Submitted by Wendy – tasted, tested and approved by her family

I found the basic zucchini recipe in Camilla V. Saulsbury’s 150 Best Vegan Muffin Recipes.  My husband requested I “jazz” it up with some of his favorites, lemon and chocolate chips! I also used 100 per cent whole wheat flour instead of the mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour called for in the original recipe. (Camilla’s book has fantastic muffin recipes and it feels great to make them for my family, knowing they are made with healthy ingredients!)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups     Whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 tsp.       Baking powder
• 1 tsp.             Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp           Baking soda
• 1/2 tsp           Sea salt
• 1/4 tsp           Ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup          Sucanet (I use the Wholesome Sweeteners Fairtrade Organic brand. This is organic brown sugar which is simply dehydrated, freshly squeezed sugar cane.)
• 1 cup            Almond milk
• 1/3 cup         Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp             Vanilla extract
• 2 cups          Shredded zucchini (I always drain off the excess water from the shredded zucchini.)
• 1 lemon        Juice and zest
• 1-2 cups       Chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate mini chips which are dairy, nut and soy free)
• 1 cup            Chopped pecans, toasted (Sweeter by Nature Organic Pecans, grown in Missouri, are delicious!)

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees, if you need to toast your pecans.  Evenly spread the pecans on a cookie sheet and toast for approximately 6 minutes, just until they become aromatic.  Watch carefully, as they easily scorch!

~Place muffin cups in pan. (I use If You Care Large Baking Cups, FSC Certified Unbleached and Totally Chlorine-Free cups.)

~Turn oven to 400 degrees to preheat for the muffins.

~In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients except the pecans and choc. chips together.

~In a separate bowl, whisk all wet ingredients together, except the shredded zucchini.

~Gently fold in the zucchini, pecans, and chocolate chips. (Save some pecans to decorate the top of the muffins!)

~Divide the batter equally between the muffin cups.

~Sprinkle the remaining pecans on the top of each muffin.

~Bake for 18-22 minutes.  Be sure to test with a toothpick!  Continue baking the muffins until the toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. THIS IS IMPORTANT.  

NOTE: I place  a small oven-safe bowl filled with water in the corner of the oven while baking the muffins and this helps produce a perfectly moist muffin. Yum!

These muffins are delicious warm from the oven!!!!! They are freezable, IF you have any leftover!