I found this recipe when I was looking for a new way to use up zucchini.  Although I didn't get many zucchini from my garden this year, I wanted to try a new recipe, preferably something savory that was not a bread or muffin.  I made a savory zucchini muffin last year that ended up in the freezer and disguised as stuffing (trust me, they were not good!).

These fritters on the other hand did not end up in the freezer, there were none left, nor did they require a disguise.  Served with a fresh garden tomato salad, these made a great light summer meal.

Here is what you'll need:

• 2 medium zucchini
• sea salt
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 ears corn, kernels cut off 
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• Canola oil, for frying
• salt 

Shred zucchini on grater.  Set in strainer, salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes.  Squeeze remaining liquid from zucchini.

Meanwhile in a small fry pan over medium-high heat, melt butter and saute onion and garlic until softened, stirring occasionally.  Add corn and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda and pepper.

In a separate large bowl, beat buttermilk and egg together.  Add corn mixture and zucchini and mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

Coat bottom of fry pan with canola oil and heat to medium-high heat.  Using 2 soup spoons, scoop batter and place in hot fry pan.  Cook 3-4 minutes until brown, flip and brown other side another 3 minutes.  Remove from fry pan and place on paper towel.  Salt immediately and allow to cool slightly before serving.

I was able to get 11 fritters using this method.

Source: Food Network Magazine via Food Network

I'm so happy to be back participating in What's Baking!  This month's theme, Bake Local, was chosen by Lindsey from Our Share of the Harvest.  Lindsey's blog is dedicated to cooking local and a great resource when it comes to cooking from a CSA share.

It wasn't until this week that I nailed down a recipe and I'm glad I waited.  Zucchini season is now in full force, and every year I'm on the hunt for ways to use it.  Let's face it, zucchini is great, but it grows so rapidly that it tends to get overwhelming!  So began my hunt for a new way to use it.
 
The original of this recipe can be found on Baking Bites.  I think I did pretty good with the local ingredients, aside from the staple pantry baking ingredients.  In keeping with the local theme, I made several changes, subbing local honey for molasses, using local milk instead of buttermilk and adding corn.  I have to say that this experience was a real eye opener for me.  While I shop at farmer's markets, grow my own garden and look for local products at the grocery store, there are so many more opportunities for me to consider. 

JR and I both really enjoyed this cornbread!  JR liked that it was sweeter than my normal recipe, and I liked that it was very moist and a great way to add some veggies to our meal.  I can see us making this again, and it may even become our go-to recipe.  By the way, if you have picky eaters, aside from a few green flecks, I doubt they will even be able to pick up on the zucchini if you use the finest grate.

Here is what you'll need (items marked with * are local):

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter* 
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup whole milk*
• 1 egg*
• 1 egg white*
• 2 Tbsp honey*
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter*, melted
• 1 corn cob*, kernels removed
• 1 cup grated zucchini*, squeeze off excess liquid

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  Grease an 8x8 pan with 1 Tbsp of butter.  

In a large mixing bowl, add cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix well.

In a separate mixing bowl, add milk, egg, egg white, honey and melted butter.  Whisk until well combined.

Pour milk mixture into dry mixture.  Stir until just combined.  Add corn and zucchini and stir gently until evenly distributed.

Pour batter into greased pan.  Tap pan on the counter a few times to let out any air bubbles.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Allow to cool before cutting and serving.  Serves 9.

I recently joined What's Baking, a group of women who bake once a month based on a theme chosen by one of the group members. February's theme is Baked with Love which was chosen by Dunne' of With a Cherry on Top. I know a lot of you are thinking this was a Valentine's theme, but I decided to go another direction with it.

You see, there is a special woman in my life who happens to have a birthday in February. I met her about 6.5 years ago, but I don't think I realized how much my heart grew for her until about 2 years ago. That was when I realized how important it was for me to have her stand up in our wedding, and today I am happy to call her my sister-in-law.

Unfortunately, last year the unthinkable happened. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it absolutely broke my heart. I never let her see it, but there were many times I cried and worried for her, her husband, her children and her grandchildren. While her diagnosis is that this is treatable, and beatable, it still broke my heart to know the amount of pain and life changes she would go through, and is going through. But she is tough, and boy has she proven it through the last 9 months. 

However, one of the life changes for her means she was diagnosed with diabetes during her treatment.  So as much as I know she would love a sugar laden birthday dessert, I wanted to give her something that she could enjoy guilt-free.  So here is the Mixed Berry Cobbler I decided on, which was Baked with Love in celebration of her birthday and life!
You can check out this month's recipe roundup here.

I followed the recipe pretty close to how it is written.  I was told the filling was nice and tart, and the biscuits were buttery!

For the filling:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

For the berries: 
In a mixing bowl, combine SPLENDA^® Sugar Blend and cornstarch.  Add berries, including their juice.  Gently stir to combine. Pour into prepared baking dish.

For the crust:
In a small bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, SPLENDA^® Sugar Blend, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a fork. Add butter and cut  into dry ingredients until pieces are pea-sized. Add buttermilk and stir until just moistened.  Drop crust batter over fruit.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes before serving to allow sauce to thicken.  Serves 9.

Recently a question was discussed on an online cooking community I belong to.  Do you blog everything you make, or do you only blog foods you really like?  I definitely don't, and don't intend to, blog everything I make.  However, I began pondering this question again this morning as I was eating these Quinoa Corncakes. 

Earlier this week I saw this recipe posted by Prevention RD.  Since I've found my love for quinoa last year, and I knew I liked corncakes, I thought these were a no brainer for me and I needed to make them, soon.  So this morning I set out to make them, following the recipe she posted exactly as it is.


Well, I'm not really sure how I feel about them.  They aren't bad, I ate two as I tried to figure them out, but I can't quite figure out if I like them.  They are definitely healthy, and I will finish eating the batch for breakfasts this week, but I don't know if they are something I'd make again.  The quinoa adds a nice texture, but I think the whole wheat flour is overpowering the cornmeal.  So why am I posting this you ask?  I simply say just because I don't know how I feel about them, doesn't mean you aren't looking for a new healthy breakfast idea to try.  Plus, you may really like them!

So if you do make these, let me know what you think.  I think the next time I make my regular corncakes, I will experiment with adding quinoa to it and see how I like that.

Update: Prevention RD responded to my comment about the whole wheat flouring overpowering the cornmeal.  We think this is due to the fact that I used whole wheat flour not whole wheat pastry flour as indicated in her recipe.  So I am going to give these another try and will let you know the outcome when I do.