Do you have a zucchini plant overtaking your garden? Not sure what to do with all that produce? I have some suggestions so keep reading and stay tuned for more!

Summer is in full swing and so is my garden. My zucchini and cucumber plants are producing a lot of vegetables so I’m constantly looking for new recipes. Landon loves cucumber so that’s covered. For the past few years I have been refusing to get a spiralizer since a) I love pasta and b) I didn’t want to add another gadget to the collection that would take up space. Well, my husband decided to go low carb for a while so I finally gave in and got the spiralizer. If you now think that I’m going to tell you how much I like it and that I use it daily, well, you are wrong! It’s been probably 3 weeks and that thing is still in the box. But I’m getting close! The truth is, since I started working I don’t have time for much experimenting in the kitchen and summer is always busy for us anyway.

I found this recipe in the cooking section of New York Times and made some changes to it. The zucchini bread is very moist, crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Slightly sweet and with some additional crunch from the walnuts. Adding lemon zest elevates the flavor. Additional spices, like cinnamon and coconut flakes, make this bread even tastier. It can be quickly made and ready to be enjoyed for breakfast or afternoon tea.

Start by grating the zucchini either in a food processor or using a hand-held grater. Place the zucchini in a colander and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Then gently squeeze the juice out and discard it. Otherwise the bread will be too soggy.

Transfer the zucchini into a large bowl and add coconut oil, eggs, buttermilk or plain yogurt, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Stir well and add flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Grate in the lemon (you need about 1 teaspoon of zest). Add unsweetened coconut flakes, walnuts and golden raisins. Stir well and pour into a buttered loaf pan.

Bake at 350°F for about 45-50 minutes or until the inserted toothpick comes out dry. Let it cool down before serving. Store in a refrigerator. I like to eat it slightly toasted with butter on top.

Makes: one 8-inch loaf       Prep time: 40 minutes        Ready in: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups zucchini, shredded
• ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
• ⅓ cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
• ⅔ cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup flaxseed meal
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• ¼ cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
• ¼ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
• ¼ cup golden raisins

Directions:

1. Grate or shred the zucchini, then place in a colander to drain. Leave for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the 8-inch loaf pan.
3. Squeeze the excess of zucchini juice out and transfer the zucchini to a large bowl. Add coconut oil, yogurt, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir well.
4. Add flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and lemon zest into the wet ingredients. Stir well.
5. Finally, add coconut flakes, nuts and raisins. Stir well and transfer into the prepared baking pan.
6. Bake for about 40-50 minutes until the top is golden and the inserted toothpick comes out dry.
7. Cool the bread on a wire rack before serving.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017522-olive-oil-zucchini-bread?em_pos=medium&emc=edit_ck_20160611&nl=cooking&nlid=71577923 by Melissa Clark.