Rx Recipes: Zucchini Bread

A sweet treat to be baked and shared with friends and family

Recipe by Ardith Burkes| Published May 2, 2023

Our Rx Recipes series explores recipes provided by faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. From Ardith Burkes, Embedded Counselor at the School, comes a recipe for Zucchini Bread passed down from mother to daughter for generations.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup oil (canola or vegetable)
2 cups sugar
2 cups finely grated zucchini with rind
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup nuts (pecan, walnuts, etc.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Beat eggs until light and foamy
3. Add oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix lightly but well.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together all remaining dry ingredients
5. Add wet zucchini mixture into dry ingredients, mixing lightly.
6. Stir in nuts.
7. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans
8. Place in oven and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until it pulls from the side of the pan and the center is cooked
9. Serve warm with butter

The loaves may also be wrapped in aluminum foil and frozen for later use.

This recipe comes to us from Ardith Burkes, the School’s Embedded Counselor. It came to her from her mother, who in turn received it from her mother. “I have a lot of wonderful memories of baking and cooking with my mom as I grew up, including this zucchini bread recipe,” Ardith says. “We would pretend we were making cooking shows. There were times when the baking didn’t go as planned, or ended up on the floor due to my exuberant mixing, but we kept on going and always had something to enjoy in the end.”

Ardith is a licensed clinical social worker who serves the students of the School as part of the CAPS Embedded Counselor Program. She is a three-time UNC alumna, having received her Bachelor of Arts, Master of Social Work, and Master of Public Health from the University. In her work with the students, she employs a variety of therapeutic approaches based on individual needs and comforts. Ardith has a strong interest in increasing accessibility to mental health and wellness care so that more people, of all identities and backgrounds, have a space to process life’s challenges and learn skills to navigate them.

Outside of work, Ardith enjoys spending mindful quality time with family and friends, cooking, reading, traveling, savoring a good cup of coffee or tea, and relishing in moments of quiet and calm. She also likes to travel and explore new places. Ardith and her husband have a 4.5 year old son. “So, most of my free time nowadays is spent playing with Legos, explaining how everything in the world works, and driving to various fun activities,” she says.

Ardith, thank you for the work you do with the School, and thank you for sharing your Zucchini Bread recipe with us!