Fruits and Veggies Monday - Zucchini Bread

Last week I participated for the first time in @lenasveganliving weekly FRUITS & VEGGIES MONDAY. I have to say that I really enjoyed taking part and reading all the wonderful posts.
I will definitely be trying @plantstoplanks Curried Vegetable Lentil Pasta, It looks delicious!

My daughter has been a vegetarian for the last 2 years, and I am always looking for new dishes to try that she can enjoy with us. It has actually been good for our family as a whole, as we always have plenty of fruits and vegetables around the house. This week we had a lot of zucchini, and I had a bit of a sweet tooth, so I decided to make some zucchini bread.

Fun fact - In the culinary world, the zucchini is treated as a vegetable, however, botanically speaking, it is a fruit.

Zucchini is a good source of minerals, vitamins, and a good source of dietary fiber. You don’t have to do much to enjoy zucchini, I love to saute it with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley for a nice side dish. Today's bread is a nice little change, it has just the right amount of sweetness to make it feel like a treat, while not making you feel guilty.

The recipe is very simple and the ingredients are basic, so you might already have everything you need on hand! I baked this bread in the evening, so that the next morning, I could enjoy it with a nice cup of coffee, it will be perfect!

This recipe also makes 2 loaves. Zucchini bread holds well in the refrigerator, and it also freezes well, so you can wrap up one loaf and freeze, until you are ready to use it. Just make sure it is air-tight.

Here is what you will need;

2-3 zucchini - grated (roughly between 3 and 4 cups)
3 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 cup oil ( you can use ½ cup of oil and ½ applesauce )
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
3 tsp vanilla
Optional
1 cup nuts (walnuts are nice, but you can use what you have on hand)

Steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
2. Grease 2 loaf pans (8x4inches)
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a mixing bowl
4. In a separate mixing bowl , add the eggs, sugars, vanilla and oil. Mix well.
5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until combined. Do not over mix the batter.
6. Pour the batter into your greased pans.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes
8. Cool on rack for 20 minutes
9. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Do not overfill the loaf pan, or it will not cook evenly

Looks good, and smells even better!

Remove from pan and let it cool before you slice, or it might break apart

Slice, and keep in an airtight container, I like to individualy wrap the slices in wax paper, and then in a sandwich bag for a grab-and-go option