Chocolate Zucchini Bread

  Be a star this summer when you bring this incredibly delicious yet healthy treat to picnics as a dessert.

Who will be expecting zucchini, a favorite summer veggie, and chocolate together?!

It also makes an awesome, super quick breakfast paired with a hard-boiled egg on busy, summer mornings.

I snagged this recipe from Whole Foods but changed it up a bit by using whole-wheat flour, maple syrup instead of sugar, coconut oil instead of canola, extra zucchini and dark chocolate chips. I also eliminated the agave syrup they listed because I don't think it's any different from high-fructose corn syrup NOR is it a local ingredient. And it was already sweet enough.

You can make this as a loaf, slice it and add some butter on top (omg) or make it into muffins and dust with some raw cacao powder. Just have fun and try not to eat the whole thing in two days, like we did. Whoops!

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD

Ingredients 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour 2/3 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup raw cacao powder 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cloves 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 cup almond milk 1 egg 2 Tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups shredded zucchini 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 9" x 5" pan with real butter (not the recommended cooking spray) or line muffin tin with paper liners. 2) In a large bowl, whisk together flour, maple syrup, cacao, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 3) In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour into baking pan or muffin tin. 4) Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean, 35-45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove and cool on rack.

ENJOY THE HECK out of this awesomeness!