Recipe: Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Chia Muffins

April 24, 2012 letthegoodin

I've been on a bit of a banana kick lately... the evidence of which is starting to surface now, and in a few upcoming posts. I love eating fresh bananas when they are just barely underripe - as is, with peanut butter, on toast with peanut butter, or in cereal. As soon as a slight mushy/mealy factor sets in though, I don't like eating them plain - they're better frozen (more on the possibilities with that later) or left to turn completely brown and then be baked into deliciousness.Vegan whole wheat banana muffins with chia seeds? Why not!Recipe: Vegan Whole Wheat Banana Chia MuffinsWhat You Need

1 3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c wheat germ
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c coconut oil
1/4 c applesauce (unsweetened)
1/3 c turbinado sugar
1/3 c light brown sugar
2 flax eggs
2 large ripe bananas
1/3 c coconut milk (from a carton, or low-fat canned)
1 tsp vanilla
1 -2 tbsp chia seeds (UPDATE: to boost chia intake, increase this to 3-4 tbsp)
1/4-1/2 c unsweetened, shredded coconut, plus a few tbsp (separate)

What You Do

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (395 if at 5000 feet altitude)
Grease cups of 12-muffin tin with coconut oil*
Whisk flour, wheat germ, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl
Beat coconut oil, applesauce and sugars
Add flax eggs to oil/sugar mix and beat to combine
Mash bananas with a fork in a small bowl and add to the wet mixture, along with vanilla; beat to combine
Add the dry mix to the wet in 3-4 increments, mixing gently, until just combined
Stir in chia seeds and coconut (to taste/preference)
Spoon batter into greased muffin tin cups**
Sprinkle the extra tbsps of coconut on top of some or all of the muffins
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean (start checking around 20 min to make sure you don't overbake)
When done, remove tray from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes before removing muffins and setting them on a cooling rack to completely cool off. But not before eating one or two while they're still warm!***

*I typically don't use the paper cups/liners for muffins. Even if I grease them, I find too much of the baked good sticks to the paper - which means less to eat and enjoy!**Using a cookie scoop makes this step incredibly easy***The muffins will keep well for a few days (set on a plate and cover with tin foil). But, you can also freeze them - whole or sliced in half - and them warm as desired in the oven when you are in the mood!

Egg Replacements in Baking: Flax & Chia

April 20, 2012 letthegoodin

Sometimes eggs can simply be omitted from a baking recipe, if there are other ingredients present that are binding enough - but often something is lost. And egg-like substitutes are not an option as far as I'm concerned. Instead, I've come to love replacing eggs in recipes such as muffins and batter breads (banana, pumpkin, etc.) with a "flax egg." It's easy, cheap, vegan and super healthy - just whisk 1 tablespoon of ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water until thoroughly combined, and then let the mixture sit for a minute or two. It will form a gooey, stretchy consistency that provides the necessary binding properties to various baked goods, without impacting the flavor much if at all. If the overall taste of what you are making is mild, you may be slightly more aware of the presence of flax - it has a subdued, mild nutty quality - but to me at least, it's thoroughly enjoyable.And to boot, flax has tons of health benefits. Particularly for vegetarians and vegans, the omega fatty acids in flax seed are an important boost.If you find that ground flax is a little harsh on your GI system, try using a "chia egg" replacement with ground chia seeds instead.

Recipe: Whole Wheat (insert berry here) Muffins

January 6, 2012 letthegoodin

Whole wheat pastry flour is a fool-proof way to bake muffins, batter breads and cookies with whole wheat and without the risk of a dense, dry or gummy final product. When using other whole wheat or whole grain flours, the ingredient ratio/balance can be a little trickier to finesse in order to end up with a desirable texture, but whole wheat pastry flour makes it easy - no modifications necessary (the vast, vast majority of the time) if you're swapping it for all-purpose unbleached white flour - delicious and nutritious!

WHOLE WHEAT RASPBERRY MUFFINS

WHAT YOU NEEDFor the muffins:

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg*
1/2 cup coconut milk**
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp coconut oil, melted*** - plus more (not melted) for greasing
1 1/2 cups berries (I went with fresh raspberries this time)

NOTES:*If halving the recipe, whisk 1 large egg in a small bowl and spoon or pour out half of it for use in the recipe**For best results, use the full-fat canned version (Thai Kitchen brand is great)***Use unrefined virgin coconut oil

For the topping:

3/4 tsp turbinado sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

WHAT YOU DO

Preheat oven with middle rack to 375°F
Grease 12-muffin tray with unmelted coconut oil
Whisk flour, turbinado, baking powder and salt in a large bowl
Whisk egg in a separate medium bowl, and then whisk in coconut milk, oil and vanilla
Add the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring and folding with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined (the batter will be thick and dense
Fold in berries
Fill each muffin cup equally with the batter
Stir together the additional turbinado and cinnamon in a small dish until combined, and sprinkle over the top of each muffin
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, and then unmold onto a cooling rack.
Enjoy!

Adapted from Gourmet

Breakfast from NYC to AZ

January 6, 2012 letthegoodin

December was a wonderful month and also tends to be pretty synonymous with good food - and 2011 was no exception. In particular were a series of delicious breakfasts, and I wish I'd captured more of them on camera - but here are the ones for which I do have photo evidence, in chronological order:

NYC: Huevos al horno (baked eggs, garbanzo stew, mustard greens, hazelnut romesco) at Tertulia. This was the first time I had garbanzos, one of my absolute favorite foods, in an egg dish - leaving me to wonder what took me so long?!

NYC: "The Farmstand" (poached eggs, pesto, grape tomatoes, brussel sprouts, peas, breadcrumbs, arugula, toast) at Tipsy Parson. Farm-fresh veggies with perfectly poached eggs - this was a simple yet extremely flavorful plate that immediately became a top all-time favorite. Need to recreate at home!

AZ: Homemade whole wheat (and dairy-free) pancakes (I stand by my belief that homemade anything is always the best - especially when it's made for you while you're working from home!). With real maple syrup and a cup of hot vanilla-fennel tea on the side, what better way could there be to start the day!