Chillin' in the Kitchen: Zucchini Bread

Recently, I've gotten into the habit of making love-loaves on Sunday. What's a love-loaf, you ask? It's basically what I call the loaves of goodness that come out of the oven, because I love them so much. (You can stop the eye rolling now!) I like baking something over the weekend that we can grab quick breakfasts throughout the week, and lately it's been a quick-bread of sorts - either banana or pumpkin, etc. (though I have made muffins or breakfast "cookies" as well...it just depends on what's in the pantry and how lazy I am).

This past week I had a couple of zucchinis sitting sadly in the fridge that needed to be used, so I thought I'd make Zucchini Bread. One of my favourite kinds of bread, this loaf is light and moist with an almost savory taste. It's not overly sweet, and the zucchini really shines through due to the citrus accent. I replaced some of the fats with unsweetened applesauce to make it healthier and it still tasted amazing. The key is in draining the zucchini of its moisture as much as possible - so don't skip that step or you'll end up with a dense, gummy loaf! A warm slice of this beauty with a drizzle of honey and a hot cup of milky tea...makes any morning a good one!

Zucchini Bread
adapted from The New Best Recipe
makes 1 9-inch loaf

2 C flour
2 small zucchini, or 1 large zucchini (de-seeded)
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
2. Shred zucchini (grater or food processor) and toss with 2 Tbsp of sugar. Place in a strainer set over a bowl and allow to drain while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
3. In a bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk and set aside.
4. In separate bowl, mix remaining sugar, applesauce, eggs, lemon juice and melted butter until combined.
5. After zucchini has drained, squeeze the zucchini until remaining moisture is drained. Stir dried zucchini into wet mixture and combine with dry ingredients.
6. Pour everything into the greased loaf pan and smooth out the top.
7. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If covered, will keep at room temperature for 3 days. Freezes well.