Courgette, Basil, Polenta and Cheese Wedges

This is a great recipe for a simple weeknight meal. It does take a little bit of prep time but it's well worth it.  It's also vegetarian if you are looking to eat less meat of if you are a vegetarian. The recipe is quite versatile and you can add in a few extra ingredients if you wish. It's great for lunchboxes the next day and will also be good for picnics in the summer. I've made this a few times at home each time with a slight variation so I thought I'd share it with you. Mine turned out a little soft but it tasted delicious warm with the tomato sauce. You can really taste the polenta and the chili and tomatoes added an extra kick and bite to it. I loved the basil as well and used a lot of it in my recipe. I think it's going on the menu plan again this week! 

I'm sending this to a few blog challenges this month. 

Treat Petite hosted by Kat from The Baking Explorer and Stuart from Cakeyboi. The theme this month is fruit and veg. There's courgette and tomatoes in this recipe and as it's served in wedges I hope it qualifies for the challenge!

Cooking with Herbs hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. This recipe uses a lot of fresh basil. 

Extra Veg hosted by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy. 

Tea Time Treats hosted by Janie from The Hedgecombers and Karen from Lavender and Lovage. There's no theme this month and these would make for a great tea time treat! 

Meat Free Mondays hosted by Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes.

 courgette and cheese mixture

 polenta 

 ready to go in the oven

 making the tomato sauce

Recipe adapted slightly from The Veg Space

For the wedges
1 courgette, coarsely grated
50g cheddar cheese, grated
1 red chilli, finely chopped

2 fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped (also works well with sundried tomatoes)
20g butter, cut into small cubes
large handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
120g instant polenta
450ml vegetable stock

For the tomato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
6 pitted black olives, finely chopped
250g passata
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar

• In a large bowl, mix the grated courgette, cheese, chili, fresh tomatoes, butter and basil leaves. 
• Place the polenta in a medium sized pan.
• Add in the hot vegetable stock, stirring constantly.
• Cook the polenta and stock over a low heat whilst stirring continuously. 
• Remove from the heat and stir in the courgette and cheese mixture. 
• Pour the batter into a springform tin lined with greaseproof paper. 
• Allow to cool and then place in the fridge for about half an hour (I skipped this step once and it still turned out ok).
• Make the tomato sauce by heating the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add in the garlic and chili and cook over a low heat for a few minutes. 
• Add the passata, balsamic vinegar, sugar and olives and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes. 
• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Bake the polenta for 45-40 minutes or until golden brown on top. 
• Slice into wedges and serve with the tomato sauce. 

Zucchini and Orange Marmalade Muffins with Cranberry and Pecans

It's another courgette recipe but it's too good not to share. I saw this on Brown Eyed Baker and the flavour combination really appealed to me. As with my previous post on biscotti, this has a distinctively festive flavour with the orange, pecan and cranberry.  The muffins were quick and easy to put together and made for a substantial breakfast. You can clearly taste the tangy marmalade which pairs well with the cranberry and pecan. You can actually see bits of green from the courgette in the muffin not that it put anyone off. I brought this to a work breakfast do and they were a real hit. Definitely on the bake again list. I also experimented with coconut sugar rather than caster sugar and to be honest I couldn't taste the difference. I was worried that it would have a coconut taste but it didn't so I will definitely be using more of my coconut sugar in the future. I like to think that this is healthier for me as it has courgettes, coconut sugar, dried fruit and nut! 

I'm sending this to a few blog challenges this month.

AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself on alternate months. The letter this month is Z for Zucchini also known as courgette. 

Extra Veg challenge hosted by Jen from Jen's Food this month. The challenge is run by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy. These muffins are a great way to incorporate extra veg into your diet.

Simple and in Season hosted by Ren as courgettes are currently in season. 

No Waste Food Challenge hosted by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary. I used up the end of a jar of marmalade, an open pack of dried cranberries and a pack of pecans which I bought for something else. There was also 1 courgette left in the fridge which was exactly what I needed. 

 adding (strained) finely grated courgette 

 adding dried cranberries and pecan nuts 

 place a pecan nut on top of each muffin before baking 

 I love how you can see the green flecks from the courgette 

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker 

Makes 12 muffins 

185g plain flour

125g coconut sugar

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs

80mls vegetable oil

100g orange marmalade (I used 125g as that was all that was left in the jar) 

50g pecans, roughly chopped

120g dried cranberries

1 courgette, finely grated and strained well

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and ground cinnamon.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil and marmalade. Stir in the courgette. 
• Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix briefly.
• Add in the dried cranberries and pecans and stir until just mixed.
• Divide evenly between 12 muffin cases.
• Place a whole pecan on top of each muffin before baking.
• Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Brie, Courgette and Red Pepper Muffins

J took the bacon, blue cheese and polenta muffins to work and it went down well in his office. However, the vegetarians were disappointed as they didn't get a look in. I felt I had to bake a vegetarian muffin to compensate and as I still had a lot of cheese leftover from the cheese box I decided it had to be a cheesy one. I found this recipe on BBC Good Food and decided to give it a go. The recipe says to skin the peppers which I've never done before and it worked! It was a little messy so I might try using the grill next time. The website said to blacken the whole pepper on an open flame or under a grill. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film. The peppers will shrink at this point. When it's cool, the skin comes off easily with the help of a small knife. 

These muffins were really tasty. I loved the mix of courgette, peppers and cheese and even though I am a bacon addict, I have to say that these were better than the bacon ones! It was well worth the effort of preparing the peppers (which I was tempted to skip) and pre cooking the courgettes. 

I'm sending this to a few blog challenges this month. 

AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself on alternate months. The letter this month is Z for Zucchini also known as courgette. 

Simply Eggcellent hosted by Dom from Belleau Kitchen. The theme this month is anything goes.

Extra Veg challenge hosted by Jen from Jen's Food this month. The challenge is run by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy. These muffins are a great way to incorporate extra veg into your diet.

Simple and in Season hosted by Ren as courgettes are currently in season. 

Love Cake hosted by Ness from Jibber Jabber UK as the theme this month is 'Pack me a Picnic' These muffins are perfect for picnics as they are easy to bake and easy to transport. 

 pre cooking the courgettes 

 multi tasking! 

 lovely buttery courgettes 

 blackened pepper - cover with cling film and when it's cool, scrape the skin off. If there's a little left, just rinse it under a tap and it comes off easily. 

 look at the colourful ingredients! You will spy that there is a little bit of red leicester cheese with the brie as I didn't have enough brie 

 generous sprinkling of applewood cheddar on top before baking 

Recipe from BBC Good Food

2 small or 1 large courgette, cut into small cubes
approximately 25g butter
250g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs (or just oregano)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
100mls milk
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 red peppers, skinned and cubed
85g cheddar cheese, grated (I used applewood cheddar as that was what I had in the fridge)
100g brie, cubed

• Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan and cook the courgettes for about 5 minutes until soft and lightly brown. Set aside.
• Place 2 red peppers over an open flame or under the grill until the skin is charred. You will need to turn the pepper with heat resistant tongs.
• Once the pepper is completely charred, place in a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool for a few minutes.
• Use a small knife to scrape away the skin. You may need to rinse the pepper under a tap if the skin does not come off easily.
• Cut the top of the pepper and remove the seeds and inner membrane.
• Slice the pepper into large chunks.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, dried mixed herbs and salt and pepper to taste. 
• Make a well in the centre and add in the eggs, oil and milk.
• Give it a quick stir. 
• Add the courgettes, red peppers, 2/3 of grated cheddar and brie. 
• Stir until just mixed.
• Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases.
• Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top of each muffin and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Chocolate Courgette Loaf with Nutella and Dried Cranberries

I love eating courgettes but baking with them is even better! I've been patiently waiting for courgette season to try a horde of recipes that I've been saving. Top of the list is a double chocolate chunk courgette loaf cake bookmarked from Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... Initially, I couln't decide between muffins and a loaf cake and in the end the loaf cake won out. I decided to change things up a little and added dried cranberries for extra sweetness and colour and my favourite nutella for the chocolate flavouring. I baked this twice as the first time was a FAIL! I didnt squeeze the water out of the courgette and the loaf was really moist but tasted good. The second time I drained all the water out and it turned out beautifully. The nutella added a hint of nuttiness to the loaf and the dried cranberries worked well with the flavours. I can't wait to bake this again and try different variations but I'm definitely trying the original recipe next. 

I'm sending this to AlphaBakes hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself on alternate months. The letter this month is Z for Zucchini also known as courgette. 

It's also going to the Extra Veg challenge hosted by Jen from Jen's Food this month. The challenge is run by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy. This is a great way to incorporate extra veg into your diet.

For the same reason it's also suitable for Eat Your Greens challenge hosted by Shaheen from A2K- A Seasonal Veg Table. 

As courgettes are in season, I'm sending it to Simple and in Season hosted by Ren. 

 I got a lovely fresh courgette from a colleague's garden - look at the size of it!

 adding in all the lovely ingredients 

 a nutella swirl on top 

 

 Love the burst of colour from the cranberries 

 This is the failed loaf - it didn't hold it's texture and sunk in the middle 

Makes 1 large loaf

2 eggs

150g brown sugar

120mls vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

250g plain flour

120g dried cranberries

130g nutella plus extra for topping

2 small courgettes or 1 large courgette- grated and drained. I put mine in a clean tea towel and squezzed the water out. Worked really well. 

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Prepare the courgettes - grate then drain the excess water out. 
• In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together.
• In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs and add in the vegetable oil.
• Pour the egg and oil mixture into the dry ingredients and give it a brief stir.
• Add in the courgette, dried cranberries and nutella.
• Mix well.
• Pour into a loaf tin and level the top. Add swirls of nutella on top. 
• Bake for approximately 60 minutes but check at 45 minutes for doneness. You may need to to put a piece of foil on top to prevent the top from burning after the 45 minute mark.
• The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Secret Recipe Club: Zucchini Cookies

It's yet another Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day. This is one of my favourite challenges as each month we are paired with a secret blog and we have to pick a recipe to make from that blog and reveal it on the same day. This month, I had the pleasure of looking through Secret Recipe Club's owner April's blog! She is a frugal wife and homeschooling mom who blogs at Angel's Homestead. As expected there are a lot of delicious, home style and frugal recipes on her blog.

April was born and raised in Southern Indiana where she now lives with her husband and children. She also spent many years in Chicago in her late teens and early 20's. Her passion is her family which shows through in her blog. She loves cooking and baking and documents her family’s efforts to live a simple, frugal and self-sufficient life.

I had a great time browsing through her recipes and shortlisting what I wanted to make. When I saw the zucchini (courgette) cookies, I knew I had to make them. I love baking with vegetables and have previously used zucchinis in a cake so I was curious to find out if it would work in a cookie form. Plus cookies are my favourite treat - yes more than cake! 

These cookies were absolutely delicious! I made a lot of cookies and they disappeared really quickly. You can actually see the zucchini in some of the cookies! It was a thin crispy cookie with a lovely spice and crunch of nuts. The chocolate helped to balance the flavours and the wholemeal made it feel healthy and virtuous. I used wholemeal flour instead of plain flour as I had some to hand and I thought it would work well with the flavours here. 

Other recipes that caught my eye were apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies, creamy lemon crumb squares, maple syrup pancake muffins and the BEST chocolate cake EVER (the title says it all for that one!)

 

 adding the grated zucchini

 adding pecan nuts and chocolate chips 

 WARNING - these cookies spread a lot so space them out properly 

 otherwise you get something like this 

 Thin crispy cookie! 

Recipe from Angel's Homestead

The only changes I made was to use wholemeal flour and to reduce the sugar amount. There may be a slight variation with the conversion 

225g butter

250g caster sugar

100g brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

375g wholemeal flour

1.5 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

1.5 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup peeled, grated zucchini - I used 1 medium sized zucchini as shown

1 cup chocolate chips - I used 200g which is just over 1 cup

1/2 cup chopped pecans - I used 90g which was just over 1/2 cup

• Preheat oven to 175C.
• Cream the butter and sugars. 
• Add eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon, 
• Stir in grated zucchini.
• Add pecan nuts and chocolate chips. 
• Place 6 - 8 scoops of cookie dough on each tray (depending on size of your tray) as the cookies spread a LOT whilst baking. 
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and lightly browned on top. 
• Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.