No self-respecting farm blog will be without a good zucchini bread recipe. When zucchini and squash are in season, we are all looking for creative ways to eat it all before it spoils. This particular recipe also puts those summer blueberries to good use and has an added layer of decadence with rich dark chocolate. There are many ways to get flavor in a bread like this, and if you are not concerned about dairy or fats, buttermilk will give the best texture, hands down. With two good friends* in my kitchen, however, we were able to put our heads together and come up with this one. It is low-fat, high-fiber, and tasty enough to make the kids think they are eating cake for breakfast.
Ingredients: 3 cups prairie gold whole wheat flour (or can use half hard red whole wheat and half white flour) 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 tbs baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup sucanat dash of salt 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cloves 1/4 whole nutmeg, grated
1/2 cup local honey 2 tsp vanilla 3-4 eggs (less if you like it crumbly, more if you like it spongy) 3.5 oz good quality dark chocolate (70-90% cocoa), melted 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 2 zucchini or zephyr squash, grated (about 2-3 cups) 1 pint of blueberries
Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil two loaf pans. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, melted chocolate and honey. Combine the wet ingredients, dry ingredients and zucchini. Fold in the blueberries. Divide evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.
*Credits to Gina Krabbendam and Oriel Wiggins for their contributions to this recipe.