Recipe: Apple and Kale Muffins

(Apple and Kale Spice Muffins, cooling)

APPLE AND KALE SPICE MUFFINS

* 1-1/2 C organic whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
* 1 tsp. each baking soda and baking powder
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ½ tsp. cinnamon
* ¼ tsp. nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon grated vanilla bean (or use ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
* ⅓ C honey
* 1 egg
* ½ C sour milk or plain unflavored yogurt (I used the yogurt)
* ⅓ C canola oil
* ½ tsp. vanilla (see above)
* 1-½ C grated apples or carrots (used cored, unpeeled apples chopped in my food processor)
* 1 C finely chopped kale or raw leafy green vegetable (I took off the stems and then chopped the leaves fine in my food processor)
* ½ C each any dried fruit and chopped nuts (optional, but adds a crunch and is also nutritious and yummy enough for a dessert muffin, too!)

Preheat oven to 400.

In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.

In another bowl, mix honey, egg, yogurt, oil, vanilla, apples, kale, dried fruit and nuts.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring just till moistened. Fill 12 typical size greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Made 12 very full muffins.

(Muffins cooling on top of the refrigerator - if our dog, Kaya, aka "food stealer", can get these, nothing is safe!)

Yet another way to add kale (or other Brassica greens) to an otherwise unsuspecting recipe! You and your family will be curious about these "green specks" but will not have any possible objections to the taste of these delicious, colorful, and ultra-healthy muffins. Serve for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks. :-)

Where kale is more than decoration on my plate!

Diana Dyer, MS, RD