This zucchini banana bread is moist and delicious. Extra-virgin olive oil and Greek yogurt give it extra richness, and with both a fruit and a vegetable in there, you can feel good about eating it! Perfect as a snack or part of breakfast, this bread is satisfying without being heavy, and it’s full of cinnamon and vanilla flavor. Your kitchen will smell so comforting and good while it is baking!
When I am trying to figure out what to make for myself and my family, often necessity is my best guide. Because I needed to use a zucchini, and because my husband and I accidentally both bought bananas on the same day, I made this great bread that I will definitely make again! Though I have made zucchini bread and banana bread separately many times, those two ingredients are a great combination. I am especially pleased with this recipe, because the moistness seems just right. I have had zucchini breads that are too dry or too oily, but this one tastes very well-balanced. The recipe is a combination of lots of different recipes I have used over the years, and it is definitely a keeper.
This is the time of year when zucchini starts to roll in around here, and I feel like it is one of the vegetables most frequently given away. It seems like someone is always passing out zucchini, and I am happy to use it! With a break in the heat wave, I finally felt like turning on my oven to bake. This bread makes a great gift, and it freezes really well too.
I woke up this morning to the sound of soft rain and distant thunder. It has been a long time since we have had rain in the morning, it seems. I am sure the parched earth is enjoying it. It definitely puts one in a more contemplative state of mind. Our daughter is away at cross country camp for a few days, and though I know she is having lots of fun, I miss her. Our son is getting lots of attention though. 🙂 I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, whether in the rain or the sunshine! Though I’m a bit late to Fiesta Friday, I am joining the great bloggers there, co-hosted this week by Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju and Petra @ Food Eat Love.
Zucchini Banana Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of unbleached, all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup of brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup of white sugar
- 1/2 cup of plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup of grated zucchini
- 1 cup of mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In another large mixing bowl, first stir the eggs vigorously with a fork. Then add the sugars, Greek yogurt, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir again (with a fork or whisk) to thoroughly combine. Hold the cup with the grated zucchini over the sink and gently squeeze the excess water out of the zucchini. Add the grated zucchini and mashed banana to the egg mixture and stir with a spoon to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Then pour the batter into the two prepared loaf pans, distributing as evenly as possible.
Bake in your 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with a couple crumbs attached–just not with wet batter). Let the bread cool before removing from the pans. Enjoy!
This recipe is adapted from a favorite orange walnut bread recipe in one of the many cookbooks I have collected from various churches over the years. Once I got started making the bread, I realized I didn’t have the orange juice the recipe called for. I also didn’t have enough walnuts. My husband suggested I use lemonade instead of the orange juice, and I used a combination of walnuts and pecans. The bread turned out great! I actually like it better than the traditional orange walnut bread. The lemonade gives it a sunny flavor and such a pretty, delicate color.
The making of this bread helped soothe my nerves. I made it a day or so before my daughter was to leave on her overnight class trip to Chicago. I know she loves this bread, and making it for her made me feel like I was giving her an extra hug before she waved goodbye and hopped on the bus. It is true that food can express love in ways that words sometimes cannot. I look forward to hearing all about her trip when she gets back!
Meanwhile, spring marches on with warm days and cold days, bright sun, rain, and wind. The key is to dress in layers, since it changes so quickly! The scene around us is becoming more colorful by the day. After the browns and grays of winter, it feels good to see such bright colors. Our cherry trees are starting to blossom! Bright yellow dandelions decorate bright green grass. I hope you are all having a great week!
Since it is St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it would be a fitting day to share this recipe, since I found it in one of my latest cookbook obsessions–“The Irish Kitchen: 150 Recipes for Everyday Cooking from the Emerald Isle”, published by Love Food. This type of bread is not solely Irish (it seems to have been popular in England and Scotland as well), but in any case, the recipe I share below is from an Irish cookbook. I love the part where the recipe calls for soaking the dates and lemon zest in tea, and then adding that mixture to the batter. The tea makes the bread such a pretty color, and gives a subtle flavor that helps balance the sweetness.
We are lucky to have such bright, breezy St. Patrick’s Day this year. I can remember some St. Patrick’s Day snowstorms, so I am happy to see the bright sunlight today! For some reason, this bread really touched me this week. My husband, daughter, and I loved it, (my son, not so much….) and for some reason it’s the kind of bread that made us slow down when we ate it. It’s meant for a snack or a tea/coffee break, and it is the kind of thing that encourages contemplation and conversation, as least for me. 
Maybe because it feels old-fashioned and has the essence of a slower-paced time. Maybe because it’s so richly flavored that we had to savor it slowly. Or maybe it’s just that it’s been sunny the past few days, and the novelty of being in the sun has lulled us into a state of contentment. In any case, this bread is sweet. It also tastes just as good the next day (if it lasts that long). I hope you all have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day and a great weekend! Now it’s time to join the party at 
