PISTACHIO ZUCCHINI BREAD

Preheat your oven and generously grease a standard 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray (lining the bottom with a strip of parchment paper makes removal even easier). Grate your zucchini using the fine side of a box grater. Give the grated zucchini a gentle press with a paper towel—you want to remove excessive puddles of water, but don’t squeeze it completely bone-dry; that moisture belongs in your bread!

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, dry instant pistachio pudding mix powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon. Whisk thoroughly until the pale green pudding mix is evenly distributed through the flour.

In a separate large bowl, beat the two eggs vigorously until fluid. Add the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk intensely for about two minutes until the sugars begin to dissolve and the mixture looks smooth, glossy, and slightly thickened.

Pour the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold gently just until the flour streaks begin to disappear. Before it’s completely mixed, stir in the grated zucchini and 1/3 cup of the chopped pistachios. Fold a few more times until a thick, uniform batter forms. Avoid over-mixing, or the bread can become dense and tough.

Scrape the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Take the remaining 1/3 cup of chopped pistachios and scatter them generously across the surface, pressing them very lightly into the batter so they stick. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the dead center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.