Mix and Run

Last Tuesday, with a mission to make breakfast for 75 third graders, Christina and I got together to bake zucchini and banana bread. Thanks to her fabulous, roomy kitchen with an enormous oven, she most often hosts our cooking dates. This was the fifth occasion we baked together during the year as part of a Healthy Breakfast program for my daughter’s school. And each time, it’s lots of fun.

Of course, last week was particularly jam-packed with all sorts of must-do appointments and meetings, and I was struggling to fit everything in. WhenTuesday rolled around and Christina and I were discussing what time to get started, I mentioned that I really wanted to fit in a quick jog. That’s when I got the idea to mix and run.

So, at 9:00 am on Tuesday, I arrived at Christina’s house, running shoes on, with bags of ingredients in hand. I was in charge of making the zucchini bread and Christina was to handle the banana bread. We were a divide and conquer team in our separate corners. I efficiently measured and mixed four batches of zucchini batter, filled the bread pans, placed them in the oven, cleaned up my mess and headed out the door. Since Christina was baking for other reasons as well and would be in her kitchen anyway, she had no problem keeping a watch on my breads while I went for a quick run.

Thirty minutes later, when I checked back in with Christina, the breads were just about finished. She had taken most of the loaves out of the oven and set them on racks to cool. As I wrapped the warm loaves in tin foil, I realized how lucky I was to have such kitchen comfort with a friend.

Judging by the reaction and the crumbs, this kid-tested zucchini bread is a winner. Here’s my recipe:

Zucchini Bread
Makes 6-8 mini loaves

1 cup canola oil
1 cup apple sauce
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups shredded zucchini

Using an electric mixer, beat together the oil, apple sauce and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well. Add the shredded zucchini and mix well. Divide batter into mini baking loaves sprayed with baking spray. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes until cooked through.