Since this is, like, my fourth zucchini recipe this month, I thought I should do a little research to sell you on eating all of this zucchini. I mean, we all know that zucchini is a vegetable, so I'm guessing that we all assumed that it's pretty good for us. But just how good is it? Well, here's what I found...
It's a good source of vitamins C and A, as well as the B complex vitamins. It's rich in phytonutrients (antioxidants) and is a great source of potassium (apparently it's even better than a banana!). It also delivers some good minerals--iron, zinc, magnesium and manganese, to be specific. And it's a low calorie, high fiber food. So there you have it.
Zucchini = Good for you.
So let's make some zucchini bread!!
I've already shared recipes for Zucchini Brownies and Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread, well now here's a recipe for a more traditional zucchini bread...and boy is it good! This loaf lasted about 4 days in our house...and it only made it that long because we were gone the better part of one of those days! It's moist and flavorful and I loved it!
A little swath of butter and it is a bite of heaven. Give it a go...
2 c. shredded zucchini, extra water squeezed out
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 c. plain yogurt (not fat free)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp butter, melted (and cooled a bit)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and flour. Shred your zucchini, peel and all. Place your shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze out some of the excess water, then set aside 2 cups of it. (If you have extra, you can freeze it already shredded and ready to go in a ziploc freezer bag.) In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, yogurt, lemon juice and melted butter until combined. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry using a rubber spatula. Add the zucchini and mix just until combined. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool for ten minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
If you like nuts in your zucchini bread you can add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter just before you pour it into the pan, or you can sprinkle some on the top (like I did) once it's in the pan, before it goes in the oven. You can also mix a little cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of the top of the bread before you pop it in the oven. I did this too...tis yummy.
Until next time, happy baking!
P.S. This is the last zucchini recipe for a bit. Up next...cucumbers! :-)
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