Zucchini Muffins and Fall Foods

Hello everyone! It's been a while, but I'm back. :)

Zucchini is a funny vegetable. Not only does seeing it always compel me to pronounce it as zu"ch"ini, but it's also very versatile. Zucchini has been used in all kinds of foods from savory dishes to desserts. I have always been a big fan in zucchini in savory dishes, such as my zucchini and garlic fettuccine pasta, but I decided that I must try it as a sweet dish too. Now, I did cheat a little and make my muffins more savory because I knew I would be eating these muffins with my dinner, but this recipe can easily be converted into a more sweet muffin.

Now that fall is coming around and the trend of "fall foods" is getting bigger, this is just the perfect muffin to have with your favorite mug of coffee (or in my case, frappuccino). Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite fall food is and it might just be the star of my next food post!

Some notes:

• This recipe requires you to use buttermillk. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, mix 1 cup of yogurt with 1/4 cup of milk until it is evenly combined and substitute this for the buttermilk
• This recipe also calls for cheddar cheese. I replaced this with an equal amount of mozzarella cheese because that is what I had on hand. It turned out equally delicious if not more so.
•  To store the muffins, place them in an air tight container at room temperature. If you want to save them and eat them sparingly, these muffins can easily be frozen.
• I topped my muffins with a garlic salt mix before I popped them into the oven because I knew I wanted them to be more savory than sweet. I also reduced the amount of sugar the original recipe called for to 1/8 cup. I wouldn't recommend taking the sugar out completely because it might unbalance the flavors in the muffin. 

Zucchini Cheddar Muffins
Adapted from Alison Ladman, for the Associated Press

Servings: 12

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed shredded zucchini
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or coat with baking spray.

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

3. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, then whisk in the melted butter. Gently fold the liquid mixture into the dry mixture, then fold in the zucchini and cheddar just enough to incorporate.

4. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out on a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!