After accidentally buying a zucchini instead of a cucumber while shopping for chicken gyro ingredients and already having another, I ended up with too much zucchini. What is one to do with all of this zucchini? When all else fails just turn that healthy little vegetable into a baked good, right?

From the original recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen, I substituted half the oil for applesauce and just used walnuts for the add-in. The result was a super moist bread with a little crunch from the nuts. What a perfect use of extra zucchini. I even slathered on some whipped honey a friend gave me. Might have put a little too much on there, but so good!

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1-3/4 cups sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. (Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.)
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.
4. Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.
5. Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.
6. Bake loaves for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 18-22 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen