Archives for March 2012

Midnight Madness Cookies

March 25, 2012 by Zucchini Runner in Dessert, Food | Comments Off on Midnight Madness Cookies

I’m calling these cookies “Midnight Madness” because Dan and I decided at 11:45 p.m. tonight that we were going to make them.

We realized we were all out of our homemade applesauce stock in the freezer, so we quickly looked up the grocery store hours! We were in luck – they were open until midnight! We jumped in the truck, even Rocco, and made our way to the store with 8 minutes to spare. We found a suitable substitute for my homemade applesauce (no corn syrup, sugar or anything – just apples). Then we looked to see if we could find dairy free chocolate chips. (If we could find some, then the cookies could be 100% vegan!) SCORE again, we found some semi-sweet chips by Guittard that did not have any milk products in them. Combined with the dried cranberries and pecans, we knew these would make fabulous cookies!

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Ingredients and Instructions

Combine below ingredients in a mixer or bowl and stir well.

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. organic sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon

Next, add below ingredients.
Mix well ensuring no dry ingredients are left at the bottom of the bowl.

1 1/2 c. all natural applesauce (I prefer homemade if possible)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir in remaining ingredients

1/3 c. pecans (or walnuts)
1/3 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. dried cranberries

Coat baking sheet with coconut oil or use parchment paper to line them. Be sure to flatten cookies after spooning them onto pan, because they won’t spread at all! Bake for 8-10 minutes. These cookies will have an almost cake like consistency and are NOT overly sweet. If you wanted a sweeter cookie, you could increase sugar to 1 cup.

Especially delicious served with nut milk of choice!

Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini

March 20, 2012 by Zucchini Runner in Food, Main Dish, Side Dish | Comments Off on Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini

This recipe caught my eye because I love quinoa and zucchini; I also wondered how difficult it would be to STUFF zucchini… I was intrigued. This recipe came from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. I didn’t change anything really, although when we prepared it, we cut the recipe in half and served it as a side dish for two people – so each of us got one whole zucchini. When prepared following the instructions and ingredients below, you can serve four people. This was an incredibly tasty dish, I’m sure we will make again and again!

Ingredients:
2 c. water
1 c. quinoa
4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, ends trimmed
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. yellow onion, minced
1 garlic clove, pressed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 c. chopped pitted black olives
1/3 c. minced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F

Instructions:

  1. Spray a 9″x13″ baking sheet or pan with spray oil of your choice and set aside.
  2. Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions.
  3. Scoop out the zucchini flesh using a small spoon or melon baller. Dice zucchini flesh and set aside.
  4. Steam zucchini shells in a steamer for about 5 minutes, or until bright green. Remove from heat and place into baking sheet.
  5. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, chopped zucchini, sea salt and pepper. Cook until the onions start to become transparent and the zucchini is tender.
  6. In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with the onion/zucchini mixture. Add the olives, tomatoes and parsley; mix well.
  7. Stuff the zucchini shells with the quinoa mixture as best you can. Mine were overflowing and I was fine with that!
  8. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs if desired.
  9. Pour 1/4″ of water into the bottom of the baking sheet or pan, cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes. You just want to heat them through and ensure the zucchini shells are soft. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes to brown the tops. Serve immediately.