Minestra di Ceci or Chickpea Soup

Veggie Platter inspired by Emeril (+playlist)

Veggie Platter inspired by Emeril (+playlist)

Elegant Everyday Cooking

Spicy Roasted Pepitas

Olive oil Zucchini Cake with Lemon Glaze

Trying to come up with an easy, relatively healthy cake my daughter could make completely on her own...so here it is:

Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups all purpose unbleached flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated (or ground) nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini, finely grated

Sift together dry ingredients (except sugar). In bowl of standing mixer, or with electric beater, beat eggs for 5 mins until thick and lemon colored. Add sugar and beat an additional minute. Add olive oil and milk and beat to combine. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Pour into a 9" loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Turn out to wired rack and spread with optional glaze if desired, let glaze adhere to cake as cake cools completely and glaze dries.

Optional Lemon Glaze

• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbs granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Mix together sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Whisk in confectioners sugar until completely smooth.

If you slice this cake into 24 slices, there are 110 calories per slice, see my daughters calculation below!

Caprese Skewers

Super easy and really pretty little appetizers - great for picnics and BBQs perfect for summer.



Caprese Skewers

• Fresh Mozzarella balls (tiny ones called Ciliegine are best, but you can cut cubes as well)
• Basil Leaves
• Cherry tomatoes, halved if large

Marinade for Cheese

• 1/4 cup Olive oil for every cup or so of cheese
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 TBS chopped oregano, fresh is great dried works too
• salt
• pepper

Combine all marinade ingredients and toss in cheese, gently, to coat. Let sit for at least 20 mins and up to 8 hours. I usually let the amount of cheese dictate how many cherry tomatoes to use.

Thread one ball cheese, one leaf basil folded like an S and one cherry tomato on each toothpick or cocktail skewer. Arrange on platter. Garnish with additional whole basil leaves if desired. Serve at room temperature.

NOTE: Fresh mozzarella comes in different sizes:

Ciliegine  cherry size, about 0.3 oz of cheese
Bocconcini  (bite sized) are larger about 1.5 oz per ball
Ovolini (egg sized) about 4 oz each

I love the ciliegine for this recipe, but they can be pricy and/or hard to find. You can always use any fresh mozzarella and cut it - or even use the packaged type of block mozzarella.