'Tis the season when zucchinis are growing like bonkers in the garden and, if you aren't growing your own, huge mounds of them can be found in the produce aisle.
One of my favorite ways to use zucchini is to bake zucchini bread. The recipe I've used for a long time came from a friend's grandmother, and the resulting loaf of bread is absolutely delicious. But ... truth be told, given that the recipe contains a cup of oil and just as much, if not more, sugar, the "bread" is not exactly the healthiest snack and probably should be reclassified as a cake and put on the dessert table.
Though this bread gets some sweetness from brown sugar, the rest of the sweetener typically found in a zucchini bread recipe is replaced with maple syrup and mashed super-ripe banana. Rather than a cup of vegetable oil, this recipe gets its moistness from Greek yogurt and a relatively small amount of coconut oil.
While the ingredients might be different, this zucchini bread is just as moist and sweet (without being cloyingly so) as the original. Looks like I might go for a second slice when it comes time for today's second breakfast...
Not Your Grandmother's Zucchini Bread (printer-friendly version)
makes one 8" loaf
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used non-fat)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons mashed (very ripe) banana
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup grated zucchini
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, vanilla, egg, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Stir in the mashed banana and brown sugar.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overstir.
5. Wrap the grated zucchini in a towel and squeeze to wring out as much moisture as you can. Then carefully unwrap the towel and add the zucchini to the batter and stir to combine.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepped loaf pan. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely.
makes one 8" loaf
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used non-fat)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons mashed (very ripe) banana
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup grated zucchini
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, vanilla, egg, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Stir in the mashed banana and brown sugar.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Do not overstir.
5. Wrap the grated zucchini in a towel and squeeze to wring out as much moisture as you can. Then carefully unwrap the towel and add the zucchini to the batter and stir to combine.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepped loaf pan. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the bread from the pan and let cool completely.
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