Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Have a bumper crop of zucchini? Time for zucchini bread!

In a bowl, combine 3/4 cup raw sugar with 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil and the equivalent of two eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G). Beat at low speed until blended. Stir in 1 cup applesauce - I used the unsweetened applesauce from Whole Foods' 365 brand.

Lightly spoon 2 cups all-purpose flour into measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine the flour in a bowl with 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 and 1/4 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. salt.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (that's about one medium- to large-sized zucchini), and 1/2 cup chocolate chips - Whole Foods' 365 brand makes semisweet vegan chocolate chips that are delicious, and I find them much preferable to the carob chips on the market.

Spoon the batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour - a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice into 16 servings, each of which is 170 calories.

Cost:
canola oil $4.69
applesauce $2.99
unsweetened cocoa $9.99
zucchini $1.00
chocolate chips $2.99