Day 268: Crispy Spaghetti and Meatballs and Zucchini Brownies
W chopped a whack of zucchini the other day while he was being photographed “helping” me in the kitchen. (By chopped I mean whacked into big awkward chunks.) So I grated some and used it as an excuse to make zucchini brownies; the rest I chopped and cooked up with some frozen meatballs (light Italian from Superstore) to make spaghetti and meatballs. To be honest, after judging a chili cook-off at lunch I wasn’t much interested in dinner. My stomach was still processing 18 varieties of chili.
I had a fleeting trickle of inspiration to try something new when I found a baggie of cold spaghetti in the fridge; I had read in Real Simple about pressing leftover spaghetti into a hot skillet with Parmesan cheese to make a sort of crispy spaghetti cake, and so gave it a whirl. If I had been more patient it might have worked, but I tried to flip it at the first sign of golden brown and the whole shebang didn’t come with it. It turned into a tasty mess though, and I picked at it before putting it under meatballs for Mike, who likened it to something made by someone who was such a bad cook she couldn’t even make spaghetti without burning it to a crisp. (You were supposed to cook some bacon first, then cook the spaghetti in the bacon grease. It would have been like a huge pasta carbonara chip.)
I can’t honestly believe I haven’t made zucchini brownies yet this year. Can that be? If you like chocolate zucchini cake, these are denser and fudgier. And low fat, as far as brownies go (only 1/4 cup of butter per batch).
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies
from One Smart Cookie – all your favourite cookies, squares, brownies and biscotti… with less fat!
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter or non-hydrogenated margarine, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 fairly packed cup grated raw, unpeeled zucchini (1 medium)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed (optional)Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the egg mixture and the zucchini to the flour mixture and stir by hand until almost combined; add chocolate chips and flaxseed and stir just until blended.
Pour into an 8” x 8” pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the edges are springy to the touch but the middle is still slightly soft — a slight indentation should be left when touched. Do not overbake! Cool in the pan on a wire rack or eat them warm from the pan.
Makes 12 brownies.
Per Brownie: 148 calories, 5.1 g fat (2.9 g saturated fat, 1.5 g monounsaturated fat, 0.4 g polyunsaturated fat), 24.4 g carbohydrates, 35 mg cholesterol, 2.7 g protein, 2.1 g fiber. 30% calories from fat
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September 24 2008 | cookies & squares | 18 Comments »
