Do you have an overflow of zucchini in the garden at the moment and don’t know what to do with them? Then I have a great recipe for you: Ayurvedic zucchini bread!
It’s been a while since I posted a recipe so this was long overdue! My recipe writing always seems to be connected with what’s happening in my vegetable garden… and right now, zucchini are definitely happening!
Pitta balancing zucchini bread
It’s vegan, gluten free, grain free and keto friendly, and to top it off, it’s totally ayurvedic: this zucchini bread recipe is made with whole foods, good food combinations (although it will still depend what you top it with…) and seasonal now (it’s summer in Portugal as I’m writing this).
Zucchini are cooling in nature and easy to digest. And because they contain so much water, they are balancing for Pitta and Vata – although we will get rid of some of that water to avoid getting a soggy bread!
Zucchini bread ingredients
The main ingredients are almond flour, zucchini and coconut oil. I used flax eggs but it also works with chicken eggs (always buy organic from happy chickens!). A little bit of salt and sodium bicarb and that’s it!
Almonds
Almonds are a sattvic food. They are a local food in Portugal and I grind them to flour myself in my spice grinder (handful by handful). It works like a charm, and I always have fresh almond flour available this way. Nuts and seeds go rancid faster when ground, so I prefer to ground mine fresh.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is cooling and the ideal oil for Pitta. It has anti-inflammatory and many other beneficial properties. I prefer cold pressed coconut oil with the coconut scent still intact. (I can only imagine what chemical process is needed to get unscented coconut oil, so that’s a no-no for me). If you don’t like the taste of coconut oil you can replace it with ghee. Of course I don’t need to tell you if you use ghee, it’s not vegan anymore.
Zucchini
Then the zucchini, the stars of the show. As mentioned before they are a great vegetable for Pitta and Vata buuuut it’s also a nightshade. So if you have any inflammation in your body going on, you might want to pass by this recipe. You can try it and see how you feel with it. Maybe it’s too much for you now, but as the weather cools down and going into autumn it might be just perfect!
The vegan keto zucchini bread is filling but not too heavy and will keep Pitta filled up. For Kapha I would recommend not eating too much of it, but it is definitely lighter than pure seed breads, and we do squeeze out the water from the zucchini so it’s not too bad!
Vegan keto Ayurvedic zucchini bread recipe
- 80g coconut oil
- 1 cup/ 220g almond flour
- 1 cup/220g zucchini, grated squeezed (about 2 medium ones)
- 2 flax eggs (2tbsp ground flax seeds + 6 tbsp water)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
- Melt the coconut oil and set aside, allowing it to cool.
Method
Make the flax eggs by combining the ground flax seeds and water in a small bowl or cup. Stir and set aside to thicken (at least 5 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 180ºC or 350F.
Grate the zucchini in a big bowl. Take a cheese cloth and line the bottom of another bowl with it. Pour the grated zucchini into the cheese cloth, bring the corners of the cloth together and lift it out of the bowl. With your other hand start squeezing the zucchini above the bowl to capture the zucchini water. (You can use the zucchini water for a smoothie or as soup stock so don’t discard it!). When no more water is coming out, place the zucchini into the big bowl.
Grind the almonds to flour, or weigh out your almond flour and pour it into the big bowl with your almond flour.
Stir the flax egg once more and add it to the bowl. Add the salt, baking soda and melted coconut oil and combine everything into a dough.
Line a small bread tin with baking paper and pour in the dough. Make sure you push the dough into the corners and press down so it is compact.
Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the bread cool completely on a grill outside the oven before cutting it. This vegan keto zucchini bread freezes really well, so I usually make 3 or 4 at the same time.
Enjoy!
Want more zucchini recipes? Then check out this summery zucchini soup recipe!
