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.

Dark Chocolate and Dried Cherry Scones

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup dried cherries

Directions

Set the Solavore Sport outside to preheat.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add butter and cut it in to the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are pea-sized. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and the egg yolk. Slowly pour the buttermilk mixture in to the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Add in chocolate and cherries and stir gently.

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and knead gently to combine. Shape the dough into a circle about one inch thick. Cut the dough in to 8 pie-shaped pieces.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and arrange the scones on the sheet.

Bake the scones in the solar oven for 1 to 1.5 hours.

Shaved Asparagus and Prosciutto Frittata

Adapted for solar cooking from a version on smittenkitchen.com, we made a few changes for cooking in the Solavore Sport and loved the results. It cooks in about an hour, so why not place it in the oven, go for a walk or hike and come back to brunch waiting for you!

Ingredients

1/2 pound asparagus, cleaned, not trimmed

2 ounces thinly sliced proscuitto (optional)

6 large eggs, scrambled

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 to 4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled (to taste)

Directions

Set the Solavore Sport out in the sun to preheat.

Prepare the asparagus: No need to snap off the tough ends of your asparagus. Lay a single stalk on its side on a cutting board. Holding onto the tough end, use a vegetable peeler to peel ribbons away from the tough end (and your hand) right through the soft tip. Discard the tough ends once you’re done peeling.

Spray your graniteware pan with cooking spray. Add shaved asparagus and sliced scallions and optional prosciutto to the pan and distribute evenly.  Scramble eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over the items already in the pan. Add the crumbled goat cheese evenly on top.

Cover your pot and place in the Solavore Sport. This frittata will need to cook for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours, you'll know it's done when the eggs are firm in the center. Serve warm.

Baked French Toast

This baked french toast was adapted for solar cooking from an original recipe found on pinchofyum.com. This easy recipe is a great way to feed a crowd for brunch, and use up some of those leftover dinner rolls from Thanksgiving!

• 1 package King's Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
• 1 can regular coconut milk
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 7 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• pinch of salt

1. Preheat the solar oven. Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces. Arrange evenly in a greased 8x12 baking dish, or split evenly between your round graniteware pots.
2. Whisk the coconut milk, milk, eggs, and vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Pour the milk mixture over the bread, covering all pieces. Bake for approximately 2.5 hours. When finished, the french toast bake will be slightly puffy and firm (shouldn't jiggle when you shake it back and forth).
3. Top with fruit if desired and serve with maple syrup.

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.

Mango Banana Bread

Makes two solar oven pots or one large loaf pan.

• 60 ml or ½ cup butter or coconut oil
• 60 ml or ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2.5 ml or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-½ large ripe bananas (or 2 small bananas)
• 1 ripe mango
• 250 ml or 2 cups flour
• 7.5 ml or 1 Tbs baking powder
• 1-¼ tsp salt
• 1.25 ml or ½ tsp cinnamon

In small bowl: combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. In second bowl puree (or mash) the bananas and mangos.  In large bowl, cream butter or coconut oil with sugar. Add egg, mix well. Add vanilla, mix well. Add fruit and mix well.

Add 1/3 dry ingredients to wet ingredients, 1/3 at a time. Mix well after each addition.

Divide batter into two parts and pour into greased and floured solar oven pots or covered loaf pan. Spread across entire bottom until batter touches sides. Put lids on pots. Put pots in solar oven and bake for approximately 1.5 hours. Bread is done when dough comes away from sides of pot.