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Zucchini Butter!

September 1, 2016 By Donna Leave a Comment

Zucchini ButterGenius recipes come along every once in a while and change the way I cook and eat. This is one of them.

Zucchini Butter is the brainchild of Los Angeles chef Jennie Cook, as posted on Food 52. Chef Cook’s recipe for zucchini butter has shallots, which I omitted, because I wanted the pure zucchini and olive oil taste to shine through, and her zucchini butter was rustic and chunky. I decided to go clean, simple and very smooth.

It truly is pretty miraculous what happens to zucchini in this process. Zucchini plus olive oil, cooked down and blended, turns into a velvety smooth and creamy spread. The texture is what is most surprising about this recipe – it is very similar to butter. Really.

I like to leave the skin on the zucchini, but you can peel it if you want to remove the grassy, vegetable taste. Using peeled zucchini will result in a more neutral taste and a color that is more yellow than green, so your zucchini butter will look more like actual butter.

There are so many health benefits to this spreadable zucchini. It is vegan. It is low carb. It is Whole 30 friendly. It is lower in fat than any buttery spread you will find in the dairy case at your local grocery store. Just Win-Win-Win-Win!

Just a genius way to use up that summer zucchini!

Check out another blogger’s spin on Zucchini Butter at Local Haven.

ZUCCHINI BUTTER

Makes about 2 cups

2 pounds zucchini*
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Peel zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Stir in salt. Place in a strainer over a larger bowl and let sit for about 20 minutes to drain. Discard liquid in bowl. Place zucchini in a thin kitchen towel and wring out over the sink to remove as much water as possible.

Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil and squeezed zucchini and let cook, stirring occasionally until zucchini is very soft and most of liquid is removed.

Place cooked zucchini in a blender and blend until very smooth. Taste and add a little more salt to taste. Chill in refrigerator until cold. Serve cold or at room temperature.

  • NOTE:  You can use peeled or unpeeled zucchini for this recipe. If you want a more neutral taste, use peeled zucchini. Leaving the peels on will result in a more grassy, vegetable taste.

Zucchini Butter!
 
Print
Prep time
30 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
40 mins
 
Genius recipe for making a healthy buttery spread with your summer zucchini!
Author: Donna
Recipe type: Condiment
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • Makes about 2 cups
  • 2 pounds zucchini*
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Peel zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Stir in salt. Place in a strainer over a larger bowl and let sit for about 20 minutes to drain. Discard liquid in bowl. Place zucchini in a thin kitchen towel and wring out over the sink to remove as much water as possible.
  2. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil and squeezed zucchini and let cook, stirring occasionally until zucchini is very soft and most of liquid is removed.
  3. Place cooked zucchini in a blender and blend until very smooth. Taste and add a little more salt to taste. Chill in refrigerator until cold. Serve cold or at room temperature.
  4. NOTE: You can use peeled or unpeeled zucchini for this recipe. If you want a more neutral taste, use peeled zucchini. Leaving the peels on will result in a more grassy, vegetable taste.
3.5.3208

 

Filed Under: Condiments, Sauces and Other Goodies, Snacks, Vegan Recipes, Whole 30 Tagged With: healthy butter, vegan butter, whole 30 butter, zucchini butter

Compound Coconut Oil “Butters” – Easy Homemade Gifts for All The Foodies On Your List

December 10, 2015 By Anne Leave a Comment

Compound Coconut Oil “Butters” are perfect homemade gifts for all the foodies on your list
– including the vegan ones!

Compound Coconut Oil "Butters" #Homemade gifts for all the foodies on your list - including the #vegan ones!

Compound Coconut Oil “Butters”

The time of year has come when all my people are figuring out what special homemade foodie treats we’ll be making for the foodies on our list.  This year: the basic concept of compound butter (such a great flavor enhancer for so many things), but made with coconut oil instead. Perfect for all food lovers, including the vegan, paleo, or otherwise dairy-free ones, and they last for ages on the shelf, too!

Really easy as can be. Pick one or two (or all) of the flavor combinations laid out below, and play around with other variations if you like, of course! I like the sturdiness of small mason jars, but you can use any container you desire.

…

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Filed Under: Condiments, Dairy-Free, Holidays, Vegan Recipes Tagged With: coconut oil recipes, compound butter recipe, compound coconut oil, DIY gifts, homemade christmas gift recipes, vegan Christmas gift

Homemade Banana Ketchup

June 4, 2015 By Anne 3 Comments

Hot, sweet, tangy: A homemade version of the condiment I’ve been looking for all my life, basically.

Banana Ketchup

Banana Ketchup: Good on almost ANYTHING.

Since discovering it for myself (how did I manage to miss out on it all these years?) at Portland’s fantastico Cuban restaurant Pambiche, this is my favorite condiment, currently being slathered onto everything I possibly can. It originated in the Philippines during WWII, but has been travelling ever since, including to the aforementioned Cuba, where it fits just gloriously.

Try it on grilled dishes, beans and rice, tamales, sweet potato or yucca fries – on any Latin American or Caribbean dish, it’d be hard to go wrong. I particularly like it on the tostones I fell in love with in Costa Rica years ago, as pictured above. This homemade version has no refined sugar, and save for bit of honey, the sweetness comes only from (of course) bananas. …

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Filed Under: Condiments Tagged With: banana ketchup, cuban banana ketchup, Filipino banana ketchup, homemade condiments, homemade ketchup

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We are Donna & Anne, a reunited birthmom and daughter. We share our love of cooking and eating good food with each other - and with you.

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