 if you prefer. For a bundt, bake at 350*F for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake. If you are using a 9×13 baking dish, the cooking time will be about 50 minutes. Cool and remove from the pan. Once the cake is cooled, you can frost and decorate it.
3 oz of either mascarpone cheese or cream cheese, softened. (I used mascarpone this time).
Mix everything together in a mixer and spread over the cake. You might need to use a little warm water to dip the spreader in while spreading the frosting on the cake. Decorate as you desire. The result will be chocolate zucchini gold. There is gold in them thar cakes from San Francisco.
*** If you are making a carrot cake instead of a zucchini cake, use the same frosting only eliminate using the cocoa powder.
We have all heard how important it is to eat our greens and vegetables. In general, the more vegetables a person eats, the healthier they will be. No questions or disputes about that. But did you know that eating purple is really good for you too? Well, it is. There are many health benefits found in the purple pigmentation or anthocyanin, found in purple fruits, vegetables and purple potatoes. The American Chemical Society found that eating purple potatoes may lower your blood pressure; may prevent blood clots; can reduce inflammation; can help with liver dysfunction; can help reduce the risks of eye diseases and infections; and can help eliminate constipation and irregularity. And for athletes, particularly those preparing for a big race by loading up on carbs, eating potatoes, especially the purple potatoes, actually provides more carbs and nutrients than eating pasta, without as many negative side effects, while also being easier to digest. Potatoes in general are full of potassium, but apparently the purple pigmentation allows for the purple ones to store and produce even more potassium than other potatoes. They are the most nutrient dense of all the different varieties of potatoes.
Purple potatoes are found mostly in Peru and Bolivia, and have been around since at least 1817. They are part of the nightshade vegetables, also known as the Solanaceae family, along with tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Purple potatoes have many names, including purple majesty, purple viking, and the purple Peruvian. 
Preparing everything for purple and red potatoes lyonnaise.
Note to self … if using purple potatoes, cook them separately from other potatoes, since their cooking time is a little different. You do not want them to become mushy by over cooking them.
Saute the shallots and garlic with the olive oil and butter, stirring frequently. You want the shallots and garlic to be a light golden brown and crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Rinse and clean the potatoes and put in a large pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain the water and let cool slightly. Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the potatoes, in batches. Let them pan fry for about 10 minutes or until crisp. Toss together with the cooked shallots and garlic, along with salt & pepper to taste and fresh chopped parsley. You can also add cooked ham or bacon as well, if you want, to make them a little hardier.
It’s been said many times by the health experts that one of the healthiest ways to eat, particularly when it comes to fruits and vegetables, is to have a wide variety of colors and textures be a part of the meal. Tonight’s dinner certainly had a range of colors and textures. Our vegetables covered the spectrum of the rainbow, from purple to yellow. I did a medley of sauteed vegetables with sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, red onions, sweet grape tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and kobiashi squash (orange on the inside), which was accompanied by purple lyonnaise potatoes and marinated steak.
Yes, purple potatoes. They are a beautiful deep purple and hail from Peru. They are a little sweeter than most potatoes, though not sweet like sweet potatoes, and have a little more starch, but otherwise taste much the same as any other regular potato. They are just so cool because of their beautiful, vibrant color. I was experimenting with them and mixed them with red potatoes. The cooking time is a little different, so next time I might cook them separately, but they still came out very tasty and delicious.
A dear friend of mine had asked me about rubs and marinades for meats and seafood. A rub is a mixture of dry ingredients that you rub on the meat and a marinade is more of a liquid that your soak the meat in. I use all kinds of things. I usually make my own, but there are some great rubs and marinades on the market, coming in all flavors and styles. Just find something that tickles your fancy and try it out. There really are no rules when it comes to rubs and marinades, but anything with an acidic base, like lemon juice or vinegar, is going to also act as a meat tenderizer because it will break down the proteins of the meats. Heavier meats, like steak can marinate for up to about 24 hours. Lighter meats, like chicken can’t take being in the marinade for more than 3-4 hours, or it will come out really mushy. And seafood really should not be marinated for more than about 30 minutes to 1 hour max. If you are using a dry rub, then time does not matter too much. For our steak, since we had potatoes from Peru, I thought I would somewhat stick to the South American theme, and made a rub/marinade consisting of dried lime peel, crushed aleppo chilies, chili lime powder, cayenne pepper, as well a little lime juice. The steak was very flavorful and very tender. I marinated it for about 7 hours. The wine choice for the evening was a very smooth, red French Regnie that paired very nicely with the meal. Desfruitas y Bon Appetite!
Tonight’s ingredients for the meal. The Lime Peel and Crushed Aleppo Chilies are from Savory Spice Shop, a local company based here in the Denver Metro area. If you have never been, you should definitely check it out. It is a spice lover’s dream.
The vegetables, potatoes and shallots for the potatoes.
Our rainbow dinner.
Colorado is known for it’s green chili. You can find many different varieties everywhere all throughout the state. Some people like it thin and some people like it thick, but everyone has their own unique style and recipe. I like mine thick and spicy, with a lot of pork. Just like when I make soups, I make a big pot and freeze a lot of it, so I can use it again later, especially when the temperature drops and we need something to warm us up from the inside out. We like it served just about anyway you can serve it, but our favorite way is to serve it over tamales. This time, however, we are not going to get too much of it, since my husband volunteered me to make it for his co-workers. Darn, I’ll just have to make some more just for us sometime soon. If you don’t like pork, you can substitute chicken, or to make it vegetarian or vegan, you can use the vegan sausages.
Cooking both the pork and the vegetables.
It’s almost done. The pork and the vegetables are added together. It’s in the simmering stage. Let it simmer for at least about 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently to make sure it doesn’t stick or burn.
Served over tamales with a margarita especial.
I cook everything to taste. When cooking, I rarely measure anything,hence the reason you don’t see a lot of amounts in my recipes. About the only time I really measure anything is when I am baking, since baking is more of an exact science and cooking is more like the artist’s perception.
Cut all your vegetables, except the roasted peppers, and saute them all together, in olive oil until tender, for about 10 minutes. As your vegetables are cooking, in a separate pot, cook your pork. Since I like my green chili thick, I coat my pork pieces in flour and saute in hot oil until cooked thoroughly. Add the cooked pork, making sure to get all the flour coatings and drippings, to the vegetables along with your chicken broth, roasted peppers and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue cooking for at least 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently. If you do not like your green chili thick, don’t add the flour, or add less of it to make it to your desired thickness. Once it’s all done, make yourself a nice margarita or two, and enjoy.
This Southwestern dish has two of my favorite ingredients; sea scallops and a spicy cream sauce. As I have mentioned, I love all kinds of foods, from all over the place, and all different ethnicities, but anything Southwestern is typically going to be one of my favorites. And there is nothing better than something rich and creamy when the temperature decides to drop a few degrees to warm you up. Normally I serve this over pasta, but tonight I served it over rice and lentils instead, which was very tasty as well. In fact, it actually lightened it up a bit and it was not such a heavy meal. I also served the potato bread and completed everything with a cool, crisp chardonnay.
Cook the bacon first, then remove