Chocolate Blueberry Zucchini Bread

No self-respecting farm blog will be without a good zucchini bread recipe.  When zucchini and squash are in season, we are all looking for creative ways to eat it all before it spoils. This particular recipe also puts those summer blueberries to good use and has an added layer of decadence with rich dark chocolate. There are many ways to get flavor in a bread like this, and if you are not concerned about dairy or fats, buttermilk will give the best texture, hands down. With two good friends* in my kitchen, however, we were able to put our heads together and come up with this one. It is low-fat, high-fiber, and tasty enough to make the kids think they are eating cake for breakfast.

Ingredients: 3 cups prairie gold whole wheat flour (or can use half hard red whole wheat and half white flour) 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 tbs baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup sucanat dash of salt 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cloves 1/4 whole nutmeg, grated

1/2 cup local honey 2 tsp vanilla 3-4 eggs (less if you like it crumbly, more if you like it spongy) 3.5 oz good quality dark chocolate (70-90% cocoa), melted 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 2 zucchini or zephyr squash, grated (about 2-3 cups) 1 pint of blueberries

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil two loaf pans. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, melted chocolate and honey.  Combine the wet ingredients, dry ingredients and zucchini.  Fold in the blueberries.  Divide evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.

*Credits to Gina Krabbendam and Oriel Wiggins for their contributions to this recipe.

Braised Cabbage

I found this recipe last year and it has remained a favorite.  In the New York Times version, the writer uses savoy cabbage, black mustard seeds, curry leaves and jalapeno peppers.  I made a few minor changes to my ingredient list to include items in this week's CSA box.  I used brown mustard seeds that I found at Greenlife, instead of the black, and did not make an extra shopping trip to find curry leaves.  The final product was nonetheless amazingly tasty.  I recently served this with seared three-grain tempeh and it was a near-perfect flavor combination, but it is also fantastic with grilled meats, and wild rice.

Ingredients: 1 head of green or purple cabbage Canola oil 4 whole cloves 1 Tbs brown mustard seeds 1 bay leaf 3-4 sliced shallots 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped 2 banana peppers, quartered and sliced A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned 1/2 Tbsp ground turmeric 1 medium to large tomato, diced 1 Rapunzel vegetable bouillon cube, dissolved in 2 cups of water Sea salt to taste

Method: Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges, leaving the core intact so the wedges hold their shape while cooking.  Heat some oil in a large skillet and sear the cabbage wedges for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they brown on the cut sides.  Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.  Add a little more oil and the cloves, mustard seeds, bay leaf, shallots, garlic and banana peppers to the pan.  Saute for a couple of minutes until the vegetables begin to sweat.  Add the diced tomato, turmeric, ginger and cook one minute more while stirring.  Add the vegetable broth, stir, and reduce heat to low.  Place the cabbage wedges back in the pan on top of the broth mixture.  Cover and simmer until the cabbage is tender.

Zucchini & Black Beans with Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1 large zucchini or zephyr squash 2 cups cooked black beans 1/2 cup of Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Cook and drain the black beans.  Prepare one recipe for Pumpkin Seed Pesto.  Refrigerate or freeze extras. With a food processor or mandolin slicer with julienne attachment, slice the zucchini and/or squash into sticks.  You can use a sharp knife (and some patience) if you prefer to slice by hand.  Toss all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Alternately, you can serve this dish warm if you prefer cooked squash.  Saute or steam the squash, then remove from heat and mix in the beans and pesto.

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts

1 stalk of Brussels sprouts Canola oil Sea salt Toasted garlic drizzling oil

Thinly coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil. Remove Brussels sprouts from the stalk, including any stray leaves.  Cut the larger sprouts in half and place them cut-side down in the pan.  Place the rest of the smaller buds and leaves in the pan, trying to keep everything in an even layer.  Turn the heat on to medium or medium-high.  Do not disturb the sprouts while you are waiting for them to brown.

Sprinkle a little salt over the tops when they begin to turn bright green.  When the sprouts begin to brown on the bottoms you can give them a stir to make sure they are cooking evenly, but do not over-cook them.  They should still have a little crunch when done.  Remove from heat and drizzle toasted garlic oil on top, and salt to taste.

Steelhead Trout With Radish & Fennel Salad

I won't lie.  I saw a beautiful photograph of a bacon and radish crudo on the St. John's Restaurant facebook page, and thought to myself..."I should go there and eat that".  The next best thing, though, is to make something that looks as beautiful with the little treasures in our CSA share. I tried a few flavor combinations with the salad, but this one was the winner.  So glad we had some fresh basil this week!

Salad: 1 fennel bulb, finely diced 2-3 Tbs chopped fennel leaf 6 radishes, finely diced 10 basil leaves, thinly sliced 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 Tbs Lucini Dark Cherry Balsamico 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sea Salt Freshly ground black pepper Mix ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fish: 4 portions of Steelhead Trout, skins and bones removed Dry the fish with a paper towel, thin sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides On Medium-high heat, melt a little oil or butter in a skillet.  Gently place the fish in the pan and cook about 3 minutes on each side, (less or more depending on the thickness of the fish and how well done you like it.) Remove fish from pan and let rest on a warm plate.

Add 3-4 minced garlic cloves to the pan, plus 1 cup of dry white wine.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the alcohol burns off.  Salt to taste.

Pasta: Cook 4 portions of angel-hair pasta according to packet directions and drain. Drag each portion of cooked pasta through the garlic and wine sauce before plating.