So, I gleaned through my past CSA emails to find a couple of recipes which can definitely help, these were contributed by Afua Yeboa:
The carrot cake was the inspiration for this delicious dessert. Grated zucchini, which makes the cake extra-moist takes the place of the carrots:
Yield: Makes 10 servings
Active Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
ingredients
Cake:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup olive oil (not extra-virgin)
- 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (about 8 ounces)
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
Frosting:
- 1/2 8-ounce package Philadelphia brand cream cheese (do not use reduced-fat or fat-free), room temperature
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- preparation
For cake:
- Position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with nonstick spray.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, coarse salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in medium bowl to blend well. Whisk oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl to blend well; fold in flour mixture, then grated zucchini and pecans. Transfer cake batter to prepared pan.
- Bake cake until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on a rack, about 1 hour. Cut around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto platter; peel off the parchment paper.
For frosting:
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until blended. Beat in sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Spread frosting thickly over top of the cake. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
- Cut cake into wedges and serve.
Butternut Squash with
Walnuts and Vanilla Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds, peeled, seeds removed, flesh cut into 1-inch cubes (see how to cut and peel a butternut squash)
- 3 bay leaves (if boiling the squash)
- Salt
- 1 heaping cup of walnuts (can substitute pecans or pine nuts)
- 2-3 Tbsp butter
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Black pepper to taste
Method:
- If roasting Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat the cubed squash with a little vegetable oil and spread out onto a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and roast until the cubes begin to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- If boiling Put 4 cups of water into a medium-sized pot and add the bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Add the squash to the pot. Boil, covered for 10 minutes. Drain.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and toast the walnuts. Stir frequently or they will burn. Once they start to brown, and you can smell the aroma of toasted walnuts, remove from heat.
- Melt the butter in the pan with the walnuts over medium-high heat. Toss the walnuts to coat with butter, then add the squash. Toss them to coat with butter.
- Add the grated ginger, vanilla extract, black pepper, a little salt, and dried thyme and toss once more. Turn off the heat and squeeze some lemon juice over everything. Taste for salt and lemon and add more to taste. If you want this to be a bit more luxurious, mix in another tablespoon of butter or two before serving.
- Serves 4.
