“Eat Your Veggies” Bread (recipe)

As an avid recipe browser on Pinterest and reader of various food blogs I’ve noticed that a common theme throughout the summer is “use up extra zucchini”. As owner and tender to a relatively large garden in my background, I definitely understand the emotion of being overwhelmed with the glorious green squash. One week we will have no yield of crops in our backyard garden, and the next; 3 zucchini as big as my forearm! I can only barbeque, roast, and sauté zucchini so many times, in so many different ways before everyone in my family is thoroughly fed up with the delicious and healthy veggie. Thus, this recipe was born. I like to bake mainly vegan sweets with reduced fat and sugar, which makes them breakfast friendly and keeps everyone in bikini shape for summer. I decided to work with a recipe that called for zucchini and carrots so I could up the veggie power of the bread (and give some more flavor and moisture). I also experimented with using a natural sugar substitute, which I have never done before. My family members don’t love “healthy tasting” breads and sweets like I do, so I also had the challenge of making it friendly to their pallets. The verdict: it turned out far better than I anticipated. The greenish/orange loaf was devoured in less than three days.

Next time I hope to experiment with some pineapple Chobani and maybe some coconut oil for healthy fat addition. I added in raisins and walnuts (for my omega-3’s), but feel free to throw some toasted coconut or mini chocolate chips in the mix too. I made the flax egg (vegan egg replacement) by whisking together 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with three table spoons water and letting the mixture stand for about 7 minutes or until it is thick and gelatinous. You can un-veganize the recipe by replacing the flax egg with 3 tablespoons of egg whites for very similar results. If you don’t want to use Truvia or stevia, feel free to replace that amount with another ¼ cup of maple syrup or agave syrup. This replacement might be a bit sweeter, but that’s never a bad thing in my book!

Recipe and Notes: Adapted from Nicoles Nutrition
http://nicolesnutrition.com/what-to-do-with-leftover-vegetables-make-carrot-zucchini-bread/

1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup AP flour
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. Baking powder
1 flax egg (see above for instructions)
a little less than ¼ cup maple syrup (you can vary this depending on how sweet you like it)
6 packets Truvia
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
¼ cup oil
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups grated zucchini with skin
½ cup grated carrots
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnuts

Directions:
1. whisk together ground flax and water to create the flax egg, set aside
2. finely grate your vegetables, set aside, and pre heat your oven to 350 degrees (FYI-the zucchini releases a lot of water!)
3. mix together dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside
4. beat together prepared flax egg and sugars of choice. Then add oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix until smooth
5. stir in grated vegetables
6. mix the wet ingredients into dry and stir until combined (I used a big wooden spoon)
7. mix in raisins, walnuts or other add-ins.
8. Pour mix into greased loaf pan (use PAM), bake about 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until an inserted toothpick (or knife) comes out clean.
9. Slice, and enjoy-minus the guilt!

–Molly Stein