Zucchini and Carrot pikelets

It's that season again when zucchinis and carrots are ready to harvest in the garden. Here's a new recipe I've found as I was considering what to serve as something healthy for a visitor for morning tea.

Carrot and zucchini pikelets

Ingredients
1 small zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 cup S.R. Flour (can use gluten free or wholemeal SR flour if you prefer)
1 egg
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3/4 cup low-fat milk
parsley, finely chopped
(no need for seasoning but you can add if you prefer)

Method:
1. Cook zucchini and carrot with the orange juice until tender for 1-2 minutes in the microwave .
2. Add flour into a bowl and stir in sugar, egg and milk. Mix in cooked vegetables and parsley.
3. Drop tablespoons of mixture into a hot frypan and cook until bubbles appear. Turn over and cook until brown.

Serve immediately

Chicken with lemon basil sauce

It's autumn and the basil won't last much longer and there are plenty of lemons, so combined the two to make this meal. Very simple. Serve with boiled and buttered potatoes, and fresh salad and crusty bread - with a white wine if you like. Chicken with lemon basil sauce 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves 1 lemon, grated, and then squeezed for juice 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 cup chicken stock 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil Heat olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown (about 5 mins each side). Transfer chicken to platter and cover with foil. Add lemon juice, garlic and lemon peel to pan. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken stock and simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 8 minutes. Mix basil into sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Mango rhubarb sorbet

A mango 'on the way out' combined with some things in the garden and kitchen.

In a blender add:
cut pieces of one mango
2 sticks rhubarb, chopped and cooked with 1 tb water in microwave for 1-2 minutes
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 - 1/2 cup water (icecubes with some water added is ideal)
1 fresh lime, zested and then juiced
spring of mint (peppermint, basil mint etc)

Blend until completely smooth.
Pour into a freezer-safe bowl or container and cover.
Every 30 minutes for 4 hours, stir sorbet very well with a whisk or a hand blender.
Let sorbet freeze for 8 hours or until hard.

(Can obviously change quantity in recipe to make more)

Vegetable frittata

Vegetable frittata

Directions
Beat 8 eggs, 1 cup milk, chopped parsley, and salt and pepper.
In a food processor chop an onion or shallot finely, and 2 cloves garlic, and then add 2 slices wholemeal bread and finely crumb into a combined mixture. Add 2 cups leftover cooked vegetables eg broccoli, cauliflower, beans, potato, carrots etc. Add in herbs for taste (eg parsley).
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an ovenproof 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add the egg mixture and cook 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, top with grated cheddar and cook 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then slice.

Green bean salad with lemon dressing

Beans are prolific in the garden so here's a summery way to use them in a salad.

Simple green salad with lemon dressing

Ingredients

1/2 kg green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon lightly packed lemon zest
1 red or green chilli, finely sliced
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced cured pitted black olives
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions

Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Wben boiling, add green beans until cooked but still firm, about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of iced water. Drain beans and place in ice water bath until cool. Drain and shake off excess water.

In a glass bowl, thoroughly mix olive oil, juice, zest, and chilli; season well with salt and pepper. Add green beans, shallot, olives, and parsley, and mix well; taste, adjust seasoning as needed. Salad can be served immediately though flavour improves as it sits.

Zucchini chocolate fudge cake

Zucchinis are prolific in summer. Here's a gorgeous recipe for Zucchini Chocolate Fudge Cake. I also add in a couple of handfuls of chocolate melting buds but that's optional.

Zucchini Chocolate Fudge Cake

Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 ½ cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups aplain (all-purpose) flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bi-carb soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cups shredded zucchini (1 large)

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bi-carb soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in zucchini.
Pour into large oven baking dish or two square pans. Bake at 175°C for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted near the centre comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Decorate with chocolate icing.

Lemon and lime (tropical) self saucing pudding

Exactly half way through winter and the limes and lemons are prolific. We've waited a while for the lime tree to fruit and it has done so with gusto! I spotted this recipe on my FB feed today from Best Recipes - for a lemon and lime self saucing pudding. Sounds delicious. Doesn't use a great deal of the produce but it's another lemon and lime gone to a good cause!

Tropical self saucing pudding

Batter base
1 cup SR flour
¼ cup dessicated coconut
pinch salt
½ cup caster sugar
½ ts lime rind
½ ts lemon rind
½ ts vanilla extract
2 tb melted butter
½ cup milk
1 egg yolk
egg whites, beaten until stiff

sauce
½ cup caster sugar
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 lemon
¾ cup boiling water
½ ts lime rind
½ ts lemon rind

Pre-heat oven to 180C

Batter base:
Mix wet ingredients minus egg whites until well combined
Add dry ingredients. Add more milk if batter is too thick.
Fold in beaten egg whites
Pour into greased 2L pudding basin

Sauce:
Sprinkle rind and sugar over the batter. Mix the juice and water then pour over the batter over a spoon. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla icecream
http://www.bestrecipes.com.au - recipe 13084