Recipe of the Month

Since we are moving in 2 weeks, we have a LOT of food in our freezer we need to work through. Most of the meat I am planning on canning, but we're working our way through frozen veggies, bean and vegetable purees and so much fish that I'm a little afraid we're going to grow gills. That's what happens when I get a good deal on tilapia fillets during Lent and we find out we're moving a month later.

We also have lots of zucchini that I grated and froze from last year. I can't bear to just throw it away, so we've been eating this month's recipe basically every day. It's SO good that it's not a chore at all--thank goodness.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
adapted from Our Best Bites

1 1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup bean puree
1/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 cups grated zucchini (drain if it has been frozen)
generous 1/2 cup chocolate chips (we like dark the best)

topping:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine flours, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder in a sifter or bowl and stir to combine. In a different medium bowl, beat beans, applesauce, white sugar, brown sugar and eggs with beaters until combined and slightly fluffy. Add vanilla and yogurt and beat again. Gently stir in zucchini, then add flour mixture until combined. Add chocolate chips and stir to incorporate. Separate batter into two greased bread pans. In a small bowl, mix topping, then sprinkle topping onto both pans of batter. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick slides out clean. Let bread cool in pans for 10-15 minutes, then remove to rack to finish cooling.

This is, hands down, the BEST chocolate zucchini bread I've ever eaten. I think the beans and applesauce make it perfectly moist and delicious and not as crumbly as regular zucchini bread. We are big fans of the crunchy topping, too. It's so good that I might start putting this on every kind of quick bread I make. Hopefully you have access to some zucchini so you can enjoy this as much as we do!