Paleo Zucchini Bread

My sister-in-law is an avid gardener.  She sent my husband home with some very large zucchini--as she says, they were the size of baseball bats!  In any event, once this squash becomes this large, it's best used in breads and other cooked dishes, as it's not as tender as it once was.  So my husband and I decided to try a couple of new recipes.  Here is one for Paleo Zucchini Bread.  It does not contain any grains, and it can be made using a blender!  How convenient is that? And what's even better--it's moist and delicious!

Yield: 1 loaf (14 to 16 servings)

WW Points: 2 per serving

Make you own Marinara Sauce!

This recipe is great any time of year; it makes a great base for a pot of spaghetti sauce, or lasagna..it's also a great dip for fried mozzarella or  fried calmari.

Image source: Wikipedia

Basic Marinara Sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup(s) olive oil 

2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), peeled and minced

2 small onions, peeled and  roughly chopped    

2 rib(s) (medium) uncooked celery, roughly chopped

2 medium uncooked carrot(s), peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste   

1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste   

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes   

2 leaf/leaves bay leaf   

In large pot, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Using a food processor, grind the onions, carrots, and celery until they are nearly pureed. Add celery, carrots,and onion to the pot, sauté for a few minutes,  until onions become somewhat translucent. Add garlic and sauté another minute or so,until garlic is fragrant. Add 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Sauté until all vegetables are soft, about 10 min. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered over low heat until until the sauce thickens, about 1 hr. Cool cover and refrigerate until needed. Can be made a day ahead, frozen, etc. Makes 2 quarts.

Sourdough Bread Part II

I have now been able to use my sourdough starter a couple of times!

The first time I baked two of the traditional boule shaped loaves; we are still enjoying the fruits of my labor! I used a recipe for "Black Canyon Sour Dough Bread" on Mike's Sourdough web page.

I kept my starter going for a few more weeks...
I was able to keep it "bubbling and doubling" using Mike's technique simply by discarding a portion of starter, then feeding it with flour and water every 12 hours. Last week I decided to bake again and I decided to bake using loaf pans. I also used the same recipe but decided to change the ratio of white flour to wheat flour...used more white flour and less wheat this time.  Here are the results:

My next challenge should be interesting.  Now that the starter has had about a month to develop, I chose to store it in the refrigerator for a few weeks.  This will put it in a somewhat dormant state; it will need to be fed about once a week until I attempt to bring it back out of the fridge and revive it for use! 

I find this project interesting--I hope you do too.  I am still amazed that you can actually make bread this way.  And I will keep you posted as to what happens when I try to revive the starter. Hopefully it's all good!

My Sourdough Bread Experiment

In recent weeks, I have a new experiment going on at my house; I started my own culture and baked my first loaves of bread!  Using expertise provided on "Sourdough Home",  I began my culture around the 1st of May. At this point I find it amazing that flour, water, and a little salt actually can create a loaf of bread!



The basic technique is very simple:  Following Mike's technique I placed some organic whole wheat flour and water in a clean glass measuring cup.  I patiently checked it every 12 hours, adding more flour and water as directed.  In a few days time I noticed changes going on; and after a brief slow-down (which according to Mike's blog is to be expected!) things seemed to take off.  Finally, after about 10 days it seemed that my concoction was actually a product suitable for use!  At this point, I chose to bake bread using the "Black Canyon Sourdough Bread" recipe on the site.

At this point, I am still babying my starter but I also have two loaves of bread to enjoy.  Supposedly sourdough starter improves with age.

This is turning out to be a fun and exciting project and I hope to continue enjoying the fruits of my small efforts, flour, water and salt for a long time to come!

Sources: Sourdough Home;Wikipedia; OpenClipArt

Amazing Banana Bread!

The beauty of this recipe is that it contains no added sugar and no grains...it is gluten free!  My husband follows the Paleo/Primal diet. He found this recipe on one of the sites he looks at regularly, and asked me to make if for him.  I think it's a keeper because it's good for dieters, diabetics, and those with gluten intolerance--and for me, too!

No Added Sugar, No Grain Easy Amazing Banana Bread

12  gluten free servings

 4  medium banana(s), very ripe, mashed   

1/3 cup(s) regular butter, melted   

  4  egg(s), organic, free range   

 1 tsp vanilla extract   

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon   

 1 tsp baking soda, heaping tsp   

1/4 tsp table salt   

1/4 cup(s) chopped pecans, optional ingredient   

 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) Bobs Red Mill Organic Flour, Coconut, High Fiber... DO NOT SUBSTITUTE another ingredient

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Throw everything together in a medium bowl and mix until combined. Pour into a lightly greased (use butter) bread pan and bake for about 45 min. Bananas should be extremely brown almost to the point where you would throw them away or freeze them. If they are NOT overly ripe, your bread will not be as sweet so you can add about 1/2 c maple syrup to the batter. optional add ins: dark chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans,slivered almonds, raisins, etc.

Note: Sometimes when I have very ripe bananas around, I peel and mash them up, then put them in a plastic bag in the freezer.  Then when I want some banana bread, I am ready to go!

 4 WW points per serving

Source:Primally Inspired

A Vintage Recipe: Confetti Bread

I'm posting this recipe in honor of my mother, who passed away in 2001.  I don't really remember
this bread at all. A few years ago a received this in a Christmas card from mom's lifelong friend Mae.
It must have been pretty good...after all, the local paper thought enough to name her a winner in their recipe contest and publish it.

I miss you, Mom. You might be gone from this life, but you certainly aren't forgotten!