OK, I'm going to try to make a return to blogging...we'll see how that goes. As most of you know, my time is now occupied by a small bundle of joy. So, before I get to the other stuff, a few words about that. For now, I'm planning to NOT blog baby pictures. I don't know if it's worth worrying about all the weirdos out there, but I do. So when relevant, I'll link to photos on my Flickr account. Most baby photos there are friends & family only, so if you follow a link and can't see it, send me a friend request. If I know who you are (or if you give me some other compelling reason), I'll probably grant it.
Also, I probably will add some parenting topics to my blogging subjects. As well as, of course, baby knits! But hopefully I'll still blog about other stuff, too.
Which gets me to the topic I'm trying to cover today...another recipe! And umm, yeah, it's a muffin, which seems to be half of the recipes I've posted in the past. But muffins are an even bigger part of my life now--there are mornings when I don't get to sit & eat breakfast right away, afternoons where I'm starving but can't always take time to make a sandwich or sit and eat real food. So having muffins on hand at all times has become almost essential! As a result, I try to pack the muffins with more healthy things than unhealthy, although of course there are moments when sugar, chocolate, etc. sneak their way in. These muffins are no exception--lots of fruit & veggies, with a bit of sugar. I did use white flour, but they're so light & moist I might be tempted to try them again with mostly whole wheat, or perhaps add some oats. Of course, local zucchini season is pretty much over now, so I'm not sure I'll make them again soon.
Another note--if you have a food processor with a shredding/grating blade, use it for the zucchini & the apple. Seriously, life is short. Use the help!
Ingredients:
3 small-medium zucchini, shredded
1/2 t salt
2 small-medium apples, shredded (I've never shredded apples for baking before. It would probably work to dice them, too, but the texture might change.)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1. Toss zucchini with salt and place in a strainer/colander to let excess liquid drain out. If possible, wait 10-15 minutes then squeeze out excess moisture before using zucchini. I didn't wait quite that long, and my muffins are OK, but bordering on too wet.
2. Combine drained zucchini, apples, applesauce, egg, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda. (Yeah, I know, you're supposed to combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl before you mix them together. While I am aware that this is a cardinal rule of baking, I rarely ever follow it. And 95% of the time, things work out fine. This was one of those times. If you, like me, hate to wash an extra bowl--just take the chance and use only one!)
4. Divide batter into 12 lined/greased muffin cups (mine were full almost to the top of the liners). Bake at 375 F for approximately 25 minutes, or until golden on the top. They may still be rather moist inside, but will dry/set up a bit more while cooling.
That's it! No picture of them right now, but trust me--they're delicious. Of all the muffin recipes I've improvised, this may be my new favourite. So moist, sweet without being too sweet, mostly healthy, that yummy fall flavour of apple + cinnamon--you can't beat that! I think I've eaten 4 in less than 24 hours, and that was me showing restraint.
Hey! I did it! I wrote a blog post. Maybe I can keep this up. :-)
Also, I probably will add some parenting topics to my blogging subjects. As well as, of course, baby knits! But hopefully I'll still blog about other stuff, too.
Which gets me to the topic I'm trying to cover today...another recipe! And umm, yeah, it's a muffin, which seems to be half of the recipes I've posted in the past. But muffins are an even bigger part of my life now--there are mornings when I don't get to sit & eat breakfast right away, afternoons where I'm starving but can't always take time to make a sandwich or sit and eat real food. So having muffins on hand at all times has become almost essential! As a result, I try to pack the muffins with more healthy things than unhealthy, although of course there are moments when sugar, chocolate, etc. sneak their way in. These muffins are no exception--lots of fruit & veggies, with a bit of sugar. I did use white flour, but they're so light & moist I might be tempted to try them again with mostly whole wheat, or perhaps add some oats. Of course, local zucchini season is pretty much over now, so I'm not sure I'll make them again soon.
Another note--if you have a food processor with a shredding/grating blade, use it for the zucchini & the apple. Seriously, life is short. Use the help!
Ingredients:
3 small-medium zucchini, shredded
1/2 t salt
2 small-medium apples, shredded (I've never shredded apples for baking before. It would probably work to dice them, too, but the texture might change.)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1. Toss zucchini with salt and place in a strainer/colander to let excess liquid drain out. If possible, wait 10-15 minutes then squeeze out excess moisture before using zucchini. I didn't wait quite that long, and my muffins are OK, but bordering on too wet.
2. Combine drained zucchini, apples, applesauce, egg, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda. (Yeah, I know, you're supposed to combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl before you mix them together. While I am aware that this is a cardinal rule of baking, I rarely ever follow it. And 95% of the time, things work out fine. This was one of those times. If you, like me, hate to wash an extra bowl--just take the chance and use only one!)
4. Divide batter into 12 lined/greased muffin cups (mine were full almost to the top of the liners). Bake at 375 F for approximately 25 minutes, or until golden on the top. They may still be rather moist inside, but will dry/set up a bit more while cooling.
That's it! No picture of them right now, but trust me--they're delicious. Of all the muffin recipes I've improvised, this may be my new favourite. So moist, sweet without being too sweet, mostly healthy, that yummy fall flavour of apple + cinnamon--you can't beat that! I think I've eaten 4 in less than 24 hours, and that was me showing restraint.
Hey! I did it! I wrote a blog post. Maybe I can keep this up. :-)
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