It’s Summertime. And with Summer, comes a plethora of zucchini and squash. Seriously. They’re like the rabbits of the gardening world. They just multiply and grow so dang fast, that you can’t possibly eat them all before you’re sick and tired of the same ol’ same ol’. So what do you do, after you’ve had your umpteenth grilled or sautéd squash? Make bread, of course!
I know what you’re thinking…squash?! Really?! But hear me out…squash (like zucchini) is pretty easy to add into recipes. It doesn’t have an overpowering taste, plus it’s a great way to sneak in some healthy food. Notice I didn’t say, “sneak in some veggies”. Fun fact: while squash is widely thought of as a vegetable, it is actually a fruit, since it grows from a flowering plant. You know, we always talk about eating your fruits and veggies, and how some people need them hidden in their food to eat them. But have you ever taken the time to look into the various health benefits of different foods? I didn’t either. I would just happily go about my day saying, “well it’s a fruit/veggie, so I know I’m getting some good vitamins and such…yay for me!” But as I began adding and sneaking these foods into our diets (for my extreme picky eater), I became more curious.
Did you know that squash is a pretty amazing fruit? Not only can it help improve the quality of eye sight, but it’s known to boost skin health, strengthen the immune system, help reduce symptoms of insomnia, increase prostate health, and boost respiratory health, to name a few! So there you go…bet you didn’t expect to learn anything other than a delicious recipe today, huh?
But I digress…
So over the past week, we have accumulated a ton of squash, and I was kind of freaking out about what to do with it all. So my amazing Mountain Man hopped online to help me begin the search for some squashy-inspiration. He started throwing out ideas of bread and I’ll admit, my nose may have wrinkled a time or two at the idea of squash bread. So I kept searching and decided to give it a shot. But the problem I kept running into was there are such varying recipes, that it was hard to find one to trust. So my Mountain Man, again, came up with the idea to use my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread recipe as my base. Now the squash bread is very different, but at least I had a starting place!
What you’ll need:
- 3 medium squash, grated with excess water squeezed out
- 3/4 cup whole plain yogurt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 10 drops Lemon essential oil (if you’d like more info on where I get my oils, shoot me an email)
- 1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and coat 3-4 mini loaf pans with coconut oil.
Step 2: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with hand mixer or stand mixer, and blend until well combined and creamy.
Step 3: Fill each mini loaf pan about halfway with the batter and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out clean.
Easy. Delicious. Healthy. You’re welcome. 😉
