Whole Wheat Zucchini Apple Bread

Here's a healthy snack cake to help use up all that zucchini this time of year. This recipe doesn't call for cinnamon or allspice, mainly because my husband doesn't like them. I used some ground ginger and Old Bay seasoning instead.

3/4 cup agave nectar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use Bob's Redmill 100% Organic Whole Wheat)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (or use allspice, cinnamon, or other spice of your choice)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups zucchini, grated
1/2 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and line a 9x5x3 bread loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed with three tablespoons water until thoroughly mixed. Mix in agave syrup, olive oil, and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl combine flour, remaining ground flax seed, baking powder, orange peel, baking soda, ginger, Old Bay, and salt.

Add the flour mixture, zucchini, apple, and sunflower seeds to agave mixture; mix until well blended. Expect the batter to be very thick and chunky. Spoon batter into lined loaf pan. Bake at 325°F for 60 - 75 minutes depending on how your oven is calibrated...it took 75 minutes in my oven. When it's done, a wooden kebab stick or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should come out clean.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes; remove from pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.


And on a another note...here's a volunteer pumpkin that I harvested today...I know it's way early for a pumpkin harvest, but this girl was already well-established before I even planted my own squash. I'm pretty sure she's the reincarnation last year's Halloween pumpkin, because I threw our carved pumpkin in the compost bin. I used the compost to amend my beds this spring before planting and she came up in no time. Pumpkin plants are really both he and she, but I think this particular pumpkin must be a "she" because she was so determined, efficient, and pretty.