Veggies for Breakfast

Veggies for Breakfast by Kathryn Gilmore of Foodwise NW

I was taught to appreciate the importance of a good breakfast. Thankfully I didn’t grow up dependent upon sugar-infused cereals – though I was jealous of friends who had Captain Crunch and Count Chocula as breakfast companions. Mom served heartier, healthier fare – oatmeal, eggs and the occasional treat of sourdough waffles with fresh strawberries (a personal favorite).

That said, there have been times when I ignored all the messages we hear about eating a healthy breakfast. I shudder to think of the things I ate in the early mornings during my “I don’t care what I’m putting into my body – I just want it to taste good” years. A large latte paired with a pumpkin scone drizzled with pure sugar icing was standard fare. Close to zero nutritional value and a starch-infused whollop of countless calories that had my energy flagging by mid-morning. Granted, I still enjoy an indulgent brunch of gooey cinnamon rolls or steaming pancakes from time to time. But these days – especially during the work week – I try to navigate to something that will keep my motor running.

Two personal favorites of late … muffins scattered with bright orange shards of sweet potato. It’s not as hard as you might think to sneak in some extra vegetables and a hit of protein first thing in the morning. I’m a huge fan of preparing meals in advance and if they’re portable – all the better. So I want to take this opportunity to thank whoever invented the muffin tin. I give you Zucchini & Sweet Potato Muffins.

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Zucchini & Sweet Potato Muffins.

I stumbled upon a version of this recipe on Epicurious. Thanks to all the kind folks who leave comments about their personal experiences with posted recipes, I was able to develop a beautifully moist muffin chock full of healthy walnuts, nutrient-rich sweet potatoes and vitamin-packed zucchini. And this time around, my improvisation and substitutions paid off – adding whole wheat flour, replacing the majority of oil with apple sauce, cutting the sugar by half. You can elevate the flavor even more with the addition of  ½ cup of dark chocolate chips. Chocolate is made from plants after all, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables (i.e. lowering blood pressure and cholesterol).
 
Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnut or canola oil
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini
• 1 1/2 cups sweet potato
• 1 cup walnuts

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grate zucchini and peel and grate sweet potato. Chop walnuts.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and lightly flour.

Sift or mix first 7 ingredients into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat (or hand mix) sugar, oil, apple sauce, eggs and vanilla. Fold in zucchini and sweet potato. Add dry ingredients and walnuts and stir well.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins – filling twelve.

Bake ~25 minutes.

Allow to cool in tins for 10 minutes, then use a knife to cut around each muffin and remove.

Let cool on baking rack another 15 minutes.

Yields: 12 (large) muffins