Frosted Zucchini Bars

Ok, ok, I realize I've been M.I.A. lately.  Sometimes not having a job is just rough!  First I had to party with both of my grandmothers in Atlanta, GA (both over 90, both totally kickass, and both inspiring inside the kitchen and out).  Then I continued on to Vermont which I didn't want to like but ended up loving anyway.  I sat, very confused, through the earthquake during my layover in NYC (I guess we all now know in future crisis situations my reasoning is so slow I may not make it, what some call natural selection) and finally landed back in Seattle to welcome my pa and stepmom for their visit.  See?  Too busy ...
 
SO - Ashley Roberts stepped up with the following post.  Looks like you won't be subject to my chronic beats this time ... what a relief right?!  I've known Ashley since I was in third grade and I can warn you that she: 1. has more refined musical taste (The Ecstasy of Gold?  Huh?), 2. cooks amazing dishes with a conscience for local, fresh, and healthy ingredients, and 3. is ridiculously smart (Ex. I don't know what unbrominated flour is, but it reminds me of chemistry and therefore scares me).  Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying this recipe soon.  Thanks Ashley!
 
The Beats!

Here are some earthy, retro tunes so you can hum along while you bake ...

The Treats!

Late summer is often the time of year that gardeners can be overrun with produce of various kinds.  Notably, the hearty and weed-like zucchini can out-produce even the most ambitious garden chefs. This also means if you aren't a gardener, you can pick up some zucchini at your local farmers market for a steal. Creative cooks can stealthily incorporate this versatile veggie into almost any dish savory or sweet.  Zucchini rounds out delicious stew - like ratatouille, is perfect to moisten hamburgers ready to be kissed by the grill, and can be made into crispy “fries” that rival those you can make from potatoes. Of course, zucchini also finds its way into various baked goods where it adds a great deal of moisture to muffins, breads and cakes.

 
The following zucchini bars are a moist, cake-like confection topped with delicious cream cheese frosting. I made them with sucanat, a type of unrefined cane sugar, along with maple syrup. These more natural forms of sugar maintain vital nutrients necessary for digestion that are stripped away from refined sugars. However, the frosting still contains good old powdered sugar because, honestly,  nothing compares to those fluffy cream cheese peaks that only powdered sugar can produce.
 
Frosted Zucchini Bars           

Thanks to Ashley Roberts! 
 

What you'll need ...
Bars:

3 large  (4 small) eggs

1 cup extra virgin olive or coconut oil

1 ½ cups sucanat or brown sugar

¼ cup real maple syrup

2 cups grated zucchini

3 teaspoons vanilla

 

2 ½ cups unbleached, unbrominated flour

¼ teaspoon aluminum free baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon unrefined salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

 

Frosting:

 ½ cup butter (1 stick)

4 ounces cream cheese

Dash of pure maple syrup

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

Large buttered or oiled 15 x 11 jelly roll pan or high sided cookie sheet at least 1 inch deep.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Set butter and cream cheese out to come to room temperature. Wash the zucchini(s) and grate 2 cups into a bowl and set aside. Crack each egg first into a separate bowl, checking for shell. Then add each egg to the mixer.

Next, add the oil, sugar, maple syrup, grated zucchini and vanilla to the mixer. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are incorporated. Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powdered, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. 

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer. Pour the batter into the buttered jelly roll pan. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center of the pan. When it comes out clean remove the bars and place on a cooling rack until completely cooled. 


While the bars are cooling, wash the mixing bowl and place the room temperature butter and cream cheese in the mixer. Blend on medium until completely mixed. Then add the dash of maple syrup and slowly add the powdered sugar on medium speed.  Once mixed, beat on high until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Spread the frosting over the cooled bars, cut into squares and enjoy.

Breakfast Bars

The Beats! 

So I've been thinking for a while now about just coming clean, fessing up, and posting all the songs/artists that I hate to admit I like but in truth I love ... you know, the ones where you joke around about the song because "it's so bad that it's almost good" when really you're apologizing to the artist under your breath because really you're obsessed with it?  Or when you run to your computer to make sure that no one clicks the "25 Top Played" playlist to find that, "Wait ... You have listened to a Justin Bieber song one hundred times?!?".  Or you just laugh when the song comes up on your iPod's shuffle and quickly blame it on the time in college when you had unlimited access to the music of everyone in the dorm, so you weren't going to be picky.  Maybe none of you have this problem, but I know there are dudes out there that have a JLo cd hidden under their seat ... yeah, just because your windows are rolled up, I can STILL hear what you are lip synching, sir, and I know for a FACT that I have friends that like Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA, which I still can't quite believe possible.  Anyway, I found a way to bare my musical soul to the world without full disclosure, when I was thinking about my hometown last week (I always get nostalgic for Sheridan during Rodeo Week).  I always make sure to listen to a local radio station at least once when I'm home, and am blown away by their musical selections.  The last time I was home they were playing Tubthumping by Chumbawamba.  Whaaaaat?! I'm not kidding.  This is a true case of "it's so bad it's almost good" (except this time I'm not lying, it's just  ... not ... good).  It's 2011 and this song came out in 1997 ... and that is why I love my hometown.  So with that, I can successfully (at least I hope) leave you guessing - if you can make it through the playlist, that is - as to what I actually love and that which I can't believe is still playing on the radio in Wyoming.  Clever?  I wish but probably not, because you probably lost respect and stopped reading the second I mentioned Justin Bieber ...

  

The Treats!  

   
Ok, I wrote way too much about my beats so I'll be short here.  Just a few adjustments/recommendations before getting started...  This recipe is extremely easy and open to modifications.  I'm allergic to peanuts so I substituted in a cup of natural almonds (which I roughly chopped to make a bit smaller).  Also, seeds can be hard to find or expensive, so in this case I just used a cup of sunflower seeds instead of a mix.  I've made them several times and used dried apricots, cherries, craisins, etc.  I'm sure they'd also be tasty with other dried fruits, nuts, seeds, whatever, maybe even a layer of chocolate melted on top ... Easy to make, easy to bake, easy to eat.  The perfect trifecta.  And for all the freaks like me that have strange food allergies, this recipe allows you to know exactly what's going into your granola bar, so when you blow up, can't breathe, and have a neanderthal brow it's your own fault.  

 

Breakfast Bars 
(makes 16)              

From Nigella Express
 

What you'll need ...

14- ounce can condensed milk

2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mixed seeds - pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, etc.
1 cup natural unsalted peanuts (I used almonds)




Preheat oven to 250 degrees and oil a 9x13 inch pan (or something close).  Warm the condensed milk in a large pan.








Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together and add the warmed condensed milk, using a rubber spatula to fold and distribute.  
"Fold and distribute?"  Sounds like an engineer wrote this. 







Spread the mixture into the oiled pan and press down with a spatula (I sprayed mine with PAM to keep the mixture from sticking to the spatula itself) to make the surface even. 









Bake for 1 hour, remove, and after about 15 minutes, cut into four across and four down, to make 16 chunky bars.  Let cool completely.  These save well, so stash them in a tin and grab one whenever you want.

Chocolate Oat Bars

The Beats!
I'm still on a bit of a Sasquatch kick from a few weeks ago.  So today's a mix of finds from this year's festival, as well as a few favorites from last year.  There's bound to be something everybody hates ... (hopefully you'll enjoy at least one?).  The important part is to get the trance dance down at the right moment, and no, you don't need to be saturated with drugs to master it.  Just put your head down and move your hands in front of you, almost like a DJ spinning tracks in slo mo.  Make sure not to smile, apparently that takes away all your street cred.  Ok, there, you got it, nice.  On with the beats.



The Treats!  
Last weekend I climbed El Dorado Peak in the North Cascades with a couple of friends and I wish I'd had these along.  They're great for backpacking, camping, climbing ... or sitting at your kitchen table.  I'm tucking a few of these in my bag for Baker this weekend, a few more in my pals bag before she heads off to Nepal for the summer, and the rest will go in the freezer until I decide to start sneaking them out (probably before they're frozen through).

Chocolate Oat Bars
From the Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition


What you'll need ...
1 c + 2 Tbsp butter 
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
A baking pan close to 10" x 15"


Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream 1 cup butter (at room temp, pop it in the microwave 10 seconds if not) with the brown sugar. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt and stir in oats.  Pick a fair sized bowl so you don't create a big mess like I did.

Over low heat, combine chocolate chips, condensed milk, 2 tablespoons butter, and salt. Stir chocolate mixture until smooth, then add nuts (if you choose) and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Combine egg and flour mixtures and press about two-thirds of it into a 10" x 15" pan. It's easiest if you grease a spatula to spread the mixture ... or just use your hands. Spread chocolate mixture over the batter, then dot the top with the remaining batter. 





                





Bake for about 25 minutes. When cool, cut into 1" x 2" bars.  Stick them in the refrigerator or freezer to solidify, if needed.