Meatless Monday – Zucchini Muffins

I’ve picked exactly 2 zucchinis from my garden this year. Yes, that’s them in the photo above.

Given the cooler weather we’ve had this summer, it’s not surprising, but it is disappointing.

Instead of getting too down about it, I decided zucchini muffins were in order – vegan ones at that.

Here’s how I made them:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour – I used Bob’s All-purpose Gluten Free Flour simply because I had some in the cupboard to use:

• 1/2 cup Flax Meal – to add some extra omega 3s

• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cups rice milk
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups shredded zucchini

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners – I usually just spray my tins, but I happened to have 12 paper liners that have been sitting in my cupboard forever…so I figured it was time to use them up.

3. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and the wet ingredients in a small bowl, then stir the wet and dry ingredients together until the batter is smooth.

**Now, here is where I added a teeny bonus to my recipe. Just for kicks, and as my friend Kristiann had mentioned to me that she had recently added these to her muffins, I mixed 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips into the batter. Not a necessary step, but a fun addition.

4. Gently fold the shredded zucchini into the batter making sure it is mixed in evenly throughout.

5. Pour 1/3 cup batter into each muffin tin.

6. Bake on the center rack of your oven for 18 minutes, then rotate the tray 180 degrees and continue baking for 10 additional minutes. The muffins are finished when a toothpick (or cake tester) inserted into the center of one comes out clean.

7. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then transfer them to a wire rack for complete cooling.

Enjoy – and try not to eat them all in one afternoon!