Zucchini bread

The mini-heat wave we had over the weekend finally broke and I managed to make it up to the garden to see what was growing. I picked a bunch of overgrown zucchini and two watermelon before I ripped out the plants. The recent wind storms had really done them in.

Last night, I made zucchini bread using a recipe that I found in Pinterest, modified to fit my tastes. Because, when is the last time I followed directions as they were written. My main goal was to make it a little bit healthier by reducing the amount of oil and sugar used.

Zucchini Bread, Redux

2-3/4 c flour
3-4 c wheat bran
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg (I was out and used ~3/4 tsp allspice with equally delicious results)

1 c brown sugar
3/4 c unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c oil
4 eggs
1/3 c water
2-3 c shredded zucchini
1 tsp lemon juice
1 c nuts or chocolate chips

Mix together the dry ingredients. I have used all sorts of combinations of spices, pretty much anything that works in pumpkin pie, will work here.

I am uber lazy and dumped some applesauce into a 1 cup measure and topped it off with canola oil. To that I added the brown sugar and eggs, mixing until blended. Then the water and zucchini went into the bowl along with the lemon juice. After everything is well mixed, I added the dry ingredients and mixed until just blended, then add the nuts or chocolate chips.

This makes two loaves that have a delicious, crunchy crust and with a lovely tooth because of the wheat bran. They have just a hint of sweetness and are not greasy at all.

I cannot wait to make them again!