Zucchini Date Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Zucchini Date Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

It’s no secret that I love fueling for long runs with large, chewy medjool dates. They provide excellent fruit sugars that help keep me running for miles without filling my body with artificial sweeteners, HFCS, chemicals, or other junk.

But sometimes I want a little more from my dates.

I’m not talking about romantic dates! 🙂

I wanted something I could snack on before a run that would fill me up while providing my body with essential energy to keep me going.

Zucchini Date Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

This bread turned out to be an easy way to use up extra zucchini. It would be good with shredded carrots, too!

I decided to use the garbanzo and brown rice flours to keep it gluten-free, as a way to reduce the risk of inflammation during and after my run and therefore help speed recovery afterward.

Zucchini Date Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

The dates and stevia made the bread sweet and moist (ew, I know, I hate that word, too. But it’s applicable here!)

It was excellent toasted and didn’t require any toppings or nut butters. Just perfect and simple the way it is.

I made it vegan with Ener-G Egg Replacer, but you could always use eggs or egg whites if you wanted!

Zucchini Date Bread (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 3-egg equivalent Ener-G Egg Replacer (or use 3 eggs or 3/4 cup egg whites)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup garbanzo flour
• 2/3 cup brown rice flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup stevia
• 4 large medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Mix together the zucchini, applesauce, egg replacer, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, stevia, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet one, stirring until well incorporated.
5. Stir in the dates.
6. Pour the batter into a gently oiled and floured 9×5 inch loaf pan.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Do you eat before your workouts, or plan specifically for fueling, recovery, etc.?

What’s your favorite snack during a long workout?