Remember when I first wrote about aquafaba? Since then I’ve been a baking fiend. I especially loved using it in this Zucchini Apple Bread!
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Well, fiend may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I have been making chocolate chip cookies and banana walnut bread with wild abandon occasionally. And a Double Chocolate Brownie or two. If there are brownies there must be Blondies right?
Forget what aquafaba is? It’s basically bean juice. What you usually drain out of the can when you open a can of beans. Come to find out it makes an amazing replacement for eggs in baked goods and can even be whipped up into meringues!
So when I wanted to create a recipe with a protein powder that was not a smoothie (which I guess is the usual go-to for protein powder recipes (not that there’s anything wrong with that)), I knew that I wanted to use the Nuzest Clean Lean Protein powder to make a plant-based treat. Vegan Zucchini Apple Bread came immediately to mind.
Zucchini Apple Bread: Vegan and Gluten-Free
Now, I’m not really sure why vegan zucchini apple bread came immediately to mind. I’ve never made it before, vegan or not vegan, protein boost or not. It just…sounded good. I did have a few goals with this recipe though.
Of course, I planned to boost the protein with the Nuzest. I also wanted to make it gluten-free (and vegan, of course). My other objective was to reduce the sugar as much as I could without losing the flavor or using fake sweeteners.
Nuzest is a plant-based, gluten-free, and soy-free product made from only top quality, responsibly sourced ingredients. Clean Lean Protein uses premium European golden pea protein, which is allergen-free and low in carbs. And, yes, it’s delicious, both simply mixed with water or non-dairy milk, or in smoothies, baked goods, or other recipes.
Save 15% on your Nuzest purchase with the code COACHDEBBIERUNS
Vegan Zucchini Apple Bread
- 1.5 cups gluten free flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 scoops Nuzest Clean Lean Vanilla Protein Powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup walnuts (optional)
- 6 tablespoons aquafaba (the drained liquid from chickpeas)
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- ½ cup almond milk or other non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup zucchini (about one medium), grated
- ¾ cup Apple, peeled, cored, shredded
- 1 banana, mashed
- Preheat oven to 375
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, Nuzest Clean Lean Protein, cinnamon, and walnuts in a bowl. Stir gently until well blended
- In another bowl, combine aquafaba, oil, almond milk, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix until blended.
- Gently stir in the zucchini, then the apple
- Add the mashed bananas and blend.
- Slowly mix in the flour mixture.
- Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan.
- Bake until golden brown and check that a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 55 minutes).
- Allow to sit in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.
How I Did It
I cut the sugar by about 3/4. To avoid losing too much sweetness, I added a banana. The Nuzest protein powder also added a touch of sweetness (with no sugar or fake sweeteners). The result was a moist, just sweet enough, vegan zucchini apple bread, that Alan and I have really enjoyed.
It has only 12 grams of sugar per slice (compared to up to 25 for regular zucchini bread), and about triple the protein. And while neither of us follows a gluten-free diet, I was happy to make it that way for the enjoyment of my friends who do.
Do you like to bake with protein powder? What is your favorite protein powder flavor? Have you tried aquafaba yet?
Weekly Linkups
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
All About Running with Janell
The Running Coaches’ Corner with Marc and Me!
The Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim
Sounds so yum! I love all things apples, especially this time of year. I’ve heard of aquafaba (thanks to you) but I have to admit having a little trepidation about using it! I do love Nuzest protein, tho. I use it in all my smoothies.
I was so surprised the first time I used aquafaba at how easy it was. Who’d ever think that a couple tablespoons of bean juice would replace an egg?
I am all about cutting sugar where ever I can as well. I still have not tried cooking with aquafaba yet but I should. Great idea to add in the Nuzest too. Thanks for linking up!
It’s kind of surprising how much sugar you can cut out without making a difference in the sweetness. It shows just how much sugar we get used to eating!
Love the apple zucchini combo! I’ll have to try it out. I am always fond of a protein addition too!
Apple and zucchini are great together!
Loving the addition of protein! On an apple kick and will have to give this one a try. Thank you for linking up and sharing.