Holy cow it is Friday again!  I don’t have a whole lot of time to write tonight as I need to run to the house to prep some floors and move the dehumidifier to the south end of the house.  We passed the humidity test in most of the house and there is just a couple of areas that are a little high.  Needless to say we are getting the floor delivered tomorrow and the stairs material.

The upstairs window/door trim paint is coming along nicely so I think we may be getting some flooring starting on Monday.  Exciting I know.  We are still waiting on our tub upstairs which is causing a little undo stress….. just kidding.  It should be along soon and then we can cut the drain hole to get ready for the ceramic tile.

Sorry for the long winded reason as to why this post would be short.

On to the food

I do love zucchini and I am always looking for fun quick ways to add it as a side vegetable.  A while back I fooled around with garlic, an onion, an orange and turned regular zuke into a yummy side dish with some white fish.

Here we go with the 5 ingredients (6 if you count pepper ). I love making dishes with 5 ingredients or less.

Ingredients

• Zucchini
• 1 Orange
• 1 Clove of Garlic
• 2 Tbsp. finely diced onion
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Black Pepper

Method

1. Preheat the skillet to medium high heat.
2. Add olive oil and onion and let it sweat for 2 minutes
3. Add garlic and zucchini and toss quickly for 3 minutes
4. Add juice of an orange and some zest and let reduce  for 4 minutes
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Use the zest!  Don’t be afraid to use the zest of the fruit you are using in the dish.  Be careful not to peel into the pit as that tends to be bitter.

So there you have it.  No need of making the plain old boring vegetables ever again.  Kick them up with some of your favorite flavors or for that matter – whatever you have on hand.  Just go for it!  If it turns out terrible, just don’t make it again – It is no big deal.

Have an awesome Friday and a great weekend.  I will be back in action on Monday via the Internet in Virginia.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Hi! I’m Amy Green, author of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, a blog dedicated to great food made simple and a little healthier. All of my recipes are made without refined sugars or gluten – and the best part is that you wouldn’t know it if I didn’t tell you.

I am so excited to share a dish with Zesty’s readers, and wanted to do something extra special that said fall. Desserts are one of my favorites to create, especially when I can get something that’s good for you in them. So, I made a gluten-free, sugar-free, moist, tender Butternut Squash Orange Spice Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting that can be dressed up or served simply.

To dress your cake up, level and torte the cake. Frost the top of the bottom layer. Then, add a layer of toasted walnuts that have been smashed in your food processor. Top those with a thin layer of frosting, add your next layer of cake, and finish by frosting the rest of your dessert. To get a rim of toasted walnuts around the edge of your cake, sprinkle smashed walnuts around the base of the cake. Use an offset spatula to gently push the walnuts up the side of the cake and into the frosting.

Or, my favorite – serve your cake simply. Level the cake and generously frost only the top. Garnish with a little orange zest and you’re done.

A few tips before you get started:

• When making a cake, it’s important to have your butter and eggs at room temperature because they cream better, which adds lightness to your final product. A few hours will be enough but I like to set mine out the night before I bake. Don’t worry – your eggs won’t go bad.
• Don’t skip the sifting step. This is especially important when baking gluten-free.
• Make sure to preheat your oven before you start mixing up the cake. This will give your oven enough time to heat up and ensure that the temperature is perfect for your cake.
• I used my KitchenAid but you can make this cake with traditional electric mixers.
• Adding the lemon juice at the end activates the baking soda and baking powders which will help your gluten-free cake rise much like a cake baked with regular flour. Once the lemon juice is mixed in, get that cake into the oven quickly!

Butternut Squash Orange Spice Cake

serves 8 – 10

Cake Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup agave nectar
• 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 2 cups gluten-free flour blend (see below for the mix used here)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/3 cups grated butternut squash (use the large holes on a box grater)
• ¾ cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line a 8 inch spring form pan.
2. Cream butter on medium high for about 2 minutes. Add agave and continue mixing on medium high for another 2 – 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time while mixing on medium low until eggs are completely incorporated. Mix in orange zest.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and all spice. Add sifted flour mix to butter mix on low speed until smooth. Stir in butternut squash and raisins.
5. Add orange juice and lemon juice and stir until smooth. Turn into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
6. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until the top is a deep golden brown and a cake tester tests clean.
7. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then slide a thin spatula between the cake and the edge of the pan.
8. Release the springform side and let cake cool for another 20 minutes before removing the bottom of the pan.

Frosting Ingredients

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting *This will frost a 2 layer cake. If you want to only frost the top, cut the recipe in half.

• 16 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 cup heavy cream

Method

1. Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl and mix on medium high until light and fluffy. Add agave and orange zest. Continue mixing until thoroughly incorporated.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
3. Stir ¼ of the whipped cream completely into the cream cheese mixture. Gently place remaining whipped cream on top of cream cheese mixture and fold until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend (makes 3 cups)

• 1 cup sweet rice flour
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 2/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour

Thanks so much Amy (Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free) for such a great post.  I hope you all have a great day today and I will fill you in on U2 when I get back.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Holy Heat!  Last day of vacation was yesterday and the weather was a scorcher.  The humidity level was so high -  you would sweat standing still.  No complaints here except I would have loved some air conditioning in the house.

To combat the heat we were on the move looking for house fixtures.  We are having a hard time deciding on our flooring so hopefully we will make up our mind soon.  In addition to the flooring it is soon time to make some fixture decisions for the bathroom(s) and kitchens.

Heat up the Pan – It’s Salmon Time

I really love salmon!  It is so simple to cook and very quick when you are in a pinch and your stomach is growling.  For this dish, I was wandering around the kitchen and I noticed some nice navel oranges sitting out.  I thought that this would make the basis for a great sauce.  Add a little brown sugar, splash of water, some pepper and some corn starch and you have a 60 second sauce that will impress anyone.

To go with the salmon, I chose to steam some yellow beans.  One of my favorite summer vegetables when you pair them with a bit of butter and fresh ground pepper.

Ingredients

• Salmon
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup fresh Orange Juice ( some zest as well )
• 2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
• Black Pepper
• 1/2 Tsp. Corn Starch
• 1 Tbsp. Water

Method

1. Preheat pan over medium heat then add olive oil.



2. Season salmon with black pepper and add to pan; sear on one side ( About 3 minutes )



3. Once brown, flip over and cook for another two minutes.
4. Remove salmon from pan and add orange juice, brown sugar and bring to a slow boil



5. Add cornstarch/water mixture to thicken slightly and simmer
6. Add salmon back in the pan and serve.





7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The one common mistake with preparing salmon ( and other fish for that matter ) is that it is often overcooked.  Once the salmon turns opaque it is done.  Don’t forget that the salmon will continue to cook once you remove it from the heat.

I hope you enjoyed the salmon dish and that your Thursday is great.  Summer seems to be quickly coming to an end as you can see school flyers in the newspapers so make sure you enjoy it while you can!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty