIES: 115 calories
CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams
FAT: 0 grams
SODIUM: 5 milligrams