Zucchini Carrot Bread

It's that time of year when zucchini is starting to spring up in everyone's garden.  Last year I shared my Chocolate Zucchini bread, (which also won 3rd place at the State Fair in bread competition baking).  Now here is my zucchini carrot bread, which is another favorite of mine, and I hope you'll enjoy it also.  The slight hint of orange, anise, and cardamon blend so well, that everyone will be asking "what's that wonderful taste?"

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9" X 5" bread pan with parchment paper and very lightly butter the parchment paper, (note:  I use the leftover butter wrappers to butter the parchment paper - it has just enough for the job.  You can also use baking spray).

You will need:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teas baking powder
1 teas kosher salt
1/4 teas ground cinnamon
1/4 teas anise seeds
1/8 teas ground cardamom
1 medium zucchini
2 medium carrots
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tabs orange peel
1 Tabs orange juice

Grate the zucchini, then transfer to a colander and squeeze out the excess water.  You want your zucchini to be very dry. ( You can also wrap your zucchini in a cotton towel to wring out the excess water.)

Grate the carrots. the zucchini and carrots should total 2 1/2 cups.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, anise seeds, and cardamom.  Whisk together all ingredients.


Note:  Since I don't use a lot of anise seed and cardamom, I purchase just a small amount from the bulk food sections.  That way I don't have a jar setting on the shelf going stale and than I have to throw out old spices.  I just buy a small amount as I need it to use.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs.

Stir in the sugar.

Stir in the melted butter.

Note:  Sometimes I substitute unsweetened applesauce, (that I make from apples that are starting to get a little past their prime), for the butter, this cuts down on the calories and fat, as well as adding another layer of flavor to the bread - yummy !!

Stir in the zucchini and carrots.

 Stir in the orange peel.


Note:  If you have a fresh orange on hand, then by all means zest the orange and use the peel,  The flavor will be more intense and much better.  Today I didn't have one, so I just used dried orange peel.

Stir in the orange juice.


Note:  Again, if you have a fresh orange, after you have removed the zest, then squeeze the juice and add it.   Fresh is always best.

Stir in the flour/spice mixture.

Now you will need your parchment lined bread pan.

 Pour the batter into the bread pan.


You can already smell the wonderful anise scent and the warm scent from the cinnamon and cardamon.  It smells so good!

 Spread the batter to the corners, and level it out.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

After the bread is baked, remove from the pan and allow to cool on a baking rack.

If you want an extra layer of flavor, you can mix up a quick orange glaze, (orange juice and confectioner's sugar), and just before removing the bread from the pan drizzle the glaze over the slightly warm bread - oh so yummy!!

Notice how festive the bread is with the orange and green flecks from the carrots and zucchini?  And it is a nice golden buttery yellow and very flaky inside.  And the smell is so inviting.

And it taste wonderful.

I hope you enjoy this bread as much as my family does.

This makes wonderful snack size loafs, (for neighbor gifts), and muffin sizes, (just bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes).  Great for breakfast, snack time, anytime.

Enjoy.

And don't forget to go back and try my chocolate zucchini bread, and my chocolate and spice and everything nice cake.

Great ways to use your excess zucchini, along with my other zucchini recipes.

Enjoy !

Roasted Carrots

The garden carrots are being harvested, and one of our family's favorite dish is roasted carrots.  It is also the EASIEST recipe to make.  Your family is going to love these carrots, even those little kids who say they don't like cooked carrots!!

You'll need:
Carrots
1 Tabs olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)
garlic powder (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

 First clean and slice your carrots, (lengthwise).  There's no need to peel the carrots, as long as you scrub them and get all the dirt off of them!!  Place the carrots in a short rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.  (Note: for this whole pan of carrots, I used 1 tablespoon of olive oil).  Then toss the carrots to evenly coat the oil over all the carrots, (I just get in there with my hands and rub the oil all over all the carrots).

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder. (For this amount of carrots I used 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and garlic powder.)  Bake carrots for 25 minutes, until tender when a fork is inserted.

And there you have it!!  Roasted Carrots.  They will taste like you added honey, (because the roasting brought out the natural sugars in the carrots).  Sometimes I throw a couple of cut up onions on the baking sheet and a couple cloves of garlic.  Then let the vegetables all cook at once.  Early in the morning I can throw a chicken or a roast in my slow cooker, and at the last 1/2 hour cook my fresh carrots in the oven.  DELICIOUS!!  Tonight I'm serving these with a pork roast that I cooked in my slow cooker.

Tomorrow my husband is carrying the leftover pork roast, some roasted carrots , and a freshly make salad for his lunch.  Just a couple minutes in the microwave and this will be ever so yummy again.  Give these carrots a try.

I'm going to use the few leftovers carrots later this week when I make a butternut squash soup, so check back and get that recipe.

Enjoy and let me know how your family enjoyed the roasted carrots.