zucchini-pecan flaxseed bread

several posts ago i mentioned starting on a series of 'the seven best foods for women,' from cooking light. the first food was tomatoes, incorporated into a tuna - or salmon recipe. the second in this series is zucchini-pecan flaxseed bread.

here's what cooking light has to say about flaxseed: A "hot" ingredient in foods targeted to women, scientists are teasing out three potentially beneficial compounds in flax: plant based omega 3 fats, fiber and disease-fighting compounds called lignans. A Mayo Clinic study finds 40 grams of crushed nflaxseed can cut down on hot flashes, and several reports suggest flax can lower "bad" or LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. (Interestingly, in one Chinese study, the cholesterol-lowering impact was more pronounced in women.) The brown or gold seeds may even play a role in fighting breast cancer. One caution: if you're pregnant or nursing, some experts suggest avoiding flax until more studies are done.
The right dose: 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed per day since whole seeds aren't readily digested.

being fond of zucchini, especially fried, that was nothing new for me, but i had never cooked or baked with flaxseed before. casper has a health food store downtown, called alpenglow, where i get the tahini for my fresh herb hummus, which i should share with you sometime, and that's also where i went to find the ground flaxseed.

it does have quite a nutty flavor, but it didn't come out tasting as strong as the recipe cautioned.

the grated zucchini looked really good, and i have some leftover that i'm tempted to fry with salt like hash browns....

i apologize, i don't have a photo of the finished product, since i made this the night before my company came over last sunday, and i was busy moving on to other things when it came out of the oven. it's still hanging around my kitchen, though, and i enjoy slices with butter for breakfast or snack. here's the cooking light photo, though:

the third food on the list? kale. another ingredient with which i've never attempted to cook, but i like leafy greens, and spinach, so we'll give it a try.

meanwhile, the recipe for zucchini-pecan flaxseed bread:
Yield: 1 loaf, 18 servings (serving size: 1 slice) (i made two slightly shorter loaves out of the same recipe)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/2 c ground flaxseed
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t ground cinnamon
3/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t ground nutmeg
2 c shredded zucchini (2 medium zucchini, approximately)
1 c vanilla low-fat yogurt
1/2 c egg substitute (i used two eggs)
3 T canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 c + 3 T chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, granulated sugar, and next 7 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Spread zucchini onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Press down firmly to remove excess liquid.
Combine yogurt, egg substitute, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in zucchini.
Add zucchini mixture and 1/4 cup pecans to flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan ( i used two loaf pans because it was a lot of batter, and was glad i did) coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle batter with 3 tablespoons pecans. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 181 (30% from fat)
Fat: 6.1g (sat 0.6g,mono 2.9g,poly 2.2g)
Protein: 4.5g
Carbohydrate: 28.5g
Fiber: 2.6g
Cholesterol: 1mg
Iron: 1.4mg
Sodium: 223mg
Calcium: 90mg