When All Else Fails, Sneak 'Em In

I must confess: I've got it very easy when it comes to feeding my kids veggies. Zoe and Ayden love them. Heck, Zoe eats edamame by the bowlful; and Ayden cannot be parted from his favorite, sweet peas. On occasion, the children will resist trying news things. Case in point: my darling angels turned their noses up at the zucchini I brought home from the supermarket. So, what's a mama to do? Easy--I sneak the veggies into their favorite treats and no one is the wiser.

I baked some fantastic zucchini bread (God bless my Cooking Free cookbook), let it cool, then sliced and wrapped up individual portions for the kiddies. I can pop them in the toaster for breakfast or an afterschool snack, or I can toss one in Zoe's lunchbox to take to school. The bread is delicious and moist. The best part of all is that it passed the all-important taste test. Miss Zoe loved it! Success!

1/4 cup canola oil
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup drained applesauce
1 3/4 cup gluten free flour blend
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/4 cup dark raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and gread a 9x5 inch nonstick loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine the oil and sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs, vanilla, and applesauce and beat until very smooth. Add flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, and cinnamon. Mix on medium until thoroughly combined. Quickly (and gently) stir in zucchini (and the nuts and raisins, if using). Pour the batter into prepared pan(s). Bake 9x5 loaf for 1 hour, and cool on wire rack before cutting.