Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Nuts and Cherries

Last weekend, when I heard that two of my best pals were heading upstate to their beautiful cabin I couldn't help but invite myself along for the ride. After a week long heatwave it was high time to get the f out of the city and into the woods to take a dip in the swimming hole and breathe some non-conditioned air. Luckily my generous pals don't mind sharing their special spot, so to thank them for their never ending hospitality (and to ensure they invite me back) I brought a little treat. I wanted to bring something along that would be equally tasty for breakfast before hitting up the u-pick farm nearby and as a snack by the creek later in the afternoon and these hearty muffins fit the bill. They utilize lots of zucchini which is ever so plentiful this time of year along with toasted nuts, seeds and some dried cherries for a nice tart zip, but feel free to switch up the additions to suit your personal preference.


Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Nuts and Cherries
adapted from 101cookbooks
yields about 24 muffins

2c whole wheat flour
1c all purpose flour
1 1/2t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1t salt
1t cinnamon
1/4t nutmeg
3/4c olive oil (or canola oil)
1c sugar
1/2c brown sugar
3 large eggs
2t vanilla extract
zest of 2 lemons
1'' piece of ginger, grated with a microplane
3c finely shredded zucchini (about 3 medium), squeezed gently to remove excess liquid
1 1/2c mixed chopped nuts, toasted (I used half pecans and half walnuts)
1/3c poppy seeds
1/2c dried cherries roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350º and line 2. 12 cup muffin tins with liners

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Then stir in the chopped nuts and poppy seeds, making sure to reserve a few tablespoons to sprinkle on the top of the muffins.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugars, eggs, lemon zest, ginger, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. Fold in the zucchini and cherries.
4. Fill your muffin liners 2/3 full, then sprinkle the reserved nuts over top. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 min.

Big thanks to the folks over at The Kitchen Generation for mentioning the Baking Co. last weekend and thanks to everyone on twitter and facebook who have been so friendly and supportive of my bloggy-blog recently.

Anything Goes Granola

Homemade granola is where its at. It's one of those awesome, good for you foods, that is simple to make at home and infinitely better than the stuff you can buy at the grocery store (even the really expensive ones). You can easily adapt it to your tastes and it makes your whole house smell heavenly for hours afterward. I like a lot of mix-ins in mine, but if you would like yours to be more oat heavy feel free to cut back the fruit, nuts, and seeds by a few tablespoons. In this batch I used pecans, pepitas, flax seeds, raw buckwheat, cherries and golden raisins. Other great combos are almonds, cherries and vanilla (just add 1t of vanilla extract to the syrup mix) or try hazelnuts, apricots and a bit of chocolate. You could even add a bit of lemon or orange zest to the syrup mixture to lighten it up a bit, the possibilities really are endless. Go forth and make your own cereal!

Anything Goes Granola

2 cups rolled oats
1t cinnamon
1/4t nutmeg
1t salt
3T oil
1/4c honey. maple syrup, agave, or golden syrup (I used maple and golden)
1/4c brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, go wild)
2/3 cup dried fruit my faves are tart cherries and golden raisins
1/4 cup seeds (optional) I used flax, pepitas, sunflower and raw buckwheat, sesame seeds would be great too

Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat mat
In a large bowl combine the oats, salt, and spices
In a medium bowl (or measuring cup) combine the oil, syrups, and sugar
Pour mixture over the oats and stir well to combine, or just use your hands
Pour the oats onto a baking sheet and press with your hands
Bake for 15 min, then gently stir (the more you stir, the less clumpy and delicious your finished granola will be), then sprinkle the nuts over the granola
Continue to bake, stirring every 7 minutes or so until the granola is deep golden, about 20 minutes
Let the granola cool completely, then gently mix in the seeds and dried fruit. If you are using sesame seeds, mix them in the granola about 5 minutes before you take it out of the oven to toast them a bit.

Keeps in an airtight container on the counter for about a week, or in the freezer for about a month.