I love the idea of muffins as a mid-morning or afternoon snack. Portable, tasty and a better alternative to store bought granola bars. I don't love the loads of sugar and processed ingredients that make their way into most most muffin recipes. What's a girl to do? Luckily, I was fully stocked with some local zucchini and too-ripe-to-be-eaten bananas....the perfect foundation to a nutrient dense muffin. What apples are to fall, zucchini is to summer. This veggie is totally versatile and cheap! Roast it, sauté it, bake it or noodle it! The options are endless. I had already thrown some roasted zucchini into some pasta for lunch so I went the baking route for round two. In these particular muffins I decided to use some whole wheat pastry flour as my base. I added some organic coconut sugar for some added natural sweetness......and a hint of caramel undertones. Fancy! Feel free to play around with different flours (oat, almond, coconut) and cut out any added sugar or substitute with applesauce to achieve a different flavor or dietary preference. I feel strongly that the quality of ingredients heavily influence our waistlines and when used in the proper context, and in a controlled amount, less processed sugars, like coconut sugar, can have a positive affect on our health as a way to satisfy our cravings and curb appetites. So there you have it! My crusade for sugar in this muffin. Lol!
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup canola oil (or replace with applesauce)
1/2 teaspoon banana extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded zucchini
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, beat the egg, bananas, oil and extracts. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini.
Transfer into muffin tins. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
This recipe should make about 18 muffins. I did not calculate the nutrition facts for this recipe (becuase I am busy looking for other healthy recipes to share with you) so please use MyFitness Pal, Lose It or your favorite tracking app to determine calorie content.
