Garden Patch Muffins
These moist, delicious muffins were created by Vincci Tsui, one of the FitNut dietitians. A version of the recipe is featured in Cook!, the latest cookbook from Dietitians of Canada. These muffins are low in fat because they use applesauce instead of oil for moisture; low-fat plain yogurt would work great in these as well. Sweet with a hint of spice, no one will guess that these muffins are made with vegetables! Use any amount of carrot, zucchini and/or apple that you have on hand, as long as the total amount is 2 cups. Make these muffins your own by trying some of these variations:
- Swap out up to ¼ cup of flour with ground flaxseed, bran, psyllium or ground nuts (nut meal).
- Add in some of your favourite spices, like ginger, cloves or allspice
- Instead of walnuts, use your favourite nuts, dried fruit and/or coconut
Ingredients (Makes 12 muffins)
- ½ cup (125 mL) sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup (60 mL) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
- ½ cup (125 mL) walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup (125 mL) carrot, shredded
- ½ cup (125 mL) zucchini, shredded
- 1 apple, shredded
Method
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Line muffin pan with muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, mix the sugar with the eggs. Add the applesauce and mix well. Mix in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda. Stir in the walnuts, carrot, zucchini and apple. Ladle batter into prepared cups.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
Nutrition Information (per muffin)
116 calories, 3 g fat (0.4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 19 g carbohydrate (11 g sugar, 2 g fibre), 3 g protein, 114 mg sodium.
