finally, zucchini brownies

Erm, Happy New Year! Been a bit busy doing a whole lot of nothing. I have no excuses for my lack of blogging or disastrous housekeeping. So without further ado...

I actually lost the original recipe that I linked to long ago for zucchini brownies, and by lost I don't mean I couldn't find it, but that the person hosting it changed her blog to family-only with a password, so it is no longer accessible to the public.
So given that I changed things slightly, lengthened the baking time by quite a bit, and omitted the frosting completely, I feel that I can post my version of the recipe as I remember it...

Zucchini Brownies

1 1/2 cups vegan sugar
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 small-medium zucchini, shredded
spray olive oil

In a large bowl, measure sugar, add oil & vanilla, and mix well.
Add flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Mix until combined. It will appear very dry.
Grate zucchini (I use a food processor attachment that does the job in about 20 seconds, but you can also hand-grate). Add zucchini to bowl and mix well.

Two zucchini should yield about 2-3 cups shredded. I have found that the cooking time varies by how much zucchini you add.
Spray large rectangular baking dish with olive oil. Add brownie mixture, pressing/patting it down evenly & firmly with a fork or spatula. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes if you used 2 cups of zucchini (2 small zucchini), 45 minutes for 2 1/2 cups, 50 minutes for 3 cups.
Allow to cool somewhat before cutting. You can always nuke them for a few seconds later if you want warm brownies.
Great with a glass of almond milk, or topped with ice cream! We brought some along on a cookie platter to our New Year's Eve gathering with family--the brownies disappeared fastest as usual! I'll be making them again tomorrow for a letterboxing potluck.

Maia's 1st Bento!

Maia, her brothers, & I went swimming around noon...a perfect opportunity for Maia's 1st bento lunch!
Maia's lunch in baby bites: blanched spinach; vegan chik'n salad; cantaloupe; watermelon; red grapes. I love this little Hello Kitty bento box with the two removable inserts. I've had it since before I even had my own kids!

The boys'
lunch
(also
shared
by Maia)
included:
mini
banana
muffins;
double
pbj
sand-
wiches;
grapes;
baby
carrots.


Though finances have
improved during the
past week, we're not
jumping the gun and
doing lots of shopping.
Given how quickly things
changed before, we'll
stick to frugality for the
time being! Hence my
use of these tiny tart
apples from the shade
tree at the farm...

I used about 2 dozen of
these tiny apples, but
my recipe that follows is
adapted for regular apples.
I got the idea from a penny
pinching Sandra Lee
episode on The Food
Network. But she used
canned apple pie filling
and a thick pumpkin
frosting and I just could not
do that! Here's my version,
with optional extras...

Apple Dessert Burritos

4 large Granny Smiths (or
other tart apples), peeled,
cored, and sliced coursely
1-2 T. lemon juice
2-3 T. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
8 whole wheat tortillas
1/4 cup peanut butter (or
nut butter of your choice)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
or raisins (optional)
For Icing:
1 T. melted margarine
6 T. powdered sugar
1-2 tsp. almond milk
a sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Peel, core, and slice your apples. Place in a large bowl of water with 1 T. of lemon juice as you work to keep them from browning.
Drain apples. Place in a pot, add lemon juice, sugar, and spices. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add walnuts and/or raisins (if using). Stir, reduce heat to medium-low heat and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir. Cook another 5 minutes if necessary until apples lose their crunch. Cool enough to handle.

Spread 1-2 T. of nut butter on each tortilla. Spoon on a small mound of apples in the middle of each. Fold over from one end, then fold in both sides, then fold over the other end. Flip over and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Cut or poke a few holes in the top of each burrito to allow steam to escape.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.
Allow to cook until just warm.

Make the icing by melting margarine (I use Earth Balance) in a small bowl. Add powdered sugar (and a sprinkle of cinnamon if you'd like) and beat together until smooth, adding a little almond milk until it is a drizzly consistency. With a spoon, drip icing over burritos. Mmmmm....

Here's a time-saving idea:
make extra like I did, and
freeze heaping portions in
an ice cube tray, then store
them in a ziptop bag. Then
when the mood hits you,
thaw one or two for a quick
burrito, ice cream topping,
or oatmeal booster!

I've been fortunate to find many great deals at the supermarket lately. Often stores will place slightly outdated, mildly bruised or overripe items, or the last few of a batch that don't look appealing on display in packages at the back of the produce department.
They don't usually mark the produce as organic or not, and sometimes mix and match organic and conventional produce, but you can usually see the stickers on most fruit and figure it out. I got 10 organic plums for a little over $2 last week, and they were perfect! Then I got a mix of 8 huge local and plum tomatoes for $3, only one of which ended up being slightly bruised and overripe. What a steal! Healthy bargains are everywhere if you keep your eyes peeled.