Zucchini Tots

I don't know a single person that dislikes tater tots. They are crunchy, salty, greasy, and comforting. However, tater tots are kind of a pain to make homemade and I'm sure they are awful for you.

Before I go any further, I want you all to know that these zucchini tots are in no way a substitution for good 'ol greasy tots. These are only a healthier, homemade alternative at the most. I found this recipe when looking for ways to use up zucchini. It is also all over pintrest. Who knew these tots (or bites) from The Curious Country Cook would be so delicious? They are very easy to make and don't take long at all. As for taste, they are kind of like a quiche with more of a tot texture, for lack of a better description. They are definitely worth making and there is a lot you could do to play with different flavor combinations.

Time: 25 minutes
Yields 12 mini muffins

Ingredients
1 egg
1/4 yellow or white onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese, grated (cheddar is my favorite)
1/4 cup bread crumbs (original post used Italian style, but I added my own herbs)
1 cup zucchini, grated 
Salt and pepper
Other wanted seasonings/spices

Preheat oven to 400 F and grease your mini muffin tin.
Start by beating the egg in a medium sized bowl. Add in the onion, cheese, and bread crumbs.

Wring the moisture out of your zucchini by sticking it in a towel and squeezing real hard. You could skip this step but then your tots wold be squishy and not as crispy.

Add the zucchini to your bowl of eggy cheese and bread crumbs.

Salt and pepper the mixture and add any other desired seasonings. I like garlic salt and cayenne pepper with cheddar cheese or garlic with Italian seasonings with parmesan cheese. Scoop the mixture into the mini muffin pans and squish it in.

Bake these morsels for about 18 minutes or until they are the desired browned and crispiness. Let them sit a couple minutes and then slide them out.

 These are good as a side dish, a snack, or even breakfast...any time really. Enjoy!

Original post at http://curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com/2012/03/zucchini-tots.html

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

 I love Farmer's Markets. I love people watching and seeing what is available to buy. Some days I come home with nothing but other days I come home loaded with tomatoes, potatoes, berries, peppers, herbs, and zucchini. I get home and wonder what I'm going to do with it all, but I figure that out later. I do have a couple quick fixes for zucchini. This recipe is one of them.

Growing up my mom often made zucchini brownies. That sounds odd, but they are really just chocolate brownies with tiny flecks of green. You don't really taste the zucchini..just chocolate. They are pretty good. So last year when I was looking for alternative baked goods involving zucchini, I cam across this recipe from Adam and Joanne at Inspired Taste. This bread is delicious! You don't taste the zucchini one bit and the texture is barely tampered with. It's moist, chocolatey, and sweet enough for dessert, but not too sweet for breakfast. It has a delightful cake texture and is just all around amazing. If you have extra zucchini lying around, grate it up and get ready for something amazing.

Time: 70 minutes
Makes 1 loaf or 18 muffins
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
3/4 cup chocolate chips, opt

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the oil and both sugars. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and coffee granules.

Pre-beating...

Post-beating

 In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).

I thought it was kind of pretty...so I snapped a picture.

Mix it up well

 Dump your shredded zucchini into the bowl with the dry ingredients. I had a 1/2 cup measure handy so I loaded it up and dumped it in.

Mix it up until all the zucchini is coated with the powders.

 Add the dry ingredients and zucchini into the wet ingredients in batches. Mix it until everything is moistened and combined. If you want to add chocolate chips, do that now.

Pour the batter into your pan and pop it in the oven. I didn't have a 9x5 pan so I used my slightly smaller pan and one mini-loaf pan.

Please ignore the cast iron pizza pan...it's been treated pretty roughly.

 Bake the cake...I mean bread...for about an hour. You should be able to stick a toothpick in it and have it come out clean. Set the loaf on a cooling rack and dump it out whenever you feel up to it. If you make muffins instead of a loaf, they only take about 20 minutes.

I forgot to take a picture of it sliced because I just wanted to eat it. So yummy! Next time I'm going to make it in muffin wrappers just for something different. If you do that though, remember it won't bake as long. Slice a chunk off and enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Original recipe at http://www.inspiredtaste.net/2108/chocolate-zucchini-bread/