If you had the opportunity to
make my Winter
Minestrone, then you may have
ended up with half of a zucchini left over in your fridge. What do you do with
half of a zucchini you may ask? Well, you could slice it in half down the
middle, grill it, season it with a pinch of Old Bay and serve it as a side for
supper. You could also slice it into ¼” coins and saute
these in a little butter with some similarly sliced crimini mushrooms dusted
with garlic salt. Or, you can do what I did, and shred it and make this delicious
Zucchini Nutbread.
This unassuming little loaf is
100% delicious! It has a crusty top, moist, spicy, and nutty interior, with
just the right amount of sweetness to make it as perfect for breakfast as it is
for afternoon tea; I love mine for elevenses, slathered with clotted cream. Adding to the joy
of this lovely quick bread is that it takes no special equipment to make. A
couple of bowls, a whisk, and a sturdy spatula is all you will need to mix it
up, then relax with a good book for an hour, and get ready to treat your taste
buds.
Zucchini Nutbread with Cinnamon & Cardamom
1
extra large egg (or 2 medium ones)
1/2
cup canola oil
1
cup dark brown sugar
1
cup grated zucchini, unpeeled
1-1/2
teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2
cups flour
1/2
teaspoon salt
1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon cinnamon
1/2
teaspoon cardamom
1/2
cup chopped, toasted pecans
Preheat
oven to 350ยบF.
Grease and flour a loaf pan; set aside.
In
a large mixing bowl and using a wire whisk, beat egg well. Add oil and sugar
and whisk to combine. Whisk in zucchini and vanilla extract until thoroughly
combined.
In
another medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and
pecans. Fold dry mixture into wet mixture until combined and no traces of flour
are visible. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake in the center of your
preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, and
then remove the loaf from the pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.
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I am a sucker for "crusty top" on my sweet breads! Love to see the addition of cardamom, a spice I love.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a recipe for the end of summer when zucchini appear in bushel baskets on one's doorstep. But along with Minestrone, sounds like a good choice for a cold winter night.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Wow Pattie this is awesome stuff! I couldn't get it out of my head so I was forced to go get a zucchini at the store and make it! So I'm not eating it at "elevenses" but at almost "oneses" - :) I'm sorry I couldn't wait until it was completely cool. It is fantastic - nice crust, moist, not too sweet - everything you said it was. I made this for myself so no nuts, and I mistakenly shredded the zucchini instead of grated - didn't matter, still wonderful. Thank you!
ReplyDelete