Hi friends! I hope you are having a great week. The number of summer weekends are numbered and I am trying to savor each one of them. Even though this summer looks different, I am still trying to make it memorable for the kids. Every summer, I get a few bounties of zucchini from the farmers market and make my favorite zucchini recipes. This year, I am adding this easy chocolate zucchini cake recipe to that list!

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The post Chocolate Zucchini Cake appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Let’s get on with today’s recipe; zucchini coconut chocolate chip cookies, from Alice. Alice is my blogger boo and I’ve been very lucky to have her as a friend these past few years. She is kind, nurturing and an excellent mom so I’ve been learning a lot from her. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with me!

Hey guys!

I’m Alice from Hip Foodie Mom and am so happy to be here today! I made these fabulous Zucchini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies for you guys and Zainab so you have to try them!

I have two daughters, ages 4 and 8. I wasn’t blogging full-time back when I had them so I have so much respect and admiration for those who are doing the blogging thing with a newborn. I’m not sure I could have done it.

Because I was emotional you guys. Like weepy and emotional. Not in a depressed way but in an oh-my-gawd-this-is-my-child-what-a-miracle! kind of way. Every moment was captured on camera and every night I would sit and watch her sleep and get all teary eyed. And if you think about it, we women are all kinds of fabulous. We give birth (and there’s all kinds of healing and things that go on down there after childbirth), breast feed, and if you have other kids, you have to take care of them too. I know this is so cliché but being a mother really is the hardest job ever. But it’s also what we make it. And it’s also forgiving because, if you’re like me, you will most definitely screw up and wonder if you’ve scarred your kids for life. I am grateful for my daughters’ loving and forgiving hearts and that they still wake up and come running to me. Even when I am crazy.

Because I’ve gone through childbirth twice, I wanted to share some advice that I wish other moms had shared with me.

So, here goes: if you’re the controlling type, it might be hard to let go right after you’ve had your baby and let people help you, or ask for help. Help with the housework and cooking and anything else. Ask for and accept help. You’ll need it. Although you’d like to think so, you are not Super Woman, and if you are, you still need help sometimes too.

Don’t feel guilty about leaving your baby and going to the gym or getting a manicure, or a haircut. Take care of yourself! Pamper yourself and don’t feel bad about it. Get out of those house clothes and take a shower. Take a shower everyday. If the weather allows, get outside everyday and go for a walk. That’s seriously free therapy right there. I stayed cooped up in my house for a few weeks and felt miserable. When I started getting out and taking walks with my daughter, I was a whole new person. And go to the mall, or Barnes and Noble or meet your friend at Starbuck’s. You can take your newborn out. Don’t be afraid of it.

And as far as eating out is concerned, if you were a couple who ate out a lot, do it! You can do things as a family. Don’t forget that. Now, the restaurants that you go to might be different. Like, you’re not going to take a newborn to that hot, new hip restaurant in town but you might hit up your favorite local Italian joint. Start small and work up! We started at Soup Plantation and by the time I had my second child, I was taking Madeline with me to Restaurant Week in Seattle for lunch.

Don’t forget to give your significant other some love and attention too. Often times, since we are dealing with the baby and we’re tired and you guys might be fighting or arguing a little more often because you are sleep deprived ..  try to spend even just 15 minutes with your spouse, talking, catching up on the day’s events. And when you’re ready, make sure you are going to funky town every now and then. Zainab’s a Parenthood fan so I hope she knows what this means. Come on. We’re all adults. We need some lovin’ every now and then.

And I’ll end with this: if at all possible, sleep-train your baby in his or her crib. I have a lot of friends who are big fans of co-sleeping or letting their baby/toddler/kid sleep with them and hey, if that’s your thing, you can stop reading. There are some studies that speak to kids who co-slept with their parents and the studies say they are more confident and secure in themselves or something like that. But people can argue the opposite side too. At the end of the day, you need do to what you need to do to survive and get sleep. In my humble opinion, if you can and are able, start the baby off in the crib and keep the baby in the crib until he or she is ready to move to a bed. I bought all the sleep-training books and didn’t read a single one. I flipped through a few and we did have our first daughter in bed with us because it was easier for me and my husband, but let me tell you, it took forever to get her out.

The thing that I loved, which I didn’t think I would, was making my own baby food. Don’t get me wrong, I did buy the pre-made stuff too for then we needed it but I did a mixture of both. Phoebe would be sitting at the table and Madeline in her high chair and they’d be staring at me as I was whirling something together in my blender or food processor. And now, my girls are often with me in the kitchen when I’m cooking or baking.

They are still young so they are not at the stove with me but they are great mixers and they helped me make these cookies!

These are seriously the best cookies I’ve made in a while. And the kids didn’t think twice about devouring cookies with green stuff in them. I hope you try these!

And Zainab, my dear friend, I can’t wait to see you (and maybe E) in November! Big hug and love you!

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Zucchini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Total Time 34 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temp
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 ½ cups gluten free baking flour*
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Using a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted and cooled coconut oil and sugars, and stir until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla and zucchini and mix until combined.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, and stir until just combined. Mix in the oats, shredded coconut and chocolate chips.

Use a tablespoon sized cookie scoop and place dough balls on your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. At this point, you can gently press a few additional chocolate chips on top of the cookie dough balls if you’d like.

Bake the cookies for about 12 to 14 minutes, or until cookies are golden around the edges and set. Cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Notes

You can use all-purpose flour for this recipe. I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 baking flour.
Adapted from here

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The post Zucchini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies {GF} appeared first on A Classic Twist.

I’m excited to be sharing this zucchini bread recipe with you guys today! To be completely honest, I stuck my nose up at zucchini for awhile, and then my friend and I decided to make zucchini noodles one night for dinner. Since then, we just send each other zucchini recipes to make, so I figured it was time for me to give zucchini bread a shot!

When I told that same friend that I wanted to try making some zucchini bread, she acted totally disgusted. I was like, are you kidding me? She explained that whenever said zucchini bread, it always made her think of actual bread. You know, the kind you make sandwiches with and toast with butter. (Which you can totally do with zucchini bread, btw.) But instead of bread, it’s closer to cake. I said, “Well yeah, it’s kind of like banana bread.” And she said she didn’t like banana bread either.

After evaluating our friendship, I vowed to make her try some zucchini bread at some point. Sadly she didn’t get to try any of this, but I think it totally would have changed her mind. This zucchini bread is nice and soft, and it’s studded with little flakes of zucchini and shredded coconut. The bread is also flavored with a little bit of lemon zest and fresh lime juice. Then a lime glaze is dumped over the top, and then it’s ready to slice and serve!

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Coconut Lime Zucchini Bread

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Zucchini Bread Ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1 1⁄2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1⁄4 tsp baking powder
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp coconut extract
• 1⁄4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 tsp lime zest

Fresh Lime Glaze Ingredients:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1⁄4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In another bowl, mix sugar, oil, coconut extract, and lime juice with an electric mixer on medium

speed. Add eggs and mix well.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined. Then mix

on medium speed until completely combined. Fold in zucchini, coconut, and lime zest.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-­40 minutes, or until golden brown and center

is set. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing.

For Glaze:

1. Whisk lime juice and powdered sugar in a bowl until completely incorporated. Pour glaze over
2. slightly cooled zucchini bread.

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

The post Coconut Lime Zucchini Bread appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Happy Monday friends! Happy Labor Day! I hope you are having a relaxing weekend with your family.

It’s back-to-school season and I got together with some graduate student friends to bring you a themed series on life as a student blogger. This week we are featuring recipes that are low-budget/cost-saving for  The Starving Grad/Undergrad Student. This orange zucchini bread definitely fits that bill as it is not only quick to whip up, it uses summer’s juicy vegetable to give you a delicious treat!

But let me back up for a minute. I am sure most of you know, I am a graduate student by day. I am pursuing my PhD in Neuroscience and as fancy as that sounds, it gets exhausting from time to time. I actually started baking (and ultimately blogging) as a way to destress and do something that I love outside of reading science. Little did I know that blogging was a whole other full time job!! But I love it and can’t see myself stopping. Time management skills have yet to be mastered and for now I run on sleep deprivation. I am working on it!

When things get challenging and I need more hours in the day, I rely on quick snacks and breakfasts to make it through the day. Most times, I crave healthy hearty snacks that will boost my energy but being a baker, I love making quick sweets for snack time. This orange zucchini bread was my lifeline this August as I made it twice!! Thanks to my father-in-law’s garden that was supplying us with endless zucchinis, I was enjoying this summer harvest vegetable.

I love sweet bread recipes because they are always so simple to make (perfect for my crazy life) and are ALWAYS moist. This orange combination today was inspired by Allie, over at Baking a Moment. She made a gorgeous zucchini cake a few weeks ago that just sounded perfect. I knew I had to try that combo. And I am so glad I did because this orange zucchini bread was just as delicious as I thought. The hints of citrus and juicy zucchini in this bread will just have you holding on to summer for just a little longer 🙂

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Yield: 1 loaf

Orange Zucchini Bread

The hints of citrus and juicy zucchini in this bread will just have you holding onto summer for just a little longer. 

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoon orange vanilla extract (or vanilla extract)
• Zest of one orange
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2½ cups finely grated zucchini
• ½ cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large loaf pan (9 x 5) with baking spray and set aside.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and olive oil in another medium bowl until combined. Add in the vanilla extract, zest, and orange juice. Beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture in one addition and stir until combined. Stir in the zucchini and pecans.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes until golden brown bread and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Let bread cool in pan for 10 mins, then turn out and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)
• 
  Professional-Grade Nonstick Loaf Pan 9 x 5
• 
  OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Loaf Pan, 1 lb.

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

Show our #gradstudentbloggers and #undergradstudentbloggers your support! Check out the whole list of featured Starving Student recipes now:

Brussel Sprouts and Sausage Pizza via Bacon Egg Cheese(cake)

Strawberry Greens Salad via Go Bake Yourself

Chicken and Jalapeno Quesadillas via PicNic

Chocolate Sea Salt Date “Caramel” Bars (GF, V, Raw) via Wallflour Girl

Homemade Spaghetti with Garlic, Chili, and Herbs via Daisy and the Fox

Orange Zucchini Bread via Blahnik Baker

As a fun bonus to this roundup, we asked today’s student bloggers some fun, wacky questions about their (im)balanced school/blogger lives: read their answers now on our hostess’s blog, Wallflour Girl!

Want to join, or know a university food blogger who would? We would love to have you: email Ala at wallflourgirl@gmail.com to sign up!

The #gradstudentblogger and #undergradstudentblogger series showcases the lives and talent of insanely busy food bloggers from across all stages of their higher education pathway. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you again in two weeks!

Other Quick Breads you WILL LOVE:

Banana Coconut Bread

Coconut Key Lime Bread

Pumpkin Sage Bread

The post Orange Zucchini Bread appeared first on A Classic Twist.

We are going to embrace this summer head-on today people with a summer vegetable galette! Embrace and hold on to it for as long as possible because before we know it, it will be GONE.

Are you swimming in summer vegetables right now? Please tell me I am not the only one. Between our tomato plant and my weakness for corn and the farmer’s market, I am swimming in vegetables. A co-worker has a load of zucchini and that cued the zucchini baking. But first up, a savory galette for dinner on Saturday. When I am feeling lazy after a long day of chores, this easy galette was just the answer.

So what’s going on here? Well, it’s quite simple. A flaky buttery pie crust is spread with a fresh herb cheese mixture and then topped with summer vegetables tossed in olive oil and fresh herbs. Simple good. It’s incredibly delicious to say the least and just perfect for the summer. You can use any of your vegetables from your garden here. I used zucchini, summer squash, corn and tomatoes. But I am sure any combination will be delicious here too!

I hope you are having a great summer!

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Yield: 1 galette

Summer Vegetable Galette

A summer vegetable galette that's simple, honest and delicious with juicy veggies!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the Pizza Crust:

Toggle ingredient group

• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons shortening, cold and cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

For the Filling:

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• ¼ medium onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• ½ cup zucchini, sliced
• ½ cup summer squash, sliced
• 1-2 medium tomatoes, sliced
• ¼ cup corn kernels (from fresh corn)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Instructions

To make the crust:

1. Prepare ¼ cup ice-cold water and refrigerate until use. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Process a few times until butter is about the size of a pea. With processor on, slowly drizzle in ice-cold water to the mixture, one tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. Remove dough from the bowl and pat down into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Filling:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, mayo, onion, thyme, and black pepper. Salt to taste.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the vegetables with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. When the dough is chilled, roll out into a 12-inch circle. (I rolled mine between two well-floured parchments to make transfer easy). Transfer to a baking sheet.
2. Spread cheese mixture evenly in the middle of the dough, leaving a 2-3 inch border around. Spoon vegetables into the dough, placing them on top of the cheese mixture. Fold up the sides, gently tucking in over the veggies in a folding/pleating pattern. Brush dough with egg wash.
3. Bake galette for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden and juice from the vegetables runs out. Let cool before serving warm.

Making this Recipe?

Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!

Summer Vegetable Galette with Pesto

Skinny Cobb Salad

Roasted Vegetable Rotini

Roasted Veggie Galette

Can I ask you guys for a favor before you leave?  I’ve been preoccupied with the health care epidemic facing my country, Sierra Leone, and the region of West Africa. If you are not reading the news, there is a deadly outbreak of Ebola currently in West Africa that has claimed the lives of almost a thousand people. My family (mom, brothers, and sisters, extended relatives) lives in Sierra Leone where the outbreak is rapidly spreading and they are all living in fear. Worse of all, my little sister just started her residency at one of the local hospitals and is in the middle of this battle. Needless to say, I am scared, helpless, and just on edge praying for a resolution soon.

I am asking for your prayers. Please keep the people of Sierra Leone and all those affected in your prayers.

The post Summer Vegetable Galette appeared first on A Classic Twist.

Guys, I really wish I could tell you I am a more active human being and spend a lot of time outdoors and not on my couch watching TV. Or that I do not enjoy watching a gazillion TV shows. But I can’t. I love TV shows. I watch way too many for my own good. I know it. My shows are mostly dramas (medical and crime) and comedies. No zombies, vampires, fake housewives drama, or any ‘reality’ TV for that matter for me. So you will find me glued to Grey’s Anatomy (should seriously stop watching), Scandal (LOVE!!), Big Bang Theory, Modern Family, and SVU to name a few of my favorites. So the arrival of fall does not only bring pumpkin lattes and these apple crumble cheesecake bars, but it also brings back all my TV shows. My DVR gets super busy, and my weekends are mainly used to catch up. Luckily, it snows a lot and gets really cold around here from Halloween to March, and I have no desire to be out in it, so I hibernate. Story of my life.

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The post Zucchini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies appeared first on A Classic Twist.