How about some zucchini?

When a good friend of mine said she was bringing me a zucchini from her dad’s garden, I started to have visions of zucchini bread, muffins, and cookies stirring in my head.  Which one would I make first?  Well, I think I can plan on making all our meals for the next few months with zucchini because this is what she handed me….
 

Oh Wholly Zucchini!!

First up for this monstrous veggie:
Zucchini Raisin Bread
Yields 1 large loaf
Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini (about 8 oz.), finely shredded
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 organic large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup organic raisins
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Put the shredded zucchini onto plastic wrap on a work surface and pat dry with paper towels.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, cane sugar, brown sugar, and eggs and beat until well blended.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthum gum, salt, and spices.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until smooth.  Stir in the vanilla, raisins, zucchini, and sunflower seeds.  Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and let cool completely on the rack.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap tightly and freeze for up to one month.
   
Now I’m going to go enjoy myself some more zucchini! I’m thinking some Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna is definitely on the dinner menu this week!  And there are requests for some Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies…stay tuned for the recipe.

Blessings,
J’lene