Hi
Today is National Zucchini Day, and we’re celebrating one of the most underrated, versatile veggies out there!
Zucchini isn’t just for savory dishes, it’s also one of the best ingredients to keep your baked goods moist, tender, and full of flavor. Plus, it’s packed with nutrients and so easy to work with.
To celebrate, we’ve put together two special recipes to make your day delicious and healthy:
Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
Description
This gluten-free zucchini bread recipe combines the flavor of zucchini with a range of other indulgent ingredients, like maple syrup, softened butter, and more!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter, softened, for greasing the sides of your pan
3 whole eggs
¾ tsp Kosher salt
⅓ cup white granulated sugar (70 g)
¼ cup coconut sugar, or brown sugar (40 g)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 pinch ground nutmeg
¼ cup sunflower seed oil (65 g)
3 Tbsp Greek yogurt or diary free (110 g)
¼ cup (diary) free milk (60 g)
2 Tbsp water (25 g)
1½ cup gluten-free buckwheat flour (225 g)
2½ cups shredded zucchini (400 g)
Extra (vegan) butter, softened, for serving
Warm maple syrup, for serving, if desired
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 340˚F.
Line one small bread baking pan with parchment paper, allowing enough length in the parchment paper for the edges of the paper to come up over the longer-ended sides of the pan by roughly one centimeter.
Butter the remaining exposed pan surfaces on the shorter ends of the pan that might come into contact with the zucchini bread batter as it bakes.
Set the prepared bread baking pan aside for later.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, Kosher salt, white granulated sugar, coconut sugar or brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, sunflower seed oil, Greek yogurt, whole milk, and water.
Mix until the ingredients are completely mixed.
Add the gluten-free buckwheat flour, and mix until no lumps remain in the batter.
Add the shredded zucchini, and mix until the zucchini is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Pour the contents into the prepared parchment-lined bread loaf pan that you set aside earlier.
Bake the loaf in the oven at 340˚F for roughly 40-50 minutes, or until the loaf is fully cooked through, or when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove the Zucchini bread from the oven, and allow it to cool at room temperature.
After about fifteen minutes, use a sharp knife to make sure the edges of the loaf aren’t in contact with the sides of the bread pan.
Carefully remove the loaf from the bread baking pan, and transfer the Zucchini bread to a wire rack to cool at room temperature.
Cut into slices, and serve with extra softened butter; and maybe add a warm teaspoon (or two) of maple syrup on top of each slice.
Healthy Vegan Zucchini Noodles with Garlic and Basil
Description
I recently purchased a few different zucchini spiralizers, mostly because I was interested in filming a short video with them and wanted to compare the quality of the different options. I preferred the slightly larger-sized, tabletop version compared to the handheld ones.
At the end of the day, I was shocked at how well the various spiralizers were able to create zucchini noodles. As a result of the purchase, I’ve been eating zucchini noodles about once per week!
This vegan zucchini noodle recipe is super simple, and can easily be adapted to include whatever vegetables you might have sitting around in your fridge.
Ingredients
2 Medium-sized Zucchini, Cut Into Noodles Using a Spiralizer
1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil
5 Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced
½ tsp Kosher Salt, or More to Taste
¼ tsp Tsp Ground Black Pepper
16 Fresh Basil Leaves, Finely Sliced or Left Whole, as Garnish
Instructions
Cut the zucchini noodles.
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
When the olive oil is hot, add the minced garlic, and cook while stirring for thirty seconds.
Add the zucchini noodles, Kosher salt, and freshly-ground black pepper.
Toss the contents until the zucchini noodles are warmed-through, or about two minutes.
Taste, and add more salt if desired.
Divide the noodles among serving plates or bowls, and top with a few grinds of fresh black pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a few fresh basil leaves.
Note
Add some heat to this recipe with a pinch of red pepper flakes and a dash of ground cayenne pepper!
Whether it’s zucchini bread or fresh noodles, these recipes are just the beginning. Inside our Bloom Healthy Membership, you’ll unlock 500+ gut-friendly, gluten-free recipes, live cooking tutorials, and live chef support, all designed to make healthy eating simple and delicious.
And right now, you can try it all for just $1.