Carrot Zucchini Muffins

I still have loads of shredded zucchini in the freezer saved from last summer's harvest. Why haven't I been using it up? It's almost March, the seed catalogs are piling up on the coffee table, before I know it the snow will be melted and I'll be sowing more Black Beauties in the backyard garden.

I suppose the reason is that shredded zucchini is basically only good for one thing: baking. I mean, you can make zucchini fritters or hide it Mrs.-Seinfeld-style in fish cakes, pasta sauce, lasagna, etc but it's mainly a baking staple in my kitchen. And I haven't been baking nearly as much as I used to with baby on my hip.

However, I wanted to make muffins for breakfast this week. Carrot zucchini muffins, to be exact. The days of my somewhat leisurely mornings of stovetop oatmeal and fruit went out the window when Ben came around. Now I just want to grab something quick and get out the door before he manages another exploding diaper episode, requiring the third outfit change of the day and it's only 7:30 am.

(S*)It happens.

So I decided to make these muffins, but had to locate a decent recipe first. Unfortunately, my quick searches only brought up recipes that assume the very notion that you are looking for something like "Carrot Zucchini Muffins" means you are some sort of absurd fat-free-food freak that wants a tasteless muffin with "pasteurized egg white substitute" in the recipe.

Ew.

I wanted a real muffin. A good one. Thankfully, I came across this recipe. The blogger mentions it's a Rose Levy Beranbaum recipe, which is basically a big fat stamp of approval in my book, since Rosie knows her baked goods. In fact, I was so confident in the recipe that I tweaked it by adding carrots, substituting in some whole wheat flour, yogurt, and applesauce, taking out the nuts, adding maple syrup...ok, well, maybe my changes constitute a little more than just tweaking.


But I'm very pleased with how they turned out. Nice healthy-but-tasty veggie-rific muffins. Breakfast is set for the week: add on a schmear of peanut butter or cream cheese, take a swing of oj, grab my travel mug of milky black tea, and it's a complete meal. Done.

As for my son's morning routine, if only it could be so simple as this.

Carrot Zucchini Muffins
Makes 12 muffins - feel free to double the recipe. You can always throw a few in the freezer to save for later.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (substitute up to half with whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil (substitute up to half with applesauce and/or plain yogurt)
1 cup (firmly packed) grated zucchini--use largest holes on box grater
1 cup (firmly packed) grated carrots
2/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, spices and optional walnuts. Whisk well to blend.

In a mixing bowl beat the eggs, sugar and oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until very smooth. Add the zucchini and carrots; beat just until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and optional raisins and beat until completely moistened.

Scrape the batter into greased or paper cup-lined muffin tins, filling each cup almost full. Bake 20-25 minutes, until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Unmold onto the rack. Cool completely and wrap airtight.