*Potentially* the healthiest muffins ever

I love vegetables in baked goods. Not in that sneaky Jessica Seinfeld kind of way, but just in a it's-a-novelty sort of way.

I also have a new favourite baking trick--replacing oil with unsweetened applesauce. I haven't dared to make the same replacement for solid fats just yet, but so far the 1-to-1 conversion has worked like a charm (and I've also discovered I love applesauce with walnuts and raisins sprinkled into it as a snack!)

As an editor for the Tribune now, I've made it a point to bring some homemade treat to every meeting not only to flex my baking muscles, but also to entice people to come and take stories! (Although no one has seem to caught on yet--only two people showed up to our last meeting.)

So how are these potentially the healthiest muffins ever? Well aside from the vegetables and the applesauce, I also used whole wheat flour, and the recipe calls for omega-3 rich walnuts. The amount of sugar is still alarmingly high (thus these are only "potentially" the healthiest) which is something that can definitely be tweaked the next time I make these.

Vegetable Muffins
Adapted from AllRecipes.com
Makes 1 dozen

• 250 mL (1 cup) sugar
• 1 egg
• 60 mL (¼ cup) unsweetened applesauce
• 250 mL (1 cup) whole wheat flour
• 5 mL (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
• 2 mL (½ tsp) ground nutmeg
• 2 mL (½ tsp) salt
• 5 mL (1 tsp) baking soda
• 125 mL (½ cup) chopped walnuts
• 500 mL (2 cups) shredded carrot and zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line muffin pan with muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, blend the sugar with the eggs. Add the applesauce and mix well. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in the nuts and vegetables. Ladle batter into prepared cups.
3. Bake for 30 - 35 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean.