Vegan Banana + Zucchini Bread

It’s that time again -- time to eat #allthezucchini. Every year I made zucchini bread, sometimes I combine with banana bread. Sometimes I add chocolate chips. This year, I figured I may as well combine all three to make a mega-bread of sorts. You can actually bake this mix into muffins, cake, or bread. It’s your call. I’ve given you the bake times to make any option work.

Without further delay, here’s the recipe. Perfect for a weekend baking session!

BANANA + ZUCCHINI BREAD with chocolate chips

What you’ll need . . .

• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup soy or almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sprouted wheat flour*
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice (or mix of cinnamon + nutmeg)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini

*I used some King Arthur sprouted flour I found at my store. It worked wonderfully, but I do think plain old whole wheat would work fine, too.


Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mash bananas until as smooth as you can get them. Then whisk together with the canola oil, soy milk, and vanilla extract.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, spice, baking powder and soda, and salt.
4. Then pour the wet into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips and zucchini shreds.
6. You can bake in muffin tins, a cake pan, or a bread pan. If you bake in muffins, they take around 30 minutes. In a square glass cake pan, around 40-45. In a glass bread pan, maybe 50-55 or so. Basically, you want a toothpick inserted into the center to come out clean. The top should be a nice, golden brown.
7. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing. 

Related recipes:

• The BEST Banana Bread
• Nutella + Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 
• Banumpkin Bread 
• Cacao Coconut Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
• Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread 
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

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ROAD // Zucchini Noodle Salad

My first recipe is what inspired this whole series. And you don't need a pricey spiralizer to make it either. Of course, I've seen the ones that attach to KitchenAid mixers, but they come at a premium (may make a nice gift, though -- I doubt my cheapie can make beet noodles). One of the most popular tools on Amazon is around $20; it has a handy handle and makes very neat looking noodles. I, on the other hand, have a bare bones model. You hold it in your hand and twist. It makes large and small noodles and costs around $12.

However you slice it, this is what you want in your life:

RAW ZUCCHINI NOODLE SALAD

What you'll need . . . 

• Half a bell pepper, sliced
• Half a large zucchini, spiralized
• Half an avocado
• Few tablespoons water (or kombucha*)
• Couple tablespoons almond meal
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt, pepper 

* I added some ginger kombucha because I happened to be drinking it when I made this dish. If you use plain water, consider adding a bit of apple cider vinegar just to give the sauce a little extra flavor.

Method . . .

1. Toss your veggies into a medium bowl. You can add more variety of veggies if you like, too. I just happened to have these on hand.
2. Then put your avocado, water or kombucha, garlic, and almond meal in a food processor. You want to get a thick sauce, so play around with the ratios until you reach your desired consistency. Mine was like lowfat yogurt.
3. Toss everything together and top with the salt (I'm loving pink sea salt lately) and black pepper to taste.

This meal took about five minutes to prepare from start to finish. It serves just one person, which is how I'll approach all meals in this series. It's best served fresh or else your avocado sauce may brown.

And if you want to read more about Raw Once A Day, check out yesterday's post.

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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Baking season is upon us. I picked up a delicious mix of apple pie spices the other day. So, when I saw a gigantic (and lonely!) zucchini hanging out in the fridge this morning, I knew what to do: Lure Ada off the iPad to make zucchini muffins! I have been making different banana breads and zucchini breads for years -- but I rarely go into muffin form. My plan is to freeze these guys for before-the-bus breakfasts.

Sniff. School starts tomorrow.

I adapted this recipe I found to make the muffins. I am also going to try to make a lower sugar version because I really don't feel like they need quite this much sweetness. I suggest cutting the sugar in half, and I'll report back with my own results soon.

PS: I've taken to using an ice cream scoop with a trigger release when I'm making muffins and cupcakes. Really makes the pouring part easier and less messy.

CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

Makes about 36 standard size muffins.

What you'll need . . . 

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons apple pie spice*
• 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2-1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• Chocolate chips, optional

* If you don't have a mix, use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, and 1/4 teaspoon of both nutmeg and cloves. Or all cinnamon. Whatever floats your boat.

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Whisk together the flour, chia seeds, salt, baking powder, baking soda, arrowroot powder, and spices in a bowl.
3. Whisk together the applesauce, sugars, oil, and almond extract. Fold in the zucchini and optional chocolate chips.
4. Combine the wet and try ingredients with a spatula until everything is wet. Be careful not to over-mix.
5. Spoon out batter into muffin liners until they are a bit over half full.
6. Bake for 25-28 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool before eating.
7. Repeat baking instructions with remaining batter.

Related recipes:

• The BEST Banana Bread
• Nutella + Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 
• Banumpkin Bread 
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
• Cinnamon Raisin Applesauce Bread

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Super Easy Veggie Pasta Pot

I’ve pulled the slow cooker out of its summer hiding spot deep in our pantry. Yes. Even though this week wouldn’t have you believe it with crazy high temps -- it’s almost fall. Back-to-school. Busy season. And I can always use help in the kitchen.

Thing is, I’m tired of all my go-to crock pot recipes. Time to try something new. Will you join me? I’m on a quest to breathe life back into our dinners all while putting forth little effort. Like I wrote on Thursday’s post, I made this recipe after seeing the Summer Slow Cooker Lasagna recipe on Oh My Veggies with only a few modifications.

Behold:

VEGGIE PASTA POT

What you’ll need . . . 

• 1 medium onion 
• 1 large zucchini or summer squash
• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 medium head of broccoli
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• Large bell pepper
• Couple cloves garlic
• Linguine or other pasta noodles, uncooked*
• Jar (24 ounces) of pasta sauce (homemade is easy + delish)
• Shredded mozzarella (I used fresh)
• Parmesan 

Try to get as many of these ingredients from your garden or friends’ gardens as possible. Don’t necessarily stick to this list exactly -- keep it flexible. Use whatever is fresh and in your kitchen already. Just be sure to substitute ingredients in similar amounts so it’ll all fit in the pot.

* I used spinach linguine. I don’t know this for sure, but I don’t think cappellini would work best in this recipe. it might get too mushy. Prove me wrong!

Method . . . 

1. Chop all ingredients into chunks. Halve cherry tomatoes. Mince garlic. Then on your stovetop, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil and cook the garlic and onions over medium heat until the onions have softened.
2. Add the rest of the veggies -- saving the tomatoes until last -- and cook until everything is slightly softened but still somewhat crunchy. Season with some salt + pepper to taste.
3. In your crock pot, pour around a half cup of sauce at the bottom. Then layer on some pasta.
4. OK. So, I didn’t measure my pasta layers exactly. Take a small handful of pasta, crack it in half, and make a thin layer. Too much? Take some out. Too little? Add. It’s not about being exact. Check out my photo for reference.
5. Cover the pasta with about a third of the veggies you cooked. Then top that with another 1/2 cup pasta sauce and then a 1/3 cup (or so) of mozzarella.
6. Repeat this layering until you run out of space or ingredients. Just make sure you top everything off with tomato sauce, cheese, and then the Parmesan. 
7. Cook on LOW for three to four hours. We had to go out on an errand partway through cooking, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving the pot on since it’s kind of old. Anyway, I stopped cooking mine for an hour at the two hour mark and resumed later. Turned out great!
8. Then let sit for half an hour to cool slightly and scoop out heaping servings. I didn’t get a photo of the end result. Just picture a bowl of steaming veggies, noodles, cheese, and sauce.

This is such a great way to get tons of veggies into your tummy. If you’re vegan, feel free to leave out the cheese, use your favorite substitute, or sprinkle some nutritional yeast in the pot. The leftovers are even better. We saved some in our freezer for a rainy day. Ada even asked for a second helping!

So, one recipe down. What should I try next?

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Spinach Zucchini Pesto with Walnuts

Continuing with our zucchini theme this week -- I bet you didn't think I could possibly have another pesto recipe up my sleeve. Pesto has definitely become my favorite spread over the last several years. And ever since I discovered I could make it without any cooking or basil or whatever else I used to use with more traditional recipes -- I've been mixing it up weekly.

This is a great recipes to make with leftover zucchini and spinach!

ZUCCHINI PESTO
Use up veggie leftovers in this zesty pesto!

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 medium zucchini (about 1-1/2 cups grated)
• 1/2 cup spinach (you could sub in other greens, like kale, too)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese*
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• salt + pepper to taste
• water to achieve desired consistency

Method . . .

1. Put all ingredients -- except water -- in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Then add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

* Vegans can experiment with using nutritional yeast to substitute. I would have done it, but we're out + have some parmesan leftover.


In all, this recipe mixes up about 2 cups of pesto. We used ours in some delicious Pumpkin Pesto Rolls last night. Today we might use the rest atop pizza. It's tasty spread on sandwiches, in French toast, and so on.

// ALSO TRY

Vegan + Gluten Free Zucchini Burgers
Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Pesto + Avocado Sauce (Video!)
Pumpkin Pesto Rolls
Garlic Scape + Swiss Chard Pesto, 2 Ways
Steamed Pesto Dumplings
Pesto Pizza Dough
Baby Kale Pesto
Walnut Basil Pesto
Basil-Pesto French Toast
Pesto French Toast, II -- with Avocado Butter
Pesto Quiche with Oatmeal Crust
Pesto Garlic Knots
Pesto Portabella Sandwiches
(Pesto) Smothered Mother

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Zucchini Burgers // Vegan + Gluten-Free

See a trend? I can't promise I'll be able to swing it every week -- but I'm trying to offer up some tasty recipes that make use of the same ingredients in different ways. And I also like if I can make meals and treats using ingredients primarily purchased at Aldi.

Yesterday was delightfully vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread.

Today:

ZUCCHINI BURGERS
Makes 6-8. Vegan. Gluten-Free. Delicious.

What you'll need . . .

• 1-1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1/2 white onion, diced or grated
• 1 can beans (I used white beans) -- drained + rinsed
• 2 tablespoons flaxmeal
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons sunflower kernels
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika + chipotle seasoning (or other spices)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method . . .

1. Pulse the beans in your food processor a few times. Alternatively, you can roughly mash with a fork. You want them mushy, but not pureed like hummus.
2. Then combine all ingredients in a large bowl. You can use a big spoon or even your hands. Just mix until everything is well incorporated.
3. Then take palmfuls of the "dough" and form 6-8 patties. 
4. Place patties on a plate (wax paper is optional) and refrigerate for an hour or more to help firm up. I actually found the burgers we left in the fridge overnight did better.*
5. Then heat some olive oil in a fry pan on your stove top and cook on both sides until browned.

* Since this recipe doesn't have flour or oats or any other type of grain, it is a bit mushier when cooked. However, if you don't press the burgers down flat while cooking, they keep their shape nicely. Worth it for a true veggie burger sans fillers -- IMO.

Slap between slices toasty bread.

Top with salsa, avocado, or whatever else you desire!

Maybe some Baby Kale Pesto?


Much to my surprise, salsa and mustard make a winning combination! I love these burgers because they are light and seedy. I don't know what it is, but I have a thing with seeds lately. So, feel free to substitute any ingredients you have on hand.

// MORE SANDWICHES + BURGERS:

• Lentil + Quinoa Burgers*
• Black Bean-Tempeh Burgers*
• Vegan Churchkey New Luther MEGA Sandwich*
• Black Bean-Spinach Burgers*
• Caprese Sandwich
• Moosewood Asparagus Melt
• The Ultimate Vegetarian Sandwich
• The Ultimate Stuffed Veggie Burger
• Open-Face Portabella Sandwich
• Vegan Sloppy Joes*
• Green Hummus Sandwich
• Apple-Cheese Bagel Sandwich
• Chickpea Burgers*
• Vegetarian Juicy Lucy
• Veggie Behemoth: The Lover Sandwich
• High Maintenance Melt
• Mayo-Less Egg Salad
• Black Bean Burgers*
• Fire-Grilled Camp Sandwich
• Gourmet Grilled Pizza
• Hummus Melts
• Seitan Dogs, Part I: The Dogs*
• Seitan Dogs, Part II: Toppings

* means VEGAN

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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread // Vegan

Don't let the long ingredients list fool you. This slightly sweet bread comes together in a flash -- and it's mega-healthy. I mixed up + baked a loaf Saturday morning and we continued to enjoy this treat for breakfast today.

Tastes delicious toasted with a simple spread of Earth Balance on top. Pleases and toddler crowd. I think it'd also work well with shredded carrots. You guys know how much I love carrots, as evidenced by last week's explosion of recipes.

So, anyway. Zucchini. Get shredding!

CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI BREAD
Vegan. Sweetened (lightly) naturally. Delicious.

What you'll need . . . 

• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (uncooked)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 2 tablespoons flaxmeal
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond meal, cornmeal, flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, flax meal, chia seeds, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the almond milk, maple syrup, olive oil, applesauce, ACV, and vanilla extract.
4. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Then fold in the zucchini and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and flatten with spatula until top is even.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until center is set and edges are golden brown. 
7. Let cool for 10-20 or so minutes before removing from pan and slicing.

Off to paint over our chalkboard wall. Grr.

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Sweet + Savory

So, the other day I said those Summer Market Waffles could go either way. Sweet or savory. To use up our mega-stores of squash, we ate the waffles each morning this week. It was a grand week, I must say. And guess what I found out? You don't have to choose just one direction for breakfast to go on the flavor spectrum.

See what I mean?

I'm not the type to go nuts and give a gazillion variations on the same recipe. But I'd say this change up (however slight) on the waffle recipe was a huge winner. So much so, I felt compelled to give it to you TODAY so you'd have it in time for weekend brunch. (I hope you all have at least a little time for a weekend brunch.)

This version two point zero is heartier, more flavorful. Just . . . different. So, give it -- and the original, yellow squash + basil filled Summer Market Waffles -- a try!

ZUCCHINI + CARROT WAFFLES
still vegan, still great topped with syrup or eggs

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• pinch salt
• splash vanilla extract

// Mix everything together, scoop into your waffle maker, and cook as directed.


I was all set to have my sweet breakfast drippy with maple syrup goodness . . . when Stephen motioned over to the stove. He had made surprise tofu scramble! I noticed immediately it wasn't the usual recipe we use (that curried masterpiece is here), but instead a sort of hack -- a shortcut -- with only a few simple ingredients.

TOFU SCRAMBLE HACK

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 block tofu, crumbled
• good pinch salt + pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

// Stephen actually crumbled the tofu the night before (I had no idea!) and mixed in the seasonings to let sit overnight. Then this morning he put a fry pan over medium-high heat with a bit of olive oil and cooked until browned on all sides. I imagine you could just put everything together in the moment, though.

Now that we have his + her breakfasts . . .


Here's what he + she will be reading at the beach in the next couple weeks. What are you guys reading? Any suggestions? I'm thinking Under the Dome will keep Stephen occupied for a while, but I'll likely breeze through Cinderella Ate My Daughter.

And don't forget to enter the Mighty Leaf iced tea GIVEAWAY!

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Crock Pot Veggie Stew

Remember all that progress I wanted to make in the kitchen last weekend? Well . . . we didn't cross a single thing off our to-do list.

But we did add something: A cabinet over the stove.


We use it to store the millions of mixing bowls that I just can't get rid of. Don't get me wrong, I've purged a lot of unnecessary things -- but my mixing bowls all have different purposes!

I feel really thankful to finally be able to do something in our kitchen. But I can't help saying "is it OVER yet?" pretty much any chance I get. One reason I'm so irked is that cooking is impossible. I've read a lot of great things about how you should do kitchen remodels -- and almost all involve setting up a makeshift kitchen elsewhere in the home.

We have no space for that, so I've decided our "mini-kitchen" is the crock pot.


(BOOZY) CROCK POT VEGGIE STEW

I don't need to explain how to make stew in the crock pot. But I'll tell you what we put in our most recent go at it, and maybe you can share some of your own favorite combos with me!

• 2 cooking onions, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped delicata squash (skinned and seeded)
• 2 cups canned kidney beans, rinsed
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 cups frozen green beans (chopped into smaller bits)
• 1 zucchini (chopped)
• 28 ounces tomato puree
• 12 ounces winter beer (or veggie broth!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• Smoked paprika, oregano, and thyme -- all to taste

I cooked the onions and garlic in a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium heat on the stove. Then I put everything into the pot -- stirred -- and cooked on high for 3 hours. I seasoned more till I got it just right (read: I dumped in half a jar of smoked paprika -- hahaha).

Serve with crusty bread + cheese + another brew for good measure. Delicious. And lots of leftovers for lunch.


As I mentioned in the ingredient list, you can certainly substitute veggie broth for beer. I use beer when I'm being lazy/don't have broth/and want to add a variety of flavors. In this case, we used a Sam Adam's Winter Lager -- lots of orange peel, ginger, and cinnamon flavors.

I'll be cranking up the heat in the pot again tonight. What is your favorite crock pot meal? I need ideas beyond our usual Pumpkin Chili!

Pssst: Check out Writing Chapter Three for part II of our quest for a simple holiday. Ada's Christmas list.

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Tri-Colored Veggie "Pasta"

I have a weird foodie confession to make: I hate pasta. Let me write that again: I hate pasta. I don't exactly know why . . . but even if I'm starving and someone offers me a dish of pasta, I'd rather just wait to eat something else.

Maybe this dislike is routed in my childhood? Yeah. That's likely it.

Of course, being the only vegetarian in my family (since age 12) means eating a lot of spaghetti with red sauce. For holidays, lasagna with cheese and veggies or stuffed shells. Pasta salads at BBQs. Chef's "special" pasta dishes at restaurants with no vegetarian options (which is usually just thrown together from whatever noodles, sauce, and veggies happen to be on the menu that night).

Ick.

Just thinking about all those meals makes me cringe. There is one exception to this rule: Gnocchi. I never really ate gnocchi growing up, so -- at least to me -- it seems like another animal of a dish. Well, Asian noodles, too, are OK by me. Anyway, none of this is the point. Last night, I was craving pasta for some reason. But I wanted to make it out of some of my favorite vegetables.


A few flicks of the wrist later, and THIS was what I had to work with. Beautiful "noodles" made of zucchini, parsnips, and carrots. Of course, we could have topped it off with some red pasta sauce. But I just couldn't drown them like that. Instead, we kept with the whole pumpkin-is-the-new-everything thing we have going here and made a pumpkin-coconut sauce.

TRI-COLORED VEGGIE "PASTA"

What you'll need for the "noodles" . . .

• 1 medium to large zucchini
• 2 to 3 carrots
• 2 to 3 parsnips

Method . . .

1. Wash/scrub your veggies.
2. Then simply use a vegetable peeler to shave them into noodles. A simple back-and-forth motion will do. Try to make them long.
3. Chop and save leftover veggies (which will end up looking almost like bones) to throw into salads. Or just eat raw.

MAKE IT A MEAL

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Method . . .

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, warm some olive oil and throw in the garlic. Let cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Toss in the chopped broccoli. Cook for five minutes until it is softened, but not soggy.
3. Whisk together the pumpkin puree, coconut milk, ground cloves, and garlic powder . . . and pour into the pan. Lower the heat so it's truly on medium. Continue cooking for a couple minutes.
4. Throw in the "noodles" and let cook until warmed.
5. Serve onto plates or into bowls.
6. With a fork, whisk together the maple syrup and soy sauce. Divide evenly among servings -- which you should get get huge ones out of this recipe.

We are ours with a generous serving of red quinoa and avocado on the side. Of course, it isn't traditional pasta -- hardly. But, let me write this one more time: I HATE pasta. Likely, you won't find a ton of recipes for the "normal" stuff on our site. Unless I'm cooking it for Stephen :)

Do you have any weird food aversions? Any specific ingredients that gross you out? Or maybe you're like me, and you're just plain sick of a certain dish. Tell us all about it! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Chili Soup: Slow Cooker Recipe

While we're on the topic of smart foods for endurance athletes and marathon runners . . . a recipe! Yup -- we think this soup recipe is the perfect pair to this information. It may be over 90 degrees outside today, but the forecast calls for a drastic cool-down this weekend. Fall-like weather is returning slowly, but surely. What does this mean exactly?

It's time! Time to break out the SLOW COOKER!

We affectionately call this slurpable stuff the "poor (never home)maker's" stew because it's full of all the leftover foods from the week. Stuff we didn't want to waste. What's in your pot may differ from what's in ours. Use the ingredients list as a mere guide -- and use up your ripe produce (and lonely cans of beans) before it wilts away!


You may think this stew looks suspiciously familiar -- maybe a little TOO much like our Rainbow Stew. And you're right! But we've made a few modifications for health (for example: lower the salt content and level of difficulty!).

THE POOR (NEVER HOME)MAKER'S STEW

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cans (or one large can) of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of low-sodium corn kernels, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of fire-roasted, diced tomatoes, juice and all
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 medium zucchinis, chopped
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped Opo squash (again, use what YOU have -- maybe eggplant?)
• 4 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Method . . .

1. Chop, mince, and otherwise prepare all your ingredients.
2. Put EVERYTHING -- all vegetables (and fruits if you want to get all technical on me) and beans -- in the slow cooker pot and mix them to distribute.
3. Pour in the water and soy sauce. Sprinkle in the spices.
4. Turn the slow cooker to high and cook for about 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Mix every hour or so.
5. Serve with bread or pumpkin macaroni and cheese. It freezes well, too!

If you have yet to invest in a slow cooker -- I would highly recommend revisiting the idea. Though we've gone through our list of useless kitchen gadgets, a slow cooker is CERTAINLY not among them. It's one of our favorite kitchen contraptions. One we use time and time again. If you do have your own, what's your favorite slow cooker meal?

We have several -- mostly soups/stews:

• Rainbow Stew
• Black-Eyed Pea Stew
• Rutabaga-Carrot Soup
• Slow Cooker Curry
• Crock Pot Meals: FAQs

In other news, Stephen cut my hair last night. Yes. Stephen. I find it hilarious -- the horror that comes over someone's face when I tell them I let my husband go scissor-happy on me. But he did a fantastic job. I've been wanting a chop for a while. The way I look at it, perhaps it's SLIGHTLY uneven (though, so far, I've found no issues), but that's another $45+ in our pockets for our anniversary celebration this weekend!

Or to go towards savings (whatever that is . . . ).


ALSO: Don't forget to enter our Operation Beautiful Giveaway. That's right! We're giving away a copy of Caitlin Boyle's new book -- enter by Friday, September 3rd at 9PM EST for your chance to win!

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Deep Dish Veggie Tart

We shared with you some of the recipes we've been lusting over last Friday. For dinner yesterday evening, we finally got a chance to knock one of those items off the to-make list: the Lasagna Tart from 101 Cookbooks.

But since we rarely make recipes exactly as they appear online or in books, we changed it up a bit. What resulted was more of a veggie deep dish pizza than a lasagna tart. But that's OK -- even better than OK. I'm thinking some of you guys and gals who recently attended the Health Living Summit in Chicago might be feeling a little nostalgic. You may want to relive last weekend's events by making this healthy deep dish for dinner . . . tonight.

Am I right?


DEEP DISH VEGGIE TART

What you'll need . . . for the tart crust:
(original recipe is Clotilde's Easy Olive Oil Tart Dough)

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dill (or other dried herbs)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup cold water

What you'll need . . . for the filling:
(again, inspired by 101 Cookbooks)

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into thin "coins"
• 1/2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes

Method . . .
(don't let these EASY 20 steps scare you off!)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a tart pan and set aside.
2. Toss the zucchini coins with 1 teaspoon of salt in a dish to extract some of the moisture. Set aside while you prepare your crust.
3. Whisk together the flour, salt, and herbs. Add in the oil and water. Mix with a fork . . . and then give in and use your hands. The dough will be slightly sticky. You may add more water, if necessary.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough so it'll fit your tart pan. We make ours about an inch in diameter larger. Quick rolls are best, you don't want to handle the dough too much.
5. Very carefully transfer the tart dough to the pan. Fold over the excess dough to make the crust thicker. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in your refrigerator for half an hour to an hour.
6. Make your sauce: In a food processor, combine the garlic, canned tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Stephen also added a pinch of cayenne for good measure. Heat over medium-low heat on stove to warm and let flavors mingle. However, you don't want the sauce scalding hot when you put it in the crust. Warm is the key word here.
7. Prick the bottom of your tart crust with a fork a couple times. Bake on the middle oven rack for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool (I waited 20 minutes).
8. Lower your oven temperature to 350 degrees.
9. Then let the layering begin!
10. Start with 1/2 of your cheese on the bottom.
11. Then 1/2 of your sauce. (A spatula helps spread.)
12. Then pile your zucchini coins in a circular pattern (again, using 1/2 of them -- see photo above).
13. Then add all the black beans.
14. Then another layer of cheese. This time, only add about 2/3 of what is left.
15. Then another layer of zucchini.
16. Then the rest of your cheese.
17. Then the rest of your sauce to top it all off.
18. Smush your ingredients just so -- you don't want them toppling over the top of the tart pan.
19. Get out a rimmed baking sheet -- you don't want juices wandering to the bottom of your oven -- and place your tart pan on it. Bake for 40 minutes.
20. Let cool before serving (10 minutes or so).

Despite how long this recipe is, you go from this unbaked wonder . . .


To THIS beautiful deep disher in no time at all!


Have you ever made a recipe that didn't turn out exactly as you thought it would -- but you loved it anyway? This happens to us ALL the time. It's how a lot of our favorite meals are made. And that's what I love about the experimentation aspect of cooking and baking . . . even when we make the same recipe, use the same ingredients, etc. -- there's never a guarantee that it will come out the same way twice!

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