Pack a lunch, folks. Or rather, pack this in your lunch. Because you're going to love it. This is ridiculously healthy, superly tasty zucchini bread brought to you by a wild, wild hair I got late Wednesday night.
Let me back up.
Growing up, my aunt, Betsy, made the most amazing zucchini bread. Just thinking about it makes me salivate. On Wednesday at work, they hosted a farmers' market with local produce. The minute I picked up the zucchini, I looked at my friend Christina and said: I'm making zucchini bread tonight.
I got home from dinner and started unloading my car and remembered the zucchini. Still determined to make the bread, I looked through my cabinets and realized I actually had almost none of the ingredients it required: eggs, milk, flour, butter, vanilla, vegetable oil...
Nada.
But there are two things you should know about me:
1. When it comes to baking, I've never met a recipe I liked to follow. Measuring seems like an unnecessary evil and every ingredient is optional and substitutable as far as I'm concerned.
2. When I get an idea in my head, it pretty much has to happen immediately.
So I decided to make up my own recipe based on what was in my pantry, which resulted in incredibly healthy, incredibly tasty, vegan, gluten-free zucchini bread.
(And yes, I am as shocked as you are. In fact, I still wonder if my mom sneaked in an swapped it out for a better batch after I called her multiple times wondering if this might work in place of that).
Here's what you're going to need (and keep in mind my measurements are loose, so mix to taste)...
In a bowl, combine:
6 T ground flax seeds
1/2 c. warm water
1 c. applesauce
2 c. grated zucchini
2 c. almond flour
1 c. oats
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
a dash of: salt, cinnamon, olive oil and brown sugar or honey (again, these are to taste)
Beat until very-well mixed. Pour in greased pan and (optional but tasty) sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.
Notes: If you don't like things to "taste healthy," I'd skip the flax. You can definitely taste it. Also, since it has a lot of applesauce, the bread will seem pretty gooey when it's hot, but it will firm up a bit once it cools. So don't over bake.
And there you have it. Breakfast!
(PS: Don't forget your protein. I topped mine with sunflower butter and was then just totally on cloud nine.)
