Zucchini...3 Ways

Well this rainy Sunday afternoon left me finding three different great ways to use up that ginormous zucchini you saw back on Thursdays post!

Garden Vegetable Salsa (a.k.a Jen's Salsa) was the first use! A first time recipe for me...and the results found my family and I VERY satisfied!! The first picture is closer to the beginning of the process...don't you just love all the colours! The second picture is the finished product displayed lovely in my kitchen!






Figured I better attach this recipe...it's a keeper...thanks Jen!

Garden Vegetable Salsa

15 cups shredded zucchini
3 cups shredded onion
4 cups chopped red/green/orange peppers
7 Tbsp salt
2 cups vinegar
5 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup cilantro
2 Tbsp cumin
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp dried mustard
15 cups chopped tomatoes
4-10 jalapenos
3 cups corn (optional...but very tasty)

Combine the first 4 ingredients. Let set for 2 hours. Drain of liquid, rinse, drain again.
Combine all other ingredients. Boil 35-40 minutes. Pour into jars.

*Right before I added the jalapenos, I divided the salsa into two separate pots. We LOVE hot food, but not everyone else does, so I put only 3 jalapenos into the one pot (for when we have company and for when I give jars away), and about 8 jalapenos into the other pot.

Enjoy!! Your house will smell AMAZING!


The second use was delectable Chocolate Zucchini Muffins...one of those amazing recipes that you bake over and over. Normally I bake this same recipe in a bundt pan, which results in a fancy dessert for when company's coming! Today I decided, because of the abundance of the zucchini, to bake them into muffins to stock our freezer...always a good thing to have on hand!



Thought you might be interested in this recipe as well!!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 ½ cups spelt flour
½ cup cocoa
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon


½ cup melted butter or coconut oil
3/4 cup agave, maple syrup, cane sugar
3 eggs


2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups zucchini, coarsely grated
½ cup milk (I use almond milk)

1 cup dark chocolate chips (or nuts)

Combine all wet ingredients in the first section. Whip together the middle 3 ingredients, then add to the wet mixture...this won't mix together very well. Stir in the vanilla, zucchini and milk. Mix well. Stir in dark chocolate chips. Pour into a greased bundt pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Start watching after 45 min.

*Baking as muffins usually takes 18-20 minutes.
*Be careful not to over-bake....they can easily dry out!


And the third and final use for zucchini today in the Wiebe house was to just simply freeze it, already shredded, premeasured, for future baking!

Chipotle Salsa

Smoky and with a slight zing of heat...this salsa is a HUGE hit in our home. The first year I made it we ran out by November! This year I was smart and made a double batch. The best part is that this year it contained tomatoes from our very own garden!

Chipotle Salsa

6 jalapeno peppers
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (70z)
16 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (about 7lbs)
6 cups chopped seeded Cubanelle, Anaheim or sweet banana peppers
4 cups chopped onions
4 cups chopped sweet green peppers
4 cups cider vinegar
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans tomato paste (156 ml each)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tsp salt
2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Wearing rubber gloves, seed, core and finely chop jalapenos to make 1 cup.
Throw the can of chipotle peppers in food processor and puree, including liquid.
In large heavy non aluminum stock pot, combine jalapenos, chipotle peppers, tomatoes, all peppers, onions, vinegar, garlic, tomato paste, sugar, salt and oregano. Bring to a boil, stirring often, until thickened, 2 to 2 1/4 hours.
Add cilantro, simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Fill hot 2-cup (500ml) canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cover with prepared lids. Screw on bands until resistance is met; increase to fingertip tight. Boil in boiling water canner for 20 minutes. Makes about eight 2-cup jars.

*I chop everything in the food processor to save time, except the tomatoes. We prefer chunky salsa, so doing the tomatoes coarsely by hand helps keep a chunky texture.
*During the 2 hours of simmering, I periodically skim liquid off the top of the pot...about 6 cups total through out the process...this also helps maintain the chunky texture.