Zucchini is a vegetal blank slate.
Of course, that's my elegant, or perhaps tremendously inelegant, way of saying that it's essentially very boring!
It's that nod to greenery we push to the side of a plate with steak and potatoes. The flavour's too mild, the texture's too watery and there's just nothing aesthetic about it. Never could it compete with the tiny flowering limbs of aborial broccoli or crunchy, emerald sugar snap peas.
My dears, it's a bland truth. As a vegetable in roasts and salads, zucchini is a failure.
As a fruit in muffins, however, it's a total winner!
All those shortcomings suddenly become virtues in it's capacity as a muffin ingredient. Because its flavour is so delicate, the muffins won't taste overly vegetal. These are, after all, mid-morning sweet treats and we want the zucchini to meld with the cinnamon sugar rather than overpower it. Furthermore, because it's 95% water, the muffins will stay incredibly moist. Finally, because it's so soft to shred and so malleable to incorporate, it takes on an attractiveness that relies no longer on looks but on practicality!
Olive oil is a gorgeous addition to these muffins. Olive oil is commonly used in good quality savoury cooking to add fresh, grassy fragrance. When it comes to cakes and deserts where we deal with sugary berries and chocolate chips, however, the olivey fragrance is not always appropriate. This recipe is a wonderful exception. Because we're dealing with a fruit that functions more like a vegetable, olive oil is a perfect complement.
Health Benefits:
Zucchini is a calorie couter's Messiah. It's packed with nutrients, low in natural sugars and high in water. It's an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C, as well as magnesium, vitamin A, potassium, copper, folate, and phosphorus. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, calcium, zinc, niacin, and protein. The darker and greener the skin, the more nutrients. Finally, it's full of dietary fibre, (particularly with the skin on), which helps reduce cholesterol and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. For a break down of all the wonderful minerals and vitamins you might want to peak at http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=126
Olive oil is a healthy, monounsaturated fat which contains powerful antioxidants that promote health of the heart, skin, hair, nails and brain. To judge the major benefits of olive oil, you need only look to the countries which consume the most of it. Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy have some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world - about half the incidence of Australia and the UK. These Meditteranean regions have diets which essentially depend on olive oil and have done for centuries. This miracle potion is also packed with antioxidants which fight off cancer-causing free radicals (pollutants) that routinely enter, attack and prematurely age our bodies.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups shredded zucchini, skin on (equivalent to about 3 medium zucchinis)
2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (or 2/3 if you want them more nutty!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
2/3 cup white or caster sugar (and extra for sprinkling)
1/2 cup reduced fat vanilla or honey yoghurt
1/2 cup olive oil (choose a mild variety if you can - not extra virgin)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 eggs
Top and tail the zucchinis then grate them, skin and all.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nuts. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, yoghurt and olive oil until smooth. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, adding the shredded zucchini simultaneously.
Incorporate the ingredients, being careful not to overmix.
Heap the mixture into patty pans or home-made baking paper cups until it reaches the rims of each. Sprinkle the muffin tops with sugar then dust them with cinnamon. This will give them a lovely, fragrant crunchy topping.
Bake in a fan-forced oven at 185 degrees for approximately 25 minutes, or until muffins have risen up and developed golden, crisp tops.
So wholesome and absolutely scrummy!
