Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Zucchini Banana Bread

Bananas and zucchini. Two things that never seem to get quite used up by the time they're past their prime. I think it's because, at least during the Summer, we are so inundated with stellar looking and tasting local produce that we simply can't eat it all, and even though we see the gorgeous berries, peaches and apricots in the fridge we still buy a hand of bananas for our morning cereal.

It never occurred to me to combine the two most-often wasted goods in my house into a single, moist quickbread, until I spotted Trish's recipe on her blog Mom on Time Out. I jumped at the opportunity to make it (since we had an abundance of the main ingredients at home), and since I knew I'd be passing it along to my grandmother (who loves to take care of everyone except, unfortunately, herself [at least nutrition-wise]) I bumped up the protein, fibre and Omega fats while lowering the sugar with a spoonful of Truvia.

Banana - Zucchini Bread

The loaf came out of the oven smelling like every other banana bread I've made (a really good thing if serving picky eaters!), with a hint of chocolate and nuttiness from the chips and walnuts I folded in. The top was nice and caramelized even without a raw sugar sprinkle, and thanks to the "Italian" (aka cucuzza) zucchini I used, you couldn't even see a hint of vegetable when it was sliced. Paired with your morning coffee and the newspaper on a weekend morning, a mug of tea and a good movie on TV in the afternoon, or a scoop of frozen yoghurt for a weeknight dessert, it's a winner any time of day!

Zucchini Banana Bread
Makes one 9x5" loaf, 12 slices
4 ripe bananas, peeled
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tbsp Truvia Spoonable
1 tbsp honey
⅓ cup salted butter, softened
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup quick oats (not instant)
¼ cup unflavoured whey protein isolate (optional)
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 medium zucchini, grated finely (about ¾ cup packed)
½ cup chopped semi sweet chocolate
⅓ cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp whole flax seeds
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F, and grease a 9x5” pan.
  2. Mash bananas with brown sugar, Truvia, honey, butter, egg, and vanilla until well combined.
  3. Add the flour, oats, whey isolate, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon to the wet ingredients stirring just until combined.
  4. Fold in zucchini, chocolate, walnuts and flax seeds.
  5. Bake for 75 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  6. Let bread cool in pan for 30 minutes before removing.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 232.6
Total Fat: 10.4 g
Cholesterol: 27.9 mg
Sodium: 55.9 mg
Total Carbs: 34.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.3 g
Protein: 6.5 g

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