Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

I am trying to put this together right now. Of course I don't have all the ingredients, so I just going to wing it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup frozen cut Italian green beans
1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth (Swanson is good *note: Do not use chicken broth!*)
2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrot, julienned or shredded
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup small shell pasta
Directions
1Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
4Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
6Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

http://www.recipezaar.com/77585

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I doubled this, added some extra zucchini, and put it in 3 small loaf pans. YUM! It baked for about 45 minutes.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread:
1 1/2 cups shredded raw zucchini (about 1/2 pound or 227 grams)
1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (not Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup (120 ml) safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup (125 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Grease (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.
Grate the zucchini, using a medium sized grater. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground allspice. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Fold in the grated zucchini. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely.
Makes one - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/ChocolateZucchiniBread.html

My New Blog!

I thought I would share what I cook for dinner. Nothing fancy.