Unlike Cassie, I don’t have piles of peaches in my backyard, but what I do have is a garden full of Zucchinis.  I absolutely love all varieties of winter squash, however, I am NOT a big summer squash fan.  Actually, the only way I can tolerate zucchini is when its baked into muffins, breads or cakes. 

Zucchini at the Farmer’s Market

I love a good muffin, so when I thought about what I could use all of my zucchini for, this tasty treat immediately popped into my head.  But, I didn’t want to make any old muffin. (You know the ones that leave you hungry just a couple of hours later, right??) I wanted to make a muffin with some serious staying power, so I incorporated some of my favorite protein-and (healthy) fat-packed ingredients into this recipe. And, after a quick tally, each of these muffins pack nearly 8g of protein, which is pretty good for a baked good!

Zucchini Muffin Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour/meal
• 3/4 cup almond butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup grated zucchini, pressed and drained
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
  

  Zucchini Muffin Batter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F
2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend well
3. Coat muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray (or use paper liners) and divide batter among nine cups.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until muffins are cooked all the way through
5. Allow to cool before serving

Makes 9 muffins

Zucchini Muffins

These muffins are dense, but moist at the same time.  You can tell you’re eating a hearty, satisfying, and nutritious muffin, but there’s a hint of “dessertiness” in each bite too (I have a SUPER sweet tooth so I poured a bit of honey over the top of mine ).

Question of the Day:  What do you do with your garden excess?