You need to try this: Zucchini Bread

When life hands you exceptionally large zucchini's, make exceptionally tasty zucchini bread! 

I have a pesky fun little habit of signing up for just about every random freebie I come across.  Typically it takes an item so long to arrive that it is like Christmas in my mailbox every week when the little packages arrive.  A sample of Cheerios for ma-wa?  Oh, you shouldn't have!  That being said, imagine my surprise when a nice little bound cookbook arrived, "How to Cook for Crohn's and Colitis," by Brenda Roscher.  I believe Colitis is one of those words, like Pork, that sounds so unappetizing that equating it with tasty food seems impossible.  Are you with me on this one?  Bleck!

Trying to be a good wife, I know- I make it look so easy, I thought I would test out the zucchini bread recipe since I have three over grown gourds screaming to be made in to something before turning to a nat's dream home. 

The results are in and the cookbook can stay!  The bread turned out great and is healthy too, great combo in this house these days.  It is so good that, well, I am blogging about it - so there.  Even if you don't like zucchini you really do need to give this simply scrumptious bread a try. 

Zucchini Bread

1/3 cup applesauce
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis, patted dry after shredding)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat loaf pan or 4 mini loaf pans with vegetable spray
~In large bowl combine applesauce, eggs, zucchini, and vanilla and stir well.  Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir well.  Add dark brown sugar and granulated sugar and stir well.  Stir in flour just until combined-do not overmix.  Fold in dried cranberries or raisins, if desired.
~Pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s).  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (bake mini loaf pans 30-40 minutes.)  Remove from pan(s) and cool on wire rack.
Yield: 1 loaf or 4 mini loaves, about 12 servings