With school back in session for most of us with school age children, this week I will share one of my favorite ways to eat healthy on the go, be it before school, after school or wherever you may be running.
Quick breads are aptly named for the amount of work that goes into mixing them together; not so much for the amount of baking time they require. Quick because there is no yeast, and therefore the prepping of the batter or dough for the bread is quite speedy. Yet the baking time for many of these breads hovers around one hour.
Word to the wise: bake these the night before you need them, or better yet, bake up a bunch and have them on hand in the pantry or the freezer.
This bread recipe comes from my mom. She made it for the baby shower we hosted two weekends ago and it was a winner. Bonus: if you have extra garden zucchini on hand, this recipe will help you use an extra zucchini or two.
Zucchini Bread with Golden Raisins
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (1-2 small zucchinis)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites (or one egg and one egg white)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup golden raisins (or whatever dried fruit you have on hand)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a bowl, mix the zucchini, brown sugar, oil and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, except the raisins.
Combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients, stirring to incorporate fully, but be careful not to over-mix. Add the raisins and stir a few times.
Pour into your prepared pan. Bake 60-70 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool for about 10-15 minutes and then loosen the sides of the pan with a butter knife. Invert slowly over a plate or tray.
Cool completely before slicing.
Makes 12 slices.
SPC
SPC