Gone too soon...

I apologize to all of you non-New Englanders for what you are about to see. I understand your jealousy. As noted previously, Labor Day's annual Lobster Fest is all about pigging out with our family. Generally, it's a good idea to fast for several days in preparation, much as I assume Kobayashi does before a hot dog eating competition. The guys were particularly excited about drinking Sam's Octoberfest instead of Summer Ale this year, that and the fact that they got to eat fried stuff. Occasionally we play a few lawn games (which have occasionally become drunken lawn games, I did mention beer!), but really, we just sit around and eat all day long. I'm not apologizing for that, not even to myself, but that's just because I'm avoiding my scale for the rest of the week.

Our menu tends to be pretty standard cook-out fare: chips and guacamole, potato and garden salads, corn on the cob, some burgers and hot dogs for the kids and, of course, a ridiculous number of lobsters. We always end up with some new and exciting standouts.  This year, it was my brother's fried green beans with bacon horseradish dipping sauce and my sister's herbed blueberry garden salad. I'll post those once I nag them to give me the recipe so I can recreate them! We also had the obligatory buttload of desserts, including my aunt's chocolate chip cookies, my grandmother's apple pies, blueberry pie, peach pie, ice cream, and a cake I found on Fork Spoon Knife. It's insanely chocolatey, super moist, and a sneaky way to get rid of any lingering zucchini in your garden. Serve it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and some strawberries and you're money, baby.

Chocolate Zucchini Loaf Cake
Adapted from Fork Spoon Knife


Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup chocolate chips, semisweet
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the eggs, oil, and yogurt in a small bowl. Sift the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add zucchini and chocolate chips to the dry ingredients. Add the wet mixture in three parts to the dry and fold until just combined. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on rack to room temperature before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar.

Print the Recipe


This post is linked to:
Tuesday Twister, Alicia's Tasty Tuesdays, Real Food Wednesdays