Vegan Zucchini Crumble

Zucchini is a strange choice for dessert at first glance but when you really drill down, it’s got a lot to offer! This dessert is also vegan, gluten-free, and compatible with an elimination diet.

At the top of the list: blood sugar balance.

Zucchini is very low in carbohydrates compared to apples, pears, and other fruits traditionally used in crumbles.

1 cup of zucchini clocks in at just 4.6g of carbs compared with 14.8 g in apples, and 44% of your daily vitamin C recommendation compared with 7% in apples.

Keeping your blood sugar balanced throughout the day helps to manage mood and energy levels.  

Lower blood sugar requires less insulin.

Too much insulin in the blood causes many of the symptoms we associate with a “sugar crash” like irritability, fatigue, anxiety, shaky hands, and excessive hunger.

With this crumble, you will still have the energy to go for a walk or play catch after dessert – no couch nap for you!

Ingredients

Filling

1 1/2 tbsp. Coconut flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Ginger
4 cups Zucchini peeled, chopped into 1/2 in. pieces
2 tbsp. Lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Lemon zest optional
Stevia or xylitol
1/4 tsp. pink salt
Coconut oil for pan

Topping:

1/2 cup Sunflower seeds
1/4 cup Flax seeds
1/4 cup Chia seeds
1/4 cup Pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup Shredded coconut
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Pink salt
2 tbsp. Melted coconut oil
1 tsp. Organic vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven at 180 degrees C.  Use coconut oil to grease an 20 x 20 cm baking dish.
Mix together the dry ingredients for the filling - coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the zucchini, stevia, and lemon juice. Add the dry mix from the previous step and combine well.
Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish. If using lemon zest, sprinkle over the filling.
Add all topping ingredients except coconut oil and vanilla into a food processor.
Pulse until you have a crumbly mixture (not too fine).
Combine pulsed seeds with melted coconut oil and vanilla, mix well.
Spread over the zucchini in the pan.
Bake for 50 minutes. At the 30 minute mark check to see if the topping is getting crispy. If so, cover for the last 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Mix and match nuts and seeds based on your preference.  Keep the total amount, 1 1/2 cups, the same but use any combination you desire.