Zucchini Bread

Quick breads are great in the solar oven, most recipes just need a longer baking time and come out incredibly moist. With the right pans, you can bake two loaves at once. 12 x 4 inch loaf pans from Ikea fit perfectly in the Solavore Sport and bake faster than a traditional loaf pan. 

3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

Preheat solar oven by placing in the sun. Grease and flour two loaf pans, making sure you have two loaf pans that will fit in the oven together. See note above.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, and/or raisins if using. Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Place in Solavore Sport and bake loaves for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. The bread is done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Dehydrated Banana Chips

First let’s talk about using your Solavore Sport as a dehydrator. The key is that you want to allow air to circulate in and out of the oven. One easy way to do this is to simply stick a pencil or dowel in between the lid and the casing of the oven. Clip the top of the lid on, and leave the bottom unclipped allowing room for the pencil. Creating this ventilation also ensures that the oven does not reach cooking temperature. For use as a dehydrator, it will ideally stay under 180 degrees.

Ingredients

Ripe banana (just a few brown spots, still firm)
Lemon juice

Directions

Slice the bananas about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Place them on a baking rack and put that rack over a cookie sheet that fits in the Solavore Sport. My baking rack was just slightly too large to fit on the floor of the oven but it worked out great because the rack was suspended about an inch above the cookie sheet in the oven. Right before starting the dehydrating process, squeeze lemon juice over the top of the bananas to prevent them from browning too much.

Let the bananas dehydrate in oven the all day. Ours went in about 11:00 am and came out at around 6:00 pm. I love the consistency and the intense banana flavor of these chips. They make a great snack or the perfect addition to granola, trail mix, etc.

Moroccan Spiced Roasted Carrot Hummus

This week we tried a hummus recipe from thekitchn.com. Roasting root vegetables are the perfect job for the Solavore Sport; let the carrots roast all day in the sun and they'll get really soft and sweet.

1 pound carrots, we used organic baby carrots
4 whole cloves of garlic, peels left on
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained if from a can
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water + more to thin if necessary
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Toss the carrots and whole garlic cloves with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Scatter evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment and roast in the solar oven until the carrots are very tender and soft (they could easily go 4-6 hours if you are getting temperatures under 250 degrees). Toss carrots halfway through cooking. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their peels.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine roasted carrots, roasted garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, water and all of the spices. With the motor running drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Whirl away until smooth, scraping the sides down as necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. If the hummus is too thick, add a little more water or oil and process until desired consistency is achieved.

Serve with pita chips, crackers or pretzels and enjoy.

Tailgatin' Queso

We are in the heart of football season, and your Sport can be the perfect tailgating companion! No outlets or open fires needed; make a quick and easy solar cooked queso in your Sport while enjoying time with friends (and probably trash talking) at your next tailgate. 

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz box of Velveeta cheese
•  ½ cup milk
• 2 cans of diced jalapeños*
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• Splash (or two) of beer (Coors, Miller Lite, whatever light beer you have on hand in the fridge)

*Can substitute 2 freshly chopped jalapeños, deseeded.

Preheat oven for 15 minutes. Combine all ingredients into your Sport graniteware pot. Put the pot in the oven, and cook between 2-3 hours, until desired consistency. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!

Cherry Almond Coconut Granola

This recipe will work best when you are getting higher temperatures in your oven, it is a good opportunity to get those reflectors out!  Granola is a very flexible recipe. The chia and hemp seeds are optional and add protein and nutrients. Feel free to add in any other nuts, fruits or other favorites.

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup almonds, chopped
3 cups oats
1/4 cup chia seed
1/4 cup hemp seed
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dried cherries or raisins

Place coconut oil, honey, almond extract and vanilla in a small saucepan. Stir and heat mixture to a low boil. While the liquids are heating, combine all of the the dry ingredients except the cherries in a large bowl. 

Line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Pour the boiling liquid in to the dry ingredients and stir until well coated. Transfer the granola to the lined baking pan and spread it out in an even layer. Place the pan in your preheated Solavore Sport. The granola will take approximately an hour to bake; ideally you will see a little bit of browning (using reflectors will help with browning).  When you remove the granola from the oven, let it sit until cooled. Once cooled, break in to clumps and add in the dried cherries. Store your granola in an airtight container.

Corn Bread

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 oil
2 eggs beaten

While the Solavore Sport is preheating, sift the first five dry ingredients. Stir cornmeal in to the other dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Add buttermilk and oil to the eggs. Combine dry and wet ingredients and blend well. Grease and flour two black solar ovens pots. Pour batter into the two pots. Place lids on the pots and place in the Sport.

Bake for 1 to 1/2 hours 

Makes two 8-inch rounds of cornbread.

Tex Mex Bean Dip

This dip is a favorite for parties or to serve at happy hour. The recipe can be doubled or tripled with great results in the solar oven.

1 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. diced tomato
1/3 cup mild picante sauce
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder  
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
1/4 cup  fresh cilantro 
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 

Place onion, garlic and olive oil in your Sport pot and stir. Put the pot in the preheated Solavore Sport while you prepare the rest of the ingredients so that the onions and garlic cook a bit.

Partially mash beans in a separate bowl. Add tomato and next three ingredients and stir well.

Remove the pot of onions from the oven and add the bean mixture. Stir well. Place pot back in the oven and cook for 1 to 1.5 hours. After the mixture is cooked, stir in the cheese, cilantro and lime juice. 

Serve immediately with tortilla chips.