Grilled Zucchini and Squash Salad (GF)

Who says you can't pretend it's summer in the middle of winter?

Well, it feels somewhat like summer here in Los Angeles right now, which is why I decided this salad was such a good idea. Grilled zucchini and squash on top of fresh baby romaine lettuce, with a sprinkle of feta, basil, and marcona almonds.  For the dressing I just squeezed a bit of lemon juice along side a drizzle of really good olive oil. This salad is so amazing.

So if you're in need of a little taste of summer this winter, go ahead and try this. You won't regret it.




Ingredients: (serves two)

1 large zucchini
1 large yellow squash
4 cups of baby romaine (roughly)
1/4 cup marcona almonds
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
crumbled feta
2 slices of lemon
2 tablespoons good olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice zucchini and squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on an indoor (or outdoor) grill, only about 30 seconds on each side (you don't want the veggies to be soggy, just have nice grill marks).

Once grilled, set aside to cool.

Meanwhile put romaine in a bowl along with feta, basil, and marcona almonds. Squeeze lemons on top of romaine, along with olive oil, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add grilled veggies and toss everything together. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Bread Donut Waffles

Zucchini Bread Donut Waffles. That's a mouthful.



But that's exactly what they are. The flavors of zucchini bread, but with a dense, donut-cake texture, cooked in a waffle iron instead of fried. It's the best of all worlds! Actually, if I'm being honest, they would be even better fried...but I'm trying to be healthier.

Nonetheless, these little breakfast treats were delicious. I served them with powdered sugar on top, and a side of maple-vanilla bean-cinnamon glaze.



They're best straight out of the waffle iron, they lost their crispiness and texture the next day. I also allowed the batter to sit in the fridge for 12 hours (after making a first batch immediately). Both batches were delicious, however the batch that rested for 12 hours was more dense, so it's up to you!

These treats are a great way to sneak in some veggies without sacrificing flavor. I mean, who doesn't like zucchini bread??? They're also filling and gluten-free!



Ingredients: (makes 10-12 small 'waffles')

1 cup all-purpose gf flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup finely grated zucchini, with juices squeezed out
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or just vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup greek yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons melted butter

Maple-Cinnamon Glaze:

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

In a bowl mix together flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk zucchini, egg, vanilla, maple syrup, brown sugar, greek yogurt, and melted butter.

Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, whisking until there are no more lumps. If you like a more dense, cake-like donut, allow batter to sit in fridge for several hours. If not, prepare waffle iron on medium-high setting. Spray with non-stick spray and add batter 1 hefty tablespoon at a time.

Serve with powdered sugar or maple-cinnamon glaze.

Roasted Banana Zucchini Muffins (GF)

Alright, here's the last zucchini recipe you'll see for a while... I think. I'm not making any promises.

I wanted to add a little something else to plain old zucchini muffins. It just so happened that I had an overly ripe banana in the fridge, so voila, banana zucchini muffins.




Here's the thing...have you ever tried roasted banana bread? Not just banana bread popped into the oven to 'roast', but you actually roast the banana prior to mixing. It creates this deliciously strong aroma of banana in whatever you're making. It's also a great way to make banana bread if you're bananas are not fully ripe yet. Just throw them in a 375 degree oven, skins and all, and bake about 15-20 minutes, and let them cool.

These muffins are gluten free, high in protein, and very yummy. I used one 'chia egg', for a little something different, in addition to two egg whites. If you don't have chia seeds, you can simply use another egg instead.



To make a chia egg, you just mix three tablespoons of water with one tablespoon of dry chia seeds and mix every once in a while for about 15 minutes.

These muffins are low in natural sugar since I only used three tablespoons of honey. They were delicious, moist, and filling. Even Brett liked them which is saying something!



Ingredients: Makes about 12 muffins

1 banana, roasted and cooled (375 degree oven, roasted with skin on for 15 min)
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1/4 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 egg whites (whisked)
1 chia egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup gf oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mash banana then mix in zucchini, yogurt, olive oil, egg whites, chia egg, vanilla, and honey and set aside.

In a separate bowl mix coconut flour, almond meal, oats, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Spray each muffin cup with cooking spray and fill with batter until about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Chocolate Zucchini Cookies (GF)

Alright, so here's yet another recipe with zucchini.

I was trying to think of different types of desserts where I could possibly sneak in some grated zucchini. I thought, brownies? No, I just did a recipe with Sweet Potato Brownies.

And since I had already made Zucchini Bread this week, I decided that I really needed to go for something different; something I had never even thought of before: zucchini cookies.

Zucchini isn't very sweet, so I needed to mask the zucchini flavor with something strong. Obviously, I thought of chocolate.

I made this recipe similar to my brownie recipe, but tried to incorporate coconut flour. I also wanted them to have a bit of protein, so I threw in some almond butter.

These cookies are fluffy, but crispy around the edges, and super moist. They're not quite as gooey as I had wanted, but they're still delicious and you cannot even taste the zucchini. These cookies could fool anyone. On top of that, they're only 85 calories a serving, which means I didn't feel guilty having two of them for breakfast the other day.

The batter is pretty sticky, so I threw it in the fridge for about a half hour to firm up a bit. I also decided to roll the dough 1 1/2 inch balls and roll them in powdered sugar, but you don't have to.




Ingredients:

1 cup grated zucchini
1 egg (room temp)
1 egg white (room temp)
4 tablespoons almond butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp strong coffee (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil or melted coconut oil
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Whisk together zucchini, egg, egg white, almond butter, vanilla, coffee, and olive oil until combined and set aside.

In a separate bowl sift together cocoa powder, coconut flour, and baking soda. Add in chocolate chips and brown sugar and mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and refrigerate for at least a half hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and roll batter into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar and place on baking sheet, pressing down softly. Bake for 7-8 minutes, then remove from oven and allow cookies to sit on baking sheet for an extra minute before taking them off the pan.