Clean Eating Chocolate Walnut Zucchini Bread

Makes 16 Servings
I love quickbreads because they are fast and easy to throw together and just sweet enough that my kids think they're getting a treat.


How I "healthified" the recipe:

• The original recipe called for 2 cups of white flour. I substituted 2 cups of whole wheat flour.
• The original recipe used a cup of chocolate chips and 1 ¼ cups of white sugar. After some testing, I found that reducing the chocolate chips to a half cup left enough chocolate that the bread still feels indulgent but not too much that the chocolate flavor is overpowering. Even with only a ½ cup of chocolate, 1 ¼ cups of sugar was sweeter than necessary. I substituted sucanat (whole cane sugar or “sugar cane natural” which is a natural sweetener; look for it in the organic section of the grocery store or a natural food store) for the sugar and reduced it to ¾ cup.
• The original recipe called for 1 ½ cups of zucchini and three whole eggs. To reduce the fat and cholesterol I used egg whites in place of two of the eggs. I increased the zucchini to 2 ½ cups to boost the nutritional profile and make up for some of the moistness lost from using egg whites instead of whole eggs.
• The results - A decrease in calories, cholesterol, total carbs, and sugars plus a slight increase in dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and calcium.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 2 cups whole wheat flour, divided (I use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat)
• 1 egg and 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¾ cup sucanat (can use brown or turbinado sugar if you don't have sucanat)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 2 ½ cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium)

ONE: In a small bowl, toss walnuts and chocolate chips with a little bit of flour. Set aside.

TWO: Add the liquid ingredients to the bread pan followed by the flour and remaining dry ingredients. Add the zucchini, walnuts, chocolate chips, and any remaining flour from the bowl. Run the machine on the quickbread setting.

THREE: Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack 20 minutes before slicing.

NON-BREADMAKER: Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack 20 minutes before slicing.

NUTRITION INFO:

Original Recipe: 248 Calories (96 Calories from Fat), 11g Fat, 3g Saturated Fat, 40mg Cholesterol, 226mg Sodium, 36g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 22g Sugars, 4g Protein, 2% DV Vitamin A, 6% DV Vitamin C, 5% DV Calcium, 8% DV Iron

New Healthier Recipe: 177 Calories (78 Calories from Fat), 9g Fat, 2g Saturated Fat, 13mg Cholesterol, 224mg Sodium, 22g Total Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugars, 4g Protein, 3% DV Vitamin A, 7% DV Vitamin C, 6% DV Calcium, 8% DV Iron