Four recipes from Chocolate and Zucchini

Chocolate and Zucchini is an excellent food blog: well written, well organized, with beautiful photography, and most importantly, with delicious recipes. Following are links to some that I have tried and loved.

Velvety Lentil Chestnut Soup

The soup turned out so well Bill declared it the best lentil soup he's ever had, and one of the best soups, period. Chestnuts were new to me and I was delighted to discover their slight sweetness. They lent an incredible richness to the soup.

Notes/modifications:
-Since creme fraiche is not readily available here, I made my own. Mix 3 parts heavy cream with one part plain yogurt (you could also use sour cream or buttermilk). Let stand in a warm place overnight, until it thickens. Refrigerate. We choose to add the dollop upon serving.
-Frozen chestnuts were not available to me, either. Whole Foods had whole, peeled chestnuts in a can, which I used instead.
-Black strap molasses was my optional teaspoon of sweetness

Fig and Mozzarella Warm Sandwich

Quick and easy to prepare, this is nonetheless a combination that would never have occurred to me on my own. The buffalo mozzarella that I tried was much softer and richer than regular mozzarella. Now it's a favorite.

Notes/modifications:
-Dry figs, softened by soaking in water, were substituted for fresh figs
-Cibo Naturals makes wonderful pesto. The leftovers were happily dipped into the rest of the week.

Banana Pear Pecan Crumble

Another simple and easy (seems to be a theme with C&Z), yet delicious recipe. I doubled the topping as she suggests and now only have to slice a bit of fruit to make it again.

Soft-boiled Egg, Red Pesto Bread Fingers

It's hard to believe something so tasty and fun can be ready in less than ten minutes.

-Again, Cibo Naturals makes some wonderful red pestos. Both the sun-dried tomato and the roasted red pepper are terrific.
-I don't have an egg cup, so I used a shot glass and Bill used the large end of a two-sided jigger.