Snack Time!

I think it’s time for a nice yummy treat, in the form of cake… only let’s call it “bread” so we can eat it before supper.

Just to set the record straight, a Zucchini and a Courgette (kr-zht) are the same thing.
Back in 2007, it took me about a month of watching cooking shows on the BBC to figure that one out… So, I suppose that if I wanted my Zucchini Bread to sound more fancy, I ought to refer to it as “Courgette Cake”.  😉

How about… Zucchini?

Years ago, I remember my mom’s friend Kathy saying that if you grew zucchini, you’d better have a lot of friends. Of course, I didn’t know what that meant till I grew them myself. She was so very right! One day you have a cute little veggie the size of a hot wheels car… and within no time, the zucchini is the size of your cat. Maybe even bigger.

I’m guessing that’s why zucchini is in so many recipes, both savory and sweet. Since it’s the holiday season, and baking seems to be par for the course, we’ll have a taste of one that’s on the sweet side.

“Zucchini bread” is such a silly name for this delicious treat. I mean, together, those two words evoke something like a dry crusty loaf with giant chunks of vegetable, right?

My mom made her delicious Zucchini Bread a lot when I was growing up and I always thought I’d pulled one over when I’d have a snack of this thing she called “bread”. Really? Did she KNOW it was sweet? Did she KNOW it was close to dinner time? Yee-haw!

I’ve taken mom’s recipe and twisted it a little:
◊  I’ve made it with organic flour instead of regular flour
◊  I’ve changed out the vegetable oil (which you cannot pay me to consume) to coconut oil, which has the taste of, well, nothing… but the mouth feel is that of……….. butter. mmmm.
◊  I’ve increased the cinnamon, and rather than using the already-ground kind, I like to buy the chunky kind.  One time the grinder broke, and I had to grind it in my old coffee grinder. Since then, that’s my preferred method. The flavor jumps out at you…not in a Tigger way… more like a Merry Christmas way 😉

Zucchini Bread

3 c. organic flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
3+ Tbsp. freshly ground cinnamon
2 organic eggs
1 c. coconut oil, liquified (it melts when it’s over 77°)
1-3/4 c. sugar
2 c. grated  organic zucchini
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°

 Oil and flour a large loaf pan.
In a large bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients; set aside.

Beat eggs with oil and sugar till smooth and sunny yellow.
Add zucchini and vanilla. Mix well.
Blend in dry ingredients.
Pour into loaf pan – it should fill about 2/3 of the pan
(You may need a few extra cupcake liners too, in case you have too much dough)

Bake 1 hour, approximately, but make sure to check after 50 minutes.
Once a toothpick inserted into the broken center comes out clean, you’re good to go.

Let the loaf cool in the pan about 5 minutes, then it should pop right out, and you can set it on a rack to finish cooling. Once it’s cool, don’t try it! (That’s what the extra muffins you made are for, silly!) Instead, wrap it in waxed paper, and then put it into a gallon sized freezer bag. Then let it chill out in the refrigerator overnight. This really makes a difference!

The next morning, after your coffee has brewed, reward yourself by cutting a few slices, and put plenty of butter between them.

I’d love to  hear back from you, so I know that you’re reading these blogs. Please tell me… are you a fan of sweets made from veggies?