WIC Kitchen: Healthier holiday options

Dec. 10, 2025

By Mary Wade Burnside, Sarah Moore and Anna Ash

The scent of cinnamon and nutmeg wafts through the air. Fruit simmers in a pan and a crust awaits nearby.
It’s… Almost Apple Pie, and that fruit is zucchini, not apples. And it tastes authentic.
As usual, WIC Kitchen staffers want readers to enjoy their holiday meals while offering healthier options.
Sure, the pie still features sugar and butter, but zucchini is lower in calories than apples and high in nutrients like vitamins A, C and potassium.
Then there is the Healthy Chocolate Cake, sweetened with more zucchini plus bananas, dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Yes, that’s right, zucchini is actually a fruit, and it also helps support heart health and regulate blood sugar levels.
Biting into a piece is reminiscent of a brownie, with no vegetable taste to be detected.
Both confections look and taste as advertised and they will brighten up a holiday table. You don’t have to tell the guests that the recipes are healthy, unless that would be a bonus for them.
Of course, don’t tell the kids that the chocolatey and apple-tasting cinnamony goodness they are enjoying are good for them, as WIC Kitchen continues to highlight recipes that sneak fruits and veggies into recipes that the littles will eat.
Happy holidays!

Healthy Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
¼ cup dark chocolate, chopped
two zucchinis, grated *
½ banana *
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup soy milk *
2 eggs*
1 ½ cup almond flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder
1tsp baking powder
½ cup flour
½ whole wheat flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 365°F degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mash banana and add in wet ingredients. Mix well.
Incorporate the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Add in chocolate.
Transfer to a baking dish. Cook for 40 minutes. Let it cool before slicing. Serve and enjoy!


Almost Apple Pie
Ingredients
Pie filling:
9-inch unbaked pie shell
5-5½ cups sliced zucchini*
1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 pinch salt
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 dash nutmeg
1 cup, 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Crumb topping:
½ cup butter softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
⅛ tsp cinnamon

Directions
Use medium zucchini. Peel them, then slice in half lengthwise, remove seeds and thinly slice. The slices should resemble apple slices.
Cook zucchini along with a small amount of water in a skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes. Begin timing when the water begins to bubble. Drain all of the liquid and allow it to cool.
To assemble
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Prepare pastry and place in a deep dish 9-inch pie plate.
Mix cream of tartar, salt, flour, lemon juice, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon with cooked and drained zucchini slices. The zucchini will release more liquid and the filling will look wet. Pour into the pie shell.
Make crumb topping by mixing all ingredients until crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture.
Sprinkle crumb mixture over the pie pie.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crumb is golden brown.
Cool before serving and enjoy!
*Ingredients with an asterisk next to them are available through Monongalia County Health Department WIC. Call us at 304-598-5181 for more information.