The Full Helping

Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 16:47:57 GMT

How is it that in all of this time blogging and baking things, I’ve never posted a classic vegan zucchini bread recipe? I’m correcting that today, having happily enjoyed this moist, tender loaf in the past week.

This is a really great thing to do with all the zucchini that might be stacking up at your local farmer’s market. Or, if you have a garden and it’s teeming with zucchini right now, this is one place that your vegetables can go.

Why this is my favorite vegan zucchini bread

Here’s what I love about this quickbread: simplicity. It’s pretty much a one bowl recipe. No complicated steps, as with this pumpkin chocolate marble loaf. No mix-ins aside from the zucchini, though you’re welcome to add chocolate chips or nuts if they’re calling to you. Unlike a lot of quickbreads that I make, it isn’t heavily loaded with autumnal baking spices. It’s only mildly spiced with cinnamon.

The loaf is plenty moist and tender, thanks to the zucchini. And that’s what stands out about it: no bells or whistles, nothing more or less. It’s delicious the way it is. Like many of my favorite baked goods—banana bread, cranberry walnut muffins, and more—it’s nice as an afternoon treat and also very nice at breakfast.

Classic vegan zucchini bread tips

Zucchini prep

There are lots of approaches to handling the zucchini in zucchini bread. Some recipes call for leaving the grated zucchini as moist as it is upon grating. Others call for squeezing the zucchini before adding it to batter, so as not to make an overly wet loaf.

For this classic vegan zucchini bread, I took a middle-of-the-road approach, pressing my grated zucchini gently with a tea towel to remove a little extra moisture, but not squeezing it dry. It’s the perfect amount of moisture, at least for me!

Proportions

Most zucchini recipes that I’ve looked at have a range of one to two cups of grated zucchini. I found that two was too much (my loaf turned out “salady,” to quote this column). On the other hand, the zucchini seemed to get lost when I used only a cup.

In the end, I went for a cup and a half, or about 145 grams. It’s a lightly packed, level cup. If you like a more cake-like texture in your quickbreads, you can grate your zucchini on a microplane grater, as I do in my favorite carrot cake recipe. If you do use finely grated zucchini, one and one quarter cups is perfect (and should also be about 145 grams).

Keep it simple (and skip the egg replacer)

You’ll see that this recipe doesn’t call for egg replacer of any kind. I often find that quickbreads don’t really need an egg replacer to rise and have good structure. Adding flax egg to a loaf or muffin unnecessarily can make for a gummy texture, at least in my experience. And I love using aquafaba, but I usually save it for layer cakes and cookies, which have more delicate texture.

There’s no flax egg, yogurt, mashed banana, or applesauce in this classic vegan zucchini bread. Just vegetable oil and vegan buttermilk (non-dairy milk + lemon) in the wet ingredients. The combination of leavening agent and buttermilk is really enough to help this bread rise and keep its shape.

Don’t rush the baking time

Speaking of, I tend to find that my quick breads can be a little flat—or even sunken on top—unless I bake them about 5 minutes longer than I think I need to. The same goes for this recipe. I had the nicest rise when I left the bread in the oven for at least a full fifty minutes. Fifty-five minutes didn’t hurt. A longer baking time means a beautiful, deep golden exterior and a light, set interior.

Ingredient swaps and subs

I used all-purpose flour for this recipe, though I’m pretty sure that white whole wheat or light spelt flour would work as well. If there’s a gluten free flour mix that you love and use often, you can swap it directly for the all-purpose flour.

In place of oil, you can try using applesauce or non-dairy yogurt. I haven’t tried either in this loaf yet, but I’ve had good results with both substitutes in other quickbreads. Sometimes, I stir a little tahini into either applesauce or yogurt for extra moisture.

As I mentioned, I kept the spices pretty minimal here, so that the simplicity of the vegan zucchini bread could shine through. But you’re welcome to add a spice that you love to the batter. A pinch of cardamom, some nutmeg, and a bit of ground ginger would all be very nice.

Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread

The best vegan zucchini bread recipe: simple, tender, moist, and light. Put all of your summer zucchini to good use in this delightful afternoon treat!

Course baked good, baked goods, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine can be gluten free, can be nut free, can be soy free, no oil option, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bread, quickbread, summer, zucchini

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings slices

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (210 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (177 mL) non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup (96 g) cane sugar
1/2 cup (108 g) lightly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil (such as safflower, grapeseed, canola, or melted coconut)
1 1/2 cups (145 g) grated zucchini, pressed gently with paper towels or cloth to remove some moisture

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F and lightly grease or oil an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch nonstick loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and lemon juice. Allow it to sit for a moment. Then, stir in the sugars and oil. Whisk the wet ingredients together.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula or spoon to fold them together. When the batter is fully mixed (some small clumps are OK, but you shouldn't have any more streaks of flour visible), fold in the zucchini.
Pour the batter into your baking pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and the top is domed and set. Start checking the loaf at 45 minutes, just to be certain that it's not burning or cooking too quickly.
Allow the loaf to cool on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before turning it out of the loaf pan. Then, gently invert it to remove the loaf from the pan. Allow the bread to cool completely—another 2-3 hours—before slicing and serving. Store leftover slices in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 weeks.

It’s funny: zucchini always registers in my mind as a late summer vegetable. And so zucchini treats are usually something that I make in August and September, even into October. It’s hitting me for the first time that August is really and truly in full swing.

I guess that quick passage of time is the least remarkable thing to say about this strange period we’re all living through. But still, where did the unusual summer of 2020 go? I’ve so appreciated having warm weather as part of reopening in NYC: it makes sitting and walking and meeting outdoors a lot easier.

I’m intent on enjoying this last official month of summer as much as I possibly can, regardless of the circumstances and all that’s happening in the world. Zucchini bread is one extra way to make it sweet.

Till Sunday,

The post Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread appeared first on The Full Helping.

Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Burgers

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 17:05:23 GMT

As a New Yorker who doesn’t have outdoor space of her own, I don’t have a regular grill. But I do have a grill pan, and these summer months are when I use it the most. These balsamic grilled vegetable burgers are my new favorite way to put it—and all of my summer produce—to good use.

As you can see, these vegetable burgers are really just that: burgers made with veggies. I love homemade bean and grain patties, like my quinoa artichoke burgers and black bean sweet potato burgers. They’re a lot of work, though. These burgers entail marinating and then grilling (or roasting) vegetables, so they’re pretty hands off. I found that trimming and slicing the veggies was actually the most time-consuming step!

Burger-friendly summer vegetables

I chose to make the balsamic grilled vegetable burgers with some of my favorite summer veggies, eggplant, and red bell peppers. I added portobello mushroom caps to add a dense, hearty texture to the burgers, and I threw in red onion slices for sweet savoriness.

You can definitely be creative and seasonal with the veggies you use for this recipe. Zucchini and summer squash would be a great addition. Any color of pepper will work. I think grilled tomatoes are a cool idea. Cauliflower steaks would be fun, too.

The only thing to be mindful of is that some vegetables (zucchini) will grill a lot faster than others (cauliflower steaks). So, keep an eye on all of your vegetables as they sizzle away in the grill pan. You can flip and remove them piecemeal, making sure that everything is perfectly cooked. Same if you’re roasting the vegetables instead of grilling them, which is an option in the recipe.

Balsamic grilled vegetable burger tips

Marinate overnight

If you’re in a rush, it won’t hurt to marinate the vegetables here for only a few hours. But if you have the time, I recommend allowing them to marinate overnight. The veggies will absorb more flavor and soften up considerably if you give them lots of time to soak up the marinade.

Choose a good storage vessel

If you stack the vegetables while you marinate them, they may not be able to soak up lots of of the marinade. You can layer them in a wide casserole dish or a roomy storage container. But I think it’s even easier to marinate them in one or a couple of storage bags (these silicone bags are a great alternative to plastic bags, and I use them for marinating often).

Be watchful

Not only do vegetables cook at slightly different speeds, but depending on how evenly/thinly sliced they are, some pieces might cook faster than others. Keep an eye on your grill pan as you go, and work in smaller batches (I needed 3 total) to make sure that everything cooks carefully. If you roast your veggies instead of grilling them, check them in the oven ever 5-10 minutes to ensure that they’re not burning.

Serving balsamic grilled vegetable slices

Of course, the savory sweet grilled vegetables don’t only have to be used in burgers. They’re great in sandwiches and wraps, for roughly chopping and throwing into grain bowls, or even for dumping into a casual pasta dish at dinnertime. I’ve doubled the vegetable portion of the recipe once now, so that I’d have extra vegetables to use up as the week went by. I was never sorry to have them in my fridge.

Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Burgers

These plant-based burgers are simple to make: just marinate and grill some of your favorite summer produce before stacking it on veggie buns. Hearty and juicy!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine can be gluten free, soy free, tree nut free, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword burgers, eggplant, mushroom, onion, pepper

Prep Time 3 hours

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

grill pan

Ingredients

For the marinade:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos
2 tablespoons maple or agave syrup
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or dried oregano
1-2 cloves minced garlic (optional and to taste)

For the burgers:

2 large or 4 small portobello mushroom caps, stems trimmed and gills removed
1 small eggplant or 1 baby eggplant, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, cut into 2-inch strips
1 large or 2 small red onions, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
4 burger buns, toasted

Instructions

To make the marinade, whisk all marinade ingredients together.
Marinate the vegetables for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. I recommend overnight for extra flavor. You can spread the vegetables in a casserole dish or two and pour the marinade over them, flipping them to ensure that both sides of the veggies get coated. Or—my preference—marinate them in gallon sized silicone or plastic storage bags (this is especially easy if you're throwing them in the fridge overnight).
Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Remove the veggies from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Grill them for 6-10 minutes, flipping now and then so that both sides grill evenly. You can baste the vegetables with the reserved marinade every so often as you flip them. When all of the vegetables are soft and nicely grilled, remove them from heat. You may need to remove ones that cook more quickly (eggplant) before others (peppers).
Alternatively, you can roast the vegetables on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet at 425F for about 25-35 minutes, flipping and basting them halfway through, or until they're tender and browning.
To serve, pile the vegetables on burger buns in hearty stacks. Feel free to add any condiments, herbs, greens, or garnishes you like!

Notes

Store the grilled vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

The marinade I used for the balsamic grilled vegetable burgers would be pretty great with either tofu or tempeh. I’m pretty sure that balsamic grilled tofu is in my near future—maybe as an addition to these burgers, as well as an everyday staple.

It was a difficult week here. Nothing serious or dire, just an intersection of my mood and the customary ups and downs of life. I responded in what I’m increasingly realizing is the sensible way: with as much tenderness and patience as I can muster. It’s not easy, this gentleness, but it’s important. Till Sunday, sending you some gentleness, too.

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