I am Kathleen Raskin, and I’d like to welcome you to my Las Vegas kitchen! It’s time to enjoy zucchini bread like there’s no tomorrow at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen. There’s a reason why this day is held in the spring, and not summer. If you’re not aware, zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to grow in a garden. Blink, and you’ll be drowning in them, if you’re not careful! So, why not make its official day in the off-season? Makes perfect sense to us. You can enjoy it before the onslaught begins in the summer. How do you like to enjoy your zucchini? Let your friends at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen know in the comments below.
Classic Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 medium zucchinis (2 cups shredded)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pans.
- Shred the zucchini by hand using a box or grater or use the shredding disk of a food processor.
- Put the zucchini in mesh strainer or colander and press or squeeze with hands to get some of the excess liquid out. You should have approximately 2 cups of shredded zucchini.
- In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer beat the eggs, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil together. Stir in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and walnuts, mixing just until all ingredients are combined. Add drained zucchini. Mix well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
- Bake the zucchini bread for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out with little or no crumbs clinging to it.
Variations
- Add ½ cup of shredded flaked coconut to the batter along with the chopped nuts.
- Add ½ to 1 cup of raisins or dried cranberries to the batter along with the chopped nuts.
- Add ½ to 1 ripe mashed banana to the batter.
- Add 1 tablespoon of finely grated orange zest to the batter and reduce the vanilla to 1 teaspoon.
- Add a dash of ground nutmeg along with the cinnamon.
- Add a drained 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the batter.
- Reduce the sugar to 1 ¼ cups for a less sweet zucchini bread.
- Replace half of the oil with applesauce (might take about 5 to 10 minutes less baking time).
- Replace the chopped walnuts with chopped pecans, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts.
- Skip draining the shredded zucchini for a moister bread.
Baked Parmesan Zucchini
Ingredients
- 4 zucchinis, quartered lengthwise
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Place zucchini onto prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan mixture. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 15 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
