Charlotte Veggie

Healthy Holiday {Cranberry Nut} Zucchini Bread

IMG_8432

I whipped up 2 loaves of this easy sweet bread today: One is for a gift and the other for my humble abode.

IMG_8431

Using whole wheat pastry flour, less oil, coconut sugar, apple sauce, banana, and zucchini, this dairy free bread is healthier without compromising taste and texture. It’s comparable to a light cake.

IMG_8430 

I thought it was suitable for the holidays to give it specks of red and green with cranberries and zucchini. However, you could easily skip folding in any additional toppings.

IMG_8428

The second one had walnuts. The bread is moist, soft, fresh but slices easily and can hold up to a spread of butter, jam, or nut butters.

IMG_8427

Try this bread for breakfast, a mid afternoon snack, as pre or post workout fuel, or dessert.

Healthy Holiday {Cranberry Nut} Zucchini Bread

DF, NF if you omit walnuts

Makes 1 loaf

 

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded zucchini

1 mashed ripe banana

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup olive, unrefined coconut, or nonGMO canola oil

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 baking soda

*you can skip any spices you don’t have or even use pumpkin pie spice*

1/2 cinnamon

*1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

*1/4 tsp ground cloves

*1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/3 cup dried cranberries and or 1/3 cup walnut pieces

*you can skip any spices you don’t have or even use pumpkin pie spice*

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease a loaf pan.

Combine mashed banana, shredded zucchini, apple sauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.

Sift in flour, baking soda, and spices.

Stir until everything is moistened and then fold in dried fruit and/or nuts.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Other posts that may interest you:

Breakfast recipes including cookies, scones, and more

Marbled Banana Bread 

Coconut sugar and the glycemic index

All about coconut oil

Recent Posts…

Portland – The Green Elephant

Portland – The Green Elephant

Continuing the drive up the coast of Maine, we stopped in Portland for one night. We were all in the mood for Asian food and decided on a vegetarian Thai restaurant called The Green Elephant. We checked with several locals including our hotel staff, shop keepers, and Uber drive and they all gave it a [...]

{ 0 comments }
Thanksgiving Edition: Peanut Butter Coconut Cream Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving Edition: Peanut Butter Coconut Cream Pumpkin Pie

Did you know something magically decadent happens when pumpkin mingles with peanut butter and coconut cream? I found out when my father-in-law devoured the 3/4 of this pie! In all honesty, he chose this to be his birthday cake so he was completely entitled :) .  The filling is creamy, generously spiced, not too sweet, [...]

{ 0 comments }
Caprese Salad: Counting My Basil, Not My Tomatoes

Caprese Salad: Counting My Basil, Not My Tomatoes

Having a garden has always been an exciting thought to me but the act of gardening has always appeared a puzzling chore to me. I mean, why is it so complex? If you bury a seed in the ground, why shouldn’t it sprout and then progress onward to a fruit or vegetable? How can something older than time, [...]

{ 0 comments }