Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Where did the summer go? It's Week 3 of the school year and I am already counting down the days to June. Not a good sign? I only (slightly) kid. While I miss being able to do whatever I wanted to do during the day or just simply being able to run some errands, it still feels nice to be back at work. I missed the students and their quirkiness. I missed joking around with them and seeing that lightbulb moment in their eyes as they learn something. I definitely didn't miss the rowdiness and the defiance, but all I can say is that it is already so much better than last year. The first year of teaching was definitely tough to get through, but it's so worth it when you get to that second year.



Before school started, I decided to make Zucchini Bread. But not just any ol' Zucchini Bread. I had seen recipes for a chocolate version many times, but never realized how easy it is! Just swap out some flour for cocoa powder and you've got yourself some Chocolate Zucchini Bread. I made about 4 loaves total: 2 to share and 2 to freeze. I just know that when I get home some days, I will need something sweet to brighten my day and all I'll have to do is reach into my freezer. This recipe is a nice break from the usual so if you want to mix things up for a change, then go ahead and make this!



The good thing is that we just had a three-day weekend for Labor Day. It was much needed. We definitely need more of those though. It actually felt like an weekend as most of mine are spent out of town and that extra day was great. I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day vacation!



Chocolate Zucchini Bread [Makes one 9x5 loaf]

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 300F. Grease and flour 9x5 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix the oil and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add grated zucchini.

In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into egg mixture and mix until everything is just wet. Stir in walnuts and vanilla extract.

Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Roasted Zucchini Pasta

Whoever says teaching is a part-time job should follow me around for a day and see what it's really like. I teach all levels of Algebra and deal with all grade levels. It's a challenge to keep everybody engaged, especially for such a long ninety minutes. That is difficult even for me because I don't have any experience with block scheduling so sometimes I end up either overplanning or underplanning. And the paperwork? Oh, man...

My day starts at 6:15. I get up, get ready, drive about 40 minutes to school and arrive there at 8. I make whatever copies I need for that day and get myself organized with notes and handouts separated. Homeroom for 10 minutes and then it's first period for the next 90 minutes starting at 9:10. Then a much-needed-but-definitely-not-enough-five-minute break and on to second period for another 90 minutes. I eat lunch at 12:30 and some days I'm done teaching for the day (planning periods) and other days, I have one last class from 2 to 3:35. Teachers are allowed to leave at 4, but I've been staying until 5 because currently, I'm planning on a daily basis. Even if I'm not necessarily done at 5, I try to leave by then because I've still got quite a drive home and by that time I'm hungry. I need to get home before I hit the stage where I want to eat everything and anything in sight.

This is when recipes like the one I'm sharing today come in handy. I had food in my stomach in 30 minutes tops and it was a satisfying meal. I love pasta and I love zucchini and roasting is now my favorite method of eating any vegetable. I didn't have any fresh basil so I used oregano because that's my next favorite herb, but I think fresh basil would have really made this even better. This would also make a great lunch to pack. I could make double the amount one night and then save the leftovers.

I know some teachers don't like bringing work home, but they have years of experience to rely on. I, on the other hand, am really making it up as I go along so I am usually working on lessons until it's time for bed. But I made a promise to myself that I would not stay up at night. I need to take care of myself before I can get up and teach those kids. They really drain the energy out of you! It's a challenge... But I think it'll still be a fun challenge, as frustrating as it may seem right now.



Roasted Zucchini Pasta [Makes 4 servings]
From Ezra Pound Cake

2 lb medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 small sweet Vidalia onion or 4 shallots, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz penne or ziti, dry, preferably whole grain
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Feta or goat cheese, to taste (optional)
Optional additions: sun-dried tomatoes, sliced plum tomatoes, fresh corn, black olives, mushrooms, toasted pine nuts, pesto, roasted red pepper

Preheat oven to 425F. Toss zucchini, onion, garlic and 3 tbsp oil in bowl. Spread into a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until zucchini is lightly browned, turning once, 15 to 20 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid before draining the pasta. Return pasta to pot. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil; cover and set aside.

Stir the roasted vegetables into the pasta. Add 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid, and stir over medium heat until heated through. Add basil and cheese. Toss, adding reserved cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls to moisten if dry. Taste, and adjust your seasonings. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Garlic Soup

Last week, I had planned on making a ton of Zucchini Bread so I bought 3 huge zucchinis. Then classes and work started taking over my life so I found the time to make only one. Now I have 2 of those huge zucchinis left and I've lost the Zucchini-Bread-making desire. For some reason, when I have leftover vegetables, my mind instantly goes to soup to get rid of them. So I looked up recipes for zucchini soup and got this one. The soup looked delicious and creamy with no use of dairy!

This smelled amazing as it was cooking. I don't know why I've never cooked onions in butter before, but I should start doing that because it just smelled so good. Then adding the garlic and the chicken broth and the zucchini made it all smell even more wonderful. I currently have a stuffy nose, but this fought through that and let me smell this wonderful smell. Okay, I'm gonna stop saying the word "smell."

It was a bit too thin for me, so I would cut down the water by 1 cup. There was water coming out of the zucchini too as it cooked so with the added 4 cups, it was probably too much. Otherwise, very tasty and I will be making this again whenever I have a load of zucchini again.



Zucchini Garlic Soup [Makes 6 cups]
From The Kitchn

- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 8-9 large cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
- 4 medium zucchini, about 1 1/2 pounds
- 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
- Salt and pepper

1. Melt the butter in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium heat. When it foams, add the sliced garlic and onions and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Keep the heat low enough that the garlic doesn't brown; you want everything to sweat.
2. When the onions are soft, add the zucchini and cook until soft. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer at a low heat for about 45 minutes.
3. Let cool slightly, then blend with an immersion blender until creamy, or transfer to a standing blender to puree. Be very careful if you use the latter; only fill the blender half full with each batch, and hold the lid down tightly with a towel.
4. Taste and season with ginger, salt and pepper. Like most soups, this is significantly better after a night in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld.

Zucchini Bread

Today was my last day at work. No more summer school volunteering for me! It's been quite a ride, with stress coming from situations I never would have imagined. For example, the copy machine. Sometimes I loved it while other times it was my worst nightmare. It was having problems when I started working there in June and today a technician promised it would be fixed by Monday. Late much? Despite those stressful times though, I'm taking away such a valuable experience, especially as a future teacher. I don't think I can ever repay my bosses for giving me this opportunity and for helping me out so much. Seriously, I got free lunch.

The least I could do was bake something for them so I made Zucchini Bread. Zucchini Bread is always a favorite in my household, and I should think it would be in any other. The house smells so nice when this is in the oven. And look at the veggies that go into it! How could it be bad?



I made two batches of Zucchini Bread because I couldn't not make one for my parents when they love this thing. For the first batch, I followed a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It was very dry compared to the one I've used before. Still tasty and if I used a little less flour, I think it would be fine, but I didn't have time to experiment, so I just went back to what I used before.

Zucchini Bread [Makes one 9x5 loaf]

- 3 eggs
- 1 cup olive or vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Grease and flour 9x5 loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the oil and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add grated zucchini.
3. In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into egg mixture and mix until everything is just wet.
4. Stir in walnuts and vanilla extract.
5. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.



I'll definitely be visiting them again when I'm home for the holidays and the school is only a 15-minute drive from my house. It'll be weird (but definitely nice) not to be working. What will I do with my time?! Ugh, get ready for school I guess.