Wonderful Zucchini-Carrot Bread

I've been trying a lot of new recipes this year, but this is an old favorite I keep going back to. It started out as a Paula Deen recipe but I've added a couple of my own touches to it. Give it a try -- if you didn't put them in yourself, you would never know there were vegetables in this! Definitely not a diet recipe, but so good. I'd call it kid-friendly, except my own kids won't touch it...they heard me call it zucchini bread and that was the end of that. Maybe someday...

The original recipe makes two large loaves. I often just want to make one, so I've included the half-recipe amounts in parentheses for convenience. [The best thing to do, really, is make two loaves and give one away...the recipient will be delighted!]

If I have it, I'll substitute whole wheat pastry flour for half of the flour used. It's best with all the "optional" items but if you don't have them, or don't like them, it's fine to leave them out.

3 1/4 C all-purpose flour (1 5/8 C)
1 1/2 t salt (3/4 t)
1 t ground nutmeg (1/2 t)
2 t baking soda (1 t)
1 t ground cinnamon (1/2 t)
3 C granulated sugar (1 1/2 C)
1/2 C wheat germ (1/4 C) -- optional
1 C vegetable oil (1/2 C)
4 eggs, beaten (2)
1/3 C water (scant 1/4 C)
2 C grated zucchini (1 C)
1 1/2 C grated carrots (3/4 C) -- optional
1 t lemon juice (1/2 t)
1 C chopped walnuts or pecans (1/2 C) -- optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar and wheat germ.

In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini, carrots and lemon juice.

Mix wet ingredients into dry--by hand is fine--then add nuts and stir in.

Bake in two (one for half recipe) standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray and the bottoms lined with parchment. Bake one hour or until a tester comes out clean. Can also be baked in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Blueberry Pancakes

This recipe is from the Sneaky Chef cookbook. These taste so fabulous that it's hard to believe they are 100% healthy. Our whole family loves them.

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour *
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds, finely ground in food processor (optional, adds protein)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or grated fresh apple
1/4 cup plain yogurt **
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons milk
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup
1/4 cup chocolate chips and/or 1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

* If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, use plain whole wheat flour, but substitute half of it with all-purpose flour.
** I use fat-free yogurt.

1. Mix together flour, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, and ground almonds. Set aside.
   
2. In another bowl, whisk together applesauce, yogurt, vanilla, milk, egg, and honey or maple syrup.
   
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and stir just till blended. If batter seems too thick, add a bit more milk.
   
4. Add the chocolate chips and/or blueberries and mix lightly. If using frozen berries, don't thaw them.
5. Butter or spray a large skillet over medium heat. Drop small ladles of batter onto the hot skillet and cook until bottom of pancakes are golden, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. (You'll have to peek underneath. This batter is really thick, and it doesn't make bubbles on top to let you know it's ready to flip.)

These freeze very well, and I always make a double batch so we can have pancakes for breakfast all week. Let them cool completely and then freeze them in sandwich bags. To serve, thaw 30 seconds in microwave on defrost setting (30% power), and then toast for one cycle.
--Sarah

Breakfast Cookies

This one is a slightly modified version of the Breakfast Cookies recipe in "The Sneaky Chef" cookbook. If you get 20 cookies out of the recipe (which I do with a medium cookie scoop) then there are just over 100 calories in each.

3 C whole grain cereal flakes (I use Total)
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C wheat germ
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C canola oil
2 t pure vanilla extract
3/4 C lowfat ricotta cheese
3/8 C cinnamon mini-chips (optional)
cinnamon sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment, or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Gently crush the cereal -- use a rolling pin with the cereal in a zip-top bag, or a few pulses in the food processor, or (my favorite) a whisk in a 2-cup glass measuring cup In any event you should have about 1 1/2 C coarsely crushed cereal.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, cereal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
4. In another bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, oil, vanilla and ricotta.
5. Combine wet and dry ingredients. mixing just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Stir in the cinnamon chips, if using.
6. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop (or something else to get that much dough) drop onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between cookies.
7. Flatten cookies with the back of a fork (I find a plastic one works best -- the dough is sticky). Sprinkle tops generously with cinnamon sugar.
8. Bake 12-13 minutes, until lightly browned.
9. Cool. Cookies should remain slightly soft. Great in lunchboxes or as a snack too!

Ham & Cheese Omelet Roll

3 eggs
½ C. 2% milk
¼ C. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
½ C. diced fully cooked ham
¾ C. shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, divided
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper. Pour into an 8” square baking disk coated w/cooking spray.

Bake, uncovered, at 450 for 7-9 min. or until eggs are set. Sprinkle with ham and ½ C. cheese. Bake 3-5 min. longer or until cheese is melted.

Loosen edges of omelet form baking dish w/a knife. Using 2 small spatulas, carefully roll up tightly, jelly-roll style, leaving it in the dish. Sprinkle w/bacon and remaining cheese. Bake for 3-4 min. or until cheese is melted.

Servings: 2

Oven French Toast With Orange Apple Syrup

French Toast
2 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 French bread slices, cut in 1-inch slices
1/4 cup melted butter, plus additional butter for greasing pan

Orange Apple Syrup
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 medium peeled apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 orange, peeled and cut into sections

1. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter.
   
2. Whisk together all French toast ingredients except bread and butter. Dip both sides of bread in mixture and place in greased pan. Pour any remaining mixture over bread.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
   
4. Drizzle melted butter over bread. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. While French toast is baking, prepare syrup. Combine 3/4 cup orange juice with brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly.
6. Add apples, cinnamon, and ginger and cook until apples are tender.
7. Add orange sections just before serving.

This French toast recipe is very easy and delicious, with or without the special syrup. The syrup adds a little prep time in the morning, but it's a nice touch if you have time for it. I didn't have oranges on hand, and I thought the syrup was great without them. --Sarah

Slow Cooker Yogurt

Can you believe it? You can make yogurt in the slow cooker! If, like my husband, you're wondering why you'd want to, I can give you two good reasons. 1) It's really cheap. 2) You know exactly what's in it, and what's not (sugar, artificial coloring, and preservatives).

1 quart milk*
1/4 to 1/2 cup dry instant nonfat milk (optional, for thickening)
1/4 cup natural plain yogurt, preferably fresh (from store or homemade)

*If you use low-fat milk, you'll need to add the dry milk unless you like it runny. I added 1/2 cup, and it was nice and solid.

1. Put the milk and dry milk into a slow cooker and stir well. If the milk doesn't come at least halfway up the crock, you should put a smaller, oven-safe bowl (such as a Pyrex glass dish) inside the crock; this will add some time to the cooking.
   
2. Cook on high for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the milk is starting to bubble, but not quite boiling. (If you have a candy thermometer, you can test it; the milk should be 180 degrees to kill all undesirable bacteria.)
3. Remove the crock from the slow cooker and leave it on the counter, with the lid on, for about an hour. The milk should be cooled to about 110 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, test with your finger; it should be a little warmer than a baby's bath water. (If you add the starter with the milk hotter than 110, it can kill the bacteria in the starter.)
   
4. Turn the oven on its lowest setting.
   
5. If the milk has formed a skin on top, run it through a sieve if desired.
   
6. Ladle a small amount of warm milk into a cup and mix the yogurt into it until well combined. Then pour the yogurt mixture into the milk and whisk well.
7. Turn off the oven, but leave the oven light on.
   
8. Put the lid on the slow cooker crock and put it in the oven to culture. Close the door and do not disturb for 5 to 12 hours. The longer you leave it, the tangier the taste.
9. Remove from the oven and refrigerate for several hours. Reserve 1/4 cup of yogurt for your next batch.
   

Serve with one or more of the following:

• Fruit of your choice (bananas and blueberries are nice)
• Strawberry jam (about a tablespoon per cup)
• Cereal or granola
• Vanilla and maple syrup to taste

When you add fruit, the yogurt may get runnier, so it's best to add it just before serving.

If you prefer Greek style yogurt (thicker), line a colander with a coffee filter or cheesecloth and allow it to drain overnight. You can use the drained whey to add protein to smoothies, or you can feed it to your dog.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

"Bran muffins" may not sound appealing, but just wait until you taste these! Our whole family loves them and there are endless variations and combinations of add-ins. Best of all, this batter keeps in the refrigerator up to two weeks, so you can always have freshly baked muffins in a flash. This recipe came from Relish magazine (a newspaper insert) and is just one of several excellent recipes I've found there.

Ingredients:

• 2 C All-Bran cereal
• 2/3 C wheat bran
• 1 1/3 C boiling water
• 2 2/3 C all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking soda
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t grated or ground nutmeg
• vegetable cooking spray
• 2 C lowfat buttermilk
• 1/2 C pasteurized egg substitute (I always substitute whole eggs here and lightly beat enough to make 1/2 cup)
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1 t vanilla extract
• optional add-ins: shredded carrot, raisins, dried cranberries, pineapple, shredded zucchini, chopped dried apricots, blueberries, bananas, nuts...

1. Mix cereal and wheat bran in a large bowl (I use the large covered batter bowl from Pampered Chef so I can store batter in this container). Add boiling water; stir well and set aside for 1 hour.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
3. Preheat oven to 375F. Coat muffin cups with cooking spray.
4. Add 1 C buttermilk to bran mixture; stir well with a whisk. Add remaining buttermilk, egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
5. Add flour mixture; stir until a thick batter forms.
6. If baking just a portion of the batter, measure out what you're using and set aside. Cover remaining batter and refrigerate.
7. Stir in optional fruits, vegetables, or nuts (I use about 1-1.5 cups per dozen muffins) and scoop into prepared pan, filling each muffin about 2/3 full.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned. Entire recipe makes 24-30 muffins depending on amount of add-ins.

Favorite combinations for us include shredded carrots with some crushed pineapple (shred your own carrots for this combo--pre-shredded ones turn green for some reason and it's icky)...and shredded zucchini with golden raisins. Fun to play with!

Pecan Crusted Bacon

1/4 C. crushed pecans
4 slices bacon (or turkey bacon)
maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with foil. Brush bacon slices with syrup and sprinkle with pecans. Bake until done, 10-25 minutes depending on thickness of bacon.

Monkey Bread

1 stick butter (2 T divided out)
2 T water
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 cans regular biscuits (10/can) - I use Pillsbury Flaky Biscuits

Preheat oven to 375. Place 2 T melted butter in bundt pan and coat bottom and sides. Sprinkle 3 T of pecans into bottom of pan. In a sauce pan, combine the rest of the butter, water, and brown sugar. Cook until boiling and remove from heat. (You can continue to cook for about 2 minutes after it starts boiling if you like thicker sauce. This is what I usually do.) Break biscuits in half and roll each half into a ball shape. Place biscuit halves from one can into bundt pan. Pour 1/2 of syrup over biscuits. Sprinkle 1/2 of nuts on top of that. Repeat with remaining biscuits, syrup, and nuts. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn onto a serving dish immediately. Serve hot! :) YUM!!

This is a quick, easy and quite tasty breakfast treat that I make when my family comes into town. It serves about 6 people....or 4 depending on how hungry you are!! - Kristina

Breakfast Ice Cream

This is a great way to get your kids to eat bananas and plain yogurt, and a relatively guilt-free treat for you as well. It has the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, and it tastes great. It's also the perfect way to use up very brown bananas. Be sure to cut them in chunks before freezing.

1 frozen banana, cut in pieces
2 tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of wheat germ (optional)*

*Find wheat germ in jars in the cereal aisle, near the oatmeal.

1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and wheat germ. Stir until well blended.
2. Put frozen banana in food processor and pour the yogurt mixture over the top.
   
3. Puree on high until the mixture is very smooth. (Hold on tight for the first few seconds; the processor will shake violently.)

Serve drizzled with chocolate syrup, if desired.

Note: Convert to a smoothie by adding 1/2 cup of milk and mixing in the blender instead of the food processor. Don't try making the ice cream in the blender without the extra milk, or you might break your blender.



You can find this recipe and many other kid-friendly recipes in The Sneaky Chef cookbook, by Missy Chase Lapine.