Hello!

I was out watering my garden this weekend and I happened to notice all the blooms on my zucchini. It seems overloaded. Oh Boy!

As soon as I finished giving the garden a good drink, I went inside and started looking at the zucchini recipes. I have several that I really like. Of course the most popular recipes are the ones that make zucchini bread.

Zucchini is very good nutritionally. So, if there’s something I can add it to, I do. It doesn’t have a lot of taste to it, so it blends well in many dishes. So, why not add a little extra health benefit?

I like to put some in my vegetable soup, and yes even chili. I even add a little to my stuffed green peppers. I believe it seems to make them a little moister. It’s a sneaky way to add vegetables to a lot of casseroles, but that will just be our secret.

This week’s recipe is a bread recipe. It has pineapple in it, with just a hint of cinnamon. I have made it with or without walnuts, depending on if I have any walnuts on hand. It’s very well received either way. This is also a wonderful little recipe to tuck away for Christmas time.

Even though my zucchini isn’t quite ready just yet, I had to have some. I got a package of frozen shredded zucchini out of my freezer and made a couple of loaves this past weekend. I shred, then freeze some zucchini every year. If you want to make the bread out of frozen shredded zucchini, make sure you don’t dump the water. It seems to accumulate when you thaw it. Just add it right to the recipe. Otherwise, you might end up with your bread being dry.

This recipe calls for one cup of vegetable oil. I omit that and in its place I use applesauce. It makes the bread firmer and moister. I love the texture it adds to this recipe. Did I mention how it reduces the calorie count? If you add oil, you will roughly add 1,920 calories, if you use applesauce you will add a mere 100 calories. That’s a huge difference. I opt for the applesauce which is healthier.

Whatever way you decide to go with this sweet bread, it’s going to be a winner, and gone very quickly.

Zucchini Pineapple Walnut bread

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 large eggs

1 ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup vegetable oil (I use applesauce)

1 can pineapple tidbits, do not drain (8 ounces)

2 cups shredded zucchini

½ cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Put all dry ingredients together and set aside.

2. Mix vegetable oil and eggs until frothy. Add sugar and mix well.

3. Add zucchini and pineapple to the mixture.

4. Add dry ingredients (one cup at a time). Add walnut mix until incorporated. Once mixed, add milk and mix lightly.

5. In a sprayed loaf pan ( or line it with nonstick parchment paper) pour bread mixture about ¾ full. This recipe will make two loaves. Place in a preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

6. Enjoy!