Zucchini, Zucchini!

We are in the throes of Indian Summer, where the evenings hint at the chill of the upcoming fall months and the afternoons are reminiscent of the dog days of summer! I have been picking fall tomatoes and beans that have run rampant across a garden grown wild and this is the time where the smell of baking zucchini bread in the house is a delicious reminder that the scents of fall – cinnamon and nutmeg – are inviting and at our doorstep!

I used to peel the waxy skin off this large, green billy-bat looking fruit that people sometimes mistake for being a cucumber, but also belongs to the squash family. It smells like a pumpkin when you cut into it and the seeds look like gourd seeds. I also used to slice the zucchini length-wise and cut out the seeds. Now I just trim the ends off the zucchini and grate it with the skin on for bits of green (it is not tough but soft) making sure that I was only grating the white flesh and leaving the core and seeds undisturbed to be discarded. This is a no-fuss recipe, where the most effort is the grating of the zucchini. This recipes yields several loaves and muffins, is great to make ahead and freeze or to share with family and friends! Although the ingredient list is long, it is compiled of standard every day items you can easily purchase at your local grocery store.

Ingredients:

4 cups white granulated sugar

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups Olive Oil

1/2 cup Apple Sauce

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

6 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

3 teaspoons Cinnamon

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

4 cups grated Zucchini

*2 cups Shredded Coconut (optional)

*2 cups Chocolate Chips

*1 cup chopped Walnuts/Pecans

Preheat your oven to 325F.

Grate the zucchini and set aside. You don’t need to cover it as you will be adding it to the batter in minutes. I use a box grater and use the coarse side. The strips of green from the skin add a nice colour to the batter and you want those in there.

In medium bowl or measuring cup, mix the eggs, sugar, oil and apple sauce together by hand for about 30 seconds. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl (this will be your primary bowl, so it needs to be large) measure your dry ingredients (not the last three with the asterics *) and mix together. Pour the egg/oil/sugar/applesauce mixture directly into the dry ingredients and mix and fold gently together using a spatula, making sure to scrape the sides occasionally. Do not over mix.

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Fold the grated zucchini in gently and then add the chocolate chips and coconut, just stirring enough that they are folded into the batter.

Grease your loaf pans and pop in some muffin tins if you are making those. Fill the loaf pans 2/3 full. I use a large measured spoon to scoop the muffins for a consistent size for every muffin.