Super Teenage Zucchini Bread

A teenager is a fickle creature. They like one thing one day and despise the very same thing the next. At the ripe age 13, my daughter has covered different career paths over the course of two months. A butcher, a baker, and a candle stick maker are among numerous jobs she wants to do when she grows up. So as a father, I would never think she would make a decision. But I was wrong, she decided. She wanted to be a cake designer. What a better niche then to tackle America's sweet tooth.

So on a recent trip to see her grandfather, he had a great idea. He decided to bake zucchini bread with my eldest. Not from a box, but made from scratch, straight from the garden. My father-in-law is an excellent natural chef, preparing meals daily, but my daughter has only made prepared meals. How would a natural chef and a "boxed" chef mix in the kitchen? With all natural ingredients and blood, sweat, and tears, she was finished her first loaf. What she made was the best zucchini bread I ever tasted. Now I am going to share with you what I call, Super Teenager Zucchini Bread.

Ingredients

1 cup of olive oil
3 eggs
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups of grated zucchini
2 tsps of vanilla
3 cups of vanilla
¼ tsp baking powder
3 tsps of cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combine all ingredients in a bowl

Grease a loaf pan

Fill pans ½ full with zucchini mixture

Baking

Bake for 1 ½ hours

Remove from oven and cool on a baking sheet for 10 minutes

Once the recipe is complete, you will be able to top with favorites such as powdered sugar, margarine or jelly. For a more health conscience approach, you will be able to substitute oil with applesauce. The conversion is equal, cup for cup. For an added treat, add in fruit. Raisins maintain consistency while baking and do not dry out.

What this recipe will provide you is more than a snack, but a way to spend time with your family creating a healthy alternative. Utilizing healthy alternatives and adding varying fruits and nuts will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing great tasting food.

Cooking Tips for Super Teenage Zucchini Bread - Kids can add ingredients to suit their taste, so let them experiment with other vegetables like carrots, rhubarb, and squash. Fruits like apples, dates, figs, and prunes can also be added to change taste and texture. Zucchini can be purchased from the grocery store and often has the same taste as home grown varieties.