Studded Zucchini Yeast Bread (A #BreadBakers Summer Bounty Recipe)

It's prime zucchini weather here. I don't know why I'm still surprised that we're pulling behemoth Summer squashes out of the garden every other afternoon, since in the past 5 years there were only two Summers that yielded a less-than-robust harvest. One thing's for sure, though, and that's the fact that once again, we're putting zucchini into almost everything we can think of - alongside the "usual" zucchini bread, I've thrown it into soups, stir fries, tomato sauces and brownies, tossed it on the grill for a side dish and even sliced it into sticks for crudite platters. Last year I shredded and froze a ton of  the squash into 1-cup "zucchini pucks" for baking with, and even then I wound up dehydrating some for pantry storage... we were running out of freezer space!

I was excited to find a "zucchini bread" from Green Gourmet Giraffe that not only used up a good amount of the vegetable but wasn't a sweet quickbread. Since I'm baking loaves for Mom most weeks anyway, this one made it into rotation and has been her (very vocalized!) favourite of the most recent few. The zucchini does what it does best in baking, disappearing without leaving any trace of flavour but lending a moisture and tenderness to the crumb. The trail mix peppers the dough with bits of crunch and a light sweetness, and the combination makes slices great for French toast in the morning or supporting a roasted chicken or turkey sandwich for lunch. Of course, smearing your favourite Toast Topper on a slice is always a delicious and quick option - especially if it's over peanut butter!

The #BreadBakers are serving up the best of Summer's bounty this time around!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

• Almond and Carrot Biscuits from Basic N Delicious
• Cheddar Mielie Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes from Food Lust People Love
• Cherry Bread Pudding from Bakers and Best
• Eggless Rosemary Garlic Dinner Rolls from Spill the Spices
• Garden Herb Focaccia from My Catholic Kitchen
• Herb and Cheese Biscuits from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Herb and Cheese Grissini from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Herbed Butterflaps from Sneha's Recipe
• Herbs, Spinach and Cheese Bourekas from Cooking Club
• Jalapeño Summer Squash Quick Bread from Magnolia Days
• Mango Kolache from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Peach & Blueberry Meringue Pull Apart Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Peach Pull-Apart Bread from Recipes, Food and Cooking
• Peaches and Cream Bread from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Pizza Cipolla - Onion Pizza from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Rosemary and Garlic Fougasse from Spice Roots
• Rosemary Breadsticks from A Baker's House
• Spinach Semolina Bread from The Schizo Chef
• Studded Zucchini Yeast Bread from What Smells So Good?
• Sundried Tomato Focaccia with Sauteed Summer Veggies & Garden Salad from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Tomato, Onion, Parmesan Focaccia from Noshing With The Nolands
• Walnut Oat Crumble Courgette Bread from Baking in Pyjamas
• Wholewheat Onion, Spinach & Red Pepper Bread from Hostess At Heart
• Wholewheat Zucchini Bread from Cook's Hideout
• Zucchini Oatmeal Bread from Cali's Cuisine
• Zucchini/Jalapeño/Cheese Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Supreme Zucchini Spice Bread

Unassuming to the eye, this moist and tender spice loaf is packed with three - count them - THREE cups of shredded homegrown zucchini.

There is no way this zucchini bread should work. According to the science of me, that 3 cups of zucchini just simply shouldn't fit into a quickbread with only 1 1/2 cups of flour. Yet, the recipe I adapted from somewhere (sorry, lost the source) does - and not only does it work, it tastes fantabulous and stays moist for ages. 

Like many gardeners (and their families, friends and neighbours), we have come into the "zucchini glut" season opener strong.Every afternoon my stepdad comes in from the garden bearing armloads of the squash, and with our fridge already full of the stuff they're being left on what seems like every available surface in the house! Unlike some of our past years, the tomatoes and peppers haven't quite kept up their end of the bargain, so something as obvious as ratatouille just isn't practical right now.

While zucchini is finding its way into almost everything savoury we eat, I had to break down and power through at least a few of the behemoths in the form of sweet treats. The problem with most zucchini bread recipes is that they either call for gluts of oil or tons of eggs in exchange for maybe a cup of grated zuke. That wasn't going to cut it here, so when I found this recipe I figured that, if it didn't bake all the way through (and how could it, with only 1 1/2 cups of flour and 3 cups of zucchini?) I could slice it up and give it the biscotti treatment. I modified it, of course, swapping some of the oil for a vanilla coffee creamer we had in the fridge, reducing the sugar and adding in a bunch of spices for flavour, but until it came out of the oven perfectly baked I refused to hold out hope. 

The first slice was delicious - and surprisingly soft and fine textured. Given the whole wheat flour in the batter I was prepared for that slight "rustic" mouthfeel, which isn't bad at all - just a given - but this didn't have any of that. Instead, it was a bouquet of aromas and flavours with an unending moisture that didn't become gummy. I took it to work and it disappeared - and that's in a staff room full of vegetable-haters!

That said, this recipe definitely has the potential to turn to spicy zucchini soup - if you don't squeeze the zucchini dry. In fact, I made the second loaf with frozen, shredded zucchini that I thawed, drained and then squeezed dry, and had to add a little extra liquid (in that case, half-and-half, I didn't have any more creamer) to compensate and get the batter looking "normal" again. I also opted for "fine" shreds (thank you, food processor), which helps exude a bit more moisture.

Millet Zucchini Bread

While being relatively low fat, this gluten free loaf is insanely moist, with a texture similar to a partial whole wheat loaf and the perfect balance of cinnamon, ginger and allspice. 

Are you dealing with Zucchini-Geddon yet? We've been pulling in mounds of the stuff - and it's going into basically everything we can fit it into. However, there's only so much of it that we can saute, bread or casserole! When our dinner routine cries "uncle", I get the pass to use it in a sweeter avenue. I posted a spiced, whole grain zucchini loaf a week or so ago, and was planning another round with it, when I spotted this beauty on Gluten Free Baking. Elizabeth uses mostly millet flour in her loaf, which I was excited by - I never really get a chance to bake with it, always passing it over for my current favourite sorghum.

So millet it was, and I have to agree that it's flavour is fantastic in this spicy quickbread. It has a great texture, and is mild and almost buttery tasting which amplifies the rich flavour of each slice. Being a higher protein flour too, the structure of the batter is definitely more sturdy than one made with, say, a rice flour base. All in all, a fantastic use for some of the zucchini glut - and with a little extra spice for kick, it was a hit during the mid-afternoon slump.

While the original recipe bakes for 40 minutes, mine took significantly longer - roughly 75. I cannot stress the importance of wringing out the zucchini enough - I squeezed the life out of mine, but since the air was fairly humid in the kitchen that day, the bread simply took longer. Start checking at 40 minutes, and go from there - the "poke test" will steer you right.

The other comment I will make is that the texture will be even better if you let the batter stand in the pan for 20 minutes before baking. The flours and guar will rehydrate and eliminate any risk of "grittiness" from the finished product. However, if you're pressed for time, forge on ahead - it's great either way! I can't wait to try this with cocoa powder for a chocolatey loaf too - how awesome would that be?

Super Chocolatey Zucchini Bread

Since the zucchini overload in the garden still won't let up I (and my food processor) have been forced into almost constant "shredder" duty. Bags and bags of the stuff have been packed into Ziplocs and stashed in the fridge for later baking, but I'd be remiss is I didn't make at least a few treats along the way! 

While the classic spice and nut versions of zucchini bread are delicious in their own right, there's no better way of ensuring a recipe hit around here than by packing in as much chocolate flavour as possible. Not just cocoa, not just chocolate chips, but both plus the divinity known as Nutella found their way into the bowl this time, with homemade ricotta and apple butter for rich moisture and an almost brownie-like texture. While it's not overly sweet, it's the perfect dessert for bittersweet chocolate fans and picky kids alike, that just so happens to contain whole grains and almost a pound of zucchini! 

Even though the loaf needs no accoutrements, I couldn't resist and made up a quick cream cheese glaze too. Hey, whoever said eating your vegetables had to be a chore?

Zucchini Bread Granola

Most gardeners out there have a love-hate relationship with zucchini. On one hand, it's a huge joy to see something in the backyard plot take off so well and proliferate - on the other hand, that energetic growth and spread often gets out of hand, leaving the planters of good intentions with baseball bat-sized, six-meal fruit by August. The beginning squash are greedily consumed, and you have no problem adding a chopped cup or two to every meal. Then the second week's harvest comes in... and the third, and so on, until you have no choice other than zucchini rotting on the vine, or zucchini rotting in the fridge.

After years of this constant cycle, I finally started to shred and freeze my excess zukes for later baking. I opted for 1 cup "pucks", which fit perfectly into most recipes, and once my taste for summer squash returned I started digging them out one at a time. One of the first things I decided to whip up fit nicely into my holiday gift giving list and even made extra for snacking - a whole-grain, chunky, crunchy granola. The perfect "make now, eat later" treat as well, I originally just made a batch for the holiday giftees, but we couldn't stop snacking, especially on the carob-kissed chunks! This would be a decadent start to the morning, or an after-school snack that kids will love and not realize the innate nutritional value of. If I could take credit for it I would... but the honour of that inspiration goes to Healthy Food for Living. Either way, my family loved it - and if they love zucchini bread half as much as we do, I'm sure yours will too!

Shared with Gluten Free Wednesdays

Tofu Vegetable Soup #SundaySupper

After a week of enjoying 30C+ temperatures here, a thunderstorm has sent our temperatures diving. Don't get me wrong, we're not in the -40C range (yes, I remember you, December), but there's a distinct September nip in the air that makes a walk outside the perfect reason o cook up a pot of soup. Of course, the garden is still thriving enough that we're able to "shop" for ingredients to make produce-heavy lunches and dinners, a real treat - especially now that school and work have both ramped up again, keeping us from spending 24 hours a day ankle deep in dirt. We're also in that "interseasonal" period between Summer and Fall, packed with the sweetest of peppers and tomatoes, the last of the herbs, zucchini and eggplant, and the first gorgeous carrots, beets, potatoes and winter squash. The merest touch of that truly fresh flavour from the backyard adds such wholesomeness to our meals that it's impossible not to want to showcase it in a dish all its own.

Such is the case with this soup. A coupling of the desire for a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs soup after coming in from the rain and the gorgeous colours of a bounteous harvest, pretty much our whole garden and fridge stock found its way into the pot. Eggplant, zucchini, carrots, onions, tomatoes and herbs came straight from the backyard (freshly rain-washed, I might add), while locally-grown kale, garlic, leeks,and cauliflower met up with organic tofu to round out the rest of the broth. For a bit of a richer, "gourmet" edge, I tossed in a Parmesan rind as well, and finished the works with a handful of whole grain pasta. Whether freshly made or reheated the next day, it's a fabulous way to bid the height of the growing season farewell for another year and hunker down for the Winter with the jars of home-preserved goodness I made this season (recipes appearing here soon!).

We're celebrating the bounty of squash this week for #SundaySupper, be it the Summer goodness of zucchini, crookneck and pattypans, or the Fall / Winter pumpkin, acorn and butternut varieties. Alice of A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen and Christy of Confessions of a Culinary Diva are co-hosting this week. Thanks ladies!

Starters – Appetizers & Cocktails:

• Bourbon Pumpkin Pie in a Glass from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Spaghetti Squash and Zucchini Pancakes from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Zucchini Pizza Bites from Mommas Meals
• Zucchini Tomato Focaccia Bread with Pretzel Salt from Family Foodie

Pickles & Relish:

• Zucchini Pickles from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Zucchini Relish from Magnolia Days

Soups & Salads:

• Creamy Dairyfree Zucchini Soup from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Easy Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli e Zucchini from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Pumpkin Soup with Bacon and Persimmon from Culinary Adventures with Camillia
• Tofu Vegetable Soup from What Smells So Good?
• Zucchini Cheese Soup from Noshing with the Nolands
• Zucchini Noodles with Basil Vinaigrette from Ruffles and Truffles

Main Dishes

• Acorn Squash Ramen from Ninja Baking
• Beef, Butternut & Potato Pie from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Beef Ragu over Spaghetti Squash from The Texan New Yorker
• Black Bean, Butternut Squash & Millet Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Ancho-Guajillo Chile Sauce from Simply Healthy Family
• Chorizo-Stuffed Zucchini from La Cocina de Leslie
• Gluten Free Zucchini Noodles & Meatballs from Gluten Free Crumbley
• Italian Sausage Zucchini Lasagna from Curious Cuisiniere
• Risotto with Butternut Squash, Chicken and Sage from Cooking Chat
• Sausage and Farro Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Cups from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Sesame Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles) from Cupcakes and Kale Chips
• Spaghetti Squash Casserole from Shockingly Delicious
• Spinach and Mushroom Quiche with Spaghetti Squash Crust from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Stuffed Red Kuri Squash from Food Lust People Love
• Zucchini-Corn Pancakes from The Weekend Gourmet

Side Dishes:

• Cheesy Thyme Baked Acorn Squash from An Appealing Plan
• Creamy Baked Acorn Squash from Simply Gourmet
• Grilled Zucchini and Corn Succotash from Take a Bite Out of Boca
• Kabocha no Nimono (Simmered Acorn Squash) from A Mama, Baby and Shar Pei in the Kitchen
• Roasted Kabocha Squash from Peaceful Cooking
• Roasted Zucchini and Yellow Squash Galette from Rhubarb and Honey
• Spaghetti Squash Fritters from Nosh My Way
• Sweet and Savory Roasted Delicata Squash and Pear from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Zucchini Succotash Cobbler with Cornbread Topping from The Wimpy Vegetarian

Sweets to Start or End the Day:

• Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Chocolate Zucchini Coffeecake with Chocolate Crumb from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Chocolate Zucchini Pancakes from Brunch with Joy
• Granny’s Zucchini Bread from Pies and Plots
• Pumpkin Cheesecake French Toast Roll Ups with Pumpkin Spice Dipping Sauce from Chocolate Moosey
• Pumpkin Cookie Butter Cinnamon Buns with Cookie Butter Glaze from Grumpy’s Honey Bunch
• Pumpkin Pie Layer Cheesecake Bars from Wallflour Girl
• Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes from The Foodie Army Wife
• Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cookies from Killer Bunnies Inc.
• Zucchini Brownies from Eat, Drink and Be Tracy
• Zucchini Lemon Ginger Bread from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

 
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Zapple Butter Zucchini Loaf

I know there are a zillion zucchini bread recipes out there. Heck, I have at least 10 on here myself, each a totally unique variation on the theme (and common goal of using up zucchini glut). If you look at a lot of these recipes, though, you'll notice they contain large amounts of oil or butter - something that always surprised me, given the veggie's inherent moisture. They also tend to include grotesque amounts of sugar - a more understandable feature, since the squash is relatively bland (and easy to hide!). I knew there was definite room for improvement on both fronts, and wanted to see if I could make the loaf vegan too.

Now, replacing oil with applesauce is nothing new. Dieters have been using that trick for ages, and in general it works - with the caveat that baked goods can be a tad spongy or gummy. I've found a lot greater success using apple butter, but usually only dared swap about 2/3 of the fat for it. However, I had been using up some of our zucchini glut by making Zapple Butter, and figured I'd try the double-zucchini treatment here exclusively. That's right - there is NO added fat in this loaf, and since I was on a roll, I made it 100% whole wheat and refined sugar free. Veganizing the recipe was the easiest thing to get my head around, since I had a fresh supply of Homemade Egg Replacer on hand that worked beautifully. 

Even after all that modification, the bread was perfectly moist (not gummy at all!), tender and rich tasting thanks to maple syrup, coconut sugar and a hefty dash of cinnamon and allspice accenting the nutty flavours from the coconut milk and whole wheat. It's great au naturale, warmed slightly with a dab of butter, apple butter or cream cheese, or even French toasted! When treats this good are this guilt-free, the options are endless!

Cranberry-Pecan Pumpkin Bread #BreadBakers

This yeasted, whole wheat bread is filled with Autumnal spices, pureed pumpkin and handfuls of the fruit and nuts. They are perfect for toast or teatime spread with jam, honey or butter!

Holy creeholy it has been ages since I've been able to participate in a #BreadBakers event! The "Quarantine 15" was definitely felt around here, leading to a break from the bread-filled fridges and freezers we usually have. Thankfully, we are all back on track, and I have been allowed to start baking my beloved yeast breads again! 

This loaf is my first "hurrah to fall" type of bake, leading up to a season of apples, cranberries and pumpkins even though I still have one last zucchini to use up! I was on a "warming spice" kick from the gingersnaps and Chestnut Gingerbread dough I had made earlier in the week, and when I found a can of pumpkin in the pantry (which I believe we bought for the cat and/or rats to eat) I usurped it and decided to use it as my jumping-off point. Unlike most pumpkin loaves you see, this one is yeasted, but it is still full of all the traditional flavours and add-ins like pecans and dried cranberries! I used soy milk (as always) for the yeast development, and while I should have let the loaves rise a bit more (I had to jockey the oven with dinner) the crumb wasn't overly dense or doughy. Rather, the resulting bread became the perfect base for toast with butter, or (as mom discovered) honey-drizzled cream cheese as a snack. 

While not as unique as some of the other bakes you'll see linked below, this one is a classic for a reason, and one I will make again for sure!

• Butternut Squash Sourdough Bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Carrot Sandwich Bread by Ambrosia
• Cauliflower Sourdough Crumpets by Food Lust people Love
• Cranberry-Pecan Pumpkin Bread by What Smells So Good?
• Garden Harvest Vegetable Bread Loaf by Making Miracles
• Potato Rosemary Focaccia by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Purple Pain de Mie by A Messy Kitchen
• Spinach Spiced Sourdough Discard Bread by Cook with Renu
• Tomato Garlic Biscuits by Palatable Pastime
• Vegetable Focaccia by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zucchini Bread by Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Four - Chocolate Sour Cream Quickbread #BreadBakers

You're not likely to find me without some form of chocolate in my diet every day. Whether it's a scoop of cocoa in my oats, a luxurious square from a high-quality, imported bittersweet tablet or even a cup of coffee brewed with a spoonful of cacao nibs in with the grounds (try it, it is DELICIOUS), the humble bean is firmly lodged in my brain's "favourites folder". Even better than simple bar chocolate (if that's possible!) is the fudginess of a good brownie or dense chocolate cake - preferably with a hint of nuttiness or tang (such as from peanut butter or cream cheese) to break up the dark, bittersweet notes of high-cacao chocolate.

That's where this luxurious quickbread factors in. Not only does chocolate come in four forms (cocoa, cacao nibs, chocolate covered peanuts and chocolate chips), but it gets a fudgy, slightly tangy body from sour cream, extra nuttiness and everlasting moisture from chia seeds and a welcome peppering of crunch from chocolate-covered peanuts. It's one heck of a package - and all in a gluten free eggless wrapping too! I even took some of this to a friend of mine for their birthday, and they devoured it without even contemplating it's dietary status. For a real treat (a la the restaurant dessert menu), warm up a slice in an individual baking dish in the oven and top with a scoop of ice cream. Heaven!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme / ingredient. This month, we're featuring breads with cocoa, cacao or carob in any form.


If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Check out all the chocolatey goodness we're serving up!

• Chocolate & Cherry Swirl Breads from The Bread She Bakes
• Chocolate Orange Swirl Buns from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Chocolate and Vanilla Brioche from Kidsandchic
• Chocolate Banana Quick Bread from Basic N Delicious
• Chocolate Buttermilk Quick Bread from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Filled Bundt Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Chocolate Monkey Bread from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Quick Bread from Magnolia Days
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls from From Gate to Plate
• Chocolate Yeast Bread from Cook's Hideout
• Croatian Povitica - Chocolate Walnut Swirl Bread from Herbivore Cucina
• Dark Chocolate Cherry Pocket Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Dark Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns from Baking in Pyjamas
• Double Chocolate Espresso Scones from Wholistic Woman
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Egg Free 45 Minutes Chocolate Buns from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Eggless Chocolate Babka from I Camp in my Kitchen
• Eggless Chocolate Swirl Buns from Seduce Your Tastebuds
• Eggless Triple Chocolate Scones from Spill the Spices
• Four-Chocolate Sour Cream Quickbread from What Smells So Good?
• Leopard Print Bread from Spiceroots
• Pain Au Chocolat (Chocolate filled Croissants) from G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Pane Al Cioccolato - Chocolate Bread from Ruchik Randhap
• Petits Pain au Chocolat - Mini Chocolate Croissant from Sneha's Recipe
• Sourdough Cacao Sweet Bread from The Schizo Chef
• Sweet Russian Chocolate Braid from Hostess At Heart
• Two Chocolates Greek Yogurt Banana Bread from La cocina de Aisha

Also shared with Gluten Free Fridays

WHB: Chocolate Mint & Zucchini - Taming the Invasion

Happy WHB everyone!! Anna is hosting this weekend's round-up, and I had to think of a way to participate in this go-around! If you haven't checked out her site, it's fascinating! The amount of restaurants presented is astronomical!

This weekend I made a batch of zucchini bread to try and quell the invasion that has been quietly taking over my garden and my mother's vineyard. I figure that if I nip it in the bud this year I won't be faced with something like this, which is over a foot long. Hmm, I wonder how many loaves that would make...

Another invasion taking place in my garden is of mint. I foolishly planted 4 different types of mint this year: Peppermint, Pineapple Mint, Banana Mint, Marshmallow mint and Chocolate Mint!! Needless to say they are taking over their respective planters too, and I was having a mental block of how to use them. Then it hit me... zucchini chocolate bread works... why not chocolate chocolate mint zucchini bread! Fat-free and delicious, I must tell you, though sadly not vegan. You could substitute plain soy yogurt or soured soymilk, and use an egg replacer though.

Chocolate-Mint Chocolate Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 c unbleached flour
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp granulated sugar
4 tbsp fresh chocolate mint leaves, chopped
1 tsp water
1 c zucchini -- unpeeled and grated
1/4 c fat-free sour cream
1 egg white -- whipped to soft peak

1. Preheat oven at 350.
2. Prepare pan a 8 x 4x 2" loaf pan with cooking spray and flour; set aside.
3. In a bowl, combine flour, 1/3 c granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa.
4. Place the 2 tsp granulated sugar, the chocolate mint and water into a food processor.
5. Pocess until very finely minced, almost a paste.
6. Combine mint paste, zucchini, sour cream, and egg white in a large bowl.
7. Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients just until moistened.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 60 minutes.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 102.1
Total Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.5 mg
Sodium: 7.7 mg
Total Carbs: 23.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
Protein: 2.2 g

Chocolate Sourdough Zucchini Bread

Recipes like this Chocolate Sourdough Zucchini Bread can dispatch a bunch of either fresh or pre-grated frozen zucchini in short order! This whole grain, vegan loaf has a bit of tang from the starter discard (no waste!) and makes one large loaf - plus a few muffins!

Our fridge freezer's door broke about 2 months ago. While we are lucky enough to have a large, standing freezer, the shift of all the frozen goods to it meant that other things - like this past summer's stash of frozen, grated zucchini - had to go. Luckily, we love the squash and I could toss handfuls into cottage pie, soup and stew. However, I saved some just to make this delicious quickbread, because (like I'm sure many of you) I also have a sourdough starter that spends most of it's time just chilling out in the fridge and I hate throwing away perfectly good flavour!

The mixture of flavours in this bread is insanely good, almost like a red velvet cake with more chocolatey oomph. It is sweet, but not tooth-achingly so, and with all the liquid it stays tender and moist for days even though it is incredibly low in fat! I tossed in some Naked Rice protein powder just because I had it on hand and wanted to make this a little bit more breakfast friendly. If you make resolutions (I don't - I don't have the attention span for those :D ) this loaf is definitely one that supports any "cook more, eat more veggies, eat fermented foods, eat vegan, eat breakfast, eat more fibre... etc" ones! If not, then sit back and enjoy a slice with abandon - it's 2021 after all, why not?

Spicy Flax Zucchini Bread

This week heralds the end of our major backyard harvest season. It's sad to see the end of the sweet, perfect heirloom tomatoes, the hot and sweet peppers, and of course all my gorgeous herbs. However, the cooler weather does mean the end of one thing I'm glad to see go - zucchini. I'll probably be ruing it's absence a month from now, but at the moment I have had so many zucchini based dinners that I am sated. Since even the three of us veggie-lovers at home couldn't mow through the fruit of both the "standard" and "Italian" (aka cucuzza) zucchini plants (we had 4 of each), I got the leftovers to play with in the sweet kitchen.

Oh and play I did! Aside from the Zapple Butter, I did at least 4 bakes with the stuff - the first of which being this (relatively simple) quickbread. I found the base recipe on CHOW.com, and with some tweaking I had a meltingly moist, just-sweet-enough batter baking away, filling the kitchen with the scents of warm spices, orange and just a whiff of coconut. The texture from the whole grains and flax kept it interesting and hearty without being leaden, and the leaf stayed tender and soft for days - no butter needed! My mom and grandma shared a few slices with a smear of apple butter (which they mixed with peanut butter... man that looked good) and raved about the perfect mix of sweet and spice. Hey, if my two baking mentors want to praise my novice attempts, I'm not going to say no!

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.

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!

Kitchen Sink Bread (#BreadBakers)

I love days where I can get into the kitchen with a box of odds and ends, a bag (or four) of flour and a jar of yeast, using up a chunk of the morning or early afternoon to mix, knead, shape and bake a crusty loaf or two of hearty, nourishing bread to nosh on when I need a taste of wholesome comfort food. Bread is one of those perfect "all purpose" recipes - not just because it is infinitely variable in its composition, design and flavour, but because the first bite of a hand made slice can instantly transport you to another time and place. While my mom only ever made bread at the holidays from what I can recall, baking for her now somehow makes me feel closer to her and my grandfather (who was an excellent, and frequent, bread baker himself). I never try my hand at our holiday filled brioche or challah alone though - the magic lives within my mom still, and while she is slowly passing it along to me it will be a lifelong tutelage.

Regardless, my work in the bread kitchen, even when it doesn't take any true effort, is always rewarding. While the recent purchase of a new oven (the temperature gauge on the old one finally went, and a replacement was unavailable) has thrown me a new learning curve in terms of rejigging baking times and temperatures (especially since the new one has True Convection), the loaves I've churned out so far have almost always been edible - if not delicious.

Sometimes the resulting loaves are worthy of a second make, as with this rather rough "throw it all in" dough that basically came about how I described my breadmaking above - the dumping of the dregs of various grain and flour bins into a bowl to form a hearty, semi-enriched dough just right for both toast and straight up with any number of Toast Toppers. The first round, I made one loaf packed with sweet, home-dried cherries, cranberries and blueberries and left the other one au naturale, but the fruity one went so fast that I made the recipe again, doubling the fruit so that both loaves got equal treatment (a fact that is reflected in the recipe below).

Our #BreadBakers theme this month is Whole Grains, and with the plethora of them in this loaf I feel right at home with the host of other delights on offer! Check out everybody's goodies below and don't forget to say hi!



Blueberry Banana Oat Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Bublik - Russian Bagels from Sara's Tasty Buds
Bulgur Wheat Bread from Food Lust People Love
Cilantro and Garlic Oat Bread from Simply Veggies
Corn Pizza on Multigrain Crust from Cook's Hideout
Gluten Free Honey Oat Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Kitchen Sink Bread from What Smells So Good?
Multigrain Country Bread from La cocina de Aisha
Potato Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls from Passion Kneaded
Rosemary, Garlic, and Parsley Whole Wheat Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Tomato and Rosemary Einkorn Focaccia Rounds from A Shaggy Dough Story
Whole Grain Maple Oat Scones from Cali's Cuisine
Whole Grain Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Bread from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Whole Grain Zucchini Macadamia Bread from The Schizo Chef
Whole Wheat English Muffins from Spill the Spices
Whole Wheat Date Nut Bread from Magnolia Days
Whole Wheat Naan from Spiceroots

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Chocolate, Blueberry and Hemp Zucchini Bread

Time gets the better of you sometimes. Before I started school, and certainly before my co-op term kicked off, it seemed like I had all the hours in the day to cook, photograph, write about and share my edible treats. Now, though, all this is being forced into the backseat with each new assignment, craft activity and school event. While I've still been cooking and baking, it's certainly not as much, and my writeups are even scarcer - but I'm trying! 

I'm ashamed to admit that I actually made this loaf months ago - way back when the zucchini was still overflowing the garden and I still had a jar of Blueberry Pomegranate Butter kicking around the fridge. However, I still remember it's reviews from the ladies at Zumba - moist, not too sweet, almost exotic and definite power food. True - this vegan loaf is packed with all kinds of nutritious goodies - but more than that it tastes divine (and like anything but "health food"). Even zucchini haters and those who roll their eyes at whole wheat in baked goods had a piece - and like most quickbreads the loaf freezes incredibly well (as do individual slices wrapped in plastic, then foil and stored in a ziploc). It's the perfect power breakfast on the go (or toss one of those frozen slices in your lunchbag for a 3PM pick me up), and if you warm it slightly and drizzle your favourite jam or melted chocolate overtop, it's a decadent weeknight dessert too!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

We used to have a large zucchini garden in our backyard. One year when I was growing up, if we went up to our boat for the weekend (or God forbid a whole week) you could bet that by the time we got home those piddly little pinkie-finger squashes would be the size of my dad's forearm. My mom and dad ate a ton of it that year, even though my sister and I wouldn't touch the stuff. It's a good thing too - my grandparents all hated the vegetable (unless grated into a sauce, stew, muffin or bread - i.e. hidden without their knowing) and the rest of the neighbourhood had their own behemoth vegetables to contend with. I'm sure if we were all better organized we could have had a backyard swap going, but there you are. I do recall us giving a few to the owner of my parent's gym, since they were to her like ketchup is to my sister: worth its weight in gold.

I never quite understood the love of zucchini back then, even in moist, rich noshings from the bakery or mixed into my favourite tomato meat sauce. Now, I'll gladly eat it pan-seared, grilled, roasted or sliced paper-thin on my mandoline with salt and vinegar! Ratatouille went from being a running joke we made at my mom's expense (rat-a-TOOT-eee as we called it) to a delectable Summer meal I wait patiently to harvest produce for each year. And of course, you can't go wrong with the squash baked into something delectable.

I've discovered that while lemon and orange play just fine with zucchini, what really pairs well is a rich, dark chocolate. Come to think of it, there isn't much that a good dark chocolate flavour doesn't help! When I found myself with a little bit more vegetation than I could readily eat for meals, I knew there had to be something out there that could convert crisper rejects into a craveable treat. I was acually perusing this post on the blog The Hungry Artist when I came across her recipe for a dark chocolate loaf cake. Not only did this quickbread have a good amount of zucchini in it, it also used precisely the things we had lingering in the kitchen without any hope of being eaten as is. The single banana, applesauce, tofu (that replaced the eggs) and the "other" secret vegetable - spinach - joined forces to make this possibly the most dense, moist and decadent quickbread from my kitchen yet! As a bonus, I could do the whole thing in my food processor - no bowl washing required!

Being submitted to the VFAM: Zucchini event by Priya and Kalyani’s Only Vegan event.

Seeded Potato Challah #BreadBakers

With just a few twists, this 2-Seed Potato Challah turns into a stunning centerpiece for the table.

While its no secret that I love making bread, I don't usually get the opportunity to "play" with egg-rich recipes. This is mostly because I simply don't buy eggs to eat normally, so can't justify buying a dozen just to use three or so. However, when I found myself gifted with a carton of eggs out of the blue, with only a single request to make a batch of lemon curd (recipe coming), I knew something good and Challah-y would be in order.

Ironically, at the same time I found myself with a lot of leftover potatoes in the pantry that were starting to sprout. I had purchased them for gnocchi making lessons in Home Ec, and while most of the bag was used, a few just couldn't fit into the recipe. I began scouting around to see if I could find a potato and egg-rich bread, and found a few that suited my purposes with a bit of tweaking. I'm no stranger to Challah, with three of my recipes on the site (my favourite is still the Figgy Olive Oil and Sesame Challah), so I couldn't wait to get going!

Since I had extra whites left over from the curd, I used those in place of one of the eggs in the dough. I also used warm soy milk for the liquid, both for the added moisture and for it's insane ability to nurture yeast doughs. I added butter to make up for the moisture of the lost egg yolk (not that it needed it, but it helped the richness too) and to offset the whole wheat, which can be drier to work with. Lastly, I wanted to add a somewhat sourdough tang to the bread, just to cut the richness, and a pinch of citric acid worked wonders! In retrospect, this loaf is closer to brioche than Challah, but who lets semantics get in the way?

With all the tenderizing and moisture-giving properties that were in the dough, the baked loaf also kept fresh for longer. However, should any go stale, they make for excellent toasted sandwiches or bread puddings!

This month is all about creative braiding of breads with the #BreadBakers. From the basic two stranded twists to complicated 12 stranded braid, attempt any bread around the world either with a filling or without, studded with nuts and dried fruits or plain. Create an art with your bread dough this month. Gayathri's Cook Spot http://gayathriscookspot.com/ is our host this month - thanks
Gayathri!

Here is the collection of all the beautiful braided breads from our team.

• Artisan Herb Bread Braid by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Basic Challah Bread by Cook's Hideout
• Braided Bread with Candied Papaya Chunks by Sara's Tasty Buds
• Braided Garlic Bread by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Braided Herbed Breadsticks by Ambrosia
• Braided Rum & Raisin Buns by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Challah Bread by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Cherry Cheese Braid by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chicken Cheese Braided Bread by Sneha’s Recipe
• Nutella Braided Bread by Veena’s Vegnation
• Orange Saffron Braided Brioche by Food Lust People Love
• Scali Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Spice and Herb French Braid by The Schizo Chef
• Two-Seed Potato Challah by What Smells So Good?
• Whole Wheat Challah Bread by Spill the Spices
• Whole Wheat Pizza Braid by Herbivore Cucina
• Whole Wheat Zopf Bread by I camp in my Kitchen
• Winston Knot Bread by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Zucchini Yeast Bread by Baking Sense

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Allergy - Free Zucchini Bread

After making the Brown Rice Cream the other day, the first thing I wanted to do was start experimenting! Luckily, these days I'm at no loss for inspiration thanks to the array of cookbooks in my "to-review" pile, and when I found a recipe in Colette Martin's Learning to Bake Allergen-Free: A Crash Course for Busy Parents on Baking without Wheat, Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy or Nuts
that used both rice milk and the dirt-cheap zucchini the local farmers were trying desperately to sell at the market I knew immediately I had to try it out.

Since the book only called for a vague "gluten free flour blend", I opted to make my own mixture instead of going out to buy a premade one. Not only was this a cheaper option (since I have an arsenal of flours in my pantry) but I find the commercial mixes to be very "bean heavy" and dense in most baking applications. I added a dash of cinnamon and cardamom to the batter too, since there was no spice at all in the original recipe, and since the finished loaf was still more of a a "white" or "vanilla" cake that happened to have zucchini in it than your standard spice-laden quick bread I added a cinnamon-sugar drizzle for a bit of extra "oomph".  

In the end, all the little tweaks and twists I made coupled with an already fantastic formula to create a truly delicious dessert. The girls at my hair salon whom I served it to told me that they'd never know it was allergen-free if I hadn't said anything - and a few of the ladies who had children at home loved that the only real indication of the vegetable at all were the green flecks, which can be eradicated by simply peeling the zucchini!

Allergy - Free Zucchini Bread
Serves 12

2/3 cup chickpea flour
2/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp guar gum
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp enerG egg replacer (or 2 eggs, eliminate the water)
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup rice milk (I used my Brown Rice Cream)
1 tbsp pure vanilla
1 large zucchini, finely shredded

Glaze:
3 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 - 2 tsp water

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x5" loaf pan.
2. Whisk together the flours, guar gum, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the egg replacer powder, water, oil, rice milk, and vanilla until well combined.
4. Beat in the flour mixture until smooth, then add the zucchini and beat in.
5. Bake 55 - 60 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then carefully un-mould onto a wire rack and cool completely.

For glaze:

1. Whisk together the icing sugar and cinnamon, then drizzle in the water until a thick but pourable mixture is achieved.
2. Drizzle over the cooled cake and let set. 

Amount Per Serving 
Calories: 226.0
Total Fat: 9.9 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 201.0 mg
Total Carbs: 32.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
Protein: 3.0 g
 

Linked to #glutenfree Fridays Recipe Party #4

Figgy Olive Oil and Sesame Challah #BreadBakers

While it's only been a few days since I last shared a decadent, hearty loaf of bread with everyone, I couldn't wait to get back into the bread kitchen as soon as I could!

With the school year's end approaching all too quickly, I find myself spending more and more time away from my beloved stove and oven and in front of Excel spreadsheets and Word documents, moseying through report cards. When I can't stand another minute in front of the screen (or sitting still), bread making becomes my go-to relief - it's multi-stepped, interspersed with waiting periods which I use to continue "work" work, the (albeit minimal) hand kneading and shaping is therapeutic and the sheer variety of flavour and texture possibilities allow my imagination to run wild, even if only for an hour.

I had kept my eye on the #BreadBakers challenge group for a while now, soaking up the decadent posts from the likes of Baking in Pyjamas, Noshing with the Nolands, Magnolia Days and a few others from #SundaySupper, and I finally got the nerve to join in! This month was focused on the world of stuffed bread, and I knew exactly the loaf I wanted to create. Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, this just hearty enough, half whole-wheat dough is enriched to silky, smooth and tender perfection with eggs, honey and both olive and sesame oils. As tender and moist as it is, after rising the dough keeps its integrity, making it strong enough to not only weave into an 8-strand plait but hold ribbons of homemade fig-sesame jam inside each "rope". Each slice has maximum fig and sesame distribution, and truthfully needs no adornment... however, that didn't stop up from thinly spreading on some tahini and runny honey at breakfast time!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BreadBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

This month, we're filling out breads with all sorts of goodies... why not "stuff" yourself with these bakes!

Sweet Breads

• Chocolate Caramel Stuffed Monkey Bread from Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story
• Cinnamon Roll Quickbread from Laura at Baking in Pyjamas
• Cream Pan - Japanese Custard Filled Buns from Shireen at Ruchik Randhap
• Figgy Olive Oil and Sesame Challah from Sarah at What Smells So Good?
• Jam filled Danish Pastries from Holly at A Baker's House
• No-Knead Apricot Sweet Rolls from Renee at Magnolia Days

Savory Breads

• Baked Peas Kachori from Shilpi at SimplyVeggies
• Cauliflower, Paneer & Peas Stromboli from Priya at I Camp in my Kitchen
• Cheesy Bacon Stuffed Pretzel Buns from Allison at The PinterTest Kitchen
• Cheesy Pizza Wheels from Tara at Noshing with the Nolands
• Chicken Stuffed Casserole Bread from Vimala at Cooking Club
• Cuban Sandwich-Stuffed Cuban Bread from Jenni at Jenni Field’s Pastry Chef Online
• Gruyère Stuffed Crusty Loaves from Adam at Bakers and Best
• Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Pretzel Rolls from Heather at Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks
• Jamaican Meat Loaf from Kelly of Passion Kneaded
• Paneer Kulchi from Anshie at Spice Roots
• Prosciutto, Salami and Mozzarella Stromboli from Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Russian Pirozhki from Mireille at Chef Mireille's East West Realm
• Sri Lankan Seeni Sambol Buns from Pavani at Cook's Hideout
• Stuffed Bazlama - Turkish Bread from Sneha at Sneha's Recipe
• Stuffed Black Garlic Monkey Bread from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Stuffed Pretzel Bites from Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Tiganopsomo - Feta-Stuffed Fried Bread from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
• Zucchini and Goat Cheese Stuffed Bread from Aisha at La cocina de Aisha