Grain-free, Paleo-Friendly, Zucchini Carrot Bread

                         

This is a zucchini. (This picture reminds me of one of those horrific big game trophy photos, with the exception that no beautiful creature had to die so a human could brag. I hope you enjoy my zucchini trophy photo.) 

Zucchini is considered to be a member of the squash family. Most people who keep vegetable gardens in Canada, have grown their own zucchini at one point or another. (Myself included.) The zucchini plants takes up a lot of precious real estate in a garden, so I don't generally make a habit of growing my own anymore.

In The Past I Have Experienced A Substantial Zucchini Harvesting Injury  

This year, I am purchasing it directly from a farmer (whom I know quite well). This particular zucchini is on the smaller side, in terms of its overall size. I'm guessing that it is approximately 3 pounds. The average "home or garden" grown zucchini is often 10+ pounds. The last time I grew this squash by my own hand, I went to harvest a "ten pounder", and was trying really hard not to step on any of its runners or vines, in the process. By the time the zucchini are ready to harvest, there's usually a tangled mess of multiple plants all growing together and affixed to one another with hundreds of tendrils that wrap around any structure that they can find, for additional support.

I Remember The Episode Being Like A Very Bad Game of Twister

I had strategically and very awkwardly positioned my feet betwixt two holes that I found in the mess of vines as they entangled around each other. Then, I bent down to cut the mammoth zucchini from its hiding place (concealed by its own large leaves) and began the process of hoisting it out of the patch. The problem was that I couldn't keep my balance, bend my knees, mange the weight of the zucchini and not drop my knife. I bent from the waist (a disastrous mistake on my part) and in 30 seconds, as I heaved the 10 pounder sky-wards, I was flattened by the squash and it won.

I Heard The Tell-Tale Popping Sound And Felt The Lightning-bolt Searing Pain

In an instant, the muscles in my lower back went into spasm and locked. This forced me to take a very unbecoming posture (for a Lady) as I was doubled over, pitching to one side and couldn't move by myself. 

"F -*-&-^---!!", I yelled from the back 40 of our garden.

I had to keep yelling because @knarly327 was at the front of the house and he couldn't hear me. When I finally got his attention and explained to him what had happened (through gritted teeth and short quick breathes) he slowly picked me up and carried me into the house. I had herniated a disc in my lower lumbar spine and spent the next 3 days with my TENS machine and really good medication (not far from my side) as I let the tissue that I had torn, recover a little bit. I couldn't even put my socks on by myself and the kicker was, that I knew better. I could tell you every structure that I was damaging, the exact moment that it let go, and I could also tell you exactly what my road to recovery was going to be. I am a massage therapist by profession and quite frankly, some times it's better not to know all the scary details from a physiological perspective. 

That Day, I Wasn't The Sharpest Tool, In The Gardening Shed

Pro Tip: If you are going to lift anything, even if it's a pencil off the floor, take my advice, ALWAYS bend at the knees first and make sure both your feet are straight in front of you and not turned inwards or outwards at an angle.

Now, Let's get on with making a grain-free, Paleo-friendly, Zucchini Carrot Bread.

Ingredients needed:

1. 1 cup of shredded and well drained zucchini;
2. 1 cup of shredded and well drained carrot;
3. 2 ripe bananas;
4. 4 eggs (omit if you want to create a Vegan version and replace with 1/4 cup of chia seeds and 4 tbsp of water);
5. 4 tbsp of maple syrup or agave nectar;
6. 2+1 tbsp of coconut oil, melted; 
7. 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar;
8. 1 tsp of vanilla extract;
9. 1 cup of coconut flour;
10. 2 tbsp of ground cinnamon;
11. 2 tsp of baking soda;
12. 1 tsp of Pink Himalayan salt;
13. 1 tsp of ground nutmeg;
14. 1/2 tsp of ground ginger;
15. 1/4 tsp of ground cardamon;
16. and 3/4 cup of Sultana raisins.

Directions:

                         

• Start by peeling the skin off 2 large carrots and 1 medium-sized zucchini.
• Juice the vegetables in a juicer or food processor and drain or press as much of the liquid out of it as you can.
• Set this material aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Tip: After I peeled the vegetables, I ran them through my juicer each, independently. This let me quickly separate the vegetable juice from the fibre contained within the vegetables. It also easily let me measure the fibre, by the cup because without the juice the fibre isn't as wet. If you don't have a juicer, you can use a food processor or a rasp to grate these vegetables but you will have to exert some effort to press as much liquid out of it as you can. If you don't do this, your finished bread will be soggy and more like a pudding in its consistency.

        

• Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and blend for 30 seconds until all the flour, baking soda and spices are evenly blended.
• Add the eggs and the bananas and blend again until a smooth batter is achieved. (Approximately a minute.)

        

• Add the carrot and zucchini and blend well for 45 seconds.
• Add the remaining liquid ingredients (with the exception of 1 tbsp of coconut oil) and blend for another 45 seconds.
• Add the raisins and only fold them in for 20 seconds to keep them whole and mostly intact.

                                                        

(This is what the batter will look like when you are finished blending the raisins into it.)

        

• Use 1 tbsp of coconut oil to grease the baking pan you are using. 
• Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
• Remove the loaf or loaves and let cool on a wire cooling rack.

                         

This recipe will yield 1 large loaf or 8 smaller mini loaves. It also lends itself well to muffins. If you choose to make muffins with it, it will yield 12. Check the muffins after 25 minutes because they will not require 45 minutes to bake.

This bread is technically considered a sweet bread. The zucchini and carrot make it incredibly moist which is helpful when you are learning to bake with coconut flour which is "exceptionally" dry. 

From a health perspective, this bread is packed with nutritional density, yet it tastes wonderful and it is suitable for people who are trying to avoid grain, refined sugar and dairy. It can also be easily adjusted for those who are allergic to egg protein or prefer a Vegan option. 

I welcome your comments and invite you to join me on my journey...I'll bring the zucchini bread. ;)

~ Rebecca Ryan