Man, I’m feeling bummed right now. I would guess that my mom is too based on her tears when I dropped her off at the airport this morning. She starts to cry, then I start to cry…it ain’t pretty! I think I even saw a nearby taxi driver shed a tear.
We always have such a great time together and then when it’s all over I feel a pit in my stomach when she has to leave. I’ve already called her once since I got home from the airport. I may look like a grown woman, but I’m still a mama’s girl at heart. ;)
The good news is, we’ll always have this incredible oil-free Zucchini loaf to remember the good times and great food on this trip!
I even sent her off with a big slice to take on the plane with her. It comforts me knowing that she has my yummy homemade food to eat instead of cardboard plane food. I’m a strong believer in wholegrain carbs when you’re feeling blue!
Plus, carbs are addicting which means that she’ll have to come back to visit real soon…right?
Oh She Glows
Oil-Free Zucchini Walnut Raisin Loaf with Cinnamon Streusel
Adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole grain spelt flour (or white whole wheat flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup sugar (I use organic cane sugar)
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, mixed and set aside for 5 minutes)
- 1 & 1/4 cup shredded zucchini (leave skin on), packed
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
- 1 & 1/4 cups non-dairy milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
- Cinnamon Streusel topping: 2 tsp non-dairy margarine/butter, 1 tbsp coarse sugar (like turbinado), 1 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F (see note below). Mix the flax egg and set aside. Oil a regular-sized loaf pan and then line it with parchment paper so you can easily pull out the loaf when cooled.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, powders, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, raisins, and walnuts).
3. In another large bowl, combine the wet ingredients (flax egg, shredded zucchini, lemon zest & juice, maple syrup, milk).
4. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just mixed. Be careful not to overmix the batter as spelt flour is delicate.
5. Spoon the batter into prepared loaf pan and spread out evenly. Prepare the cinnamon streusel and then sprinkle on top. Bake for about 37-40 minutes at 400F (see note) or until toothpick comes out clean and the loaf gently springs back when pressed.
Note: Next time, I would probably bake this loaf at a lower temperature as the loaf started to brown quickly after 30 minutes. Maybe 375F for a bit more time?
None of us could believe that this loaf does not contain oil! Magic trick #2 this weekend. (See Magic Trick #1: The eggless fluffy chocolate cupcake!)
The shredded zucchini does a wonderful job giving this loaf moisture..and you don’t taste the zucchini at all. You can see beautiful flecks of green though!
It’s a very dense loaf, but not in a bad way! Whole grain spelt flour tends to make dense breads, but I just love the nutty flavour of spelt so I don’t mind. The walnuts, streusel, and raisins add just the right amount of sweetness and crunch.
We’ve been enjoying this not-too-sweet loaf for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. If you like your baked goods sweet you might want to add another 1/4 cup of sugar, but we thought it was just perfect for a healthy snack.
It’s wonderful spread with Earth Balance, nut butter and jam…or just enjoyed plain!
On that note, I think I may need some endorphin-inducing carbs to cheer me up…
{ 134 comments… read them below or add one }
I just made zucchini bread the other day (which was amazing), but I really wish I’d seen this recipe beforehand! I love that it’s oil free and the cinnamon streusel sounds fabulousss!
Oh, I know that feeling. I love far away from my mom too and its the WORST having to say goodbye after a visit. It never gets easier, and talking on the phone doesn’t help. I think I’m going to have to try this recipe, in honor of moms who lives far away from daughters…
I love zucchini bread. I bet this would be sooo good as french toast.
aww you and your mom are so cute! :) so sad to say goodbye isn’t it. I live about 4000 miles away from my family right now, I definitely get homesick quite a bit.
totally off topic, but have you done any posts on tea biscuits? I looked in your recipe section but no luck finding one. I thought for sure I would come across one on here :)
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it. Your mom is too cute!
Great minds must think alike – I baked choc ZUCCHINI friands on the weekend!
The bread looks perfect and it’s so pretty. The colors in your post today are so cheery + fabulous. I’m so sorry your mom had to leave so soon. I know that feeling and it’s awful. :( Despite being sad…I hope you have a great rest of the week!
This looks amazing! do you think would it work with grated apples or carrots? I love the green speckles in the loaf though!!
This recipe looks scrumptious. I will be making it soon! Hope your mum gets to come back soon as well!
I am moving away (across the US) and I am best friends with my mom. We seriously do everything together and I have no idea what i’m going to do without her! It is going to be the hardest thing ever to leave. When did you move away from your mom? For college? Any advice? :(
This recipe looks absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!
Oh man, I feel for you! I know exactly how you feel, my family lives in Sask. and I in Alberta….always so hard to say goodbye even when we are all grown up :(
But baking always helps me, hopefully you too :)
This is exactly the kind of recipe I look for when doing my baking. Whole, simple ingredients that is healthy, vegan and delicious!
Thanks for this, I look forward to more of your oil-free baking experiments!
I love the idea of flax egg! I’m definitely going to give that a try in some recipes!
My mom and I are the same way. We both have sob fest when one of our visits comes to an end :(
I have to stay completely away from sugar, do you think I could substitute something else for that, such as honey? Please e-mail me as I’d really like to try this, thanks!
Aww, You look JUST like your mom!
So sweet.
That looks absolutely scrumptious! Your recipes and healthy living is so inspiring. :)
y’all are b-e-a-utiful!! All of your recipes rock my world, & i’m sure this zucc loaf will live up to the standard!
Hmm I wonder if you could cut out the sugar and just make it a savory loaf? I’ve been toying with the idea of baking bread… but I think I may just keep thinking about it and not actually do it. Too time consuming haha
Angela, you and your mom are so cute together! I hope I am close to my kids always. I bet this cake will bring you both back together really soon – it does look awesome :)
Perfect timing! I made this tonight with the oh-so-close-to-expiring zucchinis in my fridge and my husband ate half the loaf before it even had a chance to cool completely! I hid the rest :)
Awww I’m so sorry you miss your mama. Goodbyes are so hard. Last week we visited my fiance’s dad who he only sees about once a year (if that). I felt SO bad for him watching them hug goodbye at the airport…men are just as big babies as us sometimes! Hope you get to see her again SOON! :)
Guilt-free? I’ll pretend so!
I am looking forward to coming back to this post/recipe when my garden is full of zucchini next month!
YUM! This bread looks FANTASTIC! Just my kind of carbs, really! I have to give it a try, and soon! This is sooo going on my must try list!
I love baking breads! Especially oil free ones :)
Being oil free, is the bread still crumbly, or is it more of a chewy texture?
Love the recipe, definitely inspired me to do my own version :)
AMAZING!!!! I made this loaf to take with me to Europe today… but I am not sure it is going to make it there : ) another hit, thanks Angela!
Mmmm! I made this last night and had two slices for breakfast. It was gooey and dense and wonderful. Don’t you just love susan’s recipes over at FF Vegan?
I love zucchini bread and finally had the time to try this recipe today. I didn’t even use the topping and it is so good! Thanks for sharing. I will be making it numerous times over the summer, especially when I visit my friend who has recently become a vegan.
Yum! I made this last night with a few changes (ok a lot of changes) and it was DELICIOUS. I think I’ll make another loaf and freeze it since I have tons of fresh zucchini from my garden.
Could the flax egg be replaced with chia seeds? If so, how much? And is it possoble to add more zucchini? If so, what wet ingredient would I need to reduce? Thanks so much! Love your blog. You inspire me!
I love this recipe! I want to try making it again but with agave instead of sugar. How much almond milk do you think I’d need to reduce and do you have a general idea of how much agave to put in?
Do you need to squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini prior to mixing it in with the other wet ingredients? My loaf was UBER-moist – I tried baking it at 375 for a bit longer…almost an hour and 15 minutes, in fact, which seems like a crazy amount of time for zucchini bread! In the end I was too impatient to wait any longer, and while the outside pieces were delicious the inside was still too moist and uncooked :(
Not sure where I went wrong, but maybe next time I’ll just stick to 400 to ensure it bakes properly? Luckily I have about 90 pounds of zucchini in my kitchen :)
Has anyone else had this issue? I really want to make it again but don’t want to waste the ingredients if it doesn’t work…would really appreciate any feedback!
Always on the look out for oil free recipes since I have
2 stents and am on a strict diet.
Love your recipes, love your photos, and thoroughly
enjoy your friendly and funny blogs!
Just made this and OMG – best ever! I didn’t have spelt flour and used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white whole wheat flour. It was less dense, but incredibly delicious. I will be making this frequently. Thank you!
Hey Angela when i first saw this recipe i fell in love wit it I try giving it a try i followed everything right but one thing i did add was some shredded carrots. and for some reason the inside did not cook i left it in the oven for over an hour on 375 i do not know where i went wrong.. can u help…
Dear Angela,
You are such an inspiration to me! I am sixteen years old and have been struggling with an eating disorder for two and a half years. I have been treated four times, and I am finally trying to eat healthily and get my life back. This year, I have come to learn about the cruelty dealt to animals in the food/ clothing/ cosmetics industries. I am dying to become vegan and teach others about the benefits to humans and animals when abstaining from meat. Unfortunately, I am forced to eat meat twice a week, which I eat in the form of fish. It is a painful process, because I feel disgusting and horrible for the animals. Putting meat into my body just feels wrong! I have one in the fight to refuse dairy, though!!! I have also had lots of trouble with exercise, which means that this is the first year I can exercise healthily! Being as healthy as you is my goal!! Thank you for your recipes!!
Thank you Amelia!! I appreciate your kind words.