Zucchini Banana Cacao Bread w/ Walnuts & Cinnamon Coconut Frosting (vegan, gluten-free, soy free)

Zucchini cacao bread is one of my favorite childhood recipes and has evolved with me as I've changed my diet over the years to vegan, and then to vegan/gluten-free, and then to vegan/gluten-free/soy-free... as well as the evolution of changing variables such as what is currently in my kitchen cupboard - or in this case, on the staff shelf at GreenStar! This past week about three huge boxes of bananas were put in our staff lounge because they were overripe and we can't sell them like that. But, this is the perfect state to find bananas in because (1) they are free!, (2) they are great for freezing in bags to put in smoothies, and (3) they are just perfect for banana bread. Instead of making banana bread I just used the bananas as part of my egg replacer. I made three loafs and froze two for gifts :)

The coconut cinnamon frosting is an invention from my good friend, who first introduced it to me when she layered and frosted the zucchini cake I made myself for my birthday this past September. Ever since then this has probably topped my charts as one of my favorite frostings! And it is the perfect frosting for zucchini bread - when you want an extra bit of sweet!

Ingredients:

Zucchini Banana Cacao Bread:
1 ½ Cups zucchini, washed and finely grated
1 ½ Cup Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free baking flour
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ Cup mashed bananas, apple sauce, OR canola oil (I prefer them with bananas but they're a bit more moist with the oil - I did a combination of both)
½ Cup sugar
½ Cup light brown sugar, packed
½ of 1 banana, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
⅓ Cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cinnamon Coconut Frosting:

1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 Cup Coconut Oil (can use palm oil if allergic or don't have the extra $ for the coconut - but the coconut flavor definitely adds quite an amazing kick!)

4 tsp Cinnamon

*This recipe is practically allergen-free when walnuts and coconut oil are taken out of the equation (always check and double check if there are special cases though)!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and coat your bread pans with oil.

2. Grate zucchini into a large bowl.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, raw cacao powder, salt, and cinnamon.
4. In a medium bowl, combine all other ingredients except the walnuts.
5. Combine both bowl's worth of ingredients and then add in the chocolate chips.
6. Fill the bread pans almost full with batter - leave about 1/2" of space from the top.

7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Note: if you use apple sauce instead of oil or bananas, your baking time will be much shorter, be sure to keep an eye on the breads.
8. While bread is baking, whip frosting ingredients together in a small or medium bowl.

9. Place bread on a cooling rack until cool.

10. Frost and enjoy!

Raw Bitter Arugula Pesto (vegan/gluten-free)

As an anything green enthusiast, one of my top favorite leafy greens is definitely arugula; with a lemony flavor and a slight bitterness, it is too aromatic and delicious to pass up.  This year I decided I would try growing it in my garden so I could have constant access to this wonderful vegetable.  However, I had never realized exactly why the arugula you buy in stores has such small leaves, while the plant, if left to it's own devices, grows very large leaves - up to almost a foot in length and 3-4 inches wide (if not larger).  Although this is quite beautiful and looks like it will be tasty, just as kale and collards have large leaves... it turns out that the larger arugula leaves get, the more bitter and almost unbearable they are to eat in anything too close to their natural format.  This all being said, I still love this vegetable too much just to dig it up out of my garden or compost all of the large leaves.  That is where this recipe for Raw Bitter Arugula Pesto comes into play!  I needed recipes which make good use of the bitterness of the large arugula leaves, but also make it edible.  Here's a simple recipe that takes less than 5-10 minutes to whip up in your food processor!

Ingredients

large handful of large Arugula
1/2 Cup Raw Walnuts or soaked Raw Almonds
3/4 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves of Garlic
a pinch of Sea Salt, to taste (optional)
a sliver of Lemon, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Harvest a large handful of large arugula leaves, unless it is store bought - in which case, it won't be nearly as bitter.

arugula plant

handful of arugula

2. Remove arugula leaves from stems and rinse well.

3. Peel garlic cloves and chop in a food processor.

4. Add walnuts and olive oil to food processor. Process.

5. Add arugula and process.

6. Add sea salt and lemon to taste.

7. Remove into a jar (or other storing container) and enjoy! Keep in the refrigerator after opening - can also keep in the freezer.

Raw pestos are very delicious on raw pasta (zucchini noodles!), veggies, or mixed with rice, just to name a few.  I also mixed some of this pesto with pizza sauce for a much more exciting flavor palate on my pizza!