Blueberry Breakfast Muffins

These are a delicious, sugar fee, oil-free, yet moist muffin. They are easy to make and we often prepare them the day before if we will be staying somewhere overnight and want a quick and easy breakfast. My husband always said he didn't like blueberry muffins..... now he LOVES them!

BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST MUFFINS

To make 4 jumbo muffins you'll need:

1 cup oats

1 cup wholemeal spelt flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 cup dates (soaked in boiling water)

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup motherless milk of choice

Optional extras:

2 Tablespoons chocolate chips

small handful of walnuts

In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking powder, flax seeds and cinnamon. 

Place the drained dates, milk, and vanilla in a blender and blend til smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir til combined. Add the blueberries and fold through the batter gently.

Pour into a lined or lightly sprayed jumbo muffin tin.

Top with crumbled walnuts if desired.

Place in a preheated 180C oven for 25-30 muffins until cooked through.

 

ENJOY! :-)

Question of the day:
What's your favourite muffin flavour?

Choc Chip Banana Muffins

Chocolate in a lunchbox is bound to keep kids happy..... but it doesn't have to be an unhealthy type of chocolate! Try this treat to keep them happy :-)

CHOC CHIP BANANA MUFFINS
(Makes 12)

2 Tablespoons ground flax
3/4 cup plant milk
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 overripe bananas
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips (I used Sweet William - cacao nibs would work too)
2 cups wholemeal SR flour

Whisk together the flax seeds with 6 Tablespoons boiling water - set aside to thicken.
In a measuring jug combine the milk with the apple cider vinegar - set aside to thicken.
In a large mixing bowl mash the bananas. Add the applesauce, vanilla, milk mixture & coconut sugar. Whisk until well combined, then stir through the flax seed mixture.
Gently fold the flour and chocolate chips into the wet ingredients until just combined - do not overmix.
Using an ice-cream scoop - pour a scoop full of mixture into a muffin tray. 
Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 30minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Meatless Monday - NUTS

Today's Meatless Monday food is nuts.

 FRUIT & NUT MUFFINS

To make 12 muffins you'll need:

2 cups self-raising wholemeal flour

1/2 cup mixed nuts (I used almonds, cashews, walnuts)

1/3 cup sultanas

1/4 cup craisins

1/4 cup currants

2 Tablespoons diced prunes (or sub extra sultanas)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 Tablespoons boiling water

1 cup unsweetened apple juice

In a large mixing bowl combine all the fruit with the sugar, cinnamon and flour. Crush the nuts into small pieces and stir them into the fruit/flour mixture.

Make a well in the center and add the applesauce, flax mixture and the apple juice. 

Stir until just combined, don't over stir.

Pour into a lined muffin baking tray and bake in a preheated 180C oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

Meatless Monday - Blueberries

Welcome to another edition of the Meatless Monday A-Z challenge hosted by Better With Veggies.

Today I'm creating with blueberries!

Similar to last week, I decided to combine some flavours that I hadn't tried together before to see how it worked out!
And also similar to last week I can say that I'm in love with the result!
I love how these muffins are like a sweet & sour flavour.
The tang of the lemon combines wonderfully with the unique flavour of blueberries. Definitely a winner! :-)

BLUEBERRY LEMON MUFFINS
Makes 12 muffins
2 cups wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen - your choice)
1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 1/4 cup plant milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of half a lemon

Mix the flax seeds with 2 Tablespoons water and mix well. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder and sugar. Stir well. 
Add the blueberries making sure to coat them in the flour (this helps them not stick together in the mixture and also to help them not sink when baked).
Make a well in the center of the dry mix and stir in the milk, lemon juice, and flax mixture. Stir well. Add the zest.
Pour batter evenly into into a muffin baking tray that has been either oil-sprayed or lined. 
Bake in a preheated 180C oven for approx 30 minutes until lightly golden brown and cooked through. Oven times will vary for each oven and also depending on the size of your muffin top ;-)  
Optional: Sprinkle the tops of your muffins with more lemon zest.

Blueberry Tip: 
Although blueberries are on the dirty dozen list, I often find it difficult to source organic ones. 
Did you know you can remove a large amount of pesticides by washing your produce?
I recommend washing your blueberries in a mix of 1/2 cup white vinegar to 2 cups water. Sit for 5-10 minutes and then rinse them off. You can dry them in a salad spinner. 
This can also lengthen the life of your berries - if they last in your fridge, they never seem to hang around long at our place ;-)

Banana English Toast

What do you get when you cross an English muffin with French toast?

ENGLISH TOAST OF COURSE! :D

Upon having quite a few 'brown' bananas leftover this week I decided to include them in this recipe - its a great flavour hit & yet still has that lovely taste of French toast that everyone knows :-)

Combine in a blender:
1 banana
1/2 cup soymilk
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Blend until it becomes a smooth, it will still be thick.


Place the milk mixture into a tray/dish.
Cut your English muffins in half and place in the milk mixture and allow to sit absorb for about 30 seconds.



Flip the muffins over & allow the other side to absorb the milk mixture also.

 


Place the moistened muffins in a frying pan on high heat.
Dry fry for approx 3 minutes each side until golden brown. The edges will be crusty.

Serve with your choice of fresh fruit or syrup.

Day 2 - A chocolatey sort of day

Let's begin today with breakfast - as that's where most days begin :-)

mmmmmmmmmmm muffins - complete with chocolate soymilk.

Ok, so I didn't really just have one muffin ;-)

Lunch I decided to indulge in some fresh produce & made myself a plate full of salad.
Quite tasty.

Nothing plain about a salad when you add enough flavour to it

Here's todays Lunchbox:

This is one of my daughter's favourite sandwiches - tofutti cream cheese, with strawberries and cinnamon.
To compliment the cinnamon she has a mini hot cross bun for morning tea & an apricot.


Now, be honest - if you were given all these gorgeous little friands - could you stop at just one?!?
I can't that's for sure!

For dinner I made my lentil loaf  with mushrooms. I used BBQ sauce instead of pasta sauce. Served with steamed green beans.

To complete the day I made a single serve chocolate microwave cake :-)

So easy to mix a few tablespoons of bits together.....

Awaiting its trip to the microwave

One minute later and its done!

 Smoother with chocolate sauce & devour..................

Vegans Eat Yummy Food Too! - Day 1

VEGANS EAT YUMMY FOOD TOO! :D

Breakfast this morning was a tropical fruit bowl - sliced pineapple, rockmelon & banana sprinkled with flaxseeds, sunflower kernels & coconut.

Simple, yet tasty - and surprisingly filling.

LUNCHBOX

Popper, Pumpkin okara burgers with BBQ sauce again. Dried pineapple & sultanas for a snack. Crunch and sip was a banana with some almond & date chocolate dip.

SOYMILK
I made fresh soymilk this afternoon.
I had experimented last year with doing it by hand but over Christmas I got a soymilk machine. It was on special - YAY everyone loves a bargain. I have made at least 2 batches each week & it has well been worth the investment.

I have been experimenting about with how much beans to add & what else to add.
I usually add a ratio of soybeans to barley 4:1. This seems to add a touch of sweetness, keeps the milk a bit thicker & adds a nice flavour. I don't need to add any sugar to the soymilk then. I usually still add a teaspoon of vanilla per litre of milk.
Even though the soymilk machine keeps the beans separate & strains the beans, I still put the finished product through a sieve. It seems to give an extra smoothness & not leave any 'bubbly' bit on the top then.

The soymilk maker having completed its job :-)

The milk will keep for about 7(ish) days however, most batches are consumed well before they are anywhere near going off stage!

Straining the milk

Fresh clear smooth soymilk :-)
YUMMY

This of course makes for a lot of leftover okara - so you're bound to see Okara recipes popping up here and there :-) I find the okara lasts in the fridge for about a week. I try to use it almost straight away though.

Leftover from the soymilk - "Okara"

So this afternoon's exercise in using up our okara was to make banana muffins.

I love these muffins - they are soooo moist.
Great way for using up old bananas too.
Or great way of using up 25c/kg bananas that we scored on the weekend! AMAZING! To think that only 6 months ago we couldn't find them for under $10/kg anywhere!

For dinner my amazing husband bought me an Iku Mini Pie Pumpkin & Tempeh :-)
I served it with some vegetables for a nice simple, quick & easy dinner.
I'm not usually this spolit every night.
They are so tasty. If you haven't had a chance to try one yet - then I definitely recommend trying one :-)

Banana Okara Muffins

These muffins are so moist & tasty. The smell of them cooking in the oven is so divine!

You'll need:
1 cup of wet okara
3/4 cup soymilk
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup agave nectar

Mix all of these ingredients in a bowl & combine well.

Mash 2 over-ripe bananas.
Add them to the moist mixture.

Add 1 cup wholemeal flour, 3/4 cup white flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder & 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Stir until well combined but do not overmix.

Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin pan. Sprinkle dried banana chips over the top.
Pour mixture into muffin pan & bake at 180C for 25 mins (or until lightly golden).

NB:  I recommend adding the plain flour 1/4 cup at a time. You may only need 1/2 cup depending on how moist your okara is. I have found that 3/4 cup works well for the okara that comes from my soymilk maker machine.


Perfect match = Chocolate soymilk!

Okara muffins

After making my own soymilk on the weekend I was left with quite a lot of okara (the mushy leftover soybeans!) and i was debating what to do with it.
Okara is very nutrient dense so I decided to have some fun & make sure that it got used up!

Chocolate Okara Muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup okara
1/4 cup vegetable oil (your choice which one)
1/2 cup soymilk
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Stir the wet ingredients into a large bowl with the okara. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients - be careful not to overmix as this can make the muffins too dense.
Lightly spray a muffin tin. (makes 10-12 muffins depending on how much of a muffin top you want!!!!)
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
If desired, sprinkle with coconut shreds for decoration.
Bake for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

Best ever muffins

Everyone loves muffins! But sometimes they just don't work out right!
These muffins are never fail! They are always light, fluffy & totally delicious!
It's a great basic recipe also & you can just replace the apple with any other fruit or whatever flavour you love your muffins! :-)
Happy Baking

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup raw sugar

egg replacer, equivalent to one egg

3/4 cup vanilla soy milk (plain works great also - just add 1/2 tsp vanilla essense)

400g tin of pin apples, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180 C. Lightly spray a muffin tin with oil, or use casings. (either 12 tray or a large 6 tray)

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the baking soda and cinnamon. Then add the applesauce, sugar, egg replacer, and milk. Stir together until just mixed - do not overmix.

Divide batter into the muffin tray. Sprinkle the tops with vanilla sugar. Bake for approx 20 mins until a toothpick comes out clean.