Weekly Spotlight: Baking with End of Summer and Early Fall Produce

Did you know that baking is a perfect way to use up your end-of-summer produce? And if you’re looking for a way to incorporate using your early fall produce is a great idea. For instance, using carrots, zucchini, and sweet potatoes in quick breads is a wonderful way to meal prep to have an easy snack on hand. There are many ways to enjoy this sort of produce and you can eat them raw, cooked into your favorite meals, or even blended into a smoothie! Don’t be afraid to get creative with recipes of your own.

If you’re looking for more ways to use up your summer fruits and berries, you can bake them into crumbles or crisps. Check out this guide to find out how to create them, or even check out our crumble bar roundup for more ideas!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives! 

This week, we’re bringing delicious, fully vegan, and plant-based ways to enjoy late summer/early fall produce in baked goods!

Zucchini:

Source: Dark Chocolate Brownies With Zucchini and Walnuts

Zucchini is a wonderful vegetable to both cook and bake with. Not only can you shred it, squeeze out the liquid, and use it for fritters and quick breads, but it can also be baked into cakes. With a little kick of cinnamon or other spices, zucchini bread comes together to create something delicious that you can enjoy with a cup of coffee or as a quick snack.

• Spiced Zucchini Bread by Natalie Martin MS, RD and Lexie Staten MS, RD
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread by Christina Bedetta
• Dark Chocolate Brownies With Zucchini and Walnuts by Camille David
• Zucchini Banana Bread by Kat Condon
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread by Taavi Moore
• Cinnamon Zucchini Cakes by Fabio Gallo
• Zucchini Blueberry Muffins by Jackie Sobon: Blogger, Vegan Yack Attack

Peaches and Pears:

Source: Chai Poached Pears with Spicy Orange-Habanero Sauce and Homemade Granola

Pears are in season and baking them into sweet treats is a great way to explore their flavor more! You can pair them with chai spices for a fall-inspired treat, or even use them as a topping to your favorite pancakes or waffles (or oatmeal!). Pears, when baked or cooked, get sweeter and caramelize, giving them an amazing flavor in desserts.

Peaches, along with pears, also get sweeter and caramelize wonderfully in sweet dishes. You can bake them into cakes, use them for an upside-down cake, and add them into oatmeal or just eat them with your favorite dairy-free whipped cream or non-dairy yogurt.

• Pear Strudel With Pistachio Pesto by Attila Hildmann
• Chocolate Pear Cake by Fleur Droog
• Chai Poached Pears with Spicy Orange-Habanero Sauce and Homemade Granola by Katia Martin
• Pear Crumble Cake by Lena Novak
• Autumn Waffles With Pear Mille Feuille by Lena Novak
• Baked Pears with Coconut Cream, Toasted Walnuts and Dark Chocolate Drizzle by Teri Macovei
• Peach Upside Down Cake by Fabio Gallo
• Peaches and Cream Vegan Galette by Zuzana Fajkusova and Nikki Lefler
• Roasted Peaches With Cashew Cinnamon Cream and Caramelized Almonds by Annabelle Randles
• Roasted Peaches, Puffed Quinoa and Papaya Cashew Cream Parfait by Gunjan Dudani
• Maple Stewed Peaches with Coconut Whipped Cream by Molly Thompson

Carrots:

Source: Carrot Cake Bread

There are many ways to bake with carrots, but one common way is making carrot cake.  You can customize your carrot cake any way you like, with vegan cream cheese frosting or adding walnuts into your batter. But these baked carrot treats are also perfect to try if you’re looking for something new and tasty!

• Carrot Cake Bread by Laura Peill
• Carrot Cake Oat Bars by Vicky Coates
• Whole Wheat Carrot Cake by Namrata Edward Kshitij
• Chocolate Chip Carrot Cake Scones by Taavi Moore
• Carrot Cake Ice Cream Sandwich by Krisztina Berta
• Whole Wheat Carrot Cake by Namrata Edward Kshitij
• Carrot Cake Loaf with Streusel Topping by Caroline Doucet
• Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting by Kristina Jug & Mitja Bezenšek

Sweet Potato:

Source: Fluffy Oil-Free Sweet Potato Pancakes

Sweet potatoes are great to add to baked goods! Sweet potato adds a softness and moisture to your baked goods, so adding them in can be a great way to fit in extra nutrients. Give these recipes a try!

• Fluffy Oil-Free Sweet Potato Pancakes by Jasmine Briones
• Sweet Potato Cranberry Pancakes by Amy Lyons
• Sweet Potato Carrot Cake by Vicky Coates
• Sweet Potato Chocolate Cheesecake by Mitra Shirmohammadi
• Sweet Potato Rolls by Namita Tiwari
• Cinnamon Rolls with Sweet Potato Filling by Natalie Martin MS, RD and Lexie Staten MS, RD
• Healthy Chocolate Orange Sweet Potato Fudge Cake by Caroline Doucet

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