Tomato Tortellini Soup

For dinner last night, I made a creamy, simple soup using tomato soup and tortellini. I don't often make meat-free meals, but this one is hearty enough that it works for us. I served it with this incredible Rosemary Olive Oil Bread that has become a family favorite.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

1 32-ounce carton tomato soup (I use Imagine brand)
2 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1 cup half and half (or milk)
1 9-ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Feta or Parmesan cheese, to taste

In a large saucepan, combine the tomato soup, broth, half and half, and seasonings. Heat completely through, then stir in cheese if desired. I used a few tablespoons of feta. Meanwhile, in another pot, cook tortellini according to package directions, then drain and stir into soup. Serve immediately.

* Between the combination of ingredients, I found the soup didn't need any extra salt, but you might prefer a bit more.

* For a more intense tomato flavor you can add in a tablespoon of tomato paste.

* Because the Rosemary Olive Oil Bread is so flavorful, I didn't even use Italian seasoning in this batch of soup, and it was still delicious!

* I like the simplicity of this soup, but to stretch it further, cooked cubed or shredded chicken, cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, a can of canellini beans or a couple handfuls of raw spinach would be really great additions without adding to the cooking time.

Cornbread to the Rescue!

The other day we weren't supposed to be home at dinner time, but our appointment got cancelled, leaving me with no dinner plans and a husband coming home in an hour! To make matters worse, going out was out of the question and it was Thursday - we get groceries on Friday. (I buy our food weekly, which means very little "stocked up". I had pantry staples like flour and condiments to work with.) After staring into the open fridge and pantry with the dull stare of a dairy cow, inspiration finally struck.

I took my favorite cornbread recipe and added about a cup each of cooked, shredded chicken and cheddar cheese. If I had had a jalapeño and whole kernel corn, I would totally have added that, too. Since I use bacon fat in place of some the shortening in my cornbread, the flavor was really terrific! I added the extras after mixing the batter and before the melted shortening/fat.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of Honeycrisp apples in the fridge, too, so I sliced them up and served them. An odd combination, to be sure, but everyone in my family ate it up and asked for seconds. I do have to say, though, that I did have more to choose from than I normally would. Fresh fruit is almost always gone by Thursday night, I had just forgotten about those somehow. 

Halfway through dinner, a friend texted and asked if she could come over for an hour or so. Knowing she was going to pick up fast food for her own dinner, I tentatively offered her some of ours. She agreed, and then was so glad she did - she loved it!

I have to say, one of my favorite things about cooking is handling these little challenges - it's like Iron Chef, Secret Ingredient: Shredded Chicken! Allez Cuisine!

Homemade Croutons

I personally don't love croutons, because I'm not a fan of crunchy bread in any form. I remember that during my childhood time in Germany I would poke a hole in my kaiser roll and dig out the soft center, leaving the shell, which was totally not worth eating, in my opinion. Anyway, I do actually like homemade croutons, because I keep them a little chewy. I eat two or three and I'm good for the next six months.

Handsome, of course, loves them and will steal them off the tray or out of the pan! Fortunately, they're easy to make, and it's a method rather than a recipe.

Homemade Croutons

Start with "day-old" bread. That just means you don't want really fresh bread, because it's too soft to cut easily, and it won't crisp up into croutons as well. You can use any kind of bakery whole bread loaves, though I like Italian or French baguettes. Multigrain, wheat, pumpernickel, sourdough or white all work well.

Seasonings - I like a mixture of garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. The amounts will vary according to your taste and how many croutons you're making.

Olive oil - you'll want to moisten the bread, but not soak it.

Cut your bread into bite-size pieces.

If you're making a lot of croutons, line a baking sheet with foil. Spread out the bread cubes and drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with seasonings, and continue to toss until evenly coated. Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch them carefully, and remember that they'll firm up a bit while cooling.

If you just need a small batch, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add a small amount of seasonings. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat. Drizzle in more olive oil and seasonings if needed. Stir occasionally until the croutons are golden brown. This should only take 5-6 minutes.

Multigrain Bread

When I was growing up, I used to love it when my mom made bread from scratch. The house smelled SO good and I can remember biting into that first warm butter-slathered slice. A while back, I found the recipe for Multigrain Bread and I thought it sounded so hearty and delicious that I had to try it! Let me tell you, I was not disappointed! This bread is soft and flavorful with just the right amount of chewiness. I love for my bread to have texture! I've made the recipe several times as written, but when I made it yesterday, I added a twist. After forming the dough into a rectangle, I spread it with a bit of butter and sprinkled on a mixture of cinnamon and white and brown sugars. (Raisins would be great, too, if you're into that sort of thing!) Then I rolled it up and baked it as directed.

Friends ... if I had not already secured Handsome's everlasting devotion, this cinnamon-swirled bread would have sealed the deal.

It took our family approximately 12 hours to consume the entire loaf.

If you'll excuse me, I'm now headed off to the gym.

Italian Bread

I mostly like to make focaccia to go with our Italian meals, but since finding this bread recipe for French Baguettes I like to trade off between the two. I think it's more like a larger Italian loaf than skinny, crusty baguettes, so that's what I call it. When I'm baking for more than the family, the Italian Bread is nice because it makes two loaves. I modified the recipe enough that I got tired of looking at the original and having to remember what I'd changed so I'm posting my version of it here.

Italian Bread

1-1/2 cups very warm water
1 packet yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3-4 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425°.  In a large bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow the mixture to proof for several minutes. Stir in the salt and add the flour a half-cup at a time, until the dough becomes soft but not sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured service and knead the dough until elastic.

Cut the dough into four even pieces. Roll each of them into four long, thin ropes. Twist together two of the ropes to form one loaf.  Twist the other two ropes together to form a second loaf. Transfer both onto a greased baking sheet. Allow the loaves the rise for 15-30 minutes in a warm place.

Fill a metal baking pan (I use a 9x13) with 3-4 cups of ice. Place the loaves in the oven on the middle rack and the pan with ice cubes on the lower rack. Bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.

Honey-Wheat Yeast Rolls

I have a stand-by roll recipe I use when I'm making them for a crowd, and one I use when I'm just making them for the family. The recipe I'm sharing today makes about 36 rolls and when I make them for our Sunday night crowd there are typically just enough left over for Handsome to take to work for a snack the next day. Last night we had 3 left! They also polished off 2 slow cookers full of potato soup, but that's another post for another day! Anyway, I adapted the recipe from Taste of Home and I thought it was about time I wrote down how I actually do it instead of adjusting the recipe in my head every time.


Honey-Wheat Yeast Rolls

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast, (4-1/2 teaspoons)
2 cups warm water (110° to 115°) 
1/2 cup honey
1 egg 
1/4 cup canola oil 
2 teaspoons kosher salt 
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the honey, egg, oil, salt, 1 cup bread flour and 3 cups wheat flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. You don't want it to be sticky, but too much flour will make the rolls dense. Start slowly (1/2 cup at a time) and don't forget that you're adding more flour when you knead the dough, and they'll be on a floured surface when you shape the rolls, too.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. I use a sharp knife to cut the dough into four portions, then eight. Each of those portions I just cut into "roll-size" blobs. You can roll them neatly into balls by cupping them in your palm; use the blobs as-is; or shape each blob into a rope, then tie it in a knot and tuck the ends underneath. However you do it, place them on a greased baking sheet. I like my rolls soft, so I place them with sides touching. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick spray (or a kitchen towel) and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.  

Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. I usually get about 3 dozen rolls out of this dough.

Butternut Squash Rolls

One easy way to round out a meal is to serve bread. With picky kids I can't always be sure that they'll eat the main course, or even the sides, so it's nice to know that at least they'll have bread and milk! I make all kinds of breads at different times, but I prefer the bread to have some nutritional value if possible. The recipe I'm sharing today makes incredibly delicious yeast rolls, and it's truly not complicated. I used to be scared of yeast rolls, thinking it was too much trouble, but now that I've made them so many times I'm not sure why I was hesitant to get started!

Butternut Squash Rolls

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°) (or buttermilk)
1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup brown sugar or honey
1 cup mashed cooked butternut squash
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in milk and water. Add the butter, salt, sugar, squash, wheat flour, and 1 cup all-purpose flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Form into rolls; place in two greased 9-in. round baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 2 dozen.

Honey Butter - combine equal amounts honey and softened butter. (You can also add a dash of cinnamon!)

(Especially when I made baby food, I would always have cooked squash in the freezer. Nowadays I just buy the frozen cooked, mashed squash or bake an acorn squash to use for this recipe.)

Apple-Carrot Muffins

Apple-Carrot Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 eggs
2/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups finely shredded carrots
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and shredded.

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients, including carrots and apple. Add the wet to the dry, stirring just until everything comes together. (If you overstir, your muffins will be tough.) Fill greased or lined muffins cups 3/4 full. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool slightly before removing to a wire rack. Yield: 2 dozen muffins

New Recipes

Well, out of the "Coming Soon ..." recipes I posted the other day, I've made two. I'm pleased to report that they were both delicious! I made the gnocchi one night for dinner, serving it with my homemade marinara instead of mushroom sauce, because in my book mushrooms = grody. Everyone loved it, which is a pretty rare feat in my household. The other recipe I tried was the one for Pretzel Rolls - and I did make Pretzel-Crusted Chicken to go with it. The rolls were really great, just like soft pretzels!

For breakfast this morning I spread one of the leftover rolls with Laughing Cow cheese and topped that with sliced ham. It's fantastic!

Coming Soon ...

This morning I thought I'd share with y'all some recipes I have bookmarked for future use. Often while browsing the internet I find a recipe that sounds really good, so I'll save the link for later. Some work out, some don't, but here are a few that I haven't tried yet:

Nutella Banana Ice Cream - I've heard of making banana ice cream before, and I love the addition of Nutella! Can't wait to try this simple, no-ice-cream-maker-required treat!

Pretzel Rolls - I'm not a fan of pretzels, but these rolls sound really tasty, like soft pretzels: soft and chewy. This recipe is also on a fantastic website, Tasty Kitchen. I'm planning on making my Pretzel-Crusted Chicken soon, and these would be great on the side!

Fresh Gnocchi - I love gnocchi and it's one of the two ways my Oldest Girl will eat potato. (The other way being potato candy!) I have made ricotta based gnocchi before, and I'm eager to try out the potato version.

Aloha Cake - Since I'm trying to incorporate more fruit into my diet, I thought I'd try out this cake! It totally counts, right?

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

3 cups flour, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1 package (1/4 ounce) or 2-1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup apple juice
1 egg

Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In a small saucepan, heat milk, juice and butter to 120-130 degrees. Add to dry mixture just until moistened. Add in egg and 1 more cup flour. Mix until smooth and the dough forms a ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, into a rectangle approximately 1/4 inch thick. Top the dough with:

4 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts, optional

Roll up, starting with the long side. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 slices. (I cut it half, fourths, eighths, then sixteenths!) Place the rolls into a greased 9 x 13 dish and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise on the counter for 45 minutes, or until doubled. You can also place them in the fridge until you're ready to bake. Just let them rise on the counter before popping them in the oven. Either way, bake them at 350 for 18-22 minutes. While still warm, top with the icing:

2 cups powdered sugar 
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
2 tablespoons milk 
2 tablespoons melted or softened butter 
3 tablespoons brewed coffee 


Stir all ingredients together until smooth.

Bagels!

One resource I use occasionally for recipes is Tasty Kitchen. I recently discovered a recipe for homemade bagels on there and thought I'd try it out: I'm so glad I did! They were much easier than I expected. Here's a link for the step-by-step photographed version, and here's the link for the printable version. Like many of my favorite recipes, these bagels are simple but can be easily adapted to lots of different flavors.

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Muffins

It seems to me that I post a lot of breakfast foods on here and if it seems that way to you, bear with me while I post another one! I found this recipe while flipping through a Southern Living magazine in my dentist's office years ago. When I asked the receptionist for a piece of paper so I could write it down she was nice enough to just make a copy of the pages for me. Now, lest you think this is your grandmother's banana bread, dense and brown and black-flecked, I took pictures.

Just look at that warm, fluffy goodness!

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Muffins

3/4 cup butter, softened
8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened (reduced-fat so you can eat three and tell yourself they're good for you!)
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups mashed bananas, the riper the better
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next three ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans and vanilla. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5-10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Just a quick post today, with a couple of links. We're having guests for dinner tonight and I'm serving my chicken pot pie. It's a good choice for company with kids, since it's pretty unoffensive for picky eaters. I'm also making butternut squash yeast rolls. Those things are seriously yummy!

Lightening Up Baked Goods, Part 2

Well, here's Part 2, as promised! I have lots more to share with you, and I hope you find this a helpful reference.


Liquid -- Baked goods usually call for some sort of liquid. This substitution doesn't necessarily save calories, but it certainly boosts flavor: use juice or coffee in place of water/some milk. I use orange juice and apple juice frequently in my baking. Anything chocolate is good with coffee as the liquid! Be creative and use your family's favorites.


All-Purpose Flour -- I substitute about half the flour in a given recipe with whole-wheat flour. It boosts the fiber and vitamins and gives the baked goods a deeper flavor. Going higher than half with the whole wheat may make the texture too dense for your family, so go easy until you learn what everyone likes. P.S. Store your whole wheat flour in the fridge!

Chocolate Chips -- Sometimes, you just can't leave these out, they're so good! But you could reduce the amount used and replace them with diced fruit or even nuts. (Nuts are high in fat, but it's usually the good kind.) Alternately, you could use dark chocolate, since studies have shown it to actually have a few redeeming qualities.

Nuts -- Leave them out altogether or reduce the amount slightly if you're serious about saving a few calories! 


Here are some alterations that I frequently employ in my baking:

Use diced fruit such as apples, pears, or bananas to help fill out muffins and breads. Don't overlook shredded or pureed veggies either, like zucchini, pumpkin, butternut squash or carrots. Dried fruits are also a tasty addition, but be careful, as many of them have a high sugar content.

Make your usual muffin recipe using a mini muffin tin instead. Three minis equal one regular-sized muffin, and will help you feel like it's more of a treat. Of course, the danger of that is popping six or eight delicious little bites in one sitting! But even if you eat four or five, it's still less than 2 whole muffins. And all that leads to my next suggestion ...


Freeze half right away to avoid temptation! If you have a big family, they may eat a whole batch in a day or two. But if not, then it may be wise to go ahead and freeze that second loaf of bread or that other dozen muffins for another day.

Spice it up! If your family really likes cinnamon or nutmeg or vanilla or any one of the other flavors in muffins or bread, don't be afraid to use it. Increasing the amount of spice or citrus zest in a recipe will help your family adjust to the denser texture typical of baked goods using whole wheat flour.

Now, go bake some muffins already!

Lightening Up Baked Goods, Part 1

My idea of making baked goods better for us is not to make them taste worse! I only make changes where flavor is not sacrificed. I use real butter, real eggs, real sweeteners, etc. That's just a personal preference.

Also, the suggestions I'm putting forth won't involve expensive specialty ingredients that require a trip to a specialty store. Not that there's anything wrong with them, it's just that I don't have any personal experience using things like that. I don't leave the house if I can help it, and my weekly grocery trip is all the driving I care to do! And I'm cheap. These are just simple substitutions and adjustments that I often make when making quick breads or muffins.

Typical quick bread and muffin recipes call for the ingredients listed in bold, and my suggestions for substitutes or adjustments or alterations will follow.

White Sugar -- Substitute a smaller amount of brown sugar. Brown sugar has more flavor, so you can use less to get the same sweet impact of regular sugar. You could also just reduce the amount of white sugar you use. (i.e. In my Chocolate Zucchini Bread, the original recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar. I still use white sugar, but I reduced the amount to 1-1/2 cups.)

Eggs -- If the recipe uses two eggs, 1 egg and 1 egg white can be used. If you have applesauce on hand, you can also add in a tablespoon of that. If three eggs are required, 1 egg plus 2 egg whites would work just fine, along with a tablespoon of applesauce.

Vegetable/Canola Oil -- Applesauce again! I typically reduce the amount of oil by at least half, adding in an equal amount of applesauce. Oil really helps keep baked goods moist and tender, and keeps them from sticking, so you don't necessarily want to leave it out altogether.

Sour Cream -- Yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, is a great substitute for sour cream.

I'll continue with more suggestions another day, but I hope this gets you started in making your baked goods a little healthier for you!

Orange-Zucchini Muffins

Just the other day, there was an unfortunate accident on the interstate involving a tractor-trailer. No one was injured; the only casualty was the cargo: tangerines and strawberries! Since the fruit could no longer be sold after being spilled across the interstate, the carrier gave everything that wasn't ruined to all the first-responders. One of the police officers to be the recipient of some fruit sent a bag of tangerines over to our house with her son. I immediately thought of these muffins. I seriously love these things! Sadly, the recipe only makes 10, but it's easily doubled.

Orange-Zucchini Muffins
1 cup shredded zucchini
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
dash of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Squeeze zucchini until dry; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, orange juice, orange peel and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pecans and reserved zucchini.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 10 muffins.

Savory Party Bread

You may as well take this incredible snack and apply it directly to your hips ... but then you'd miss out on how delicious it is! So instead, make it when you have skinny friends over and hope they eat it all.

Savory Party Bread

1 unsliced round loaf (1 pound) sourdough bread
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 to 3 teaspoons poppy seeds

Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust, making a checkerboard pattern. Insert cheese between cuts. Combine butter, onions and poppy seeds; drizzle over the bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350̊ for 15 minutes. Unwrap; bake 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted and you can actually feel yourself putting on weight.  Yield: 6-8 servings.

Cornbread Dressing

I've not always been a fan of dressing/stuffing. It seems so mysterious as to ingredients and I've traditionally been quite picky. I never knew when a giblet or a neck or a hard-boiled egg would show up.  I like it simple! Anyway, the ladies' ministry at our church used to have a tradition in which the November ladies' meeting would be when we all brought a favorite holiday dish. I've collected lots of good recipes that way, and this is one of them. My friend Ashley's original recipe is slightly different than this and makes a larger amount of dressing. I've adapted it for everyday family dinners so we're not eating leftover dressing for a month!

1 (small) recipe cornbread, crumbled
2 cups soft breadcrumbs (I use whole-wheat)
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 stick butter
sage or poultry seasoning to taste (1 teaspoon or so)
2 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 teaspoons pepper to taste
2 eggs

In a skillet, saute the onions and celery in butter until tender. Add in the sage/poultry seasoning; cook for 1 more minute. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. You may need additional chicken broth -- the mixture shouldn't be too dry. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. You can refrigerate this for 8 hours or so, or bake right away at 375 for 45-60 minutes.

* I try not to buy canned stuff if I can help it, so I use my white sauce recipe in proportions of 2 in place of the canned soup. It's an extra step that's worth it to me.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I didn't know bread was so important until I married my Sweetie. He grew up eating it at every meal. I learned quickly that if I didn't make bread to go with dinner he'd grab a slice of loaf bread. White loaf bread! The stuff that isn't worth eating unless it's slathered with butter and cheese, transforming it into a delicious grilled cheese sandwich! I remember thinking that the man had lost his mind. To make things worse, he didn't like cornbread. (Don't worry, I've since converted him.) Anyway, I had to find more and more bread recipes to satisfy his carbohydrate cravings and in the process I learned to like it more, too. Not that the following recipe is really bread. It's actually more like cake! Yum ...

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, oil, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Stir in zucchini. Combine dry ingredients; add to zucchini mixture and mix well. Pour into 2 greased 8x4x2 loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Yield: 2 loaves

*This freezes really well, too!

Here's the recipe made into muffins! Bake these for about 15-18 minutes. The recipe will make 2 dozen muffins.