The Monkey actually ASKED me to make muffins today. And she LOVED these ones. She loved them even more, she claimed, than her favourite STARBUCKS muffins. SO THERE! Ha!

So, I try to keep this blog as vegan as possible. And I’m finding so many baking recipes I love call for eggs. Without further ado, then, I give you vegan egg substitutes — good for vegans AND those who, like me, couldn’t crack an egg properly if their life depended on it….

FLAX SEEDS AND WATER

For one egg, grind 1 tablespoon of flax seeds (or just measure 2.5 tablespoons of ground flax seeds) and mix with 3 tablespoons water. The mixture will become thick and gooey as you beat it. If the recipe you’re using is already pretty wet, you may be able to skip the water — just blend the flax in well. Of course, the best part about substituting eggs with flax (aside from happier hens) is the omega 3 factor! Ground flax is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids.

MASHED BANANAS

For one egg, mash half a banana! EASY! Just, be careful: only use this egg replacer if you don’t mind your baked goods tasting a wee bit like banana….

These are my favourite egg substitutes because they’re so easy and available…. But, there are others. See HERE for more on the above ideas and other great egg substitutes.

In the meantime…, I give you your muffins, Gorgeouses!

INGREDIENTS
(Makes 12)

2 cups oat bran (preferably a hot cereal mix — get your high fiber!)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk substitute (I used rice milk)
1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil of your choice)
1 organic egg or egg replacer (beaten)(see above)
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup ground walnuts (grind a small handful of whole walnuts)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease muffin tin.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

4. Pour the dry mixture into the wet, and combine until just blended.

5. Spoon the mix into the muffin tin.

6. Bake for 20 minutes (or until they look ready to you — golden…).

7. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. And ENJOY!

Let me know what you think and, of course, any tips or variations you have!

By now, you’ve probably figured out that I’m a big fan of THE MUFFIN. Muffins are just SO EASY and always YUMMY. If they’re made nutritiously, they’re like CAKE without the fat and calories.

The muffins I’m sharing with you are adapted from one of my foodie favourite books, Enlightened Eating, by Caroline Marie Dupont, a very talented energetic healer, and nutrition and meditation expert whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with — she did some energy work on me, and it was UNBELIEVABLE.

Anyway, I was in a bit of a hurry, but I REALLY wanted to make the kids something homemade and nutritious to munch on because, as you know, I’ve been feeling down about my cooking lately…. I opened the pantry for an easy organic muffin mix that I THOUGHT I bought. But, alas, there was none in the pantry. And, then I remembered I never actually bought it; I’d put it back on the shelf last minute, SWEARING that I’d bake muffins from SCRATCH. No copping out this time.

So, I went through ALL my cookbooks, as I do EVERY time I go to bake muffins, and I found a surprisingly EASY one, with very few ingredients, AND VEGAN. Sweet!

You know, vegan muffins are not just good for vegans: no eggs = almost NO MESS. So, without further ado, I give you….

ENLIGHTENED APPLESAUCE MUFFINS!

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 12)

1/2 soy milk (I like the YU soymilk with omega 3s in it; you can substitute ANY kind of milk, including dairy for this, though)
1 cup applesauce
3 tbsp. olive oil or butter
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp. ground flax seed (I used about 3 Tbs)*
2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 – 2 tbsp lemon zest (I didn’t have lemons, so I left this out)
1 cup raisins or currants

*Always grind your flax seeds right before using them. I use a really small coffee grinder. So quick and easy.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil the muffin tin. Caroline suggests using coconut oil. I used an organic canola oil spray that I have — not the ideal choice, but I use so little….

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the wet ingredients and ground flax seeds.

3. In another larger bowl, mix the dry ingredients and then fold in the wet ingredients.

4. Add the raisins and stir until everything’s mixed and you get a nice moist batter (never over-stir when baking).

5. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

7. Let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes, and remove them from the tin.

Muffins freeze really well. So, you can put some in an air-tight container to freeze. This will prevent you from eating them all at once, too……. ENJOY!

I’ve been trying to do REALLY FUN things with the monkeys as much as possible lately. I realized that, if I’m going to be a stay-at-home-mom, it has to be about US — not JUST about them. Because if it’s JUST about them, NOBODY is benefiting. The happier mama is, the happier EVERYONE is.

So, we were lazing around on Sunday, and I decided we should BAKE MUFFINS! I could teach the monkey a little something about baking, AND we could all enjoy a HEALTHY alternative to the Halloween treats still sitting on our kitchen counter….

The recipe for these muffins was adapted from one of my favourite cookbooks right now, Nutrilicious: Food for Thought and Whole Health. I didn’t have any syrup, so I used my favourite natural sugar alternative, Agave Nectar, instead (which, BONUS, is lower on the glycemic index). I also felt the dough turned out a little dry, so I added more rice milk. The rest is pretty close to the original recipe. OH! Except for one more thing. The author calls for ALLSPICE. I would strongly advise using cinnamon instead. I have no idea why she chose allspice. Blech!

Other than the allspice, the muffins turned out GREAT! Nice and dense and filling and extra sweet because of the raisins…. AND, they’re super HEALTHY: high in fiber and a source of omega 3’s, baby! AND, NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THESE MUFFINS…. Love….

And, by the way, even though it says they’re optional? The SUNFLOWER SEEDS AS GARNISH is a must! They add both a satisfying crunch and necessary nuttiness!

INGREDIENTS
(Makes 12 yummy muffins)

2 tbsp ground flax seeds (buy them whole and grind them with a coffee grinder before use)
1/4 cup unrefined vegetable oil (I use Canola)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup OR agave nectar
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup rice milk (or, I would think, any milk alternative)
1 cup whole spelt or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp ground allspice cinnamon
1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup organic raisins
Sunflower seeds for garnish, NOT OPTIONAL

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 375º F.

2) Grease muffin tin so muffins don’t stick, and set aside.

3) In medium-sized bowl, pour in the oil, syrup/agave nectar, bananas and rice milk. And, STIR IT UP!

4) In larger bowl, pour in the ground flax, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, oat bran, and raisins. And, MIX it up!

5) Pour the liquid mix over the dry mix just until the two are blended.

6) Fill the muffin tins with the mix.

7) Sprinkle the muffins with sunflower seeds.

8) Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick (or knife) poked into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

The author of Nutrilicious, Edith Rothschild, says these freeze really well! So, place a bunch on the kitchen counter (covered if storing for more than a day), and pack the other bunch in an airtight container and freeze.

I have a terrible cold…. So, the appetite’s really weak right now. But, I did manage to satisfy a rare craving for POPCORN today. Check how I did it. It was SO easy, light, and pretty-much mess free….

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup popcorn kernels
3 tablespoons canola oil (or other high-smoking-point oil)
pinch salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour oil into medium-sized pot.
2. Dump in the kernels.
3. Close the lid.
4. Turn on element to MEDIUM heat. Listen for the sizzle. Listen for the POP. Let it pop until, like microwave popcorn, the pops slow down 2-seconds apart.
5. Pour into a big bowl.
6. Sprinkle with salt and ENJOY!

The Monkey LOVED it…!

It was really nice veging with Monkey and some ‘licious freshly-popped popcorn in front of the TV this afternoon. It’s not an every-day thing. But, it’s definitely a PERFECT sick-day thing!

ENJOY!

xo Haley-O