Courgette (Zucchini) & Lemon Muffins

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Courgette (Zucchini) & Lemon Muffins

In this extreme hot weather that has overtaken the country it can be quite a task to keep the garden looking good and all the plants alive and well. We have a particular problem as the majority of our fruit and vegetables are grown in containers. In fact some like the radishes are grown in whatever packaging that happens to arrive at JibberJabber Towers!

Radishes grown in polystyrene box

This proves you don't need a large space to start growing your own produce. A few packets of seeds, a suitable container and some compost and you're ready to go. If you are still a bit unsure head over to the Westland site for some expert advice and tips.

Despite the sunshine not everything is ready to eat yet. The French beans have raced up the bamboo poles but are only just flowering. The first of the tomatoes have started to develop but are still not ready to eat. 

The tomatoes still need to get a bit bigger and to ripen

One thing that has grown well this year are the courgettes. So much so that some of the pots have had to be banished to outside of the greenhouse. 

 

We've gone courgette crazy!

Of course once you have successfully grown all this wonderful produce the problem is what can you make with all of it. I like to grate courgettes and quickly cook them with olive oil and garlic. They also go well as an extra vegetable in a tomato sauce. Alternatively you can try them in a sweet recipe. As ever my solution for any anything is bake it in a cake! I use the fine grater attachment on my food processor to prepare the courgettes. By mixing the yoghurt with bicarbonate of soda and then filling the cases to the top the muffins have a soufflé style top to them. Obviously this does mean they will stink but they still taste great.

Makes 12

Equipment: 12 cup muffin tin and paper cases.

Ingredients

½ tsp (2.5ml) Bicarbonate of soda

10 fl oz (280ml) Low fat natural yoghurt

10oz (280ml) Plain flour

2tsp (10ml) Baking powder

6oz (170g) Caster sugar

1 Large Courgette (about 10oz/280g), finely grated

6 tbsp (90ml) Oil, sunflower, vegetable or corn

1 Large egg, lightly beaten

Zest of 1 Lemon

½ tsp (2.5ml) Vanilla extract

Method

1. Put the paper cases into the muffin tin.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.

3. In a small bowl mix together the Bicarbonate of soda and yoghurt and leave to one side.

4. In a separate bowl stir together the flour, baking powder and sugar.

5. Into the bowl add the courgette, oil, egg, lemon zest, vanilla extract and yoghurt mix.

6. Quickly combine the ingredients until mixed and then spoon into the cases. Fill up to the top.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes until the muffins have puffed up but have cooked through.

8. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Westland Horticulture. The words, photographs and recipe are my own.