Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Since zucchini is in season, I thought I would work on a recipe for zucchini muffins. And what goes better with zucchini than chocolate? This is my new favorite chocolate muffin recipe. The zucchini helps the muffins not to crumble and to stay moist, even the day after they are made. And if you'd like to be a little more decadent, you can turn the muffins into cupcakes by spreading some frosting on top.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
makes 6 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder. I use Ghirardelli brand because I like the flavor.
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Starbuck's decaffeinated Via instant coffee. (This is optional. I like using it because it enhances the chocolate flavor.)
• 1/2 cup vanilla-flavored rice milk
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. flax seed meal
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, packed
• 1/4 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips. The two kinds I use that do not contain milk fat are Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips and Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 6 cups of a muffin tin with canola oil. Heat the rice milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flax seed meal and set aside.

In a medium bowl sift the flour and cocoa powder using a sieve or whisk. Add the baking soda, sea salt, and instant coffee, and stir to combine. In a small bowl mix the sugar, rice milk and flax mixture, canola oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Peel the zucchini and grate onto a plate using the larger holes on a grater. Measure the grated zucchini by packing it firmly into a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Add the grated zucchini to the small bowl with the liquid ingredients and stir to combine. Pour the zucchini and liquid mixture into the medium bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir just until you don't see anymore dry flour. Then fold the chocolate chips into the batter.

Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop a level 1/3 cup (not heaping) of the batter into each of the 6 cups of the muffin tin. Bake for about 17 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Use a narrow spatula to loosen the muffins from the tin. Then remove the muffins to let them cool on a wire rack.

Roasted Carrots with Lemon or Orange Glaze

This recipe is perfect for the nights when I don't have any other vegetable in the house besides a bag of baby carrots. As long as I have a lemon or an orange on hand, I can make these roasted carrots, and the girls and Michael are sure to like them. I got the idea from a recipe I found for roasted carrots with lemon dressing. The original recipe uses lemon zest and juice, but I discovered that the carrots taste just as good with orange zest and juice, so I make whichever will taste better with the rest of the dinner.

Roasted Carrots with Lemon or Orange Glaze
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. baby carrots (1 small bag)
  
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tsp. honey (or 3 tsp. if you prefer it a bit sweeter)
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (OR orange juice from a naval orange)
• zest from 1/2 lemon (OR 1 tsp. orange zest)

Instructions:

Take the baby carrots out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the carrots and dry them with a towel. If any of the carrots are thicker than your pinkie finger, cut them in half. Transfer the carrots to a medium-size bowl and pour the olive oil over them. Toss them with the olive oil and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil and put the pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake until the carrots are browned and tender, stirring them every 10 minutes. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes.

If you are pressed for time, move the tray to the upper-middle rack position and increase the temperature to 450 degrees. Then it should take less time, but check the carrots more frequently to avoid having some get charred. The other trick for reducing the preparation time is, while the oven is preheating, to microwave the oil-covered carrots until they are tender. Then roast the carrots uncovered on the upper-middle oven rack.

While the carrots are roasting, zest the lemon or orange. Squeeze the juice of the lemon or orange through a strainer and into a cup. In a small bowl whisk together the zest, 2 tablespoons juice, salt, and honey. Set the glaze aside until the carrots are ready.

When the carrots are done, transfer them to a serving bowl. Pour the glaze over the carrots, toss to coat, and serve.

North Conway, NH

A couple of weeks ago Michael's parents came to visit and we all drove up to North Conway to spend the weekend there. We had a great time together going swimming, hiking, and having fun at Story Land. At Story Land itself the only things Michael could eat were the cotton candy and freshly squeezed lemonade. Fortunately, Michael likes cotton candy and lemonade, so he didn't mind snacking on those for a few hours. And the girls were more than willing to help him with the cotton candy. The next time we go I need to remember to pack Michael a sandwich, though, so he has something a little healthier to balance out all of the sugar.

We also had a great time going out to eat together. For dinner we really enjoyed going to The Black Cap Grille, which had several gluten-free dinner options and Michael's favorite gluten-free beer, Bard's. The restaurant even offered gluten-free buns so that Michael could have a hamburger, his first at a restaurant in years. For lunch we went to A Taste of Thai restaurant, which had excellent service, nice ambiance, and great-tasting Thai food. For being in the mountains of New Hampshire, I was really pleased with finding two family-friendly restaurants where we all enjoyed going to eat. The next time we visit I'd like to check out Shalimar of India, which also looks like a good option for us.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange Rub

I don't know why it took me so long to start grilling pork tenderloin. It's so good, and it's less expensive than a similar cut of beef or the all-natural chicken breast we have to buy. I asked my friend Jenn for her pork tenderloin recipe because Michael and I liked it so much when she made it for us. It's originally a Cooks' Illustrated recipe, but I tweaked it a little, based on what I usually have on hand in the kitchen. The tricky thing is, now that we have one pork tenderloin recipe that we really like, will we be able to find another recipe that we like just as well?

The recipe below is for two adults and two small children. If you want to feed four adults, buy a tenderloin that is at least 1 1/2 lb., and double the brine and the wet rub. For four adults and 2 or more children, buy 2 1-lb. tenderloins and double the recipe.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Orange Rub
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup cold water
• zest of 1 large naval orange
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt

Instructions:

Two hours before you want to serve the tenderloin, rinse it thoroughly under cold water and remove all silver skin. In a medium-size bowl, stir together the hot water, sugar, and sea salt until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Then stir in the cold water. Submerge the tenderloin in the brine, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a small bowl make the rub by mixing together the orange zest, minced garlic, olive oil, honey, pepper, and salt. Remove the pork from the brine, rinse it well, and dry it thoroughly with paper towels. Rub the tenderloin all over with the orange rub.

Cook the pork on the grill over medium-high heat with the lid closed for 3 to 4 minutes per side for the first 3 sides, until each side is nicely browned. Cook the fourth side over medium heat for about 2 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees and the meat is slightly pink in the center. Place the pork on a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil for 5 minutes. Then cut the pork into 1-inch wide pieces and serve.

Charlottesville, VA (#2)

Michael and I went to the Charlottesville area again this summer to celebrate our wedding anniversary while my wonderful parents watched the girls. This year we spent less time hiking in the heat and humidity and more time wine-tasting in the nice air-conditioned tasting rooms. I don't know that my palate is any more refined than it was before the trip, but I can say that I still prefer red wine to white wine, except for the sweet white wines and ice wines. Our favorite vineyard in the area is still Veritas Vineyard and Winery, which we have gone back to every year that we've visited Charlottesville. The wine is consistently of high quality, and the grounds are beautiful.

This year we stayed at Le Bleu Ridge Bed and Breakfast, which is south-west of Charlottesville. The room was great, the owners of the bed and breakfast were very friendly, and the breakfasts were amazing. They consisted of three courses, none of which contained any wheat or corn. The first morning we had fresh fruit, frittata, salad, and coconut rice pudding. The second morning we had scones, salad, breakfast sausages, and berry-filled crepes. Danielle, one of the owners, even gave us some leftover fruit and scones to take with us on the road.

For the rest of our meals we decided to try out some more restaurants in Charlottesville. For lunch we wanted to go to Lemon Grass, a Thai restaurant that has great reviews and carefully labels which items on the menu are gluten-free. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed the day we were there. However, we had great success with our dinner choices. The first night we went to Hamiltons', which is on the downtown mall, the outdoor pedestrian area. It was a great place for a special dinner date, and I'd love to go back to try out more of the entrees and desserts. The second night we went to Duner's, a restaurant that several locals recommended to us. The interior looked like a rustic beach shack with plain wooden booths and tables. With curiosity and amusement we watched as more and more Mercedes pulled into the parking lot and the restaurant was packed by 7 pm. However, once our meal arrived, we knew why. The food was high quality and the portions were large. I thoroughly enjoyed my seared duck breast with asparagus spaetzle and peach-citrus glaze.

Carrot Spice Muffins (egg-free)

I thought I was done coming up with muffin varieties since I have several that the girls and I enjoy. However, the mood came over me to try something new, so I decided to experiment with egg-free carrot muffins. At first I used cinnamon and nutmeg to flavor the muffins, but that combination didn't taste quite right to me. Then I realized that I wanted something a little different and subtler, so I tried using cardamom with a bit of cinnamon. Wow. This flavor combination is so good that I'm willing to peel and grate two carrots first thing in the morning to make these muffins.

Carrot Spice Muffins
makes 6 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice milk. I used Trader Joe's vanilla rice drink or vanilla flavored Rice Dream.
• 1 Tbsp. flax seed meal. I use Bob's Red Mill brand.
• 1 cup and 2 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• 1/2 Tbsp. (which is 1 and 1/2 tsp.) apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrots, packed (about 2 small to medium size carrots)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 6 cups of a muffin tin with canola oil. Heat the rice milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flax seed meal and set aside.

In a medium bowl sift the flour using a sieve or whisk. Add the baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, and cardamom, and stir to combine. In a small bowl mix the sugar, rice milk and flax mixture, canola oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Peel the carrots and grate them onto a plate using the smaller holes on a grater. Measure the grated carrot by packing it firmly into a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Add the grated carrot to the small bowl with the liquid ingredients and stir to combine. Then pour the carrot and liquid mixture into the medium bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir just until you don't see anymore dry flour.

Scoop the batter evenly into the cups of the muffin tin and bake for 18 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Use a narrow spatula to loosen the muffins from the tin. Then remove the muffins to let them cool on a wire rack.

Hanover, NH

Michael, the girls, and I went up to Hanover on Saturday, June 18th, for my 10-year college reunion. (Technically, it was my 11-year reunion, but Dartmouth groups three classes together for a "10-year" reunion.) It was great having a picnic lunch on the green, spending time with a couple of my close college friends, and walking around campus and along Pine Park.

After the walk we wanted something refreshing for snack, so we decided to try out the new gelato shop on Main Street. I was so excited that they had two flavors that were dairy-free, egg-free, and corn-free, so we could all enjoy the gelato together. The flavor of the strawberry gelato was especially nice. And the texture was more like soft-serve ice cream, not as icy or cold as regular ice cream or sorbet. Even Naomi, who refuses to eat ice cream or anything too cold, liked it!


Finally, before heading home we went to dinner at the Jewel of India, an Indian restaurant that Michael and I frequented while dating. The food tasted great, but unfortunately the restaurant puts cream or yogurt in almost everything. The next time we visit Hanover, I might want to try going to Mai Thai, another restaurant on Main Street that Michael and I used to go to. Lui Lui in West Lebanon now has a gluten-free menu, so we could also go there.

Going to the Upper Valley reminded me of the many excellent restaurants that Michael took me to on dates when we lived there. Unfortunately, not very many of them are suitable for children. (I.e., if we're going to spend that much money on dinner, we don't want to take our children, as wonderful as they are.) If we ever go back just the two of us, at the top of my list would be to go to Zins, Simon Pearce, or the Parker House Inn. In the mean time, I'll think with fond memories of our picnic on the green and the lovely strawberry gelato.