Saturday, August 15, 2009

Stop Ducking the Zukes

This morning, I came across a wonderful sounding recipe from DDaisy, someone I follow on Twitter. The recipe is for Chocolate Zucchini Bread and is on her blog: Compost Happens. This prompted a small exchange with cityslipper about zucchini being the butt of many gardeners jokes. Btw if you are a Twit, or should that be Twitterer (?), you really need to follow cityslipper, too and check out his blog.

At any rate, I felt sorrow for the oft neglected and much aligned garden outcast, aka zucchini. So, I am here to stand up for "zuke" and shout it's merits to the world! Below is a recipe using this diehard (and yes, it isn't easy to make this plant die, it is quite prolific!) squash. If you do not tell the person eating it that it contains "zuke", they will not know.

The next time you see someone headed your way with this treasure, don't run, don't duck! Hold your hands!

So, go bake this up, let it cool, then sit down with a large piece and a glass of ice-cold milk. Chocolately and moist and cake-like, it is utterly delicious! Before you finish the last bite, you too will be a fan of this step-child of the garden! Stay-tuned for more recipes using zuke! You won't be sooooorry!

Brownies
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated, unpeeled zucchini (important! grate it into very fine shreds, i.e. NOT like a carrot)
Combine dry ingredients. Mix oil and egg. Stir into dry ingredients. Add vanilla and zucchini. Mix well. Spread into greased jellyroll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until done (the old toothpick test).
Icing
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup chocolate chips
Mix all ingredients together except chocolate chips in a sauce pan. Cook for 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. Add chocolate chips. Beat well until chips are melted and then spread quickly on brownies.

I was going to recommend you cover the leftovers after you eat some but at my house they don't last that long! :-)

5 comments:

Daisy said...

Sounds delicious! I'm copying this one. 5 large zucchs on my kitchen counter - and more growing. Tomorrow I'm posting on ways to "hide" your zucchini.

Thanks for the link and the shout out!

Garden Wise Guy said...

There's a local coffee watering hole in Santa Barbara that sometimes has a similar recipe. When I dare to indulge (you see, I'm in this weight loss competition with a very strange pen pal) I find it a delicious treat. That recipe sounds fab. Just don't eat too much yourself.

TC said...

We enjoyed chocolate zucchini cupcakes last night, and again today. But please, take my zucchini! I've had enough!

Kylee Baumle said...

Can you believe I can't find ANYONE who grew this this summer and has extras? I'm tellin' ya, this has been a VERY WEIRD summer in a LOT of ways! LOL.

I want bread. Zucchini bread. For the first time in my life, I think I'm going to have to buy a zucchini.

Susan aka Miss R said...

There was always too much zucchini in my father's garden and I wish I had this recipe then--it looks great.

I also want you to know I've nominated you for a Meme. Visit Miss R (http://www.susancohan.com/blog) to pick up your nomination if you choose to participate.