If you like to garden, you may find yourself at the height of harvest season. I have a tendency to plant zucchini, and then dread eating it. Enter these delicious, healthy muffins! All the benefits of a serving or two of fruits and veggies, but with great taste!

Recipe

Makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup zucchini, shredded and with water squeezed out

1 medium-sized apple, shredded and with water squeezed out

1/2 cup shredded carrot, with water squeezed out

4 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup almond flour

1 cup gluten free flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and line muffin tin with paper or silicone liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together zucchini, apple, carrot, oil, honey, applesauce, and vanilla. Slowly whisk in eggs. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together flours, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Gradually whisk into wet mixture.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake approximately 20 minutes.

Notes

To make shredding the fruits and vegetables easier, use a food processor. Two towels work well to squeeze out excess liquid. Alternatively, you could experiment with laying the shredded produce flat in a rimmed baking sheet and drying in a low-heat oven for a couple of hours. I haven’t tried this personally, but it eliminates the need to wring the produce with sore or weak hands!

If you prefer to make this recipe vegan, substitute the honey for another sweetener of your choice. This recipe uses honey and applesauce in place of sugar; you could also just use 3/4 cup sugar.

Instead of the two eggs, pour 2 Tbsp of white vinegar into a small bowl. Add 2 tsp of baking soda, stir quickly, and add to the mixture. This is my go-to egg substitute, and it helps add lightness to the bake without affecting the flavor (it’s also great for those times when I start baking and realize too late that I’m out of eggs!).

If you have nut allergies, simply swap the almond flour for another type of flour. This recipe works well with a full 1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour.

All of the spices are optional, but they help enhance the flavors of the fruits and vegetables. Feel free to experiment and find your own preferred mix! You can also add a pinch of salt if desired.

These muffins freeze well, too, so you can always make a double batch and put them away for later in the season when you’re not enjoying the bounty of summer!

Enjoy!