Bake, Run, Live

I don’t really like vegetables. They very rarely end up on a weekly meal plan. I know that they are good for me, but eh, not my favorite thing to eat. Give me protein, starch, and dessert, and I’m good!

That said, I am trying to add vegetables into my meals. Little by little, I am finding that I can tolerate some of them. Zucchini is one of them. I have found that with small zucchini’s, they work well as the “crust” for pizza. Of course, maybe that’s cheating, as I am burying the zucchini under pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese. Baby steps!

If you have a large zucchini, use it to make this chocolate zucchini bread. And feel safe sharing it with your favorite non-vegetable eater, as the cocoa powder (and chocolate chips) in the batter does a wonderful job at hiding all those green specks of zucchini!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking

1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan by greasing it or lining it with aluminum foil and then greasing the foil. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract and mix well (the batter will be thick). Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and place onto a cooling rack, then let cool completely. Enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!