Zucchini Cranberry Bread- gluten-free, low sugar

If you haven't noticed, zucchinis are everywhere. If you live in a city, you just wouldn't understand. Take a big pot, plant yourself a zucchini plant, and put it out on your fire scape. Now watch it grow, and never stop. I had no idea of how much zucchini could come from one plant until I moved out of New Your City. 

But what to do with all that lovely squash? Bread. And you'd be surprised how amazing it tastes. For a good recipe, I turned to The Gluten Free Goddess. I am never disappointed by her recipes. Below is my version. I added I some butter (for taste and just because I love the stuff), cut down on the xanthan gum (texture is a bit odd sometimes and isn't always digested well), swapped out the brown sugar for coconut sugar , dates, and prunes (lower combined glycemic index, adds fiber, and good as a combo), added cranberries, and lastly increased the vanilla just because I could. It's passed my picky children's test, now you give it a try. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup grated zucchini 
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour (Bob's Red Mill is wonderful and ensures gluten-freeness)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 6 dates (pitted of course)
• 6 prunes1/3 cup melted butter (olive oil/ coconut oil if vegan)
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (I use Native Forest, they have very sustainable practices)
• 1 teaspoon lemon or orange juice
• 2 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts 
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

optional:

• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and butter a 8x8 baking dish or lining it with parchment paper. Start by sifting all the dry ingredients together (not sugar). Grate the zucchini and place it all in an absorbent kitchen towel and wring all the moisture you can out of it. Put in a bowl and fluff with a fork. 

Next, place butter in oven or saucepan to melt. Combine dates, prunes, sugar, coconut milk, juice, and vanilla in a blender and mix until the dried fruits are well processed. Now add the eggs and melted butter and blend for a few seconds or until just mixed. 

Combine wet and dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add nuts and chocolate chips if using. Either cranberries or chocolate chips, don't go crazy here or you might wind up with a granola bar. Check after 60 minutes, but mine took almost an hour and a half. After adding the dried fruit, it made it a bit moister and took more time. But bake until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. And let me know what you think!