9.28.2008

Muffins - finally I can eat a baked goodie!



One of the hardest things for me when adopting this diet was to give up baked goods. Cookies, muffins, brownies, pastries - they all got thrown out of the proverbial window. Suddenly, walking past a bakery was torture, and I couldn't bake anything at home either. That second part was even harder, since I've always loved baking - it's something my grandmother and I bonded over when I was young, and still do together whenever we see each other.

Recently, I participated in a Pringle Can Swap with some girls from my Stitch 'n' Bitch group. (Basically, you get assigned a person, and have to make stuff for them - all of which are stuffed into a Pringle Can. The "stuff" can be knit, crocheted, sewed, woodworked, baked, etc.) My Pringle Can recipient cuts out a lot of the fattening stuff in normal baked goods - and though not vegan herself, she's well-known for finding delicious vegan baking recipes that satisfy the sweet tooth and don't fatten you up all that much. And so, I went on a search for an appropriate muffin recipe for her - because how cool is it to open up a Pringle Can stuffed with, among other things, a stack of mini-muffins?

And, through my search, I opened up a whole door of baked goods that I can make, and more importantly, eat! Who knew there were so many delicious, fat-free baked goods recipes? Baking at home was suddenly possible again! Woot!

The muffin recipe below is the one I used for my friend's Pringle Can. They're fat-free, vegan, and fantastically moist and fluffy. And beware, they're also incredibly addicting! I love eating them plain, but I also found that the blueberry sauce my cousin gave me goes extremely well with these little guys.



I got this recipe from about.com - in their vegetarian section. I made a few minor adjustments to work better with my diet, but I'm sure the original recipe would be yummy as well! http://vegetarian.about.com/od/breakfastrecipe1/r/applebanmuffins.htm

2 cups unbleached flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups organic apple juice (the foggy stuff, not the clear stuff)
1 large baking apple, diced
2 ripe med-size bananas, mashed

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease muffin pan (I use Earth Balance butter substitute. You can use what you like; or use muffin cups.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar. (It's a good idea to break up the brown sugar after packing into the measuring cup before adding to flour/baking powder/cinnamon.)
3. Add apple juice, apple, and bananas. Mix well.
4. Pour batter into muffin pan, filling each cup approx. 2/3 full.
5. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until muffins have raised and are golden brown on the top.

Enjoy!

Note: I suppose you could use raw sugar in place of the brown sugar, but why? Brown sugar is so good!

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