I found a recipe for some zucchini muffins, or cupcakes if you like, over at Vanilla Garlic… although i added some chocolate chips to make them chocolate zucchini cup cakes. The recipe does have a bit more sugar in it then I would like but I went ahead and made them anyway. I haven’t figured out a way to reduce the amount of sugar since the zucchini adds so much moisture I didn’t think applesauce would be a good sweetener.

Here’s what I think about these Chocolate zucchini cup cakes: They are have super great taste. They weren’t as moist as I recall zucchini bread being but they do have a nice dense texture. As I mentioned, I added chocolate chips instead of raisins because they were a special treat. I love the cinnamon flavor and I added a little bit extra then the 2 tsp. the recipe called for.

I needed to let some of the zucchini cupcake mixture sit while the muffins cooked because I had limited cupcake pans. While it sat some of the moisture from the zucchini must have separated so I needed to mix it back into the mixture. This set of cupcakes was much wetter than the previous ones. While they were cooking they were so wet that they had to cook longer (by about 5-7 min), but the end result was a moister cupcake that was a little bit lighter. The top and edges was a little bit ‘crunchier’ but with cream cheese frosting it’s excellent!

Maybe I should have mixed everything longer before spooning it into the muffins but either way I thought a small (maybe 3 Tb. liquid could have been added. (Maybe applesauce might be a good substitute to replace some of the sugar and then less oil could be used also.)

They are a bit difficult to remove from the cupcake holder. I’m not sure why…I used paper cupcake holders rather than the aluminum ones so maybe that is why. I also recommend filling the cupcake holders up 3/4 full instead of the recommended half. Most of mine were filled only 1/2 and they had a lip of holder remaining around the edge. The holders that had more of the zucchini muffin mix looked more ‘bountiful.’

I also made only half the recipe for the cream cheese frosting so that there wasn’t as much on the cupcakes, as I was making them for small children.

Overall, the muffins are good but I would like to know a method to cook them using less sugar.

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Recently I bought a few jars of baby food because my 8 month old wasn’t very interested in eating so I never knew when I might offer him some food. The jars just seemed convenient even though I had some frozen cubes of homemade apple and butternut squash baby food that I had made. Over the past couple of weeks, he has shown an increased desire to eat food and we now feed him at least twice a day.

I was heating up a jar of food in some hot water on the stove while holding him on my hip and making some food for the rest of the family. After thinking about it for a minute I didn’t understand why I wasn’t making him food. The logic is pretty simple, I make wholesome meals for everyone else in the family, why wouldn’t I make homemade food for our baby? Read more…

This is a classic recipe for a hearty lentil stew. It’s thick enough to eat with a fork. Definitely comfort food for fall nights.

Ingredients
1 lb. stew meat (grass fed if you can get it) cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup chopped organic celery
1 1/2 cup chopped sweet yellow union
1 cup chopped organic carrots
3 cloves sliced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1 qt organic vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup of red wine
1 1/4 cup lentils
1 cup white or brown rice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
dash of cayenne

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This is such a fine tasting side dish. The lettuce adds a good texture to the softness of the figs and the creaminess of the cheese. Perfect for fall when figs are in abundance but I have been finding them at my local farmer’s market this year. You can make these an appetizer or a side dish. Try serving them without the lettuce at a party.

Ingredients
6-8 figs
Balsamic vinegar
Crisp mixed greens
Olive oil
Goat Cheese or Bleu Cheese

Rinse and dry figs. Cut figs in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, press about a 1/4 teaspoon of goat cheese (try lavender & lemon goat cheese) or bleu cheese into the center of the fig. Press it in a little if needed but be gentle. After all figs have cheese filling, sprinkle a little balsamic vinegar over them, maybe about 2 tablespoons…just a little drop on each fig. You can serve them now at this temp or you can pop them in the oven for just a minute on broil. This will melt the cheese and make them wonderful!

Now take the mixed greens and toss them with some balsamic vinegar and some olive oil. Serve the figs with the mixed greens.