It’s that time of year again – the zucchini gets away from me and the next thing I know, they’re the size of my leg (thankfully, I’m pretty short!). There are quite a few recipes floating around, but I hate it when I try a recipe and it doesn’t turn out. So I was nice and tried out the following ones for you!

Remember that if a quick bread (made with baking powder and/or baking soda, not yeast) doesn’t turn out to your liking, you can use it for a French toast (either slices or like a bread pudding) or bread crumbs for a sweet dish, like a fruit crisp. Just let it dry out a bit (slice and leave covered with a dish towel) first.

I don’t care much for traditional zucchini bread with nuts and spices, so I searched out some others. I made all of these with peeled shredded zucchini – to me the peel is distracting when I want to kinda hide the zucchini. Squash (and potatoes when you use those in yeast breads) will keep your breads more moist and let them store a little longer.

LEMON ZUCCHINI BREAD

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tblsp. lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon (or some grated lemon peel)

1 cup shredded zucchini

Mix dry ingredients well with a whisk, then stir in wet ingredients and zucchini just until blended. Bake in a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan at 350* for about 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Glaze with a mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tblsp. of lemon juice.

PEANUT BUTTER ZUCCHINI BREAD WITH STREUSEL

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

(The original recipe calls for 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg, but again – I’m not big on spicy zucchini bread, so I substituted 1/2 cup chocolate chips and left out the spices)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup oil

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

Mix together dry ingredients with a whisk, then add in wet ingredients and zucchini, just until blended (all the flour is mixed in without streaks). Put into a well greased 9×5 loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the following, mixed together.

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 tblsp butter

Bake at 350* for 50-60 minutes until a knife comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

CINNAMON ROLL ZUCCHINI BREAD

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup shredded zucchini

1/4 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

Mix together dry ingredients with a whisk, then add in wet ingredients and zucchini, just until blended (all the flour is mixed in without streaks). Put half in a well greased 9×5 loaf pan. Put filling in the middle, then the rest of the batter. Bake at 375* for 45-50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Filling

3 tblsp butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar (I used brown sugar because I like the flavor)

1 tblsp cinnamon

When bread is done, glaze with a mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tblsp. milk.

ZUCCHINI GARLIC-PARMESAN BREAD

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp each garlic powder, oregano, basil

1/4 tsp ground pepper

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup milk

1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded zucchini

Mix together dry ingredients with a whisk, then add in wet ingredients and zucchini, just until blended (all the flour is mixed in without streaks). This batter is really thick, more like a biscuit type dough. Put into a well greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 350* for 50-60 minutes. It is also hard to tell when this one is done, but it was done for me at 55 minutes. It reminds me of the garlic-cheddar biscuits from Red Lobster.

All of these breads can be sliced and frozen really well. I put a couple slices in a ziploc bag and freeze. They are really great for breakfast (well, maybe not the garlic one, but whatever sizzles your bacon) and will thaw within an hour or so as you are hustling to work.

And for the last:

ZUCCHINI JAM

The thing I like about this recipe is that you can vary it according to whatever flavor of Jello or type of fruit you have. It originally called for pineapple to be added instead of the fruit, but I have someone allergic to pineapple in my family, and why would you not add the fruit to complement the jello?

6 cups peeled, seeded, and shredded zucchini

6 cups sugar

2 cups fruit

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 – 6 oz pkg of Jello

Mix all but Jell-O ; boil until zucchini is clear. Remove from heat, add jello and mix until dissolved. Pour into jars, wipe rims, and place canning lids. Can in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

I have found this jam does not set up until you put it in the refrigerator, so don’t’ freak out if it is really runny even a couple weeks after being canned.

Thank you so much for your patience while I am learning the blog thing (like I still don’t know how to rotate images). May your zucchini harvest be plentiful and your recipes rock.