Zucchini Bread with nuts and chocolate chips - Farm to Plate

I have always tried to grow Zucchini but by the time the fruit starts to come the squash borer does its thing and kills off the stem from the inside so it looks almost like the the plants rotted from inside. So this time lucky for me the borer kept itself away. I was blessed with a good amount of fruit. Bear with me while I repeat myself here. There is nothing like fresh produce. The best place to get these delicious delights are at your local farms. For the lucky few who either grow them in your garden or have access to a CSA or a farm you know what I am talking about.

I find it extremely hard to follow recipes. I always improvise. I do this even if I know that with baking it is best to stick to the recipe. The first time I made this zucchini bread I added a bit too much zucchini than needed and ended up with a moist texture which was fine after a few minutes in the toaster but it did not look like bread. So after having learned my lesson for the umpteenth time I decided to stick to the recipe. It was a good idea that I did. The zucchini bread was delicious. I have grated and froze zucchini for enjoyment over the winter when everything in the store is dull and tasteless.

Farm fresh eggs makes everything taste good and with the vibrant yellow color it is a delight for any baked product. This is a simple recipe that I found on Simply Recipes - Zucchini Bread. I don't like adding spices to my bread so did not add the cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger powders. Chocolate chips are a great addition to the bread and the kids like so I add them.

Before the summer is out, if you can get your hands on some good zucchini, give this bread a try. I use whole wheat white flour and for this recipe I ran out of the whole wheat flour, so i used half and half of sieved chapathi flour.

Homegrown Zucchini


Farm Fresh Eggs

The recipe in pictures,

Whisk the egg till nice and frothy. Add the sugar and vanilla to the egg mixture. Whisk together flour, baking soda and baking powder.
Add the melted butter and grated zucchini to the egg mixture. Add the nuts and chocolate chips.
Transfer the mixture to a baking pan.
Transfer the mixture to a baking pan and bake in a preheated 350F for 50 minutes or till the skewer inserted comes out clean.

Zucchini Bread
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3 cups of grated zucchini
2. 3 cups of whole wheat white flour(1 1/2 cups of white whole wheat flour + 1 1/2 cups of chapathi flour)
3. 2 large eggs
4. 5 tbsp butter(i used salted butter)
5. 2 tsp Vanilla extract
6. 3/4 cup of sugar (I used raw cane sugar)
7. 1 cup of roasted chopped pecans
8. 1 cup of chocolate chips
9. 1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)
10. 1 tsp baking powder
11. 1 tsp baking soda

Method

1. In a sauce melt the butter and cool it to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x5 baking pan.
3. Drain the grated zucchini on a colander or squeeze most of the liquid out by hand.
4. Take eggs in a bowl and beat with an egg beater till nice and bubbly. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix it in.
5. Add in the drained zucchini and melted butter.
6. In a mixing bowl take the flour,baking soda, baking powder and salt if using and whisk them together.
7. Add the flour to the beaten egg mixture a little at a time. Using a spatula mix all the flour. The batter should be fairly thick.
8. Add the nuts and the chocolate chips and mix it in.
9. Transfer the batter to the baking pan. Bake for 50 minutes till a skewer inserted comes out clean.
10. Cool and then cut into thin slices. Stays fresh for 3-4 days on the counter top.

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Radish Pickle - Korean Style Radish Pickle in Vinegar (Farm to Plate)

One day at work when the client was visiting town, it was decided that we would visit a Korean BBQ. It is a heaven for meat eaters but for a restrictive meat eater like me, my choices were octopus and chicken. But there are several courses and I had to wait for the chicken round to enjoy some Korean BBQ :(

Anyway what kept my mouth busy while everyone around me was busy eating were these awesome Korean pickles made with all kinds of vegetables. There were Radish pickles made from Daikon Radish I assume and cut into match stick shapes. So spring time when I grew radishes for the first time I wanted to give this a try. The red radishes are crisp and eating fresh radish (for that matter any vegetable) is like experiencing a vegetable for the first time. Again my pitch, patronize your local farmer. You will benefit from getting local fresh produce and the bonus, that awesome taste.

I had some red round radish and wanted to give this pickle a try. Extremely simple but oh so tasty.

Wash and prepare the radishes. In a sauce pan, heat vinegar along with water, sugar, chili flakes and salt. Let the water come to a boil.
Add the radish and vinegar and in 3 minutes turn off the heat. Let cool. Now with a slotted spoon add the radishes to a sterilized glass jar.
Add the vinegar liquid to the jar and when completely cool, close with a lid.

These radish pickles are a great additions for sandwiches, salads and on salsa.

Radish Pickle
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1/2 - 1 lb of red radish ends cut and sliced into thin or thick slices (about 2 cups)
2. 1/4 - 1/2 red onion sliced thin
3. 2 cups of vinegar + 2 cups of water
4. 2 tbsp of sugar
5. 2 tsp of salt
6. 2 tsp of red chili flakes

Method

1. Wash the radishes and pat dry them with a kitchen towel. Cut the ends of and slice them as thick or thin as you would like. I like them fairly thin. * (see note)
2. In a sauce pan take the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and chili flakes if using and let the vinegar come to a boil. The sugar should be completely dissolved by now.
(for 1 cup of vegetables there should be 1 cup of water, 1 cup of vinegar and 1 tbsp of sugar)
3. When you see bubbles in the liquid add the sliced radishes and the sliced onions. Leave for 3 minutes and turn off the heat.
4. Let the vinegar cool down completely.
5. Sterilize the glass jars ( i heat them in the microwave for 1 minute.
6. Remove the radishes using a slotted spoon and add them to a glass jar. Now pour the vinegar liquid into the jar.
Stays good for 2 months outside and longer in the refrigerator.
7. Note:*If using the white daikon radish, cut the radishes into 1 or 2 inch match stick size pieces.

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