More fun with zuccini...there's just something about that veggie!

Moist, fudgy, amazing goodness!

I confess I sometimes wonder if anyone reads this blog...just because few people comment...but then I check the stats, and discover that it IS read! Yay! ^_^

Yesterday I wanted to use up the last of my baseball bat sized zuccini. It was so huge...but I successfully used it up! And in a most delicious way too. First, I made another batch of zuccini muffins. This time I made only muffins with cranberries, and then  muffins with nuts. (TBG loves the nuts best, but the cranberries are our second favorite) I took some to a friend's house for a pre-dinner snack, froze some, and took the rest over to another friend's house. Gotta share the love a bit!

There was another thing I took to both my friend's houses. What I used the last of the zuccini on. Zuccini brownies. Don't make a face! They were the best! So fudgy, rich, thick, soo not unhealthy tasting! So delicious by themselves. Amazing when heated up slightly, and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of it! (mind you, for us dairy-free peoples, our ice cream is Vanilla Rice Dream, tastes just like a vanilla ice cream and sooo good!) That Bearded Guy and I were melting into our chairs. Best dessert ever. We were shocked with how amazing they were. And the best part? They are less carbs and calories than the peanut butter brownies, so I can eat more of them! ^_^ Just what I needed for pre-holidays!

And it was really rather lovely, before, when I'd grate zuccini or anything, I'd use my hand grater. But this time, I used my mandolin slicer that I got with my work supplies. And this doesn't scare me like my old mandolin slicer-this has a much better food gripper thingy! It made quick work of the zuccini, and my fingertips weren't tingling with fear like they used to. (I kinda sliced my finger really deep another time on my old mandolin slicer. I've been scared of the things every since) Yay for a new kitchen toy tool!

I found the recipe online, and it wasn't a gluten-free friendly recipe. Nor was it lactose-free friendly. Or diabetic friendly, for that matter! But I changed that baby around and made it perfect for our consumption. *woot*

And now you can enjoy some lovely, semi-healthy, gluten-free, dairy-free brownies for your households consumption!



1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
(if you want, you can use just 1 cup of any rice flour, the blend is best, but if you don't have time or all the flours listed, it is a completely viable option)
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup carob chips
1/4 cup maple chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 and spray your 8x11 brownie pan of choice.
2. In a mixer, blend the sugar, oil and flour until it resembles wet sand. (and it will!) After it resembles sand, keeping the mixer on low, add cocoa, zuccini, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Once it's fully incorporated, add in the carob chips.
3. Pour brownie batter into pan and bake for 25-30, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and brownies appear set.
4. Let cool fully before cutting. If you have the patience. It'll look a bit messy if you're impatient. Just FYI... >_>

Serves about 35. 80 calories and 13.5 carbs each. YAY!

 Oh, and as a note, the maple chips give little bursts of sweetness-and they are the lighter colored flecks in the brownie pictures. We've yet to actually find a strand of zuccini. It just melts into the brownie!



With the ice cream of immense yummy-ness!