We are busy harvesting on the farm. The peas are all combined, and we are working on the barley. It is also zucchini season right now and our garden is really producing. I thought I would try using a zucchini to make a salad, using fresh garden carrots, onions, carrot tops and dill. Yes, you can eat carrot tops, and they do taste similar to parsley. Chopped carrot tops add a nice touch of green to this salad and are full of nutrition. For this salad I did peel my garden zucchini and cut out the seeds, as the skin is starting to get harder, and the zucchini is a large size. This salad is refreshing, delicious, and full of nutritional goodness.
One of my favourite recipes is Zucchini Chocolate cake. I am sharing that treasured recipe with you as well. This year I made it with lard instead of oil, and I must say, I love the texture even more. The benefit of using lard is that our bodies can recognize how to process this simple fat, unlike vegetable oils, which have a half-life of 600 days. That means for oils like corn, sunflower and soy, it takes 600 days for your body to be able to process half of the oil consumed.
Zucchini Salad
4 cups cubed zucchini
1 cup grated carrot
1/3 cup chopped onion (red or yellow)
1 red pepper chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or carrot top
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl. In a small bowl combine all the salad dressing ingredients. Dress the salad. Refrigerate for 1 – 12 hours before serving to allow the flavours to mingle.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
2/3 cup melted lard
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup water
2 teaspoon instant coffee
2 cups flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 – 3 cups grated zucchini
Beat together the lard, and eggs then beat in the sugar and vanilla together. Add the cup of water and the coffee. You can also use 1 cup of coffee instead of the water and instant coffee. In a separate bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the liquid. I use a held mixer for all of it except the zucchini which I stir in at the end. Bake in a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch metal pan for 35 -40 minutes at 325 degrees or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake come out clean. Ice with a chocolate buttercream icing.
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