The end of summer takes with it the bounty of strawberries, summer squash, tomatoes and cucumbers but not before one final push of all its deliciousness! You will notice that at many farmers markets, right before the greens and butternuts make their fall appearances, that the summer crop makes one last stand as if it is holding on to those longer days of warmth. Holding true to that pattern, John @royalacresfarmandcsa loaded up my basket full of zucchini last week.

Zucchini is one of those items that seems to over run our lives, during the high season it is often joked that a zucchini can be found in every car in the parking lot due to overzealous home growers left with an overabundance of crop. Personally, I love the versatility that zucchini offers, not only can you eat it raw, made into noodles, grilled, baked, or sauteed but it can also be frozen and utilized in baked goods. And who doesn't love to throw in a little extra nutrition into their baked goods?!

With so much zucchini on hand I challenged myself to make a zucchini bread that was not loaded with refined sugars, bleached flours, and eggs. I wanted to highlight the zucchini as opposed to drowning it in fat and calories. This loaf started as an experiment but soon became a favorite that I have made 3 times this week, it's that good! It is incredibly moist, flavorful, and dense and satisfies that need for a treat without harming your system.

This bread can be made vegan by utilizing maple syrup or agave as well as gluten free if made using gluten free oats, it has healthy fat from coconut oil and best of all, tons of zucchini! I hope that you love it as much as I do.

Healthy Honey and Banana Zucchini Oat Bread

1 Ripe Banana

1 tbs Vanilla Extract

1 Zucchini, Shredded (about 2 cups)

1/3 cup Coconut Oil, melted

1/2 cup Honey, Maple Syrup or Agave

1 cup of Oat Flour

1 1/2 cups of Rolled oats

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tbs Baking Powder

1 tbs Cinnamon

1 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bread pan using coconut oil and set aside. In a large bowl combine the oat flour (I make mine by throwing 1 cup of oats into my food processor and processing into a flour), oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In a mixer, beat the bananas until mashed. Add the vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and honey, processing until combined. Add the shredded zucchini, slowly add the oat mixture to the wet ingredients. Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing it a loaf form, sprinkling with sunflower seeds if desired. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool.

Enjoy and healthy eating!

I would much rather be hot than cold, I love the heat, it makes me feel alive and brightens my mood. Therefore, summer is my favorite time of year! I love feeling the sun, watching the stars without a jacket, a warm breeze, and the way in which the heat slows you down. I also love summers staples, like ice cream!

Ice cream is a weakness of mine, I probably could eat it every single day and not get sick of it but of course moderation is key and too much dairy does not make me happy. Therefore, after spending time in Vermont this past weekend and being reminded of all the luscious flavors that creamies can encompass - maple, honey, blueberry, I had to make some of my own!

Vermont is a natural culinary hot spot, they take risks and incorporate local touches into everything that they craft. There is a definite pride in the land and what it produces that is unique to the area and I love soaking it all in. It is inspiring that every restaurant, food stand, and truck, no matter if it is in a tiny little town, adds local flavor to their menu. So why not do the same here in New York and in your own kitchen?1

As you all know, I am obsessed with beets and since beets have made an appearance in my CSA pickup at Royal Acres I decided that I needed to create a creamie with my own local flavor twist, thus the Beet Root, Ginger, and Cacao Vegan Ice Cream was born! This is a super simple recipe that literally takes 5 minutes to make. Its made from creamy frozen bananas blended with beets, ginger, cinnamon, and cacao powder providing a richness that has the perfect amount of sweetness and earthiness that tickles the palette. I hope that you enjoy!

Vegan Beet Root, Ginger & Cacao Ice Cream (Nice Cream)

Serves 2, but I eat it all myself!

2 Frozen Bananas

1/2 Beet, chopped

1in Ginger, peeled

1/4 cup Cacao or Unsweeteend Cocoa powder

1 tbs Cinnamon

1 tbs Vanilla Extract

Optional: Honey or maple drizzle and chia seeds

In a food processor, combine the beets, bananas, ginger, cacao powder, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Process until smooth and creamy like soft serve. Top with a drizzle of honey, a dusting of cacao/cocoa powder and chia seeds and enjoy or place in the freezer for a firmer, frozen ice cream consistency. Enjoy and Healthy Eating!