16 Back-to-School Recipes for the Weirdness of 2020

corn, avocado, and quinoa salad with marinated tomatoes

Already a bright, nutty, summer special with fresh sweet corn, buttery avocado, salty cotija and fresh herbs. But we’ve gotta tell ya, those marinated tomatoes on top? WOWOWOW. What a star.

quinoa, corn, marinated tomatoes, avocados

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goddess curry chicken salad

Hey, we’re not telling you what to pack for lunch except YES WE ARE PLEASE PACK THIS CLEAN PERFECT CRISP MAYO-FREE CURRY CHICKEN SALAD. The chicken is beautiful, the texture is dreamy, the crunch is just what everyone needs.

chicken, curry powder, golden raisins, pistachios, honey, Greek yogurt

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winter grain bowl with balsamic dressing

Love a super versatile colorful bowl that feels salady and wintery all at once, is super easy to meal prep, nutrition packed and totally delicious hot or cold? Great, yes, us too.

beets, sweet potatoes, wild rice, kale, pistachios, goat cheese, balsamic vinegar

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chipotle tahini bowls

A super versatile clean-your-fridge-out bowl option, BUT if we can convince you to include toasty-crisp sweet potatoes, kale, avocado and a perfect soft-boiled egg, you would not be mad! Just make sure it’s all swirling in that vegan chipotle tahini sauce.

sweet potatoes, kale, tahini, chipotles in adobo sauce, avocado, eggs

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lentil greek salad with dill sauce

With its bright cherry tomatoes, fresh cukes and velvety black lentils, it’s the real belle of the lunch ball. And we haven’t even mentioned that homemade fresh dill yogurt sauce yet.

lentils, tuna, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Greek yogurt, fresh dill

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detox rainbow roll-ups with peanut sauce

This nutritional powerhouse is packed with carrots, curry hummus, red cabbage and dark leafy greens for color, crunch and general yumminess. And then, you know, dip it in some amazing peanut sauce because dreams *can* come true.

carrots, cucumbers, red cabbage, curry hummus, collard greens, peanut butter, soy sauce

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spring roll bowls with sweet garlic lime sauce

We’ve made fresh spring rolls in fork and bowl form! Pile those noodles sky high with fresh veg, a protein if you like and then soak them in sweet lime garlic dreamsauce and an aggressive amount of herbs.

rice noodles, basil, mint, garlic, carrots, bell peppers, fish sauce, avocado, lime

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mediterranean quinoa bowls
with roasted red pepper sauce

Bright, fresh, acidic and salty — solid dating profile but even better bowl! Kalamatas, feta, cucumber and red onion, along with spinach or kale and a pitch perfect roasted red pepper sauce.

quinoa, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, feta cheese, kalamata olives, pepperoncini, red onion

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sesame noodle bowls

Sauce made with a simple jar-shake? Noodles done in 2 minutes?! Could end meal prep there but brown up some chicken and send in the veg parade and you’ll be doing a little pre-lunch cheer every day this week. Delicious cold so no microwave needed.

stir fry noodles, chicken, edamame, cucumbers, sesame paste, soy sauce

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lemon herb pasta salad with marinated chickpeas

Delicious doesn’t have to be complicated. Perfectly squishy pasta coated in a silky olive oil/lemon juice blend tossed up with some marinated chickpeas full of garlic and herbs. Minimal effort, maximum taste.

pasta, lemon, chickpeas, fresh herbs, Parmesan cheese

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the la chop

Ready your chopping spirit, whip up a quick lemon vinaigrette and then come lunch, you can just crunch away on this colorful, fresh, punchy, healthy-but-not-too-healthy (life motto), actual full-meal salad.

lettuce, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, salami, pepperoncini, red onion, chickpeas

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quinoa sweet potato salad

Back to school still means fall and this is fall in a bowl. Roasted sweet potatoes, caramelizy onions, toasty maple walnuts and crisped chickpeas, fragrant with fresh rosemary. Feels warm, still great cold.

quinoa, sweet potatoes, shallots, walnuts, chickpeas

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chopped thai chicken salad

She’s a textural dream, full of surprising zippy punchy flavors (thank you papaya or under-ripe mangoes!) and tossed with just about the best peanut dressing you ever did chomp.

chicken, cabbage, carrots, serrano peppers, peanut butter, chili paste, soy sauce

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super quick avocado shrimp salad

Hard not to love a super easy fast, throw it all in one bowl, fresh healthy delicious lunch situation. Especially when it involves chilled poached shrimp, creamy avocado, fresh dill, and a nice big lemon drench. HEART EYES.

shrimp, avocado, lemon, fresh dill, cucumber

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spicy peanut soba noodle salad

Sure, yes, a salad…but it’s noodle-based so no need to get sad! This ol’girl has got you – spicy, saucy, peanutty and most important, noodle-y! Perfect no heat-up lunch.

soba noodles, chicken, purple cabbage, red bell pepper, peanut butter

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quinoa crunch salad with peanut dressing

There’s crunch, there’s sweet, there’s spice, there’s creamy peanut dressing and chili-lime cashews (whaaat?! Thank you tiny treasures!). Get this bright rainbow boost in your lunch rotation, asap.

edamame, quinoa, cucumber, bell peppers, mangoes, carrots, purple cabbage, cashews, peanut butter, chili paste

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Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread

This recipe was originally published as a Lemon Olive Oil Cake in 2016. Now it’s back as Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread with new photos and a renewed sense of purpose to make your day a little (lot) brighter.

Oh. Me. Oh. My.

This just in: guess what I’ve made six times in the last two weeks? You’re looking at it. I officially belong to the elite club of people who could live off of lemon poppyseed zucchini bread FOREVER.

Friends. You just take a minute right now and you drink in those virtual smells. Are you ready? The lemony oils with the coarse sugar. The spicy ginger. The lightly floral smell of the olive oil. The poppyseeds and all their cute little nuttiness.

This is a bakery meets spa situation and I cannot get enough.

Can we go to the food feelings zone for a second?

Something about this cake is inherently soul-HEALING. And in the grey-meh-bleh days where you find yourself leaving for work and returning home all in a blur, and where everyone and everything is recovering from being either body-sick or heart-sick, and life can just feel hard, healing is good. Healing is very totally necessary.

Making this cake requires *just* enough work to remind you that good food takes time. We’re grating zucchini and gently pressing out the water. We’re zesting lemons and slowing down to smell the little curls of zest along the way because YUM. We’re pressing our own olives to make… no, we’re not actually. Thank you, Store Bought Olive Oil. We’re just breathing in the olive oil as it drizzles into the batter. Is that allowed?

With ONE FULL CUP of olive oil in there and a big handful of poppyseeds (why so expensive, little guys? I don’t understand it), this is less of a quick/easy/cheap situation and more of a love song to high quality, delicious ingredients.

On a physical level, it is straight up aromatherapy.

On an emotional level, it is lemon-loaded love.

UNUSUAL NOTE ABOUT THIS LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE:

You know I love my sauces, toppings, and extras x10 on everything. But honestly, I’m here to tell you that this cake doesn’t need any butter, any honey, any glaze or frosting or any anything. (!!) That’s kind of a big deal.

All this zucchini bread needs is you on the couch with a house that smells like a bakery + spa combo, holding a warm mug of dark coffee and a few (dozen) slices of this bread. ♡

We are so FEELIN IT.

More Sweet Breads to Love

• Springy Blueberry Lemon Bread (all the bright, fresh flavors here)
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread (a fall classic)
• Gooey Caramel Monkey Bread (with homemade caramel sauce = THE BEST)

Common Questions About This Zucchini Bread

How can I make these into muffins?

To make these into muffins, follow steps 1-3 as listed, and then pour the batter into a greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins. Full recipe will make about 18 muffins. Alternatively, you can make these muffins.

How can I make this cake lighter in color?

Use half brown sugar and half white sugar. Or all white sugar. I’ve made this six times, a little different each time, but my favorite variation was the all-brown-sugar version (as written) which gives a darker, more caramel-like crust on the whole bread. It might seem a little dark at first compared to other loaf cakes, but give it a little time in the fridge and it will be magic in your mouth.

Is this best served hot or cold?

For whatever reason, I think this lemon olive oil cake tastes THE BEST when stored in the refrigerator. I cannot get enough of it. Just stick it in the fridge after you’ve eaten the first warm slice, and then the next morning treat yoself to the most dense, moist, luscious lemon olive oil bread.

Can you make this lower in sugar?

Yes, it’s a lot of sugar in this recipe. I did try it with less sugar and while it tasted pretty good, the texture just wasn’t quite there. I generally opt for less sugar in my recipes, but in this one, I really felt like the full sugar amount was necessary to achieve the best texture. The batter WILL taste overly sweet. Don’t panic. It all evens out once it’s baked.

Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread

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★★★★★

5 from 21 reviews

• Author: Pinch of Yum
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 slices

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Description

Lemon Olive Oil Cake with zucchini, brown sugar, zested lemons, olive oil, ginger, and poppyseeds. The most healing breakfast or snack!

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Ingredients

• 3 cups grated zucchini (about 2 zucchini)
• grated zest of 2 large lemons
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups brown sugar (packed softly)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• optional: tiny pinch of nutmeg
• optional: a small grated piece of fresh ginger

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Instructions

Video

1. Drain zucchini: Preheat the oven to 350. In a small mixing bowl, mix the zucchini with 1/4 cup brown sugar. Transfer the mixture to a fine-mesh strainer set over the mixing bowl. Fill another small bowl with water and set it directly on top of the zucchini so that it is pushing down, pressing the water out into the bowl below.
   
2. Add wet ingredients: Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper. Whisk together the remaining brown sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla until well blended. Beat in the olive oil gradually, whisking it in until it’s thoroughly incorporated. 
   
3. Add dry ingredients: Stir in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, nutmeg, and ginger until just combined. Add the pressed zucchini to the batter and stir it in gently until evenly incorporated.
   
4. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. The outer crust of the bread will be firm to the touch and on the darker side of golden brown (see FAQs).
   
5. Eat: Cool the bread in the pan for about 20 minutes. Remove, cut, and serve (but also see FAQs about chilling the cake which is unusually delicious).
   

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Equipment

Strainer

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Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl

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Loaf Pan

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Notes

The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!

Sugar Topping: Optional but crunchy and delicious. Remove from oven at 55 minutes, add 2-3 tablespoons of turbinado sugar (all it needed), and finish baking for the last 15 minutes.

Source: This recipe was inspired by the ginger olive oil zucchini cake on Food 52.

• Category: Snack
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: lemon olive oil bread, lemon olive oil loaf, lemon bread, lemon poppyseed bread, lemon zucchini bread

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This recipe is part of our collection of easy zucchini recipes. Check it out!

The post Lemon Poppyseed Zucchini Bread appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

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