Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze

For all my love of zucchini, one combination I had not tried until this summer was zucchini and lemon. 

Love. 

The lemon brings out the freshness of the zucchini and compliments it so well.  You’ll enjoy it too, especially because this bread is much healthier for you than a typical quick bread. 

It uses whole wheat flour, applesauce and Greek yogurt to cut down on the oil and reduced sugar. 

Just make sure you bake it longer than you think you might need to because it’s pretty moist with all the yogurt, applesauce and zucchini!  You want that toothpick to come out clean. 

Lemon Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze – Adapted from Barbara Bakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C applesauce
• 3/4 C plain Greek yogurt
• 3/4 C sugar
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 C milk (plus additional, if needed)
• 3 C shredded zucchini
• 1 C powdered sugar, drained
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Directions

Begin by mixing the dry ingredients together – 2 1/3 C white whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Whisk well. 

Whisk together 1 egg, 2 tsp. lemon zest, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/3 C applesauce, 3/4 C Greek yogurt, 3/4 C sugar, and 2 T olive oil in a large bowl. 

Stir in the dry ingredients. 

The batter will be quite thick at this point.  So, stir in 1/4 C milk until it thins a little bit. 

Add in 3 C shredded zucchini; make sure that you have squeezed the excess liquid out of the zucchini!  If the batter still needs thinning, add in up to 1/4 C more milk. 

Pour the batter into a lightly greased loaf pan; 9x5 recommended. Alternatively, you can split the batter into smaller loaf pans.  We do this sometimes for freezing purposes.

Bake at 335 (yes, that’s an unusual temperature) for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  If you do smaller pans, reduce the cooking time to 30 minutes, then check. 

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Then, loosen the bread from the pan and finish cooling on a cooling rack. 

Cool completely. 

Once cool, mix together 1 C powdered sugar with 2 T lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. lemon zest.  You may need to add more/less lemon juice to get the consistency right. Garnish the loaf with the glaze. 

Enjoy!

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Lemon Brownies

With spring just around the corner (hopefully), I’ve been craving the flavors of summer.  This lemon brownie did just the trick. 

The recipe comes from The More Than Occasional Baker blog, where Ros blogs from the UK about her baking adventures.  She was my Secret Recipe Club blog for February, and she has some wonderful recipes – including a cake and cupcake recipe made with maple syrup that I might have to try next month when the trees being running sap! 

The Lemon Brownies were a hit – lemony and light, yet gooey too.  I replaced some of the butter with Greek Yogurt and used white whole wheat flour.  They would make a great base for a truffle dessert too. 

Lemon Brownies – Adapted from The More Than Occasional Baker

Ingredients

• 3/4 C white whole wheat flour
• 2/3 C sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 C butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C Greek Yogurt
• 2.5 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together 3/4 C flour with 2/3 C sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Stir well. 

In a second bowl, mix the melted butter with 2 eggs and 1/4 C Greek yogurt.  Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients. 

Add in the zest and 2 T lemon juice. 

Pour into a lightly greased 8x8 inch baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until the center is set. 

Cool. 

While brownies cool, prepare the glaze by combining 1/2 C powdered sugar with 1 tsp. lemon juice. 

Drizzle over the brownies. 

Slice and serve! 

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Ingredient Spotlight: Citrus!

Welcome!  I am so glad you joined us today for the Ingredient Spotlight.  My blogging friend, Tiffany from Eat At Home started Ingredient Spotlight as a way to share & swap recipes around a featured ingredient.  This year, I am delighted to co-host with Tiffany!

This week, we are spotlighting Citrus Fruits. 

Right now is prime eating season for lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit.  Somehow a little hint of citrus during the winter makes the cold days seem warmer. 

Here are some of my favorite ways to cook and bake with citrus fruits:

• Broiled Grapefruit {pictured above}
• Orange Cranberry Muffins
• Tuscan Lemon Chicken
• Key Lime Bars
• Frozen Lemon Tart
• Pink Grapefruit Cake
• Sweet Citrus Punch

What are your favorite ways to cook or bake with citrus fruits?  Link up your recipes using citrus fruit below.  And, don’t forget to join Tiffany next week where the ingredient is… BACON! 

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Tri-Color Pasta with Tri-Color Veggies

This is a great summer lunch or a good addition to a BBQ. 

The veggies are crisp-tender, tossed with basil (fresh would be awesome) and Parmesan cheese. 

Just add the pasta and you have lunch!

Tri-Color Pasta with Tri-Color Veggies

Ingredients

• Red, Orange & Yellow bell peppers, julienned
• 4 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 1 tsp. basil (dried)
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• 6 oz. Tri-Color Pasta (we used rotini)
• splash of lemon juice
• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by bringing a pot of water to a boil for your pasta.  When ready, add your pasta and cook according to package directions.  Drain. 

Meanwhile, saute the julienned bell peppers and sliced bella mushrooms in a large skillet in 1 tsp. olive oil. 

When veggies are crisp-tender and the pasta is done, stir the veggies and pasta together.  At this point, remove the skillet from the heat.   

Stir in the basil and Parmesan cheese.

Season with a splash of lemon juice, salt & pepper. 

Serve warm or chilled.  

Feel free to toss in some diced chicken, or white beans for added protein! 

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Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Last week, we hosted a dinner for Frog Prince’s boss when he was in town for a meeting. 

If you don’t know, my husband has the privilege of working from home more than 600 miles from his place of employment.  His boss has never seen the room from which he works, nor, where we live.   

So, we enjoyed the opportunity to host a BBQ last week – and topped it off with this cake!

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake – Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3/4 C sugar {slightly heaping – cut down from 1 1/4 C in original recipe}
• 2 T butter, softened
• 1/3 C applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 C buttermilk
• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 3 T sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 egg
• 1 C fresh or frozen raspberries
• Powdered sugar for garnish

Directions

Begin by mixing together  the 3/4 C of sugar with 1/3 C applesauce and 2 T softened butter.  Mix until well combined.  Add in 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla and beat the ingredients together on low for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, combine 1 1/2 C white whole wheat flour (if you don’t have white whole wheat, use a 50/50 mix of all purpose & whole wheat), 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. baking soda, and 1/8 tsp. salt. 

Next, add the dry ingredients alternating with the 3/4 C of buttermilk. 

Allow the ingredients to become incorporated before you continue with your additions.  Do so until you’ve added all the dry ingredients and the buttermilk.

For the cheesecake layer, in a small bowl whip together the 3 oz. of cream cheese with 3 T sugar until well blended. 

Then, add in the lemon zest, and 1 egg.  Beat until all mixed together.  {Note: if you don’t have lemon zest, feel free to use a splash of lemon extract, or even a splash of lemon juice.  The lemon juice will be less flavorful than the zest or extract, but it will give you a hint of lemon}

Take a 9-inch round cake pan and spray it with cooking spray.  If desired, line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and then spray a second time. 

Pour about half of the cake batter into the bottom of the cake pan and spread the batter all the way to the edges. 

Then, to make a layer of the cream cheese, pour the cream cheese layer over the cake batter and spread it all the way to the edges. 

To keep that pretty layer, you’ll want to dollop the remaining cake batter over the top of the cream cheese layer.  Be sure when you do this to get the batter all the way to to the edges of the pan.  Don’t worry about it looking pretty … you’ll be adding raspberries before too long!

Place the cake on the bottom rack in your oven and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until the cake is just puffy, but still soft in the center.  The original recipe called for 20 minutes and my cake was too solid at that point to get the raspberries in {see exhibit A, below}! 

Aim for the 10-12 minute mark – just when the cake is starting to poof, but is still soft.  Then, remove the cake from the oven, and gently press the raspberries into the cake. 

Return the cake to the oven and continue baking for 30-35 minutes (a total baking time of about 45-50 minutes is recommended), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. 

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. 

Then, loosen the edges and carefully invert the pan to remove the cake from the cake pan.  Cool further on a wire cooling rack. 

To serve, transfer cake to a serving plate & garnish with powdered sugar.

Slice and plate.

Enjoy! 

It was the perfect dessert to finish off a BBQ, sitting around on a the deck, enjoying a beautiful evening!

This would be a great 4th of July dessert… and it’s small enough you can likely make it in your toaster oven without turning on your oven in the heat this week!

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday 2

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Sweet Citrus Punch

It’s always a treat to provide overnight or brunch guests with a nice morning beverage, besides coffee.  I find that whenever we serve eggs, I crave an orange-juice based beverage; does anyone else experience that? 

For a brunch a few weeks ago, we made this sweet citrus punch, which was a recipe that caught my attention from Liz and her husband over at Pocket Change Gourmet.

This punch combines orange and pineapple juice along with sparkling lemon water for a delightful breakfast beverage. 

Sweet Citrus Punch – Adapted from Pocket Change Gourmet

Ingredients

• 1 can frozen orange pineapple juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 3 C cold water
• 1 bottle, sparkling lemon flavored water

Directions

In a juice container, mix together the orange juice concentrate along with the orange pineapple concentrate. 

Add 3 cups of cold water.  Stir until the concentrates are dissolved. 

Chill the beverage until ready to serve. 

To serve, fill half the glass with the orange pineapple mix, then, top with the lemon sparkling water.  Give a quick stir and serve, either on ice, or without. 

We served this morning beverage in wine glasses for an extra special treat. 

Enjoy!

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