I love summer! The fresh fruits and vegetables, the warm sun on my skin and all the birds chirping! Arguably one of the happiest seasons!
This summer is a little different for our family. I don’t tend to share a ton of information about my family but my husband is in the military. His career allows us to move every year for the past 4 years, typically in June! It is surreal that this year we are still in Montana! At first we thought this summer was going to be full of adventures and more with us both being in Montana. But, he is on a training trip for the next three months which means all the loafs of bread, pies and cakes are filling my house with no one to eat them!
Being a military spouse is a sacrifice.
If any of you guys are military spouses you understand the intense sacrifice and hardships it is when your spouse leaves for a trip, deployment or you move from a place you loved. It never gets easier. In fact, I find it harder with every trip he takes. My heart aches, my days feel weirdly long and my concept of time is shot! I am an early riser by nature, thriving in the mornings, but when Drew is on a trip my concept of nighttime and the end of the workday is gone. I find myself puttering around in the kitchen until 12 am. Then waking up at 5am and filling my time to not be lonely.
A few weeks ago, while I was in my in-laws garden I had this intense desire to make zucchini bread! Last summer my diet consisted of zucchini bread, strawberries and lemonade. A very well rounded diet (ha!). This summer is no exception to the zucchini bread diet!
What is Zucchini bread?
Zucchini bread sounds really strange, and to be honest the first time that I tried it, I was a little skeptical. The flavor of the zucchini is earthy and the spices of the nutmeg, and cinnamon add richness to the bread. The chocolate chips balance the spice with the deep chocolate flavor and then the butter in the bread gives great moisture to the loaf.
I can honestly say, don’t know it till you’ve tried it!
Let’s make a quick bread!
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The gluten-free and vegan zucchini bread of the summer! Use your fresh vegetables in a sweet, spicy and moist quick bread!
Ingredients
- 2 small zucchini or 1 cup of shredded zucchini
- 1 cup of melted vegan butter ( I use earth balance)
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup of dairy free milk
- 1/2 cup of almond flour
- 1/2 cup of dairy free chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cup of gluten free flour ( I use Bobs Red Mill 1:1)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven too 350°F and grease your loaf pan with vegan butter
- Shred or make very small cubes with your zucchini and set on a towel with the 1/2 tsp of salt sprinkled over the cut zucchini (this causes it to sweat out the liquid)
- Gently melt your vegan butter and add to a stand mixing bowl or a bowl with a hand mixer
- Add your sugar, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda to your melted butter
- Combine well, and add in your almond flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg until well combined
- Next add in your almond milk and mix until the batter is loose
- Then add in your gluten free flour blend and mix until the batter thickens slightly
- Take your zucchini and with your towel, squeeze the liquid out of your zucchini and add in your zucchini to your batter
- Next fold, in your chocolate chips
- Pour batter in to your loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
- Let cool and enjoy!
Why Zucchini Bread?
Let’s talk why we use zucchini in bread rather than a different squash. Zucchini is mild in flavor, but adds pairs incredibly well with sweet elements like cinnamon and chocolate. Zucchini is really high in vitamins and minerals that aid in nutrition for your baked goods. Not to mention their moisture. If you have ever cooked with zucchini you know they have to cook down for a while to get a good texture, this is because they are a high water content vegetable. When you grate them and sweat them out before you place them in your batter, they release about 1/2 of their water. This allows the extra water to add great moisture to the quick bread and bulk to the batter. So really, why not use zucchini!?
Tag @frontpaigebakes
