Zucchini Bread

zucchini blossom and bread

I can handle one squash and one zucchini a day. That's about our yield. Though, I was hoping for so many that we would have to make pickles, stir-fries, pizzas, breads, and to give them to the neighbors, and maybe even get sick of them before the fall sets in.

The leaves are hurting though, and not producing as much as they should. Oh, powdery mildew, please go away! Nonetheless, we have zucchini, great big and small beautiful zucchini.

One reason I love zucchini is that you can hide it in just about anything for finicky eaters. I've been known to put shredded zucchini in spaghetti, bread, brownies, salads, tacos, pancakes, smoothies, lasagna, and even hamburgers. While it's not known to be a super food, it has a good amount of fiber and Vitamin A & C, micronutrients and minerals, and can certainly help increase someone's vegetable intake even without them knowing!

Zucchini Bread
This recipe is one that I adapted from the Cooks Illustrated Cookbook. It's a solid, basic and delicious recipe.

Makes 1 loaf of 12 muffins

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 pound zucchini
¾ cup raw sugar
½ cup pecans
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 T juice from 1 lemon
6 T butter, melted and cooled

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.Oil the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan; dust with flour tapping out the excess.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the shredding metal blade, process the zucchini and 1 T of sugar until the zucchini is coarsely shredded (you could use a cheese grater too). Transfer the mixture to a mesh strainer over a bowl and allow to drain for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a cooling rack and cool completely.
4. Mix together flour, soda, powder, salt and nuts. Set aside.
5. Whisk together the remaining sugar, the yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, and melted butter until combined.
6. After zucchini has drained. Stir the zucchini and the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool before serving.

*for making muffins, bake for 20 minutes at 375.

For you gluten and dairy free folks out there. Sorry to not accommodate, but there is a great zucchini bread recipe posted on the Whole Life Nutrition blog for you.