Zucchini Bread (updated 8/24/07)

We have been making this Zucchini bread a lot. The original recipe comes from "The Silver Palate Cookbook" and is very good. But I wanted to make it healthier since we eat so much of it. Here is the recipe with my modifications-really doesn't taste or look much different from the original recipe. I will continue to experiment with replacing more of the white flour with wheat, replacing more of the vegetable oil with applesauce and reducing the salt. If cholesterol is an issue, try substituting the eggs with cholesterol free egg product. Another idea that I might try in the future is sustituting some of the sugar with honey.

Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter for greasing the pan
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce (all natural)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups grated unpeeled raw zucchini or yellow squash (I use 2 medium sized zucchini/squash)
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 cup shelled walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Butter a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
2. Beat the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until light and thick. Fold the grated zucchini into the egg mixture.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together. Stir into the zucchini mixture until just blended. Fold in the walnuts.
4. Pour the batter into the buttered loaf pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and cool completely on a rack.

Makes 1 loaf.

P.S. Since I substituted some of the oil with applesauce I reduced the sugar from the original recipe by 1/2 a cup (from 1 and 1/2 cups to just 1 cup)