Healthy(ish) Zucchini Nut Bread
This improvised recipe came about because we had a few zucchinis leftover from another recipe and needed to use them! Zucchini bread was a natural solution. However, there were two issues that required creative experimentation. Firstly, we don’t have a grater (But you need those little zucchini flecks to make it moist and delicious!). And secondly, most zucchini bread recipes have lots of flour and sugar- ingredients that we generally avoid in our household.
In regards to the flour/sugar matter, we just replaced wheat flour with almond flour and greatly reduced the sugar. This has a couple major effects on the bake: its denser (no gluten), higher calorie and way less sweet. This is okay for us, because we enjoy a rich, nutty flavor and don’t particularly like sweet desserts. However, if you prefer something cakey and sweet, stick to regular flour and triple the amount of sugar we used.
For the grater issue, we just whipped out the nutribullet and blended the zucchini with the other wet ingredients. This created a substance resembling a bright green, foamy smoothie, which we then added to dry ingredients to make our batter.
Blender Ingredients:
Zucchini (enough to make 2-2½ cups blended, about 2 large zucchinis)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
Mix Dry Ingredients In a Large Mixing Bowl:
3 ½ cups Almond Flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
After combining blended wet ingredients to the dry mixture, pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Be sure to let the loaf rest and cool before trying to get it out of the pan and slicing. Preserve leftover bread in aluminum foil or tupperware and enjoy it for breakfast, snacks or dessert! You can feel (almost) no guilt eating this treat because it's low in sugar and packed with zucchini!
For breakfast, we loaded the bread with peanut butter and berries for a delicious nutty, high protein meal!