Oatmeal Zucchini Muffins

I’ll be honest. I normally don’t seek out zucchini when I’m cooking. I’m not sure why. It’s an inexpensive, versatile vegetable but it doesn’t scream “FLAVOR” to me like broccoli or peppers.

But zucchini is fine to use in a stir fry or pasta. It adds color and texture to most dishes and does provide some dietary fiber. It’s not a nutritional powerhouse like kale or spinach.

My mother used to make two things with zucchini. A favorite of mine was sauteed onions and zucchini with scrambled eggs and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a little oregano or rosemary and serve with toast. Delicious!

The other tasty treat was zucchini bread or muffins. Back in the day, she’d use Crisco for the fat, but we have Crisco on hand for pie crusts and it’s used once every few years. I tend to use oil in quick breads when I can.

A neighbor passed on a few zucchinis, and they were past their prime for stir fry or pasta. So, I opted for zucchini muffins. I like this recipe because it has a few sneaky ingredients that don’t change the taste or texture but add a bit more fiber.

You can add different spices to vary the flavor. I’m a fan of ginger, but nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice would work well here, too. This one’s a keeper!

Ingredients

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup white flour

3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup white sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup canola oil

2 cups finely grated zucchini

Directions

1.       Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

3.       In a medium bowl, combine the wheat flour, white flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

4.       Add the vanilla, beaten eggs, and canola oil to the dry mixture and combine until blended.

5.       Fold in the grated zucchini but don’t overmix it.

6.       Use a measuring cup and pour batter into each lined muffin tin up to ¾ full.

7.       Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until muffins are golden brown and come out clean with a toothpick check.

Makes 18-20 muffins. Nutrition information per muffin: 164 calories, 8 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 3 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 18 mg cholesterol, 122 mg sodium

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