I went to the garden to pick some basil for homemade pizza the other day and came in with three green peppers, six jalapenos, a handful of peas, some basil and the first zucchini.
Now that the garden harvest has begun, I will have produce coming out of my ears!
This time of the garden season thrills me because it’s a good excuse to find and try new recipes, whether for baking, preserving or cooking for supper. Once a year, after a trip to the farmer’s market for eggplant, I make ratatouille with tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, garlic and herbs.
This is a new favorite of mine as it has all the good, healthy recipe swaps I tend to keep on hand and only one cup of shredded zucchini, perfect for my first harvest. While my kids are crazy about banana bread (so long as I make it without nuts), this one is quickly becoming a favorite, especially if I add chocolate chips. My mom also makes chocolate chip zucchini cookies that almost make you forget about the green specks in them, but you must figure out how to use your abundance of zucchini up somehow.
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup honey or brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup shredded zucchini
optional: 2 tsp orange zest, 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Whisk the oil, sweetener, egg, yogurt, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Avoid overmixing. Fold in the zucchini and additional ingredients.
Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the top of the bread is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Though it may sound strange or messy, try toasting your slice of bread before buttering for a warm, melty treat.
Andrea Borsvold is a busy homesteading mama of three who loves God, coffee, sewing and the beauty of nature living in northwestern Minnesota. She writes regular columns for the Grand Forks Herald.