whole wheat

The New Zucchini Bread: Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

by liz · Apr 23, 2012

Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies — Photo by Meals.com

I know you’ve been making Zucchini Bread all summer, so now I’m going to give you a much better alternative for fall: Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies! Yes folks, zucchini does belong in brownies – it gives the brownies moisture and weight as well as vitamins and other health benefits. In fact, you can use any light-tasting squash in this recipe.

Last fall, my home garden sprouted several squash/pumpkin/zucchini-looking plants all on its own, which threatened to overtake all the vegetables I had actually planted! I kept them in check by picking and cooking as many blossoms as I could, but I still had a lot of green, striped and orangeish squash to eat during fall and winter. So they almost all went into brownies (but click the link to see squash risotto).

Dark chocolate morsels make the flavor rich while adding antioxidants and whole wheat flour works beautifully, making these brownies a little cake-like. And I love encountering the surprise bites of salty-sweet afforded by the coarse sea salt. This brownie recipe is so good; it’s the only one I use now.

Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies – adapted from Meals.com

Ingredients for 16 servings:

1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 regular-size package dark chocolate morsels
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 3 medium)

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Line 9-inch-square baking pan with foil.

2. COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.

3. MELT 1 cup morsels in large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Stir in oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg whites and vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture; fold in zucchini. Spread into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining morsels over top + a little more coarse sea salt (I like to use the black lava kind on top).

4. BAKE for 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Lift brownies from pan; cut into 16 squares. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.

Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies recipe — Photo by Meals.com

National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day: A Treat for Adults Too

by liz · Mar 24, 2011

It’s National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day! We can all remember eating chocolate-covered raisines as children, and today we can enjoy them as adults. One way is in biscotti.

Growing up in a non-fancy part of the area north of Texas, I never tried biscotti until I moved away to the big city as a young adult. A cross between flattened, sweetened bread and a slightly stale cookie? It sure didn’t sound appetizing, plus I didn’t drink coffee yet.

But my first real job in the city changed all that. As I joined the bleary-eyed working world each morning, I began to learn to love coffee…mochas at first, then with whole milk and lots of sugar and now frothed milk and no sugar. One thing that goes well with any rendition of coffee is biscotti: then as well as now.

And this biscotti recipe has chocolate covered cranberries in it, which brightens it up and also boosts nutrients.

Another way I love to use chocolate covered raisins (or cranberries, or cherries) is in homemade granola. When I was little, my parents were as home-made as they could be: bread, peanut butter, sour cream, marinara sauce (simply called spaghetti sauce back then), jam and everything in between. These were the days before food processors and recipes on the internet, so some concoctions were better than others to a child who just wanted creamy peanut butter from the store.

One homemade dish I loved was granola. My parents’ granola was better than any sugar cereal: crunchy, nutty, savory and sweet, made with whole grains and sunshine. The only thing that could have made it better to me then (and now!) would have been chocolate-covered dried fruit. This recipe reminds me of home.

Chocolate Cherry Pull-Apart Bread

Now here’s a dish my parents and I can completely agree on! I remember having monkey bread (or pull-apart bread) cooked in various ways for various meals by various members of our extended family. It seems the best way to use dinner roll dough was in some form of circle with a sugar glaze dripping over it.

Layered Mediterranean Tortellini Salad: the New 7-Layer Salad

by liz · Aug 17, 2010

For those of you who grew up in the south or the mid-west, or “just north of Texas,” your mom probably made 7-Layer Salad, or at least had it in her recipe repertoire. If she didn’t make it at least once, her mom probably did.

This was a very popular salad that swept the American interior in the 1950s – and maybe even made it to the coasts – with its sophisticated layered presentation, flexibility for ingredients you might be cleaning out of your fridge and the plentiful mass of mayonnaise on top. In the south it’s heavy on peas, and it makes a great picnic or pot luck salad.

This Layered Mediterranean Tortellini Salad is a healthier version of this 7-Layer Salad using spinach and whole wheat tortellini and I decided to make it for my mom when she came to town. She fondly remembers the classic 7-Layer Salad from my childhood (as well as a variety of wine punch recipes involving a fancy punch bowl and polyester bell bottoms) and was eager to try this lighter, updated recipe.

I used my new punch bowl/cake stand to showcase the salad and made just a few substitutions: I used a chunk of Italian parmesan cut into wide strips with a vegetable peeler and I replaced the canned olives with a gourmet mix of fresh olives with their pits from the local grocer. I also made my own Greek salad dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried Italian herbs, salt and pepper (I added a dash of buttermilk to evoke some of the classic taste for my mom).

Layered Mediterranean Tortellini Salad

Ingredients for 12 servings:

1 package (9 ounces) Refrigerated Spinach Cheese Tortellini
1 package (9 ounces) Refrigerated 100% Whole Wheat Three Cheese Tortellini
6 tablespoons bottled light Greek or Italian dressing, divided
2 cups whole cherry or pear tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil
1 1/2 cups sliced cucumber
1 can (13.75 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and quartered (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 can (6 ounces) pitted whole ripe olives, drained (about 1 1/3 cups)
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup (1.5 ounces) Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

PREPARE pasta according to package directions; rinse in cold water then drain well. Place spinach tortellini in one bowl and the whole wheat tortellini in another bowl. Add 2 tablespoons salad dressing to each bowl; toss gently to coat.

PLACE tomatoes in large glass serving bowl; drizzle with 1 tablespoon salad dressing. Top with all of spinach tortellini, feta cheese, red onion and basil; drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon salad dressing. Top with all of the whole wheat tortellini, cucumbers, artichokes and olives. Cover; refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Season with pepper; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

It was delicious, light and very satisfying as a summer meal. It was even better the next day after marinating in the dressing overnight. My mom was delighted too. Next, we’re moving on to the punch.