Zucchini Bread - Stealth Veggies

Here's an oldie but a goodie. This specific recipe has been in my family forever and is in our family cookbook. Right now we have zucchini coming out our ears, so it's the perfect thing to make that ... "isn't another zucchini dish". My kids love this especially with cream cheese on a slice. When I started giving grocery shopping classes to a local charity for women coming out of poverty, I was surprised how many of them were scared to try the zucchini bread. Seriously I thought I should start calling it something like Happiness Bread just because the word zucchini was throwing them off. This bread does NOT taste like zucchini so it's perfect for a picky eater (even if that's you) who doesn't get enough vegetables.

The recipe is easily turned into muffins for quick snacks on the go or tucked away in a lunch box, just reduce the cooking time to 30 minutes and raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees. I often freeze this bread because it's perfect for wintertime breakfasts when you don't have a bounty of veggies. I also freeze muffins for my kids. I just wrap each one in plastic wrap and store them in the freezer. Then we we need a lunch box packed I throw in a frozen muffin, which defrosts by lunchtime. You can also freeze the grated zucchini to bake up another day. Just freeze it in 2 or 4 cup portions so it's recipe ready. Using your shredder blade on your food processor makes this a fast and easy task.

Zucchini Bread

3 lightly beaten eggs

1 1/2 c sugar

1 c oil

2 c grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla

(these are your wet ingredients if you remember the post about combining the two bowls)

3 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 c raisins (optional)

(these are the dry ingredients)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Blend all the wet ingredients together in a bowl until well mixed. In a separate bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together. Then add the moist egg mixture to the dry flour mixture. Mix with spoon just until combined. Do not overmix. Bake in 2 greased loaf pans for 1 hour. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean without any "goop" on it. Cool bread in pans for 5 minutes and then cool completely on wire racks. Wrap in plastic wrap, aluminum foil or bread bags for storage.