Vegetable Muffins

The end of August means two things: 1. back to school, and 2. harvest season. We grow herbs and vegetables every year in our garden at Mackin House and we are always looking for creative ways to use them. This year we grew tomatoes, beans, lettuce, green onions, kale, and eggplants, among other things. We also have a few gardeners on staff who insist on bringing zucchini to work, so at this time of year we are awash in fresh produce.

We wanted to create a grab and go snack that uses up some of your garden produce. These muffins are highly customizable. Change up the grated vegetables based on what you have on hand, add chopped kale or spinach, substitute a different liquid for the tomato juice, use your favourite herbs and spices, or even replace the oat flour with cornmeal. This is a great and delicious way to use up some of the vegetables in your garden, but also use whatever you happen to have on-hand in your pantry. Snack on one of these muffins as you work from home or add one to your child’s lunch box. These are toddler-approved, by the way. They also freeze well! Just cool them completely and put them in a resealable freezer bag for up to three months.

Makes approximately 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)

• 1 cup oat flour (blended rolled oats)

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped

• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese

• ¾ cup tomato juice (Blend tomatoes and strain. Save the pulp to add into soup or a sauce!)

• 2 TBSP oil

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 1 cup grated vegetables (We used zucchini and carrots. Make sure you wrap the zucchini in a tea towel and squeeze out the excess moisture)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together flours, baking powder, and seasonings.

2. Mix in grated cheese. In a separate bowl, mix the tomato juice, oil, and eggs.

3. Add the grated vegetables.

4. Fold the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just mixed (overmixing can result in very dense muffins).

5. Spoon batter into a lined muffin tin or silicone liners.

6. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean.