Today at Light and Tasty we’re talking about picnic or takeaway recipes. And what’s better for the picnic basket than a nice supply of vegetable muffins?
Whether it’s a picnic, a packed lunch, or a snack, in my opinion, you can never go wrong with individual portions. 🙂
For these vegetable muffins of mine, I was inspired by Aunt Laura’s famous (yes yes, they are famous in our house!) muffins, the very ones we licked our lips over at Christmas and which were perfect accompanied by the equally famous Parmesan sauce. Such a delicious sauce for which, as you well know, I later published the recipe. 😀
They smell amazing while they bake, are soft and have a slightly crumbly surface… I really recommend trying them! 😊
☝ To further enrich your basket, I recommend pairing these new muffins of mine with three other, now classic, recipes from this blog: spinach muffins, salad flans, and potato and vegetable tartlets. Here are the links:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 9
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups flour type 2
- 1/2 cup milk kefir (or plain yogurt)
- 3 tbsps vegetable oil (this time I used sunflower oil)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese
- mixed vegetables (carrot, zucchini, bell pepper)
Tools
- Baking Cups for silicone muffins
- Bowl
Steps
In a bowl, mix the egg with the kefir (or yogurt) and the oil using a fork.
Add two tablespoons of grated Parmesan (20 g) and the flour.
Lastly, add a level teaspoon of baking powder.
☝ Baking powder for savory pies is also fine (but I prefer to use non-vanilla baking powder).
☝ Aunt Laura’s original recipe uses self-rising flour. If you’re used to it, feel free to use it, indeed it’s convenient, but I prefer to use type 1 or 2 flours.
Mix quickly using a fork.
Grate a small piece of carrot and zucchini using a fine-grated grater and cut a strip of bell pepper into small pieces.
Divide the mixture into three parts.
Add the grated vegetables, one type for each portion of the mixture.
👉 For the quantity of vegetables, I weighed 30 g of each, but for the zucchini, being the most moist, I realized that even just 20 g can be enough.
☝ Among the three vegetables, zucchini releases the most moisture so I recommend patting them dry with a cloth or paper towel before adding them to the mixture.
Pour the mixture into the baking cups (I used silicone ones).
Bake in an oven at 350°F (180°C) for 25-30 minutes, the time depending on the size of the baking cups and the amount of vegetables used.
Before unmolding the vegetable muffins, wait until they are at least warm, if not cooled.
They’re delicious, and you can eat them in one bite… well, maybe not one, but let’s say… in two bites!
Next time I’ll make more, I want to try making them with green beans and lischeri (agretto). What other vegetables do you suggest?
Here are the proposals (for picnic or takeaway) from my Light and Tasty colleagues:
Carla: Eggplant and Prosciutto Balls
Daniela: Multicolored Savory Pie
Elena: Ricotta and Sour Cherry Cake
Franca: Breaded Bite
Milena: Funny Sandwich with Roast Beef, Mustard, and Cucumbers
Serena: Triple Toast
Salt-Free Tips
These vegetable muffins, like everything I cook, are entirely without added salt. The main (and more than sufficient) seasoning used in this recipe is Parmesan. 😉
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
– Reduce salt gradually, letting your palate adjust slowly without noticing the progressive reduction.
– Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
– Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
– Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
– Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
– Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
– Prefer fresh foods.
– Avoid boiling, prefer cooking methods that retain flavors (grilling, en papillote, steaming, microwaving)
– Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
– Occasionally allow yourself to break the rules. It lifts your mood and helps you persevere.
If you don’t want or can’t give up salt:
You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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