Chocolate and Peanut Butter Zucchini Cake

We didn't have a garden this year, but Justin was gifted a bunch of zucchini from a coworker.  It just so happens that we'd seen Lidia Bastianich's show "Lidia's Kitchen" a few days before this where she'd made a chocolate zucchini cake.  I was just going to follow her recipe, but when I went looking for it online, it was nowhere to be found.  I assume it was because it was a recent episode and they want you to buy the cookbook.  I found a few other recipes online but they called for ingredients I didn't have so... I decided to come up with my own recipe.

I used to like to say I'm not much of a baker, but I guess our blog would actually prove me wrong.  I've been doing more and more baking and have become fairly adept at it.  Still, it's not like cooking where you can just add random ingredients here and there.  My problem is that I still try to do that with my baking and so it doesn't always come out stellar and I don't always have a recipe to post.  This recipe, however, came out great!  Woohoo!  It's moist, but light.  Somewhere in between cake and brownies.  

Let's listen to The Interrupters "On A Turntable"  -jen

CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER ZUCCHINI CAKE
Prep Time:  15 minutes
Cook Time:  50 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy
Makes:  18-24

• 2 + 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 + 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temp
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 1 large or 2 medium)
• 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. 

In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

In another large mixing bowl, using a stand mixer or electric beater, beat sugar, butter and oil until smooth.  Add eggs 1 at a time and vanilla and beat until combined.  Alternately add 1 cup of dry ingredients with half of the almond milk, and repeat until mixed, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix in grated zucchini and fold in chocolate chips.  Spread batter evenly into prepared baking dish.

In a small dish, microwave peanut butter for about 30 seconds, until smooth and melted.  Spread about 5 thin rows of peanut butter across the top of the batter running them short-wise.  Using a butter knife, drag 4 rows lightly through the peanut butter going long-wise, first in one direction, then the next, to create a pretty design.  (Or just swirl, it doesn't matter!)

Bake at 325 F for about 50 minutes.  Test the center by inserting a clean knife.  If it comes out clean, the cake is done.  Cool on a wire rack.  Slice into 18 large slices or 24 small slices.

Red Kuri Squash-Leek Soup

We should have carved our traditional pumpkins last night because it was Halloween, but instead, I ended up carving up a Red Kuri squash.  Actually, I didn't carve it up, because I couldn't get my damn knife through the thing!  So I had to wait for Justin to get home from work to cut it for me.  There was intoxication involved and I figured I should give up while I was ahead and still had all my fingers.  Those suckers are thick (the squash, not my fingers... or maybe my fingers too)!

Thoughts on Red Kuri squash: my favourite squash we've tried so far!  I had to taste it after roasting it for the soup, and with just some olive oil, salt and pepper, it had this rich, delicious, buttery flavour.  Not as sweet as some squash is, and I knew it was going to be perfect in soup. 

Exploring different types of squash this fall has been a lot of fun, and this Red Kuri's been sitting on our table, waiting to be used.  Squash-leek soup sounded great, but I didn't really want the thickness of traditional squash soup, I wanted a thinner, brothy soup.  I just happened to have the other veggies in the fridge and they needed to get used up, but they were a really great addition, I liked having something to chew instead of a smooth soup and I would definitely recommend them (though you could easily leave them out if you chose).  If you're looking for a thicker soup, you could very easily just cut the chicken broth back by half (or more, depending on the consistency you're looking for).  The soup was quick and basic, but perfect for the cold, wet night we had.  I wanted it to have just a little heat in it, so I used some white pepper and cayenne pepper, but if you're not into heat, you can leave them out.

I've been on an Against Me! kick for the last two weeks, and I had several of their albums thrown on my playlist on repeat while making this... so it was a no brainer for music!  This is one of mine and Justin's all-time favourites, "What We Worked For".  -jen

RED KURI SQUASH-LEEK SOUP
Prep Time:  1 hr, 15 minutes
Cook Time:  5-10 minutes

Difficulty:  Medium

• 1 Red Kuri squash
• olive oil
• salt & black pepper
• 8-oz crimini mushrooms, diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup very small broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 large leeks, greens removed and whites diced
• 2 quarts chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you prefer)
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Quarter the squash and remove seeds and membrane.  Rub enough olive oil over the exposed flesh to coat, and then generously salt and pepper them.  Bake at 425 degrees for one hour.  Set aside.  Remove skin when squash has cooled enough to handle.

In a stock pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms, bell pepper, broccoli and minced garlic.  Saute until softened, 5-7 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in same stock pot, over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and saute until tender, 10-12 minutes.  Puree leeks, squash and broth together.  (If you have an immersion blender, you can add squash and broth to pot and blend.  If not, remove leeks from pan and place in a blender with the squash and enough broth to puree, then pour back into stock pot with any remaining broth.)  Add the sauteed mushrooms, pepper and broccoli.  Stir in sage, white pepper and cayenne pepper.  Heat to serve.

Smokey Squash Soup

So we have all of these autumnal veggies sitting around the house and in an effort to use them before they start to go bad, I decided to make some squash soup.  I'd already been on a mission one day to make soup stock out of a chicken carcass and ended up going the extra mile to make a pork stock as well.  It seemed like the perfect base for a squash soup.  I went the smokey pork rout for the stock and tossed in a smoked pork femur, some trimmings off of a ham steak, and a healthy dose of bacon.  The result was awesome.  Some crumbled bacon and fresh chopped scallions made this an amazing comfort dish, perfect for a cold day or for the morning after a long night of debauchery when your body needs nutrients other than hard drugs and alcohol.  Hearty and filling, healthy veggies, smooth and silky texture.  Warms you from the inside!


Since it's a healthy and hearty soup it would naturally pair with some Supersuckers which is more like country/punk with a side order of "kick me in the teeth".  A little "Born With a Tail" makes this good soup seem a little more edgy so here ya go.  You can feel a little more rock-n-roll-devil-child while you eat your healthy squash soup. - justin

Smokey Squash Soup

Time: 1 hr
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy

• 2 cups butternut squash
• 2 cups sweet baking pumpkin
• 1 lb bacon, chopped
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth or dry sherry
• 6 cups pork or chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups scallions, chopped
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, grated 

I was working with a whole squash and a whole pumpkin so I simply cut them in half, seeded them, and roasted half of each, cut side down, on an cookie sheet covered in oiled aluminum foil in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes.  They came out perfectly.  If you are working with diced veggies, use the 4 cups and toss them in a little olive oil and roast in a 425 degree oven and check them after 25 minutes.  Pull when they are fork tender.

Brown the bacon in a large stock pot over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp.  Remove bacon and dump all but 3 tbsp of the bacon fat.  Add the chopped onion and sweat until translucent and starting to brown.  Add the salt, black and white peppers, paprika, chili powder, ginger and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the vermouth or sherry and cook for 2 minutes or so to deglaze.  Don't forget to scrape the pot with a wooden spoon or silicon whisk get all those yummy bits off the bottom.  Those are called flavor.

Add the stock to the pot along with the squash and pumpkin and add 1/2 of the crisped bacon.  Didn't think I'd forgotten that did you?  Puree with whatever method you have available.  We have a stick blender and that makes it easy but a food processor or blender would work as well.  Just work in batches.  After a smooth consistency has been achieved, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or so.  When the desired consistency has been achieved (continue simmering if you like a thicker soup) stir in the cream and butter.  Once they have been fully incorporated, serve with rest of the crumbled bacon, chopped scallions, and Pecorino Romano as a topping.

I also thought that a dollop of sour cream would be good on this.  Or maybe some roasted apples or something.