End of Summer Zucchini Date Nut Loaf


It's only the day after Labor day and I can already notice the difference in local produce available.


I saw apples all weekend at the farmers markets (I'm not ready to commit yet!), but tomatoes are still plentiful, so go and get some before they disappear.


It's fig time, though my tree is still not ready!


I picked some big fat zucchinis before they are gone to use on pizzas this weekend and in baked goods.


I decided one last zucchini loaf before the summer is over.


My original version of date-nut loaf is so good. I make it every few weeks in the winter months. It's the best to snack on with coffee at 3 pm or with a swipe of cream cheese for breakfast.

Here is the late summer version.

I use olive oil and lots of dates and nuts, one might even think it is healthy instead of a baked good.

In this recipe, I changed it up just a bit, using zucchini and some brown sugar.

It is now even healthier with the addition of the squash. ;)


Zucchini Date Nut Loaf:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup mild flavored olive oil (I use Colavita)
2 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup pitted dates, diced
3/4 cup walnuts

No rules, just mix everything together and pour into a 9" greased loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans.


350F for 50 minutes.

Stays moist for 4 days.
I took this to the beach and kept it wrapped in foil on the counter for coffee breaks all week. It was delicious!


Enjoy!

Comments

Bebe said…
These quick breads full of fruit and good stuff get even better as they sit around wrapped in foil.

My late grandmother’s instruction for her wonderful nut bread loaf was to hold it overnight. That it would improve. Old time conventional wisdom!
Unknown said…
How do you keep fig trees alive in New Jersey? I can't keep them alive in Chicago, unless I put them in pots and grow them inside!
Stacey Snacks said…
Diane,
We have a large Italian American population in NJ and NY.....everyone can grow figs here, and we have bad winters too.........

You keep the tree covered in the winter in burlap, etc.

My tree is in a pot, and we bring it inside the basement stairwell during winter dormancy.
Comes back to life every year!

:)
Bebe said…
Love your comment about NJ and Italian-Americans. My SoCal son just returned from a business trip to your neighborhood. Raving about there being an Italian restaurant on every corner “like Starbucks out here!” Had a memorable meal at Cafe Picasso in Somerville.

I wish I liked figs. I really do. But I don’t. My late parents adored them - fresh, in preserves, dried, and on and on. I didn’t get the gene.
Stacey Snacks said…
Bebe,
Oh wow! My friend used to own Cafe Picasso in Somerville! What a small world.
Your son is correct, more Italian restaurants than Starbucks in Seattle! ha! (and most of them are decent!). :)
Bebe said…
Stacey, you are such an inveterate foodie. I knew there had to be a connection with Cafe Picasso. Sort of like Kevin Bacon and those Six Degrees of Separation…:)

My son said his entree, which was a mixed seafood thing with pasta in a wine sauce (no red, no cream) was a special that night and fabulous. They dined outside in front of the restaurant. I looked at online photos. Nifty-looking place, great menu.

The only really terrific Italian place I’ve ever enjoyed out here was Valentino, an iconic place (with price$ to match) in Los Angeles. Everything else is pizza.