Zucchini bread
My cooking creations can generally be classed into two categories: the first category is a throw together of different ingredients I have in the fridge/freezer/pantry, and for this reason I like to keep a well-stocked pantry, and then do a weekly shop at the Capital Region Farmer's Markets on Saturday morning for fresh ingredients. The second category is finding creative ways to use the abundance of vegetables and herbs from the garden at my house and at my parents' house. As I've mentioned before my dad is a fantastic gardener, and lucky for me this means a range of home-grown seasonal veggies on offer year round.
Summer is a time when zucchini plants are flourishing, so last week there were 5 zucchini sitting in my fridge. As luck would have it, I follow Delicious on facebook and a recipe for Matt Wilkinson's Zucchini Bread with Pickled Fennel and Onion popped up in my feed. This recipe looks and sounds delicious but I didn't have fennel or onion, so thought I might just adapt the original recipe to make it a little more flavourful and to use the ingredients that I had. I used a mixture of half wholemeal flour and half almond meal, which works really well, if you don't have almond meal just blend 1 cup of almonds, or any nuts really. The almond meal ensures the bread is a really nice moist texture, while the wholemeal flour means that the bread is like bread and stays together, also opting for wholemeal means you're increasing the fiber content of your bread which is a great way to ensure you'll stay fuller for longer after eating it. I've made this zucchini bread for the last two weeks and will continue to make it until the zucchini supplies run dry, that's how much I'm enjoying it. Give it a try, you might get on the zucchini bread train too!
What you need:
3 small to medium zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
50g olive oil or butter
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 cup almond meal
1 tablespoon raw sugar, or whatever sugar you like to use, or none
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon thyme
around 50-100g cheese for the top of the loaf (optional, but highly recommend)
What you do:
1. Heat the oven to 180, grease a 10 x 21cm rectangular pan (I'm sure other sizes would work too) and set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini in to a bowl, add the salt and toss to combine. Place into a colander in the sink (because in will drip) for 10 minutes then squeeze out the excess liquid, then transfer the zucchini back in to the bowl.
Two double yolkers, how lucky is that!
3. Combine the dry ingredients - wholemeal flour, almond meal, sugar, bicarb soda, paprika and thyme.
4. Mix the eggs and butter or oil in to the zucchini. Add to the dry mixture and stir to thoroughly combine.
5. Add the mixture to the greased pan, and place in the oven for 1 hr or until a knife comes out clean.
6. Slice warm bread and enjoy on it's own or as a side. Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner and delicious warmed in the toaster.
