Lemon zest and allspice set this recipe apart!

It’s zucchini harvest time, and if you’re tired of your standard zucchini bread recipe, this is the recipe to pull you from your rut.  I love zucchini bread and I have tried recipes that include everything from bananas to chocolate, but this zucchini bread recipe (from my friend, Tammy) is my definitive favorite. Even with the addition of healthier whole wheat flour, this bread stays moist and the flavor from the lemon zest and spices is unbeatable! I’m including the original recipe, and then my notes to make it even healthier.

BEST ZUCCHINI BREAD

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/4 c. all-purpose (white) flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. clove

2 1/2 c. zucchini, shredded (about 3 medium zucchini)

1 c. pecans, chopped

4 eggs (or 1/4 c. powdered eggs + 1/2 c. water)

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. oil

1 tsp. lemon zest

Measure and sift together the first eight dry ingredients and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, sugars and oil. Blend thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture while stirring. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold in zucchini, pecans and lemon zest. Pour batter into two greased 8 or 9 inch loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

NOTES: To make this recipe healthier (but just as tasty!), I cut the oil measurement in half with applesauce (1/2 c. oil + 1/2 c. applesauce), leave out 1/2 cup of the white sugar, and use 1 cup liquid eggs (like Eggbeaters). To save time, sometimes I substitute 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice in place of the ginger, allspice and clove. If your garden produced more yellow squash than zucchini, you can subsitute part or all of the zucchini with shredded yellow squash (I cut the squash in fourths, length-wise, and remove the seeds before shredding.) with virtually no difference in taste. I like to use my food processor to shred the zucchini because it keeps the zucchini from getting soggy the way it does when grated by hand.

I’ll post photos and recipes soon!

I had some Granny Smith apples that were slightly past their prime, so I thought it was a perfect excuse to use some of my food storage oats for something other than oatmeal.  I found this simple Oatmeal Apple Crisp recipe and “voila!” the apples were transformed.  I couldn’t snap the picture fast enough before it was being served with scoops of vanilla ice cream.  Since oats will store for 30+ years, in proper conditions, I don’t think we can have too many ways to use them!

I love that this recipe is fast and easy!  The only change I would make next time  is to add chopped pecans to the topping. 

OATMEAL APPLE CRISP

3 C. sliced apples

3 Tbsp. flour

1/4 C. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (I think Apple Pie Spice is even better)

1/8 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. water

1/2 C. rolled oats

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 C. butter (I used Smart Balance)

1/3 C. brown sugar

Combine apples, flour, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. salt and water. Place in a greased casserole dish (I doubled the recipe to fill the 9 x 13 pan).

Cut the remaining ingredients together with a pastry blender and sprinkle over the top of the apple mixture in pan. Bake 35 minutes in 375 degree oven.

After my post on Strawberry Filled Crepes, I received a comment from a webmaster whose site is devoted to everything you’d ever want to know about crepes. When I perused her site, World of Crepes, I found a fun recipe that I think my fellow food storage junkies will appreciate.  A couple of years ago I bought WAY too much cornmeal for our food storage, and I’ve been trying to find non-cornbread recipes to use it up ever since. World of Crepe’s recipe for Cornmeal Crepes  looks delicious (you can see for yourself from their photo). Fill them with a hearty chili, or chicken with an herbed white sauce and they’ll make a satisfying meal.

Crepes can be filled with another food storage surplus as well.  If you’ve made too much jam (again), bake a batch of crepes and enjoy them for breakfast or dessert with a generous smear of jam and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

I’m still addicted to M&M’s, so maybe I’m not a true health nut, but I LOVE this fresh approach to cooking with whole grains and other natural ingredients. I was fortunate enough to receive a sample copy of The Diet Rebel’s Cookbook: Eating Clean and Green from one of its authors, Jillayne Clements, and from the day I skimmed through it, I haven’t been able to stop talking about it.  (My Facebook friends will attest.)  I relate to the authors (Michelle Stewart co-authored the book) quest to find truth amidst all the conflicting information on diet and nutrition.   I agree with Clements and Stewart that diet and health are strongly correlated and that good health can be found, and bad health often reversed, with a healthy, natural diet.  I haven’t advanced to the level of commitment shown by Jillayne and Michelle, but reading The Diet Rebel’s Cookbook makes me want to! 

Food storage enthusiasts, who are also into healthier eating will really appreciate that the authors have included an extensive one-year food storage list that includes products like brown rice, quinoa, and agave nectar in addition to more typical food and non-food items.  There are nice step by step instructions for sprouting and dehydrating.  I always skip right to the recipes in a cookbook like this one, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying my trip back to the front of the book to absorb all of the fantastic information on nutrition, healthy food preparation and “God’s recipe for health.”  I love that this cookbook offers this mini-education on healthier living  in addition to a mouthwatering collection of recipes.  Those who want to eat healthier without going to extremes will like that the ingredients for most of the recipes are familiar (there are a lot of sprouted ingredients, but Clements and Stewart make it seem easy to incorporate sprouting into your cooking), and the authors aren’t vegan!

I had been experimenting with recipes to find a soft caramel corn recipe that used agave nectar, and was giddy to see that Diet Rebel included one.  Jillayne has given me permission to share a recipe with All About Food Storage readers.  I hope you enjoy it, and that you pick up The Diet Rebel’s Cookbook: Eating Clean and Green for a fun new take on cooking with food storage and other whole foods.

LOADED BURRITOS

6 large sprouted wheat tortillas

8 oz. hamburger, cooked

1 c. sprouted and cooked beans

1 c. brown rice, precooked

1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed

handful of fresh cilantro, minced

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. chili powder

3/4 tsp. sea salt

6 oz. raw shredded cheese

Garnishes:

tomatoes, chopped

lettuce, thinly sliced

sour cream

salsa

Spread the tortillas in a single layer on a cookie sheet and warm in a 250 degree oven for 2 minutes. Promptly remove from oven, stack the tortillas on top of one another, and wrap them in a towel or placed them in a tortilla warmer with a lid until needed. When ready, layer all the remaining ingredients in each tortilla one at a time. Roll them up, then wrap each individual burrito in aluminum foil. They can either be baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and served, or frozen for quick and easy lunches or dinners.  If they are frozen, increase the bake time to 55 minutes.

It’s a tradition in my household to prepare a fun breakfast for Conference Weekend (mostly because I like breakfast foods and this gives me a reason to make something special).  Unlike some people, I don’t think pumpkin recipes are just for the Fall months, so last weekend I tried this tasty recipe for Pumpkin Blender Wheat Waffles  from Everyday Food Storage. Instead of serving with the Caramel Syrup as suggested, I topped ours with some homemade apple pie filling , and of course a dollop of whipped cream. So delicious!

Canned pumpkin is one of my favorite food storage items.  It’s very nutritious and works so well in countless comforting recipes.  Don’t wait until Fall to enjoy this yummy waffle recipe.  With whole wheat flour and pumpkin, it makes for a healthy breakfast.  You can serve it with pure maple syrup or agave nectar for an even smarter option.

The beautiful fresh strawberries from Costco were begging to be rolled in vanilla mousse and fluffy whipped cream, so I obliged with this family favorite crepe recipe.  I’ve posted this delicious recipe for whole wheat crepes before, but it’s SO GOOD that it’s worth reposting.  I think it’s the very best way to use any soft white wheat in your food storage.  Of course, it will also work with hard white wheat, but crepes will be slightly heavier. 

This time I made a different vanilla mousse filling that we liked even better, so I thought I would share.  It’s so simple, fairly low fat, and YUM-MY!

VANILLA MOUSSE CREPE FILLING

1 large box of vanilla pudding, prepared

1 8 oz. package of light cream cheese, softened

1/2 small container of light Cool Whip (you could use Spiff-E-Whip from your storage)–use more if you’d like

Whip the cream cheese. Then blend in prepared pudding. Gently fold in Cool Whip.

Fry crepe batter.  Then spoon vanilla mousse and plenty of fresh cut strawberries into the middle of each crepe and roll.  You can include whipped cream in the middle of the crepe or over the top to finish them off. Enjoy!!

Nothing beats the aroma of fresh homemade bread!  I believe it is my favorite way to rotate the wheat we store in vast amounts.  The web is full of great sites for breadmaking enthusiasts, with tips from professional bakers and experienced homemakers.  I love to peruse the varied bread recipes and techniques found on these sites.  Here are a few I recommend:

www.thefreshloaf.com : I just printed off a recipe from this site for Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Bread (above) that looks divine.

www.artisanbreadinfive.com : For both recipes and techniques, this site is fantastic!

www.bread-making.org : This site has nice info and the only recipe I’ve seen for pumpkin bread in a bread machine.

www.baking911.com : Great information for every cook, but especially if spending time in the kitchen is new to you.  There is a nice, detailed section on breadmaking 101.

WHOLE WHEAT WAFFLES

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I like hard white wheat flour)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. nonfat dry powdered milk (non-instant)

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp. sugar

Enough water to make the right consistency

Stir dry ingredients together, then stir wet ingredients together and combine. Add water last until the batter is the right consistency for waffles.  Cook on hot waffle iron.