Caramelized Bananas

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Slice bananas and set aside.

Melt butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt in a frying or sauteuse pan over medium heat.  When simmering, add bananas.

Cook for approximately 4 minutes per side, watching the heat closely so that the mixture does not burn.


Myrtle's Note:  I think that these would be tasty with something, but are a bit lonesome by themselves.  Perhaps on a crepe or over ice-cream??  I would also recommend slicing the bananas a bit thinner than pictured.


Yield: 4 servings

Source:  http://www.fifteenspatulas.com/pan-fried-honey-bananas/

Whole Wheat Zucchini Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups King Arther® white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 medium zucchini (a heaping cup or thereabouts)

Directions:

Peel and grate zucchini and set aside.  

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugars.

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Fold in the zucchini.

Heat a griddle or pan to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray, if needed. Pour about a 1/3 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst. Flip carefully with a spatula, and cook until browned on the underside. 

Continue making pancakes until the batter is gone. Serve pancakes with butter and maple syrup, if desired.  If freezing, wrap in plastic and then place in a freezer bag.  Will keep in the freezer for up to two months.

Myrtle's Note:  I am a very, very unskilled pancake maker, but this was a solid recipe.  I found the original recipe's instruction to use 1/2 cup of batter in making the pancakes far too big, so I switched to 1/3 cup.  The pancakes are rich and thick and a bear to flip, but well worth the mess!

Yield: 12-16 thick pancakes

Source:  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/whole-wheat-zucchini-pancakes/

Zucchini Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup King Arthur® white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup craisins
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions:

Either use a stoneware baking sheet or line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine applesauce and brown sugar, mix until smooth. Add egg and vanilla paste. Next, add the shredded zucchini. Mix until combined.

Slowly add flour mixture until just combined. Stir in oats, raisins, and chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or cookies are slightly golden around the edges and set.   [In my oven, it took 15 minutes for them to set.]  Remove cookies from pans immediately and cool completely on wire racks.


Myrtle's Note:  If you want to hide a vegetable from a child, this is the recipe for you!  Veggie and fruit and oats.  Mention the chocolate chips and I cannot see how the young could object!  I changed the chips to milk chocolate, the vanilla extract to paste, the flour from whole wheat to white whole wheat, and the raisons to craisons.  These are simply spectacular!


Yield:  36 cookies

Source:  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/zucchini-applesauce-oatmeal-cookies/

Zucchini Parmesan Loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup, plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup romano cheese, shredded
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 medium zucchini (close to 8 ounces), peeled and grated on a box grater

Preheat oven to 375.


Directions:

Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. Peel and grate the zucchini and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk oil, milk, and eggs.  In a large bowl, whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, salt, and pepper.  Mix in zucchini, then the egg mixture until just moistened (batter will be very thick, like biscuit dough).

Transfer batter to prepared pan and press it in gently.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes (tent with foil if loaf starts to brown too quickly).

Cool 15 minutes in pan.  Then, turn out the loaf onto a rack to cool completely.


Myrtle's Note:  I followed a reviewer's suggestion and added an extra tablespoon of milk ... though I am not sure why I did.  I also followed the suggestion to reduce the salt.  After all, the cheese is particularly salty.  Finally, I followed my usual substitution of half parmesan and have romano cheese.  The bread is incredibly moist.  No butter needed!!

Yield: 10-12 slices

Source:  http://www.marthastewart.com/326581/zucchini-parmesan-loaf

Lemon Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1 teaspoon packed finally grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 cup Red Bob Mill's Blue Cornmeal, milled to fine
• 1 medium zucchini grated on a box grater (a bit over a cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Peel and grate zucchini and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  It will not be liked creamed sugar, but will be more of a crumb mixture.  Add vanilla, lemon zest, and salt.  Mix more.  Add flour and cornmeal and mix until mixture is crumbly.

Add zucchini and beat until a thick dough forms.  At first, it will just look like more crumbs and will not stick together at all.  However, after a while, the moisture of the zucchini will begin to form a batter and eventually it will be a sticky, thick, dough.

Drop by rounded spoons, 2 inches apart, on a baking stone or parchment paper.  Bake until the cookies are a light golden brown at the edges, 25-30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Immediately transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.


Myrtle's Note:  I went Googling for a way to use up leftover zucchini and found this recipe.  I was a bit hesitant, but was also intrigued.  I only have blue cornmeal, but it worked just beautifully.  I accidentally misread the vanilla amount, but I really liked the way the cookies turned out, so I left my recipe with the mistaken amount.  These are really great cookies, with several flavors coming through as you eat them.  The course Kosher salt contrasts with the sweetness of the sugar.  The cornmeal brings a nuttiness.  Then there is the lemon and the vanilla.  Just spectacular!


Yield:  24 cookies

Source:  http://www.marthastewart.com/314971/lemon-zucchini-cornmeal-cookies

Sweet Potato Mascarpone Bourbon Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

Grease a bundt pan and set aside.

Cook a large sweet potato, one big enough for a full cup of mashed sweet potato.  Peel, mash, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, backing soda, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugars and butter until lights and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Then add the mascarpone and sweet potatoes and beat until mixed together.  Slowly add in the flour mixture until completely blended.

Fold into the bunt pan, ensuring the batter is evenly distributed.  It will be very thick.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven and, while the bread is still hot, immediately pour 1/4 cup of bourbon (or Calvados) all over the surface of the bread and allow the bourbon to get absorbed into the bread.  Remove from the pan after about 20 minutes.

Myrtle's Note:  I had leftover mascarpone from another recipe and went looking for ways to use it.  I found several recipes that interested me before discovering this one.  To me, I am not sure why it is called a bread instead of a cake unless it is that it is not iced in the least.  I thought about trying to make a glaze for on top because I have an active sweet tooth, but decided to just follow the recipe first.  My only change was to use vanilla paste instead of extract.


Yield:  8-12 servings

Source:  http://shesimmers.com/2010/03/sweet-potato-mascarpone-bourbon-bread.html