healthy zucchini bread

with its cool crisp mornings and hot afternoon rain showers, late summer also brings a bounty of zucchini. the end of summer is one of my favorite times of year. not just for all the squash, but for the turning of the seasons and the relief and comfort that brings me. i can still enjoy the easy-breezy feeling of summer, but the days are growing shorter and less stifling and the nights are becoming cooler and more quiet.

with the abundance of zucchini, dinah and i have been cooking and baking with it often. we made skinny chocolate muffins last week (that were just meh, so I didn't keep the recipe), and we made calabacitas, minestrone, and ratatouille earlier this month as well. this week though, we made my favorite: zucchini bread. there are a million zucchini bread recipes out there and it's a bread that's pretty difficult to screw up, but following our trend of healthy snacking this summer, i found a healthy, but also delicious and very moist zucchini bread recipe. it turned out great. i got the recipe here, but made a few changes, like using less honey and adding extra cinnamon and a handful of chocolate chips.

healthy zucchini bread

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon (mine were heaping, i really like cinnamon)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. plain whole milk yogurt
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. organic raw honey
2 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. grated zucchini, be sure to squeeze ALL the water out
1/4-1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan. in a large bowl, combine flours, and other dry ingredients. in a different bowl, whisk the egg into the yogurt, then mix in oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. add in grated zucchini, then fold in flour mixture. once combined, throw in a handful (or two) of chocolate chips. pour into prepared pan. bake for 45-60 minutes. mine took an hour and ten minutes, or so. just bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. remove bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. apparently, there are only like 150 calories per slice, so eat up!

skinny no-bake cookies

dinah's been going through some big emotional crud lately. i think it's a combination of a lot of things: adjusting to real life after vacation, missing her best friend (who is now gone on vacation with her family), jealous of baby brother, hot weather discomfort, and as far as i can tell, being three, in general, just ain't easy.

she's always been prone to meltdowns and big feelings (a girl after my own heart), but they have grown bigger and stronger this year than in the past. her meltdowns take many forms and they're always a delightful surprise :), but usually, they come in the form of anger. abrupt, intense, and violent rage. it starts with an ear piercing, blood curdling scream. then comes the grinding of her teeth, red face, tense body, throwing of objects, kicking whatever (or whoever) is nearby, and then finally, she ends by flinging herself facedown wherever she is and sobs and sobs. then she'll look up to make sure i'm still paying attention and dramatically pleads for me to "puh-leeeeze be nice" to her, even though i was never mean to her in the first place. well, unless turning off the tv or suggesting she tidy up her things or asking her to please not draw on the furniture or not cutting her toast properly is being mean? totally.

i understand meltdowns and big feelings are inevitable, she's only three after all. they are also a normal part of her brain development. these meltdowns will occur no matter what i do to avoid them. however, how i react and how i help her navigate these big emotions is very important for her longterm emotional intelligence.

when she has these angry outbursts they are a signal to me that she needs some connection and a little extra one-on-one care from her mama. a quick snuggle is all it takes some days. other days, the process is a little more heavy and demanding. sometimes i can't do it and i yell too. other days, like today, i'm calm and respectful of her and i'm able to hold her until she calms down. today as i wiped away her tears for the umpteenth time, i asked what might help her feel better. "cookies." duh. they make everyone feel better. good answer, dinah. but in reality, does my already emotionally wrecked little girl need loads of white flour or refined white sugar? umm, noooo. our oven is also on the fritz and we needed something simple and quick, since my girl was extra fragile today. so we made healthy no-bake peanut butter oatmeal cookies. no refined sugar, high in protein (from the peanuts) and high in fiber (from the oats). and super yummy. win-win-win.

skinny no-bake cookies

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1 small very ripe banana

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa

1/4 c. milk

2.5 c. oats

line a baking sheet with wax paper. melt peanut butter and mashed banana toether in a large pot over low heat until fully melted and combined. remove from heat. add honey, cocoa powder, milk, and oats. mix until fully combined and then drop on the baking sheet with a spoon and mold into the desired shape. refrigerate for about two hours. or if you're like me and dinah, just enjoy right away, but they'll be crumbly!

tahini buddha bowl

we are home from a long trip to visit family all around the country. as is typical of being on vacation and out of my own kitchen, i ended up eating a lot less healthy than i usually do. not that the food wasn't good on our trip. no, no, most of it was very delicious, and a lot of it was even quite healthy. but i indulged in a lot of sweets and overate at every meal and snacked on crap in between.

now that we are home, my husband and i agree it's a good time to start detoxing our bodies a bit. i don't mean one of those awful starvation detoxifications, you know the kind where you're only allowed to drink lemon cayenne pepper water for five months. no, no, i just mean filling our bodies with healthy clean food to drive out all the not-so-healthy-and-clean stuff we've been eating this month.

well, that's what we discussed. and then the day after we got home, i got strep throat, and have been surviving on broth, watermelon, bananas, and chicken pho from our favorite vietnamese restaurant for the last week. before my body shut down on me, i did, however, make this deliciousness:

tahini buddha bowl

i used this recipe from minimalist baker, but tweaked it a bit and added a few things to make it a little heartier and higher in protein. you could easily leave out the chicken and the chicken broth and have a hearty, delicious vegan meal. (i also forgot to add the tahini sauce before i took the photo, pretend there is tahini sauce drizzled all over this pile of yum.)

for the roasted vegetables:

olive oil

1/2 red onion, cut in small wedges

2 large sweet potatoes, cubed

1 large bundle of broccoli, chopped

2 large handfuls of kale

salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place sweet potatoes and onions on a cookie sheet. drizzle with olive oil and then bake for about 10 minutes. remove from the oven and add broccoli. drizzle with more olive oil and toss with other vegetables. bake another 8-10 minutes. remove from the oven and add handfuls of kale. drizzle with olive oil and toss with other veggies, then sprinkle everything with salt and pepper. bake another 5 minutes.

for the quinoa:

1 cup of dry quinoa (i used red)

2 cups of chicken broth

as the vegetables are roasting, bring quinoa and broth to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid has been completely absorbed.

for the chicken and chickpeas:

1 cup of cubed chicken tenders

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tsp cumin

1.5 tsp chili powder

1.5 tsp garlic powder

.5 tsp salt

.5 tsp pepper

1 tsp. oregano

as the vegetables are roasting and the quinoa is simmering. mix the spices in a small bowl. drizzle olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken over medium heat. sprinkle half the spice mixture over the chicken. while it is frying, place the chickpeas in a medium sized bowl and coat them with the remaining spicemixture. when the chicken is nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes, add the chickpeas to the pan and combine with chicken. once the chickpeas are hot and fragrant, about 5 minutes, set aside.

for the tahini sauce:

1/4 c. tahini

1 TBS maple syrup

1/2 lemon, juiced

3-6 TBS hot water to thin

prepare sauce by adding tahini, maple syrup and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk to combine. add water until sauce is thin enough to pour. set aside.

to serve:

place a spoonful of quinoa at the bottom of a large bowl (i used a plate instead), place a rather large spoonful of roasted vegetables on top of quinoa, and then top with a scoop of the chicken and chickpea mixture and drizzle the tahini sauce liberally over everything. enjoy warm or cool.

avocado brownies

whoa, it's been too long since I've blogged! we are finally moved and settled into our new house and finally, i can start cookin' in the kitchen with my dinah girl again. the kitchen in our new house is, well, far from ideal, but we are making do. it's a small, cramped and poorly designed 1930s kitchen. charming, yes. functional, not really. however, even with little workspace, dinah and i (and now baby charlie too) have made plenty of delicious dishes since moving here.

today, we made brownies. healthy brownies at that! it's june in albuquerque. it's freakin' hot and it's the time of year i like to cut back on sugar. i'm also eight months postpartum and still hanging onto some baby weight i'd be happy to shed. but, unfortunately, i still love sweets. and so does dinah. our solution - make healthy sweets! first up, avocado brownies.

this was my first time making this recipe and i was a little skeptical. i love avocado...on my burritos, but in my desserts, hmm. turns out, you can't taste it all, but only taste a rich cocoa flavor instead. the syrup and applesauce make it just sweet enough to feel like you're kinda sorta still indulging in the real deal. and the texture; ooooh, ooey gooey perfection. i could, and almost did, eat an entire pan in one setting. if i didn't have my darling three-year-old's big puppy dog eyes begging at me, i just may have.

healthy brownies

avocado brownies

1 large avocado

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup peanut butter chips (optional)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. combine avocado, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla in a food processer until smooth. whisk in three eggs. add flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. fold in optional baking chips (i used peanut butter chips, because that's what we had in the cupboard). greast an 8x8 inch baking dish with coconut oil and add batter. bake for about 20-25 minutes. more time for cake-like brownies, less for fudgier brownies.

sourdough bread and white bean soup

yesterday was a gloomy day in albuquerque. no sun, only gray clouds and drizzly rain off and on throughout the day. a good day for splashing in puddles, baking bread, and making a big pot of soup. dinah and i woke up early to make bread before she had to go to preschool. first, we fed our sourdough starter, then she helped me mix up a loaf of bread with the leftover starter. she dumped the flour in the bowl and turned on the mixer and even help me knead the dough. then we put it into a big bowl and i set it on the top of our bookshelf and told her it would be busy rising while she was at school.

when i picked her up at noon, it had risen a whole bunch and was about to pop over the sides of the bowl. it needed to be pushed down earlier, but i didn't want to do it without dinah there to help. as soon as she got home, she helped me beat down the bread and then we shaped it into a loaf and let it rise again. while we waited, we splashed in some mud puddles and played a little while in the rain. then we went inside for tea and cuddles, and then started the soup.

we made a white bean soup with sausage, root vegetables, and kale. a flavorful and hearty winter soup.

rustic sourdough bread

1/2 cup sourdough starter

3/4 cup warm water

1 tsp instant yeast

1/2 TBS sugar

1 and 1/4 tsp salt

2 and 1/2 cups flour

this recipe makes one loaf. put a 1/2 cup of starter in a mixing bowl. dissolve sugar, salt, and yeast in the warm water and add to starter. then add flour and mix to combine. once combined, knead the dough on a hard lightly floured surface, for about five minutes. place in a greased bowl and put somewhere warm. let the dough rise to double its size. push down and shape into a loaf. cut slats in the top, sprinkle with water. then let it rise to double the size again and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. 

rustic tuscan white bean soup

2 TBS olive oil

1 lb sausage (the recipe recommends sweet italian)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced

1 large potato, peeled and finely diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 bay leaves

2 15 ounce cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 big bunches of kale, finely chopped

6 cups chicken stock

heat olive oil in a large pot, add sausage and brown, about 10 minutes. add onions, carrots, potatoes, and bay leaves. cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. add garlic and beans, cook for 2 minutes. add kale, and cook until wilted. add chicken stock, and bring to a boil. simmer for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are soft. serve with parmesan cheese grated on top. 

sour cream chocolate cake

dinah asks to make a cake frequently, like every day, probably. i generally say no, not today, honey. but finally, when she asked for a dinosaur chocolate cake (she loves dinosaurs), i agreed. this year for our new year's day cake, we made a chocolate sour cream "dinahsaur" cake.

the original recipe is from smitten kitchen, which i made for my little brother's birthday a few years ago. it has peanut butter frosting and chocolate peanut butter glaze (ummm, yummm!), but this time, i just made the cake part with a chocolate buttercream center.

this cake is super moist, almost brownie-like, and super delicious, but really, really super fragile. the cakes will completely fall apart if you don't grease the pans properly or freeze the cakes for 30 minutes before trying to frost them. normally, with all round cakes i make, i vigorously grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan, add parchment paper to the bottom, grease the bottom again, then dust with flour, and so far all my cakes have popped out perfectly. this time, although i was excited about baking a cake with dinah, waller was not. i usually cook and bake wearing him, and it's generally no problem -- he's either asleep or happily cuddled up against me. this time, he was not happy and fussed and squirmed the entire time. so, trying to rush, i skipped the o.c.d. cake pan greasing step, and merely greased and floured. ugh, big mistake. the cakes didn't come out very pretty. one was so stuck in the pan, that it came out in a million pieces. of course, the scraps were still tasty, so it's not like i tossed it or something, but still, what a bummer to have a two tier cake instead of three.

it's a rich cake all by itself, so i whipped up a simple chocolate buttercream frosting to slap on the middle of the two cakes and decided to dust the top with powdered sugar instead of icing the top as well. and anyway, dinah asked for a dinosaur cake, so i had to get creative with decorating the cake top.

sour cream chocolate cake

this makes an 8-in triple layer cake that serves 12-16 people

2 cups flour

2 1/2 cups sugar (i used only 2 and it was plenty)

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (i used hershey's special dark)

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup canola oil

1 cup sour cream (i didn't have enough sour cream, so i used 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup buttermilk)

1 1/2 cups water

2 TBS distilled white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

grease pans, line with parchment paper, then grease and dust with flour.  whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, set aside. in your mixing bowl, whisk oil and sour cream until blended, gradually beat in water, vinegar and vanilla. beat in eggs until well blended. mix in dry ingredients and mix very well. divide among the three prepared cake pans.

bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. let cool in the pans for 20 minutes. invert onto wire racks, and carefully peal off parchment paper liners, then let cool completely. since these cakes are so soft, place in the freezer for 30 minutes before frosting. 

chocolate buttercream frosting

1 cup salted butter, softened

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (i used hershey's special dark, again)

4 TBS heavy whipping cream 

2 tsp vanilla

cream butter until smooth. mix in powdered sugar and cocoa powder on low, then add whipping cream. beat on high until blended and fluffy.

put a generous layer between cake layers and dust the top with powdered sugar. 

posole

posole

a christmas tradition we've started doing since moving to new mexico is making posole and tamales for christmas dinner. someday, i would like to make tamales from scratch, but so far we've only bought them pre-made and just steam them christmas day. however, this year, with two tiny children, i totally slacked and i did't get to the posole until new year's day and didn't even bother picking up tamales at all. oh well. next year. maybe.

this year, i made posole with pork shoulder. i cut the meat off the bone and chopped them into bite sized pieces, then created bone broth from the bone. i merely simmered the bone in water for 24 hours in a slow-cooker, then strained the fat and bits of stuck-on meat, then skimmed the fat off the top as it cooled. it didn't make quite enough broth, so i supplemented with store-bought chicken bone broth. i also used the left over red chile sauce i had frozen from a few weeks ago when i made carne adovada.

i got this recipe from a mom friend a couple years ago, but adjusted it slightly here and there. it turned out delicious. my brother-in-law and his roommate came over to celebrate new year's day with us. his roommate is a new mexican native and has been eating posole his entire life. he said mine was just as good or better than his grandmother's! wow! it must be a good recipe.

posole

1 pound frozen posole, thawed and rinsed

1 large onion, chopped

2 pounds lean pork, cubed (i used bone-in shoulder)

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 cups red chile sauce

1 tsp dried oregano

1-3 tsp salt

about 6 cups of bone broth

rinse posole several times to wash off the lime. chop onion and mince garlic. saute both in a splash of olive oil. add cubed pork and cook on medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. add rinsed posole, salt, oregano, broth, and red chile sauce. bring to a boil. simmer for about 1 hour, or until the posole blossoms. it can be eaten now, but i transferred it to a slow cooker and cooked on low for a couple of hours, and then switched to warm for several more hours. i think slow cooking at the end helped blend the flavors and soften the meat. garnish with chopped green onion, cilantro, and quartered limes.