The end of Summer is here, and if you planted it in your garden – and the slugs didn’t eat it all – you may just have a plethora of zucchini lying around waiting to go bad.  What to do?

Make muffins.

Well, you can make bread if you want to, but the muffins seem to last longer around here… something about counting just how many you have eaten already causes us to show some restraint!

These are *healthy* to some extent, but they don’t taste it!  Don’t tell your kids – or hubby – how good they are for you, just how good they are!  The sugary crust that forms towards the top will make sure that they don’t believe they are healthy anyway.

I have no idea where the original recipe came from, but I have tweaked it – as usual – to suit my tastes.  The girls like it this way better too – double bonus!

And did I mention that these make a tasty breakfast?  Yum…

Down to business…

Ingredients:
wet

• 2 cups evaporated cane sugar
• 1/2 cup turbinato sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 3 eggs (or egg replacer*)
• 2-1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 3 tsp. vanilla extract

dry

• 2 cups unbleached white flour**
• 2 cup whole wheat pastry flour**
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of salt

• 1 cup chopped nuts, dried fruit, etc – optional

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a large mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients, making sure to mix the eggs thoroughly.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  This will be a wet dough.

If you are adding nuts or dried fruit, gently fold them in now.

Lightly grease your muffin tins, or use paper.  Fill each muffin cup just over 1/2 full.  We use a regular sized pan, and a mini muffin pan – the perfect size for the girls to take to school.  Either way, you should get at least 2 pans worth of muffins.  I usually get 15 regular muffins, and 24 mini muffins.

Bake at 325F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a middle muffin comes out clean.

If you are using a loaf pan, bake for 1 hour, or until the toothpick is clean.  It should fill 3 greased loaf pans.

Enjoy!

*if you use egg replacer to make these vegan, add it with the dry ingredients.  Add the water or apple juice with the wet though.

**you can use 3-1/2 cups white flour instead if you would rather, but the whole wheat adds a delicious flavor!  And helps them be just a tad more healthy.

Quinoa is an ancient grain that is making a huge comeback! It has a nutty flavor and is full of protein! Just make sure that you rinse it 5-6 times in a bowl of water before you cook it, as it has a naturally occurring coating that repels bugs and makes it a bit bitter.

1 cup quinoa
1 cup water

1 small heirloom or roma tomato
1 small zucchini – sliced
1/3 cup broccoli florets
1/3 cup sliced cucumber
1/8 cup sliced hot Asian radish
1/4 cup diced green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs*
~ mexican oregano, chives, rosemary, basil, sage, savory…

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (white or dark)

1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
3/4 cup leftover roasted chicken – cut up

Rinse the quinoa 5-6 times, or until the water is clear. In a small pot with headroom, boil the quinoa as you would rice and allow to cool.

When the quinoa is cooled, add in the vegetables and herbs. Combine the oil, vinegar and crushed red pepper and pour over the quinoa and stir.

I generally make this the day before, so that the flavors have time to blend. If you are serving it the same day, add in the cheese and chicken, otherwise save them to add in about 30 minutes before serving. For a vegan salad, leave them out.

This is a great salad for hot weather, as the vinegar and veggies have a wonderfully cool flavor! It is great for picnics.

*to chop the herbs, roll them up like a cigar and slice across the roll.

Ah, yes, I am talking about moist & delicious scones – not hard rocks. These are fluffy, moist, sweet & *almost* vegan. I have adapted the recipe from one I was given many years ago and I have almost got it to a vegan point… I just haven’t found a worthy replacement for the butter.

You want to try these at home!

2 cups unbleached white (bread) flour
1/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter – chillled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup coconut cream
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. egg replacer & 3 Tbsp. water
- or -
1 egg

optional:
1/2 cup currants or dried fruit of your choice
- or -
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare a baking sheet (I use a Silicone Wonder Mat, but you can lightly butter it)

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Distribute the butter cubes over the mixture. Using a pastry blender or two knived scissors fashion, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a seperate container, combine the cream, vanilla and egg or egg replacer. Mix them thoroughly and pour them into the flour mixture. Stir them until just combined. Stir in the fruit, if desired.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and – with floured hands – pat the dough into a round or rectangular shape about 3/4″ thick. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH. Using a pastry cutter of butter knife, cut the dough into triangles and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the scones for 13-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Reomve from the oven & allow to cool for 5 minutes – yes, you can wait that long even though your mouth is watering!

Serve them with assorted jams & preserves, lemon curd, whipped cream, butter, honey… whatever your topping of choice, or eat them as they are. I also recommend coffee, tea or cocoa. They can be kept for up to 3 days in the microwave or an air-tight container (if they last that long!)

**
Problems:
“My scones came out flat & hard, what did I do wrong?”
You worked the dough too much. Stir them until the dough is just or almost combined & work it just long enough to finish combining it & shape it. Do not knead the dough, as it will cause it to flatten & get hard.

“Many of the scones I have seen are shiny, why aren’t these?”
If you want them shiny, brush them with an egg glaze made of 1 egg and either 1 tsp. water or milk.

“I used blueberries and my scones are all purple”
If you are using frozen berries, make sure that you don’t mix the dough very long. The more you mix it, the more juice wil be released.
For fresh berries, toss them lightly in flour before adding them, and don’t mix them much.

“Where do you find coconut cream? Will coconnut milk work?”
I get coconut cream at an Asian market. Safeway stores have a pretty good Asian section, and may have the cream. Or look online. IF you can’t find the cream, coconut milk should work – just don’t go for the lowfat stuff as it is too watery.

“Can I use whipping cream instead of coconut cream?”
Yes. That is the original recipe. Many people are afraid of the coconut taste, but it is very mild and very tasty! It adds a touch of sweetness that is unique.

“What about the sugar – what is evaporated cane sugar?”
Evaporated cane sugar is just that – what is left from sugar cane juice when the liquid evaporates. It is a natural sugar that has not beed refined to take averything good out of it. Yes, you can use regular bleached white sugar, this is just better for you.

“What is the egg replacer? Where do I find that?”
The egg replacer that I use is from Bob’s Red Mill. There are other brands (I think Ener-G is another one) It is a powder that is mixed with water to replace eggs as a binding agent. For those looking for a vegan meal, it helps bind things instead of eggs. If you don’t have it & aren’t avoiding eggs, use an egg.