It's that time of year, they say.
"Zucchini abounds in your vegetable garden--what a better way to use it than in dessert?"
Let's get things straight here. I do not have a vegetable garden. My vegetable garden bears the name of Carrefour Market, has bright green walls and bright lighting. And no, I'm not referring to some kind of greenhouse.
The few zucchini I do get from a vegetable garden come from my aunt Mimi or my uncle Roland in Saint Dié, which consequently isn't very often. When I get homegrown zucchini, I can't wait to eat it raw (do you do that too?) or lightly sauté it with some delicious pesto. As much as I love zucchini bread, it's the last thing that comes to mind when I've only got a pound for my personal use.
I keep reading about homegrown vegetables and what to do with your bumper crop, and I'm getting jealous. I wish I had a vegetable garden of my own and so much zucchini it fills my whole apartment. In the meantime, I decided I would just pretend--and the best way of doing that is to make zucchini bread.
"I just don't know what to do with all this zucchini. Whew. I had to make zucchini bread--couldn't help it."
On a more serious note, this is a great bread. For those of you who aren't huge fans of cinnamon in baked goods, you might think some zucchini breads go overboard spice-wise. I personally love spices, but also enjoy a bread with a more simple taste that lets the zucchini shine. Adding low-fat yogurt was a great way to bring moisture and make the bread breakfast-healthy.
Even if you don't have crates of zucchini lying around, I suggest you give this a try. It might just convince your friends to give you their extra zucchini--and that's never a bad thing.
Yogurt Zucchini Bread
makes one loaf
1 medium zucchini, grated (yields about 1 to 1 1/4 c.)
3/4 c. low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 TS baking powder
1/2 TS baking soda
1/2 TS salt
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. raw cane sugar or brown sugar
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.
Grease a 9-inch long loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, oil, eggs and sugars. Add grated zucchini and mix.
In a large bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients. Delicately incorporate wet ingredients, but do not overmix.
Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake until golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Cool in pan and invert onto a wire rack.
Store loaf at room temperature, in plastic wrap, for three days maximum.
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