"When the spice flow stops, all eyes will turn to Arrakis." -Muad'Dib, Dune 1984

So I have been having a hard time getting veggies down my 19 month old little monster's throat. I have tried everything I can think of to get veggies down him. So far, the only thing that is working is the magic of hiding them in things I know he likes. Enter in this God-sent recipe. :) It was originally a Paula Deen recipe but I adjusted her recipe for healthier choices and combinations of flours, sugars, and spices. I love Paula's Southern Cooking Bible but, lets be honest, 99.9% of her recipes need a bit of cleaning up in the heath department--hence my modifications. Enjoy!

Spiced Zucchini Muffins

2 cups shredded zucchini (the food processor is my best friend with this)
1 1/2 cups maple syrup (or 1/2 cup honey if that's what you'd rather use)
1 cup vegetable oil (I use Canola oil)
4 eggs
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flax meal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/8 teaspoon baking soda

Mix wet ingredients (the first 5) together. Mix/sift dry ingredients together. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Using a 1/4 cup scoop batter into muffin tin. Bake muffins for 25 minutes at 325 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean. Makes 2 dozen plus 1 daddy-size muffins.

Paula Deen suggests serving her version of the recipe with an herb cream cheese. Personally, I have never bothered making that but the sweet, savory, spicy combination intrigues me. I will have to try that this summer when I can get my hands on some reasonably priced fresh herbs.

While these were baking I saw some oranges in my fruit bowl. Next time, I think I will add the zest of an orange. I think that would make these smell even more heavenly and complement the spices nicely. I'll let you know how it goes!

If you are looking to swap granulated sugar for something a little healthier in a recipe, like I did for this one, I found this infographic very helpful.

Love from the wet side (of Washington this time!!! We are so happy to be back home but miss all the good friends we made down in Portland),
Mrs. Mommystars