Dessert

Zucchini Bread

A friend of mine (thanks Danielle!) introduced me to a new food blog called Oh She Glows. After reading her story and browsing the site I quickly added her to my list of favorite blogs. On a completely different note, I’ve had “Zucchini Bread” written on our dry erase board in the kitchen for the past 2 months. I’ve been WANTING to make a healthy zucchini bread but was waiting for the right recipe to come my way. I was ecstatic to see one titled “oil-free zucchini walnut raisin bread…” on Oh She Glows! I really liked all of the ingredients in this, so there was not much about it that I changed.

Zucchini Bread

2 c. spelt flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. powdered fructose
1/3 c. raisins
1/3 c. chopped walnuts
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, mixed and set aside for 5 minutes)
1 3/4 c. shredded zucchini with skin
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 1/4 c. rice milk


Preheat oven to 375°F

Cinnamon Streusel Topping
2 tsp non-dairy margarine/butter
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon

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1. Mix up the flax egg and set aside for later use. Spray a 9″x5″ loaf pan with oil spray and then line with parchment paper. (This will enable you to remove the loaf from the pan immediately after pulling it out of the oven.)

2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (flour, powders, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, raisins & walnuts).

3. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients (flax egg, shredded zucchini, lemon zest & juice, maple syrup, rice milk).

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just mixed. Do not to overmix; spelt flour can be over mixed causing it to not rise as much.

5. Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan. Prepare the cinnamon streusel according to instructions in above photo captions. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cooked Zucchini Bread

Look at those slices of zucchini!

Lemon Basil Sorbet

Living in Arizona we have access to excellent citrus; so many people have citrus trees here! When we saw this recipe called for 3 cups of fresh lemon juice, we knew we wouldn’t have to buy them, nor would we want to! I got 9 very large lemons from a friend – they were seriously the size of grapefruits! They gave me about 4 cups of lemon juice – yay! 

The end result of this sorbet was refreshing and delicious; perfect for summer in AZ! The basil offers a light undertone and is not overpowering. I think this could be made with any herb that compliments lemon, but the basil was great!

You can really taste the basil!

Ingredients

3 c. water
2 c. powdered fructose
2 tbsp. lemon zest (1 1/2 + 1/2, divided)
1 1/2 c. packed fresh basil leaves
pinch salt
3 c. fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Juice lemons and strain using a cheesecloth to remove pulp and small seeds.

2. Prepare a simple syrup with the water, powdered fructose and 1 1/2 tbsp. lemon zest in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the mixture until the powdered fructose is dissolved; it will go from cloudy to clear. Remove from heat.

3. Add the basil leaves and pinch of salt. Let steep for 30 minutes, covered.

4. Stir in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, or overnight (up to 3 days).

5. Strain the chilled mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the basil leaves and any remaining lemon pulp. Add to ice cream maker and process until texture is soft and creamy; mine took 30 minutes. Serve immediately or transfer to a container and freeze for later!

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