How many times do you hear the phrase "just don't tell the kids there's ________ in it" when it comes to making healthier or "out of the box" recipes that (on the outside at least) seem like perfectly kid-friendly fare? Now, I may be in the minority, but I never really felt comfortable keeping the healthier elements of recipes like my pancakes and brownies locked away like some secret government document. I mean, yes - hiding things like tofu and whole grains in your recipes a la Deceptively Delicious can work... for a while. But kids are smart. They can read - and see. And, speaking from experience with one of the pickiest eaters I know, it is far better to come clean up front and deal with it then than to have the kids distrust anything you cook up for them post-discovery. Who knows - when vegetables wind up in things like these muffins, nobody seems to care one way or the other that they exist at all. It's not that they're hidden, it's that they're not a dominant flavour role... and I'm sure the chocolate factor doesn't hurt either.
Many thanks to fellow Canuck Kevin (a la Closet Cooking) for the recipe I used as my base!
Rich Double - Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Makes 26
2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup Nestle NesQuik chocolate drink mix powder
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup melted butter
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
2 eggs
3 medium zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease and line muffin tin.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, Quik and cocoa. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, chocolate, sugars, yogurt, eggs and zucchini, mixing well.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they test done.
Calories: 162.5
Total Fat: 6.0 g
Cholesterol: 26.5 mg
Sodium: 42.4 mg
Total Carbs: 26.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
Protein: 3.1 g
Some people, though, are just determined to be sucky eaters - they refuse to eat another bite (even though they've said that they love something) when they find out there's zucchini in it, or that it's vegan, or whatever. For these people, I just don't tell them, and won't, even if they ask. I just say, "you don't really want to know, because you have no taste, and can't cook anyway, so don't bother because you'll just be upset."
ReplyDeleteThese look wonderful! I have one daughter who would love them right up front because they are healthy....the other daughter would try them with hesitation, and the husband? Well, I wouldn't dare tell him. What he doesn't know, won't hurt him. Id rather he make up his mind without predetermined prejudices LOL
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