Vegan Muffins for a healthy snack!
I am a firm believer in cake for breakfast which worked well pre-covid and my lifestyle was a lot more physical. However restricted movement has forced me to consider my eating habits. Especially since the shops are shut and buying new jeans to accommodate my waistline is a little trickier.
These muffins are full of fibre, full of protein, vegan and don’t taste too bad either. This recipe make 16 large muffins which can be frozen. If you need less muffins, cut the recipe in half. I really liked these, the kids were indifferent; but they did eat them which can’t be bad.
You will need;
- 2 big table spoons of Chia seeds (or 2 eggs). These need to be prepared a few hours in advanced with about 2 inches of water. This encourages the chia goop which will bind your vegan muffins together.
- 50g dark brown sugar- I initially wanted to use date syrup but the kids informed me that they’d eaten it all- give it a go?
- table spoon of malt extract
- 400g flour- I used 50% buckwheat 50% white self raising.
- Small handful of dried apricots- chopped up small.
- 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds (shelled)
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- Milk alternative– I used Oat.
- 100ml oil (coconut, canola, veg or sunflower oil)
- 1 banana
- About half a courgette- if you have one of our massive courgettes cut that down to 1/4
- 125g blueberries
Some notes
Chia seeds are brilliant, I use them in smoothies and in place of eggs in baking. They are low calorie, high nutrient, omega-3, fibre, protein bombs. Because they swell in fluid they can help you feel fuller for longer which is great for a morning cake. The general rule is one tablespoon of chia= one egg.
Buckwheat flour is flour from a seed from the Fagopyrum esculentum plant, which is gluten free. So this recipe can be either made entirely of buckwheat flour or 50%-50% with GF self raising, buckwheat flour is also rich in protein and fibre.
I have stuffed these with fruits and seeds- you could change these out to suit whatever you may or may not have at home.
Oil in cake?! Oil in baking produces a lighter cake with good moisture. High fibre doesn’t mean it has to be like eating a brick. I want to eat well but also enjoy eating too.
That there next bit..
Cooking your vegan muffins
- Pre heat the oven- I use gas- gas mark 5 is fine which is the equivalent of about 215c.
- Combine your dry ingredients (excluding baking powder and malt) in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the banana. I mashed mine as I can’t cope with chunks of banana- takes me straight to gag town.
- Grate the courgette and chuck that in too along with the blueberries.
- Add the prepared chia seeds and oil then mix.
This is quite a dry mix so you will need to use milk until it is wet enough to resemble cake mix- I didn’t measure this, we all know what cake mix looks like- just keep going until it looks like that.
Once it is combined as smoothly as possible despite its lumpy, chunky ingredients allows. Add the baking powder and the malt.
Then spoon into large paper muffin cases in a deep muffin tin, and bake. I particularly like the deep baking trays from Ikea for this sort of bake- but just go with whatever you have at home, you could make them smaller or in a loaf tin ready to eat in slices- it doesn’t have to be prescriptive.
I’m a ’till it’s done kind of cook. Give them a light poke, if they bounce back they are ready.
Happy baking,
Molly’s Pantry x.
