Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I cannot get enough of this site. Seriously. Everything I try is delicious! You probably wondered with my trips to "Chocolate and Zucchini" if we'd ever try anything with Chocolate and Zucchini, right? Well, we did, and it was good. So good.

We decided to try our hand at this cake and advise you to do the same. You know us; we couldn't just do the recipe as written if everyone was going to eat it. Nevertheless, we wanted something good like this because we were having Shannon, Deed, Robin, and John over for lunch. (I cooked the chicken in white wine, butter, citrus, and butter. Do it.) We needed a dessert for all people, and this was it. AND it was sugar-free (we substituted with Sucanat), wheat-free (we used light spelt for all two cups of flour), and dairy-free (we used Silk). For chocolate chips, we made sure they were over 50% cacao. So, this was overall a relatively healthy cake that we will definitely make again! We even got to share some with Matt and Bonnie, who, like the rest of us, thought it was amazing. Though not everyone could have it, we served the cake with home-made vanilla whipped cream (whip whipping cream with a teaspoon of vanilla). This was flavorful without being too sweet; rich without overpowering; and moist in the middle with a beautiful hazelnut (aka filbert) topping.

Try this soon. It will become a favorite for everyone who's not allergic to nuts!!!

Fall with a Kick

I'm trying to stay true to my promise to keep you informed about Chocolate and Zucchini. Clotilde struck again with this recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Soup. (Yes, it's another soup, but it's fall! Soups are warm, filling, and often leave leftovers for a family our size.) The familiarity of the pumpkin flavor evokes the comfort of fall, while the spicy flavors give the soup an exciting kick! I personally recommend adding the creme fraiche to the soup before serving. I tried serving it with a dollop on each soup bowl, but it wasn't dramatic enough to forego making the taste uniform throughout the soup. If you'd like a garnish, try a parsley sprig or, if you dare, a mint leaf. Have I mentioned how I appreciate the inexpensive, uncomplicated, healthy recipes she posts? So good!

(By the way, I'm not going to dedicate a whole post to it, but you should really try her Butternut Squash and Vanilla Soup. You'll be as surprised as I was by its aromatic punch.)

Sesame Zucchini Soup

I know, I know. It's been MONTHS since I've posted anything. That's because it's been MONTHS since I've made up any new recipes. Oddly enough, we've been refining and redefining our food choices at home. We still stick to the same foods, but I just haven't had much time to experiment successfully. We have a few new baking ideas that are on the brink of completion, but none that are postworthy.

What is postworthy, however, is one of the most amazing soups I've ever had! In this line of work, you always seem to receive some sort of vegetable from people in the fall...and almost always one zucchini.

We got a zucchini, alright. It was a lovely yellow zucchini - approximately one kg in weight! I thought I'd find some zucchini bread recipe to modify, when I came across this site. It looked fun, but I assumed we wouldn't really be able to use it. Much to my surprise, I found my new favorite site!

I'm going to try several recipes here in the next several weeks; I'll post my favorites. For today, the sesame zucchini soup is a "must eat"!!!!! Honestly, the recipe is extremely simple, took me maybe half an hour to complete, and feeds four. The rich, almost nutty aroma of the tahini and toasted sesame seeds give a nice body to the sweet zucchini. The pepper and chili powder (though I used flakes) gave a kick that was just right. Way to go, Clotilde! I'm your new biggest fan!