Grain Free Chocolate Zucchini Bread (with sans chocolate option)

  

I always seem to have a zillion zucchini around here in the summer!

They multiply like bananas and I need to find things to do with them. I like making zucchini noodles like these Nettle-Basil Pesto Noodles, or Sautéed Zucchini.

Zucchini is very versatile. It will take on the flavor of whatever you cook it with so it can be used in savory or sweet dishes. Sweet is what I have been wanting since I have been off of all sugars (and grains), even fruit for three months to heal my adrenals.

Now that I can have a *little* maple syrup here and there, I used a small amount in my grain free chocolate zucchini bread recipe to give it just a hint of sweetness. It doesn’t take much after going cold turkey off sugar to be highly sensitive to sweet! I also used homemade applesauce made without any added sugar to give it a little extra sweetness.
 
If you are completely off all sugars, you can substitute stevia. Add it little by little as the last thing you put in, and do it to taste. 

Can’t have eggs? That’s ok! Use chia or flax seed as a substitute. To make a chia or flax seed egg substitute, simply put a few tablespoons of the seeds in a jar. Cover with water. The seeds will turn into a gel-like substance that you can add to a recipe in place of eggs. I use a heaping tablespoon per one egg.

I like using coconut flour for my fruit-based, grain free breads like my banana bread or blueberry bread. I use almond flour quite often for other breakfast items like our favorite grain free waffles, or these amazing lemon pancakes, and lunch wraps or flat bread. I like to mix it up so I’m not eating too much of one thing.

The zucchini I used in this recipe was so huge that I was able to make 3 loaves and still have a quarter of it left. You only need a cup of shredded zucchini per loaf so it can easily be stretched. Great for the budget!

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​This recipe makes one loaf. If you want to double it, you can. I like to double the recipe but not double the eggs. The photo above shows a doubles recipe with 4 eggs and 4 TBS chia seed “gel”.
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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder (optional - leave out if you want plain zucchini bread)
• 2 TBS Great Lakes Gelatin Hydrosylate (optional)
• 4 eggs (or 4 heaping tablespoons of chia seeds soaked in water as an egg substitute)
• 1/3 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
• 4 TBS applesauce
• 2 TBS - 1/3 cup maple syrup (I use organic, Grade B)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I like Real Salt)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup grated zucchini (peeled if not organic)

Instructions:
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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and add wet ingredients one by one.
3. Add zucchini last.
4. Stir well after each addition.
5. Let mixture sit for at least five minutes.
6. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
7. Pour batter into pan.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
10. This bread will be crumbly so handle gently when transferring and slicing.
11. Can be stored in the refrigerator.

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 When working with coconut flour, be sure to measure precisely. Also, letting the mixture sit for at least five minutes will allow the dense coconut flour to absorb the moisture and be less “gritty”.

This batter will be fairly thick (almost crumbly, but wet) like a cookie batter. It’s not smooth or runny like a cake batter. Does that make sense?
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The end result is a moist, dense cake-like bread that is wonderful paired with a cup of tea, or Swiss water decaf coffee, or a tall glass of raw milk!


​What’s your favorite way to eat zucchini? 


Be nourished. Be happy.
Enjoy!