Looking for a grab and go AIP compliant dish? Try this zucchini and tuna bread. This easy and healthy savory zuchhini bread will be perfect for your a grab and go breakfast, lunch or any kind of meal!
Since I started this "free from" diet, I have found that one of the most difficult thing to replace is sandwiches when I travel. Although when I can carry a cooler with me and have a proper lunch in a box it is still quite doable. But it gets a little trickyer in my opinion when I can't have these.
Luckily in France, we very often have savory breads. We take them to a picnic or serve them as an appetizer. So I figured, these would be my new "travel food". Of course, I had to create my own recipes, according to my intolerances. Because without any surprise traditional French savory bread contains gluten, eggs and cheese.
What I love about this savory bread, is that you can either have it for breakfast, appetizers, bring it to a picnic or a potluck. Well, it is good for any kind of grab and go meal. And if you are looking for AIP lunch box ideas, here is one thing you can pack!
Ingredient notes
Grated zucchini
Do not peel the zucchini before grating (leave the skin on). And do not drain out, or squeeze out any of the liquid from the zucchini as you will need all the moisture from the zucchini to make the dough.
Tuna
I use canned tuna in water / brine.
Tigernut flour
This recipe uses tigernut flour (or almond flour for those who are not on AIP nor nut free).
If you are on AIP and still in the elimination phase, unfortunately there are no possible substitution for the tigernut flour. Why? Because all the other AIP compliant flours have very different texture and they all need their own amount of liquid. So it is not possible to replace the tigernut flour with another flour without altering the entire recipe.
Arrowroot
Arrowroot is a starch. If you are not cassava intolerant, you can substitute it with tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour). Other possible substitutions, only if you are not on AIP nor Paleo diets: you can use potato starch or corn starch instead of arrowroot.
How to store this savory bread
After it is cooled, store the bread in the refrigerator (no more than 3 days in the fridge, otherwise, it will get dry). After storing it in the fridge, you do not need to reheat it. In France, this kind of savory bread is eaten at room temperature.
Take it out of the fridge in advance in order for it to reach room temperature. You can also eat it right out of the fridge if you forget to get it out in advance.
But if you prefer to eat it hot, well you can reheat it. Though, keep in mind that reheating it might dry it out a bit.
Can I freeze this?
Personally, if I want to freeze it, I will make it as muffins and take a muffin out of the freezer whenever I want. I also think they freeze better as muffins VS as loaf slices. Also, it is better to freeze your zucchini and tuna bread (either as a loaf or muffins) when it is still fresh. So freeze it on the day you make it or the day after.
Can I make muffins instead of a loaf / bread?
Yes! You can make this, either as a loaf or muffins. Just bake the muffins for about 25 minutes (instead of 35 minutes).
Other savory baking recipes
- Zucchini and pesto muffins (AIP, paleo, vegan)
- Chicken muffins (Coconut free, AIP, paleo)
- Sweet potato and bacon muffins (AIP, paleo)
Zucchini and tuna bread (Gluten free, AIP, paleo)
Ingredients
- 200 g grated zucchini
- 150 g tigernut flour (or almond flour if you are not on AIP nor nut free)
- 50 g arrowroot (see notes for substitutions)
- 90 g canned tuna in water / brine
- 60 ml water
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano or dried basil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360° F (180° C)
- In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (tigernut flour, arrow root, baking soda, dried herbs and salt ). Stir.
- Add the wet ingredients (water, olive oil and apple cider vinegar) to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until well combined. At this point you are probably panicking because the batter seems to be dry and that's why it is not forming a dough yet. But don't worry it's ok.
- Drain the canned tuna and cut it into pieces. Add those pieces to the batter, along with the shredded zucchini. Mix the whole thing with a spoon. As you keep mixing with your spoon, the humidity of both the canned tuna and the shredded zucchini will allow you to form a dough.
- Line or lightly oil a rectangular 4 x 8 inches (10 x 20 cm) baking tin and transfer the batter into the tin. Or choose a muffin pan if you want to make muffins instead of a loaf.
- Bake for about 35 minutes for the loaf (or for about 25 minutes for the muffins). To make sure that it is cooked, insert a thin bladed knife into the centre of the zucchini bread, the knife should come out clean. And voilà! Wait for it to cool down before removing from the tin. Serve at room temperature.Bon appétit !
Deb
I made zucchini-tuna muffins recently to take with me on a trip. I really like the idea of savory muffins, though tuna is not a favorite of mine. I decided to start with the same basic recipe and experiment with variations. Today I made zucchini-butternut squash muffins which I really liked. Instead of tuna, I added 1/2 cup grated raw butternut squash (because I had some leftover from another recipe). Instead of oregano or basil, I added 1 tablespoon of herbes de provence. The recipe made 11 muffins. I look forward to experimenting with other vegetable and herb combinations. Thank you so much for the recipe!
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Deb. Thank you for your feedback! You did exactly what you do in France with savory breads (which will call “cake”): we take a basic recipe and kind of put anything we want in it. I love how convenient it is.
Claire
This is even more delicious than I’d already imagined it’d be! Amazing! :):)
Ivy
Hey Bea! I tried this with almond flour and it was delicious 🙂 I’m going back to Aip elimination phase for a while tho and I think Tigernuts make me bloat...any thoughts on using cassava flour instead of Tigernut in this recipe? Thanks!!
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Ivy. Nice to read from you again although I'm sorry to hear that you have to go back to AIP elimination phase. I'm happy that you like this recipe. Unfortunately, as I explain in The complete guide to tigernut flour there are no AIP compliant substitutions for tigernut flour. Cassava flour has an extremely different texture so it definetely won't work in this recipe. Sorry. Wishing you much healing!
Ivy
Thanks so much for the quick response, Bea! Very helpful. Keep up the awesome stuff with the website, I love how easy and delicious your recipes are 🙂
gohealthywithbea
My pleasure. Communicating with my readers from all around the world is one of my favorite part of blogging! Thank you so much for your very nice words❣️🥰
Olivia
Will this recipe work for sardines or mackerel for the fish component?
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Olivia. Although I have never tried this recipe with sardines or mackerel, I think it would work just fine.