INGREDIENTS
½ cup grated carrots
½ cup grated zucchini
1 cup packed baby spinach finely, chopped
2 large eggs
¼ cup olive or avocado oil
1 cup milk of choice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ tablespoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/3 cup chopped pepperoni (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
2. Place grated carrot and zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
3. Veggies can vary in moisture levels depending on when they were harvested or how fresh they are. This step will help ensure your muffins don't come out too wet.
4. To a large bowl, add carrot, zucchini, chopped spinach, egg, oil, milk, and tomato paste. Whisk to combine. Mix in garlic powder, dried oregano, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
5. Add flour and mix in with a large spoon or rubber spatula. Mix in 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and most of the pepperoni, leaving some to decorate the top of the muffins.
6. Evenly divide the muffin batter between the muffin tins. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of the remaining ½ cup of cheese and a few pieces of pepperoni, if using.
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
Tip: Every oven cooks a little differently…and often not always true to temperature. To know if your muffin is perfectly baked, use a kitchen thermometer make sure it has an internal temperature of 200℉. This will ensure that your muffin is cooked through but not over baked.
8. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooking rack to cool completely. Store muffins in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
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