recipes for resistance
cultivating community
through shared meals

We’re celebrating summer today with a recipe utilizing our abundant seasonal produce: squash and zucchini. This recipe is a nourishing, adaptable way to use these vegetables, while honoring the deeper story of masa harina.

These muffins (or waffles…this is a choose-your-own-adventure moment) blend grated summer squash or zucchini with masa harina, a flour made from nixtamalized corn, which has deep roots in Indigenous and Latinx food histories. You can choose to take this recipe in a few directions: muffin ’em, waffle ’em, make ’em savory with herbs, or make them sweet with vanilla and agave. Whatever you do, we hope that you will take time with each bite to savor, slow down, and reflect: where does our food come from? Who grows and harvests it?

"Sin maiz, no hai pais."

Without corn, there is no country.

Masa harina isn’t just a trendy gluten-free staple. It has deep roots and connections to Indigenous and Latinx culinary traditions. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in heirloom varieties of corn and traditional practices of nixtamalization (If you’d like to support a Latinx business doing this, Masienda and Tamoa are both options that work with traditional farmers.)

The modern Masa renaissance isn’t just about being hip or pursuing flavor. By restoring practices and heirloom varieties that were present in these communities pre-colonization, this is restorative food justice.

What Makes Masa Different?

The process of nixtamalization involves treating dried corn with an alkaline solution (like lime or ash) and then washing and hulling it. This can be done with other types of grains as well, such as sorghum.

This process results in a unique flavor, but it also provides health benefits:

  • Vitamin B3: This process releases niacin, also known as vitamin B3. This vitamin has many benefits, but one of the main ones is that it helps our bodies convert food to usable energy.
  • This process increases the calcium, iron, and zinc content – in some studies, it has been noted to increase by up to 750%!
  • It improves the protein quality by making amino acids like tryptophan more bioavailable – meaning it is more easily absorbed by the body.
  • Nixtamalization also reduces mycotoxins by up to 90%, meaning that food safety is also improved.

The wisdom of this process helped Mesoamerican civilizations thrive, and we can nourish our communities with this knowledge today.

Squash or zucchini?

Use either! We used zucchini here but yellow summer squash would also work.

Muffins or waffles?

I love a waffle, and this recipe is no exception. My favorite way to enjoy these is make them, let them come to room temp, and then store in the fridge. When I’m ready for one, I put it in the air fryer to crisp it up. By essentially cooking it twice, you end up with a very crispy outer layer with bits of caramelization from the sugars in the corn. They’re delightful!

However, muffins are also delicious, and somewhat more portable. This recipe will make 8-10 standard sized muffins; however, I like to divide it amongst six jumbo muffin cups instead when I go that route.


 

recipe

perfecting your masa

Recipe

  • 1 cup masa harina
  • 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend (I like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, but oat flour would also work here, though texture will be different. If gluten free is not a concern, you can try AP flour, just keep an eye on your liquid content and adjust as needed.)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup canned creamed corn (or 1/2 cup mashed corn and 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, or silken tofu)
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened plant milk
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil or melted vegan butter (I used avocado oil)
  • 3/4 cup grated zucchini or summer squash (grate your squash, lightly sprinkle with salt, and set in a colander to drain for about 15 minutes, squeezing out excess moisture before you add to the batter.)

For the sweet version:

  • add 2-3 tbsp of agave syrup, and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract. You could also add cinnamon and cardamom to taste (start with 1/4 tsp.)

For the savory version:

  • add 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (like parsley, chives, thyme, or basil.)
  • You can also add a tablespoon of nutritional yeast for a cheesy umami flavor, or vegan cheese shreds.
  • Fresh ground black pepper and smoked paprika also make good additions.

For Muffins:

  • Preheat oven to 375F (or 190C.). Lightly grease or line a muffin tin.
  • Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl, and wet in another. Then combine.
  • Spoon into muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

For Waffles:

  • Preheat your waffle iron and lightly oil it.
  • Prepare batter using the same instructions as above.
  • Scoop batter into waffle iron and cook until golden and crisp.
  • Serve warm. Waffles can be cooled and then reheated in an air fryer (or oven on a wire rack) for crispness.

Storage:

  • Waffles and muffins can be refrigerated for up to five days, making this an excellent recipe for meal prepping. Cook once, eat all week! Make sure waffles cool completely on wire rack before storing.
  • Freeze these if you’re wanting to store them longer, and reheat them in an air fryer or oven.
  • If you want to make the batter ahead of time, you can do so up to 24 hours before cooking – but don’t add the baking powder. Stir in the baking powder just before cooking for best results.

Nourishment as Solidarity: Cook with Intention

Masa connects us not just to flavor and nourishment, but also to farmworkers, ancestral wisdom, and food justice movements.

Do you know where your food comes from? Deepen the connection you have with your food by taking action:

Food is comfort. Food is resistance. Food is joy.

Make these and spread the love. Peace starts with us, and it can start in our kitchens.

-pax culina

©Copyright pax culina 2025. All rights reserved.

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