Coconut Zucchini Blondies

I am fighting the good fight against my backyard full of zucchini, attempting to think up new ways to use it up which brings me to this blondie recipe. I consulted a dozen cookbooks and what I found is that the blondie recipes didn't vary all that much. So with that, I considered how I could incorporate zucchini into them, and then to really jazz things up I threw in ginger, carob chips, toasted coconut and pecans. I was quite proud when I took the pan out of the oven for it smelled wonderful and looked golden brown, flecked with green.

However, once I cut a square for myself I thought, ummm, this is cake. For the rest of the day I referred to them as Faux-Blondies. They were springy, moist, and brimming with all the goodness I put in there - not dense and bar-like. Perhaps part of the problem was that I wasn't judicious in my ingredient additions?

Anyfauxblondie, as the day went on the cake morphed into a denser, more blondie/brownie like texture and I would say that they got even better after a day of rest.

For a large pan of Blondies:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1½ cups White Whole Wheat Flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1½ cups coarsely grated zucchini
• 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• ½ cup carob chips (or chocolate chips)
• 1½ cups unsweetened coconut, toasted

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter in a saucepan or the microwave and then add to the bowl of a mixer. Add the brown sugar and mix thoroughly. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, beating well.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and ginger. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture until just incorporated. Mix in the zucchini, pecans, carob chips and coconut until combined.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Spread the batter into the pan and bake in the center of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

The Mid-Summer Bounty

When I am able to walk into our garden and pull all of these vegetables out of it, I am reminded both how much I love summer and how our hard work pays off. I'm not sure there's anything as gratifying as starting these vegetables from seed, patiently watching them grow, partaking in daily weeding and watering, and then including something that we harvest in every meal.

Maintaining an organic vegetable garden is perhaps a bit more work and expense but knowing that the vegetables we grow were started from organic (often heirloom) seeds planted in an organic topsoil/compost mix, and sprayed with an organic pesticide when necessary heightens the whole experience for me.

I can't say enough about Seed Savers, where we order our seeds from every winter. Call me a gardening geek but when I am buried in February snow, there is something so day-brightening about receiving the spring catalog in the mail and selecting what we will grow.

Pictured above, clockwise from the top is Black Beauty Zucchini, Fin de Bagnol Green Beans, Green Arrow Peas, Wenk's Yellow Hot Pepper, Jaune et Verte Pattypan Squash, Boothby's Blonde Cucumber, Pencil Pod Golden Wax Bean, Borettana Yellow Onion, Red Florence Onion, Chiogga Beets, and Dragon Carrot with a sprig of Purple Dark Opal Basil.

Honeydew Lime Sorbet

It seems like there are four distinct types of dessert people in the world: Chocolate, Vanilla, Fruit, and the people who claim to not enjoy sweets - which really, I can't even get my mind around. The anti-dessert people make as much sense to me as my friend and guestblogger Scott who despises a vast array of perfectly delicious sweet treats. The short list includes: flan, rice pudding, upside-down cakes, and hot fruit...there's really not enough time or sanity available to even broach the subject of his feelings about pineapple and bananas.

I'm a fruit person, no question, and in the summertime there's nothing better than lime in just about anything. I love the frosty green color of this sorbet. The flavor is reminiscent of limeade but more complex because of the mild melon.

For about a quart of sorbet:

• 4 cups of chunked honeydew melon
• ¼ cup of cold water
• 1 lime
• 1 cup Simple Syrup*
• 2 tablespoons vodka

In a food processor, add the honeydew and water. Process for about a minute until very smooth. Pour the mixture through a sieve and measure out 2 cups of puree. Grate the zest of the lime into the puree and then juice the entire lime into the mixture as well. Stir in the simple syrup. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Place the mixture in an ice cream maker and let it do it's thing. Towards the end, when the sorbet is almost done, pour in the vodka while the machine is running. The alcohol keeps the sorbet from freezing into a solid block. Transfer to a quart-sized container and freeze.

*For simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil for a few minutes. Cool, and then transfer to an covered container and refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep, chilled, for several weeks.

Thai Basil Stir Fry

We grow four different varieties of basil in our garden: Thai, Genovese, Lemon and Purple. I hold a special place in my heart for Thai Basil because it often provides a perfect stand-in for gag-inducing cilantro in most Asian recipes. When there are plenty of purple-hued, licorice-scented plants I love making this stir-fry. The protein and vegetables can certainly be switched out to suit your own tastes.

As with all stir-fries, all the ingredients must be prepped and ready to go before the cooking starts. Also, fair warning, when adding the garlic and pepper to the ripping hot wok make sure that all windows are open since the spicy fumes made me choke/cough/cry like a lunatic.

• 2 cups of lightly packed Thai Basil Leaves
• 3 cups chopped mixed vegetables (I used wax beans, green beans, peas, pattypan squash)
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 red jalapeno peppers, minced (seeded if you're a wimp)
• 1 package extra firm tofu (not silken)
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 teaspoons soy sauce
• 5 teaspoons sugar
• 1/3 cup roasted salted cashews, coarsely chopped

Cut the tofu lengthwise into 3 slabs and place between a couple sheets of paper towels. Press down, blotting as much water off as possible. Cube the tofu into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Set aside.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok over high heat and add the tofu. Stir frequently until the tofu is golden on all sides. Remove the tofu with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Add the additional tablespoon of oil and then add the garlic and pepper, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add the tofu back to the wok and stir for a minute. Turn the heat down to medium and pour the reserved sauce into the wok. Stir frequently for another minute. Add the thai basil leaves and stir until wilted.

Serve the stir-fry over steamed jasmine rice with the cashews sprinkled over the top.

Four Berry Jam

Us Minnesotans have been annoyed as of late that strange, Autumn-like weather descended upon us, bringing cold, cloudy gray days right smack in the middle of July. I knew that this cool weather provided optimal conditions for my least favorite hobby so, comforted by the knowledge that I wouldn't be sweating over pots of boiling jam and water, I set off to can the afternoon away.

I can't give the exact proportions of each type of berry used but can say that for this jam, you will need 5 cups of crushed fruit. What I ended up doing was crushing a single layer of each fruit (which is always how you should crush fruit for jams to ensure uniform texture) and then added it to a large measuring cup, repeating until 5 cups was reached. The end result was tasty indeed: dark burgundy in color with a rich berry flavor.

For 8 Half Pint Jars:

• Strawberries, stemmed, cored, and quartered
• Blackberries
• Raspberries (I pushed half of the crushed raspberries through a sieve to take out some seeds)
• Blueberries
• 2 tablespoons fresh strained lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 7 cups sugar
• 1 package liquid pectin

In a large 8-quart pot, combine the 5 cups of crushed berries, lemon juice, butter and sugar over low heat. Start stirring the mixture, turning the heat up in small increments until all the sugar is dissolved, not bringing the heat up past medium. Turn the heat to medium-high and stirring constantly, let the mixture come to a full, rolling boil. Quickly squeeze in the pectin, and stir briskly for one minute. Take the pot off the heat and set a timer for 5 minutes. Each minute, stir the mixture gently to distribute the fruit throughout the jelly.

Ladle the jam into the prepared, hot, sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.

For detailed canning and sterilization procedures, click here.

Yukon Salmon and Summer Vegetable Sauté

Sometimes for dinner, especially when I eat alone which is often, it's easiest to make a grilled cheese sandwich and call it a night. If I'm particularly lazy I'll have a bowl of cereal (or two, or three). However, my abundant garden demands I step it up and regardless of who or how many I'm cooking for, I've been doing a pretty good job of making the most of our summer produce.

Yukon Salmon is in season right now and I love it so. According to The Chef, there are two kinds of Yukon Salmon, the deluxe version, and the lesser "chum" version I had tonight. I found it to be delicious and absolutely recommend it. Here's a link to a story out of Seattle that explains the difference between the two varieties: Click Here

For the vegetable sauté I of course used zucchini which I eat pretty much every day now. Since we are in the dog days of (zucchini) summer, I have my sauté perfected. The components can be switched out at will but must start with the caramelized shallot base.

This dinner was a one pan meal too thanks to my trusty cast iron skillet. In about 20 minutes I had a fine dinner which I paired with a Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc. I love summer.

For one serving:

• 5-6 ounces Yukon Salmon
• 1/3 cup fresh shelled peas
• 1/3 cup small diced zucchini
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Caramelized Sherry Vinaigrette (optional, but yummy-honey might work here too)
• Salt to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the shallot and stir frequently for 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for a couple minutes more. Add the peas and sauté until the vegetables have caramelized a bit and the peas are bright green. Add salt to taste and transfer to a plate.

Add the bread crumbs to the skillet and stir constantly until golden. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Turn the heat up to medium high and add the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the fillet of salmon skin side down and cook, undisturbed for 3 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the fillet with salt. Flip the salmon over and cook until it has reached the desired level of doneness. Flip back over, spoon the vinaigrette over the fillet and turn the heat off. You should be able to separate the fillet from the skin fairly easily.

Place the salmon on top of the reserved vegetables. Sprinkle the bread crumbs around the plate and on top of the salmon. Garnish with the fresh basil.