The kids were thrilled to have a snow day today! We went to sleep wondering if the “Great Cyclone Bomb of 2018” would be a boom or a bust, and awoke to the blustery wind of a good, old North Eastern snowstorm. Since we stocked up on rations like everyone else in New Jersey and had nowhere else to be but home, this snow day called for a hearty late breakfast, featuring pasture-raised eggs, thick slab bacon, and my personal favorite accompaniment, grain-free zucchini bread.
With notes of cinnamon and vanilla, this breakfast bread is a much more nutritious way to enjoy a sweet breakfast treat. Although it has flecks of green, my kids haven’t been afraid of trying it. Featuring coconut flour instead of traditional grain-based flour, it is also gluten free. It freezes well and defrosts easily, so go ahead and pre-make a few batches at a time!
FLOURLESS ZUCCHINI BREAD
(To use labels, which will entice some readers and terrify others, this bread meets Paleo, AIP, gluten- and dairy-free needs, unless chocolate chips containing dairy are added.)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (1 medium) zucchini, shredded finely and squeezed
- 4 eggs
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey, if preferred)
- 1 ripe banana, mashed with a fork
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil or liquid/melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate or carob chips (I use Enjoy Life brand semi-sweet chocolate chips; they are dairy, soy, nut and gluten free)
- Also optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I don’t do this at home as we have a child with a nut allergy)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a small loaf pan (8″x4″ or smaller) with avocado or coconut oil.
- Shred your zucchini finely, and then wrap it securely in a dish towel or cheesecloth and squeeze the heck out of it to express all the water out.
- In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients – egg, syrup/honey, oil, vanilla and banana – together.
- Stir the dry ingredients and zucchini into the wet ingredients, then add the apple cider vinegar, and continue to stir until the batter is smooth.
- Stir in the chocolate/carob chips, if using.
- Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Loaves will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Can be frozen, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months. To defrost a loaf, leave overnight in your refrigerator. My kids like it best this way; I put defrosted slices in a toaster or conventional oven until they are just a little bit crumbly, and then add fresh butter.
Baking side note: coconut flour is a useful replacement for traditional flours, but it absorbs more liquid than traditional flours, so you must adjust wet ingredients if you decide to play around with your family recipes.
For your enjoyment, a pic of SnowPuppy waiting patiently near the range in our home kitchen for his eggy breakfast.
