Garbage Muffins or something like it?

February 17, 2015 6:03 AM

I want to make muffins to include all the veggies I have in the fridge that will go bad soon. Can you point me towards a way to tease out a recipe? I want something similar to the base of a banana muffin but with pureed spinach, broccoli, carrots, pears etc. Not sure on how to ratio out everything. And yes, it must be a muffin please.
posted by MayNicholas to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

I haven't tested these, but this was the first google result for veggie muffins.
posted by royalsong at 6:08 AM on February 17, 2015

you might want to start with a zucchini bread recipe of some sort, and a blender..and muffin cups....
posted by HuronBob at 6:21 AM on February 17, 2015

I love these carrot-raisin muffins; you could sub diced pear for the raisins.
posted by something something at 6:26 AM on February 17, 2015

I use Anne Lindsay's Lemon Zucchini Muffins as a template for all kind of fruit and veg muffins. Video version is here. Here's another version where they used water, vinegar and rice beverage instead of buttermilk and the one egg.

I usually use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour, throw in a teaspoon of real vanilla, and use yogurt instead of buttermilk because I never have buttermilk. Fruits and veg alternates this has worked well with: caramelized onions; finely diced or shredded pears, apples or carrots; any kind of berry; over ripe pears in a baggie that I just smushed by hand.
posted by maudlin at 6:27 AM on February 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

(So puree versus shredded will work well as a cup, but the cake/muffin will be a little more moist and may have to cook a little longer. It will still work.)
posted by maudlin at 6:28 AM on February 17, 2015

Do you have to puree the veg? There are a lot of recipes (especially out of Australia/NZ -- search for 'vegetable pikelets' if you ever get an itch to do this to a pancake) for savoury veg muffins, often with cheese, that don't try to hide the veg. Example here, and here.
posted by kmennie at 6:40 AM on February 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

This is a receipe I have often made with pureed carrots, but also anything else leftover both fruit and veg.
yields 12 to 18 muffins, depending on how much veg or fruit you add.

250 gram flour (any kind)
110 gram butter (or use vegetable oil same weight)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
if you want it sweet, use up to 100 gram sugar (I use xylitol) - I add it to carrot muffins as my son prefers them sweet). With banana i skip it, or reduce to just a tablespoon. If you want savouriy muffins, leave out sugar
1-2 eggs (works fine with one, if oyu have a lot of veg or fruit use two)
1 cup milk or yoghurt or buttermilk
purreed veg or fruit: amount is determined by what I have, usually about 250 gram. If you use a lot more of veg or fruit it will just make them firmer in consistency.
if you want chocolate muffins add 30 grams cococa powder and 100 grams cut up chocolate (works also with carrot)
or add cheese cubes / grated cheese for savoury.

I mix all dry ingredients together, and all mix all wet ingredients including the melted butter very well. If I add sugar, I add that to the wet.
Then I stir the wet mix into the dry.
The resulting dough should easily drop off a spoon. Fill into mussin cups, and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes. My oven is very old so I can't be sure of temperature but it is about 180 C.

No two batches are the same, but the worst that happens is that they turn out very firm (eg from lots of carrot) or a bit crumbly.
posted by 15L06 at 6:42 AM on February 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

Amy Dacyzyn has a universal muffin recipe that she wrote about in the Tightwad Gazette. It's essentially made so that you can use any combination of ingredients/grains/dairy or no dairy/oil or butter or whatever and make a successful muffin.

I found the exact recipe on this website.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 6:43 AM on February 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

I love these "whatever you want" whole-wheat muffins. When the produce drawer is out of control, I've had success making 3-4 different flavors in a single muffin pan, too.
posted by juliplease at 6:45 AM on February 17, 2015

What about baking them with eggs in muffin tins and making little baked egg cups? My friend does this and keeps them in the freezer, then pops a few in the microwave in the morning.
posted by radioamy at 7:22 AM on February 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

This corn muffin recipe [scroll down; I like the "sweeter variation"] from the side of the corn meal bag is pretty good at holding 1/4-1/2 cup of pureed vegetables of your choice without losing consistency (I usually use carrots in the food processor, but can certainly work for broccoli, spinach, etc, especially if you drain any excess liquid).
posted by Mchelly at 8:20 AM on February 17, 2015

There is a whole series of "Impossibly Easy" muffins using Bisquick. This is the Chicken & Broccoli variety. On the right side bar are about a half dozen variations. You can basically do whatever fillings suit you.

I have made several variations on nights when I just donotwantto cook. Fast, easy, tasty enough.
posted by slipthought at 9:41 AM on February 17, 2015

I came here to mention cornbread muffins, which I see mentioned already. But it's a great suggestion, since cornmeal can take savory/vegetal flavors so much more easily than wheat flour alone (and, in the section of the south from which I originate, sweetening cornbread is a sin so all cornbread is rather neutral on the sweetness sale, if not really kicked up on the salty/umami scales). I usually go by this general corn muffin recipe, adapted from PPK, but the cup of corn can be subbed with almost anything (and you can use much more than 1 cup, that's just a starting volume) and you can swap out the applesauce with another liquid veg or fruit puree if that's the form of what you're hoping to incorporate:

1 cup almond milk (or any other nut/bean milk)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal, medium ground
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons refined coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1 cup corn kernels (thawed if using frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Measure out the milk and add the apple cider vinegar to it, then set aside to curdle.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center and add in the milk, oil and applesauce. Stir together the wet ingredients in the well. Then mix the wet and dry together just until the dry ingredients are moistened, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the corn kernels (or other veg).

Fill each muffin tin most of the way with batter. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. Tops should feel firm to the touch and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:47 AM on February 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'd also add that these chickpea flour "omelettes" are delicious and adaptable to sweet and savory additions alike. I encourage you to experiment, but I expect this batter would also make lovely muffins.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:49 AM on February 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would start with a cornbread/muffin base and build from there.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:19 AM on February 17, 2015

Response by poster: These are all terrific suggestions, thank you!
posted by MayNicholas at 10:22 AM on February 17, 2015

Best answer: What you want is Ratio by Michael Ruhlman. He breaks basic recipes down into tried and true ratios. Here's his formula for muffins, which should work great for what you want to do. Note: a large egg is 2oz. I would consider your vegetable puree to be the liquid.

Muffin

Ingredients
6.0 ounces flour
6.0 ounces liquid
3.0 ounces eggs
3.0 ounces butter

Instructions
Combine the wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix both together, whisking just long enough to incorporate dry into wet. Use 1 teaspoon baking powder for every 150 grams/5 ounces/1 cup flour. Bake in a 350°F/175°C oven.

Variations
250 grams/8 ounces flour and liquid will give you about 8 muffins.

Variations are limited only by your imagination. For sweet muffins, add fruit, berries, and sweet spices.

Muffins also work well when taken in savory directions. Season muffins with curry; add peas or corn for garnish. Make bacon and onion quick bread, seasoning the batter with some of the rendered bacon fat.

To make corn muffins, substitute half of the flour with cornmeal.
posted by slogger at 8:08 AM on February 18, 2015 [3 favorites]