Last week my grandmother gave us two huge zucchini from her garden (that she asks about everyday) and we brought some amazing heirloom carrots from the farmer’s market, but we were planning to go away for part of the weekend and I was worried they would spoil before we got back. I did not have the heart to throw out Nonna’s zucchini if they didn’t make it through the long weekend and I didn’t want to waste the carrots so I put them all together and made loaf!

This recipe is a variation of one I’ve made before, and I knew that carrots and zucchini act almost the same when baked (carrots are a bit drier, but generally act the same in a loaf or cake) so I thought why not add something new to a tried and true. Well, I’m really happy that I did because my entire family (toddler, baby and hubby) all approve and we’ve been enjoying loaf for breakfast and afternoon snack the last few days …and there’s still one in the freezer. Yup, this loaf recipe makes two loaves, because it takes way too long to grate veggies and only eat loaf once! Also, I always grate a bit extra and freeze the veggies so I can whip up another batch later on (see below for more on that tip).

The Hello Harvest loaf is also a little more colourful than a regular zucchini loaf which is fun for the little ones!

Ingredients

 

1 cup whole-wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cocoa

3 tsps cinnamon

1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

1/2 a cup grated heirloom carrots

3 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups  brown (or yellow) sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup dried cranberries (optional)

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 loaf pans. Grate zucchini and carrots, then set aside.

2. In one bowl, mix flour (white and whole-wheat), salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and cinnamon together until all the dry ingredients are well combined.

3. In another bowl, using a hand or stand-up mixer, beat eggs, vanilla, sugar and vegetable oil until they resemble a cream.

4. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix until well combined.

5. Add zucchini, carrots and optional cranberries and mix.

6. Divide batter evenly between two pans, filling each about ¾ of the way.

7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until loaves are baked all the way through. Let stand/cool for 20-30 minutes and serve.

 

*Tip: To test if the loaves are baked through put a knife all the way into the loaf and if the knife comes up clean (with no batter on it) your loaves are done!

* Prepare Ahead Tip: grate the zucchini & carrots ahead of time and put in the fridge or freezer so this part of your prep-work is done. The veggies can stay in the fridge for up to three days and freezer for a month.

Hope you enjoy this harvest recipe as much as we did! Let me know how it turns out if you make it 🙂

 

xo

Vanessa