Lemon-glazed Zucchini Quick Bread

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The round up is hosted this week by Margot from Coffee and Vanilla - be sure to pop by to see what other bloggers have come up with.

A few weeks ago I was searching for something to bake for the department meeting. I was at a loss until I saw a picture for this quick bread. I was hesitant - imagine the thought of zucchini in a bread? EWWWW The pic looked so bloody good though.

I decided to let my colleagues by the guinea pig!

I was shocked at their response. They chowed through it so quickly that there was NONE for me. How evil of them.

This weekend I decided to whip it up again for Paul and I. It didn't take long before I realized what the fuss was about.

Lemon-glazed Zucchini Quick Bread

(from the All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookboook)

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (can sub. 1 cup whole wheat flour)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbls grated lemon rind
1 large egg
cooking spray
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine zucchini, milk, oil, rind, and egg in a bowl; add the flour mixture. Stir just until moist.

3. Spoon batter into an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray (or muffin tins, half baking time). Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

4. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice; stir with a whisk. Drizzle over loaf.

Zucchini is one of the most common varieties of summer squash. The delicate flavor, soft shell and creamy white flesh of summer squash is a perfect addition to any summer meal. Once only available in the summer, they are now available throughout the year; however, they are in season between May and July when they are at their best and most readily available.

Summer squash, members of the Cucurbitaceae family and relatives of both the melon and the cucumber, come in many different varieties. While each type varies in shape, color, size and flavor, they all share some common characteristics. The entire vegetable, including its flesh, seeds and skin, is edible. In addition, some varieties of the squash plant produce edible flowers. Unlike winter squash, summer squash are more fragile and cannot be stored for long periods of time.

When purchasing summer squash, look for ones that are heavy for their size and have shiny, unblemished rinds. Additionally, the rinds should not be very hard since this indicates that the squash are overmature and will have hard seeds and stringy flesh. Purchase summer squash that are of average size since those that are overly large may be fibrous, while those that are overly small may be inferior in flavor.

Summer squash is very fragile and should be handled with care as small punctures will lead to decay. It should be stored unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, where it will keep for about seven days. While it can be frozen, this will make the flesh much softer. To do so, blanch slices of summer squash for two minutes before freezing.

Summer squash is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C. It is also a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, copper, folate, and phosphorous. In addition, summer squash is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, calcium, zinc, niacin, and protein.

Comments

[Kevin]

I like the sound of a zucchini quick bread and zucchinis should be in season in a while. The lemon glaze also sounds good.

[sandrac]

Wow -- that recipe looks great! I love zucchini bread/loaves. They're very big out West, a staple at bake sales, etc. For good reason, zucchini seems to really make breads/loaves/cakes really moist. And since they don't have a lot of taste of their own, they don't detract from the other ingredients.

I remember a time when putting tomato soup in chocolate cake recipes was big, because it apparently made them extremely moist.....but I can't remember ever tasting one and the idea never seemed to catch on. As far as I know! Maybe the idea was just a bit too odd.

[barb cabot]

I love checking in on your blog and seeing all the great things you make. The zuccini loaf looks so scrumptious! Enjoy your weekend...are you packing yet?

[girasoli]

I am surprised you have never eaten zucchini bread before. Maybe it is a regional thing? Chocolate cake with tomato soup as an ingredient however does not sound that appealing. I have not heard of that before.

[Jerry]

Sandra - my grandmother used to make a wonderful tomato soup loaf. You are correct that you would never know the main ingredient was tomato soup. One has to wonder though about the intrepid cook that decided to mix it all together!

Thanks Barb. I haven't started packing yet but I have started thinking about my list of what I NEED to pack. I have two days off of work prior to heading to the airport so that is lots of time to worry.

Susan - I suspect that I had never eaten it because I would likely have seen zucchini and gone 'ewwwww'. It is a shame that it has taken me 43 years to expand those darn tastebuds a bit!

[Coffee and Vanilla]

Thank you for your entry, delicious :)
Margot

[Jerry]

Margot - thanks for pulling the round up together.

[Kalyn]

I love zucchini and lemon both! I have that cookbook too, but have barely looked at it yet.

[Jerry]

Kalyn - we have mde many of the recipes from this book. It is GREAT!

[Anna]

this looks really good.
i made a zucchini & pistachio cake once and it was soooo good!

[Jerry]

Anna - the addition of pistachios sounds inspired. I shall have to try that out.

[Barbara]

I've been making zucchini bread for years using a recipe that must be 40 years old and it never fails me.

I always include it in holiday food baskets I make for friends and family. No need to blanch, just shred enough for a recipe and freeze in individual bags; come winter, add the thawed zucchini to your recipe, making sure to throw in any of the water that results from the thawing.

This is a great way to use excess squash and even better if needing to use one that got away from you that you would never serve fresh!

[Romantic bed and breakfasts]

I really like your blog and enjoyed it.

Keep up blogging.

Regards!