Zucchini Banana Bread

Bananas and zucchini. Two things that never seem to get quite used up by the time they're past their prime. I think it's because, at least during the Summer, we are so inundated with stellar looking and tasting local produce that we simply can't eat it all, and even though we see the gorgeous berries, peaches and apricots in the fridge we still buy a hand of bananas for our morning cereal.

It never occurred to me to combine the two most-often wasted goods in my house into a single, moist quickbread, until I spotted Trish's recipe on her blog Mom on Time Out. I jumped at the opportunity to make it (since we had an abundance of the main ingredients at home), and since I knew I'd be passing it along to my grandmother (who loves to take care of everyone except, unfortunately, herself [at least nutrition-wise]) I bumped up the protein, fibre and Omega fats while lowering the sugar with a spoonful of Truvia.

The loaf came out of the oven smelling like every other banana bread I've made (a really good thing if serving picky eaters!), with a hint of chocolate and nuttiness from the chips and walnuts I folded in. The top was nice and caramelized even without a raw sugar sprinkle, and thanks to the "Italian" (aka cucuzza) zucchini I used, you couldn't even see a hint of vegetable when it was sliced. Paired with your morning coffee and the newspaper on a weekend morning, a mug of tea and a good movie on TV in the afternoon, or a scoop of frozen yoghurt for a weeknight dessert, it's a winner any time of day!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (a one-pot #SundaySupper)

I love the Fall... colour wise. It's hard to argue that it's anything but the prettiest of the seasons, and depending on your location it's one of the most versatile for clothing, activities and cooking as well. This year so far we've been lucky to have more warm days than dreary, cold and rainy ones, but this past week I think Mother Nature is trying to play a bit of catch-up!

That said, Fall is the perfect time of year to get back into the groove of soups, stews and one-pot meals. They tend to be heartier, brothier and more "comfort-foodish" than their fresh and light Summer cousins, and they're less fussy than many composed salads or fresh-dependent fare like gazpacho. When I set about making this soup for my mom (who was a fan of a similar dish at a local restaurant), I wanted to incorporate the earthy "grounding" tastes and colours of Autumn as well as play homage to a Summer that had treated us well, garden-wise. Over the last few weeks of our tomato season, I began to roast almost every harvest of currant or cherry tomatoes I brought in, scraping them into a plastic zip-top bag for use in later soups and sauces. I brought out one of my bags for this potage, along with a harvest of late-season bell peppers which added a nice freshness. The rest of the pot filled up with carrots, kidney beans, leftover Citrus and Herb Roast Chicken and the broth I made from its carcass. A dash of cornmeal added texture and body, while a mix of chile powders added a rounded spiciness. After a relatively short simmer, the soup was spicy but not too too hot, thick but spoonable, and a prime candidate for lunch!

This week for #SundaySupper, Amy is hosting a roundup of one pot wonders. From soup to spaghetti and even desserts, there's no reason for us to dirty another dish tonight!

“Take the Chill Off” Chilis, Soups, and Starters

• Spicy Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Eggplant Parmesan Soup by The Texan New Yorker
• Cream of Tomato and Tortellini Soup by Noshing With The Nolands
• Chicken Tortilla Soup by What Smells So Good?
• Chicken Corn Chowder  by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini Soup by Neighborfood
• Lasagna Soup by The ROXX Box
• Beefy Skillet Nacho Bake by The Weekend Gourmet
• German Onion Soup by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• White Bean and Spinach Soup by Ruffles & Truffles
• Korean Oxtail Soup (Kkori Gomtang) by kimchi MOM
• Fall Squash Chili by Pescetarian Journal
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili by Alida’s Kitchen

“Put Meat on Your Bones” Stews

• Brew Stewed Beef by The Foodie Army Wife
• Dr. Pepper Shredded Chicken (slow cooker) by girlichef
• Pepper Beef Stew by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Slow Cooked Beef Stew with Red Wine, Carrots and Tomatoes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Fabulous French Cassoulet by Webicurean
• Slowcooker Coq Au Vin by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Claypot Braised Tofu by My Trials in the Kitchen
• Moroccan Lentil Ragout with Poached Eggs by The Wimpy Vegetarian

“Make Room for Seconds” Main Dishes

• Slow Cooker Hawaiian Kalua Pork by Shockingly Delicious
• Chicken and Dumplings by Hip Foodie Mom
• Spicy Tomato Pasta by Supper for a Steal
• Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole by The Urban Mrs.
• Carnitas with Queso Fresco Enchiladas by Casa de Crews
• Slow Cooker Garlic and Herb Pork Chops and Veggies by Cookin’ Mimi
• Jambalaya by Country Girl in the Village
• Easy Oven Sweet & Sour Chicken by Momma’s Meals
• Asian Chicken Rice Pot by a distinguished palate
• Quick One Pot Red Beans and Rice by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Sweet & Sour Vegetarian Stir Fry by Foxes Love Lemons
• One-Pot Lentil Chicken by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Beef and Quince Tajine by MarocMama
• Slow-Cooked Italian Beef Sandwiches by Juanita’s Cocina
• Sunday Supper Pork and Chorizo by Family Foodie
• Mediterranean Chicken Bake by The Dinner-Mom
• Easy Chorizo, Corn and Potatoes by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Crockpot Roasted Corn, Tomato and Broccoli Risotto by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Quick ‘n Easy Asian-Style Quinoa by NinjaBaking.com
• Pan-fried Chicken with Bacon and Asparagus  by Food Lust People Love
• Vegetarian Chipotle Tamale Pie by Curious Cuisiniere
• Turkey Sausage and Noodle Pesto by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• One Pot Coconut Rice Shrimp Pilaf by Sue’s Nutrition Buzzz
• One Pot Spicy Pasta by Mess Makes Food

“Can’t Say No” Desserts

• Vegan Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding by Killer Bunnies, Inc
• Busy-Day S’mores Cake by Treats & Trinkets
• Mascarpone Pumpkin Cheesecake in the Microwave by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Pie Spice Apple Crisp by Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Flourless Almond Butter Cookies by Pies and Plots

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. 

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Gluten Free Playdough

Today I have my first of many teaching exams,which is comprised of creating an activity and "teaching" it to one of my instructors. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Montessori method, the learning is experienced through the use of "materials" (like sandpaper letters or the infamous Pink Tower) across a variety of subject areas (such as Practical Life, which this exam was for). I came up with something that was only natural for me as a bakeaholic - rolling out and cutting "cookie dough"! Of course, the "dough" had to be reusable, long lasting and safe for kids, so I broke out my inner child and made my own playdough.

We were a homemade playdough family growing up. My sister and I would beg my mom to break out the saucepan and cream of tartar at least once a month so we could have a fresh batch in a new colour to play with. My favourite part was handling the barely cooled dough - for some reason I had (and still have) a super-high tolerance for heat. Good training for falling in love with cooking, I guess! I definitely wanted to make my own playdough for this exam - partially because it is a lot cheaper to make your own and so that I could have a version that was wheat free and so wouldn't irritate my skin when I was handling it. Commercial Play-Doh is made with standard wheat flour, and while you can find Gluten Free Playdough on Amazon, it's not exactly an easy to get, inexpensive plaything.

I scouted around for a recipe that used what I had on hand (with the exception of Cream of Tartar, which I knew I'd have to get) and found what looked like a winner on Celiac Family. It's almost on a par with my mom's recipe in terms of ease and convenience - I mean, what grocery store doesn't have cornstarch, and most even have rice flour these days. What I did find as I was making the mixture was that it needed a lot more cornstarch to come together, but luckily it's easily fixed (and when I added a bit too much on that end, a drizzle of water made a perfect "dough"). I would suggest making it at least a few hours before really "playing" with it, since while it's sticky in a warm state after being wrapped and left to sit a little bit the liquid distributes more evenly and it's more user friendly.

Now, I'm sure you are way smarter than I was and realize that if you want tinted dough (I highly recommend using a paste or gel colouring so you don't liquefy your dough), you will need to knead it in while wearing gloves. Well, unless you don't mind looking like the Purple People Eater (I did red and blue) or worse, like you have gangrene all over your hands and nails!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays and Waste Not Want Not Wednesday

“More Than Ginger” Spice Cookies #12WksXmasTreats

Ah, the countdown to the holidays continues, and I don't know about you, but my freezer (and canning shelf) is starting to get mighty full with all the goodies "in process" for gifting! Of course, one of my go-to themes when it comes to my cookie baking is ginger, since with one of my old elementary teacher's fondness for the stuff I always make a batch just for her! Almost all cookies are a dream to make ahead of time, since the dough freezes and thaws easily (well-wrapped, of course), and it's been my experience that the resulting cookies are usually better after a stint in the icebox - especially whole grain or oatmeal ones.

So, for this week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats hosted at Meal Planning Magic I'm sharing a cookie that is both ginger-packed and freezer-friendly. I actually made these last year for a "visiting" gift, but they were so well received I just might have to make it (or a variation of it) again! They have a chewy, lightly textured crumb, with raisins, oats and candied ginger. But while ginger is definitely one of the forerunners in flavour, there is a lot more going on than one spice! Black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and two types of pepper (black and white) play a part in making these cookies something special - but you don't need to save enjoying them for a special occasion (just make a double batch :-) )!

Spicy Flax Zucchini Bread

This week heralds the end of our major backyard harvest season. It's sad to see the end of the sweet, perfect heirloom tomatoes, the hot and sweet peppers, and of course all my gorgeous herbs. However, the cooler weather does mean the end of one thing I'm glad to see go - zucchini. I'll probably be ruing it's absence a month from now, but at the moment I have had so many zucchini based dinners that I am sated. Since even the three of us veggie-lovers at home couldn't mow through the fruit of both the "standard" and "Italian" (aka cucuzza) zucchini plants (we had 4 of each), I got the leftovers to play with in the sweet kitchen.

Oh and play I did! Aside from the Zapple Butter, I did at least 4 bakes with the stuff - the first of which being this (relatively simple) quickbread. I found the base recipe on CHOW.com, and with some tweaking I had a meltingly moist, just-sweet-enough batter baking away, filling the kitchen with the scents of warm spices, orange and just a whiff of coconut. The texture from the whole grains and flax kept it interesting and hearty without being leaden, and the leaf stayed tender and soft for days - no butter needed! My mom and grandma shared a few slices with a smear of apple butter (which they mixed with peanut butter... man that looked good) and raved about the perfect mix of sweet and spice. Hey, if my two baking mentors want to praise my novice attempts, I'm not going to say no!