I found this recipe for zucchini muffins a couple of months ago on a Pinterest blog called shutterbean.com. Because they were just so delicious – moist, sweet, and healthy – I fell in love, and I decided to bring them back this week for the column.

Your reaction to these might be “Ew! Zucchini?” but trust me, you do not even notice the vegetable’s presence in the muffins while you are receiving its many health benefits. Zucchini has lots of dietary fiber, which can lower blood pressure and cholesterol and even prevent cancer!

Flaxseeds, another nutritious ingredient in the recipe, may have a bad reputation, but they are just as beneficial as zucchini. They can reduce your risks of getting heart disease, cancer, strokes, and diabetes. You can use flaxseeds in any type of baking or cooking, and you cannot even tell that they are there because they are so tiny! Enjoy the muffins!

Zucchini Muffins

• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 3/4 cup lightly packed light-brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (1 large zucchini)
• 1/3 cup mashed banana (1 large banana)
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 F° and lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

2.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

3.Add the zucchini and banana and stir to combine.

4.In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla.

5.Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Be careful not to over-mix! (Stop mixing when individual ingredients cannot be distinguished and the mixture is uniform.)

6.Divide the batter among muffin cups.

7.Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

8.Let muffins cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Yield: 12 muffins      Serving: 1 muffin

Some even healthier changes:

I used whole-wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour because whole wheat has many health benefits that all-purpose flour lacks, including dietary fiber, antioxidants, and Vitamin B, Also, I substituted skim milk for whole milk because skim has a lot less fat and cholesterol than whole milk. Surprisingly, these changes do not make any difference in the great taste.