Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Bread

This morning I woke up craving zucchini bread, but when I googled a recipe, I was shocked at the ingredients. 2 cups of sugar and a cup of vegetable oil, are certainly NOT the ways I like to start my day. And so I started brainstorming, and before long, this recipe for oatmeal zucchini banana bread was born.

One of my new favorite breakfast ingredients is oat flour, aka old fashioned rolled oats (I like http://www.bobsredmill.com) that I grind into a coarse flour in my blender. So I guess you could say that this oatmeal zucchini banana bread is essentially a really bulked up bowl of oatmeal!

After my loaf of oatmeal zucchini banana bread came out of the oven this morning, we only waited about five minutes before diving in. As a result, the edges and bottom stuck to the loaf pan, and it was more of a mushy form of bread. We gobbled it up anyways, and I promptly started on a second batch, refining and tweaking as I went. The second loaf was everything the first wasn’t, and it made for an absolutely delectable breakfast.

Now, some people like their banana bread with walnuts, some with chocolate chips, some plain. You do you. I made mine plain, only because I was too excited and forgot to add in any goodies!

Oatmeal Zucchini Banana Bread
Yields one loaf

1 ripe banana- mashed
3 eggs
1 medium zucchini- grated
1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 T. maple syrup
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. vanilla
Pinch of salt

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the banana, then whisk in the eggs.

2. Grate the zucchini and squeeze out as much water as possible. Stir into the batter.

3. Put the oats into your blender, and blend until they resemble flour. It’s fine to have a few large pieces leftover for added texture.

4. Pour the oat flour and the rest of the ingredients into the wet mixture and stir until smooth.

5. Scoop the batter into a buttered loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. Because the batter is very wet, it needs a long bake time, followed by 30 minutes cooling time in the pan, before it can be enjoyed. But don’t worry, the bread will still be warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container. To reheat, cut into slices and broil until lightly toasted.