Grain Free Zucchini Bread

I always love family time because it feels like the holidays, no matter the time of year.  Mealtime is a centerpiece of quality time spent with loved ones. But when I'm hanging with family, it's particularly challenging to stick to a strict nutrient dense diet.  The coziness of being in my hometown with my favorite people brings up strong cravings for comfort food.  Even with my family being supportive and respectful of my lifestyle choices, it's hard to resist the Sunday brunch traditions of fresh baked bread and coffee with cream. These are times when recipe modifications are particularly handy.  Thanks to all the great Paleo, vegan, raw and otherwise health foodie bloggers out there, Google is home to an entire library of recipes for every diet and lifestyle.  Combine a well-organized Google search with practice, patience and good intentions, and you'll be making comfort foods that taste great and make you feel even better in no time.  Check out my post on Mastering Recipe Modifications for the complete four-step approach.

Inspired by cravings for comfort foods to share with my family at Sunday brunch, I modified The Detoxinista's amazing almond flour banana bread recipe to create this moist and chewy grain free zucchini bread.  Even without any eggs, dairy, processed sugar, or grains, it was a hit with my entire family, grain eaters and vegans alike.

Note:  If you are following a no seed diet, you can replace the ground chia seeds and water combo with 4 large eggs instead.

1 Tbsp ground chia seeds (or ground flax seeds) mixed with 3 Tbsp water =  1 large egg  

grain free zucchini bread

• YIELD: 1 loaf (12 Servings)
• PREP: 15 mins
• COOK: 45 mins
• READY IN: 60 mins

Moist and chewy grain free, vegan zucchini bread

ingredients

• 3 cups hazelnut meal
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 cup ground chia seeds
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with a little coconut oil, and flour with coconut flour or hazelnut meal.
2. Grind chia seeds to fine meal in coffee grinder or food processor, and measure ground seeds to make 1/4 cup. Stir ground chia seeds into water and let sit about 10 minutes to gel into "chia eggs." See note above about substituting regular eggs for chia eggs if you prefer.
3. Combine hazelnut meal, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl, then add melted coconut oil, vanilla, honey, applesauce and chia eggs until just combined but still lumpy. Note that you can use almond meal instead of the hazelnut meal, and maple syrup instead of honey to make this recipe vegan.
4. Fold in zucchini, walnuts and raisins, and spread evenly into loaf pan. Smooth top.
5. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is firm to the touch. The inside will still be moist and gooey, with the edges crisp.