Parsnip Carrot Muffins

I tend to crave carbs this time of year, sleep more and miss the sunshine. I just discovered that I like sleeping in, the days are getting longer and baking muffins make me happy. These muffins are made with amaranth flour, warming spices and veggies. Parsnip may not be a vegetable you think about adding to muffins, but they do add moisture and a subtle sweet earthy flavour.  I have passed these off as carrot muffins to my taste tester who is always suspicious of what I am up to in the kitchen and… they passed.  So get happy, bake muffins and add more veggies to your life.

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Parsnip Carrot Muffins

While carrots are a familiar ingredient in baking, parsnips are not. 

This recipe makes 10 muffins 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup amaranth flour, (or spelt flour)
• ⅓ cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup coconut oil, melted and brought back to room temperature
• ⅓ cup maple syrup, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tbsp chia seeds soaked in 3 tbsp water for about 10 minutes
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 cup grated carrot, tightly packed
• ½ cup grated parsnip, tightly packed
• ¾ cup grated apple, tightly packed
• handful of unsweetened shredded coconut for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup, then stir in the vanilla.
4. Grate the carrot, parsnip and apple.
5. Pour the coconut-honey mixture into the dry ingredients, then stir in the chia and the grated vegetables and apple. If mixture seems dry add a bit more almond milk.
6.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups.
7. Sprinkle with unsweetened shredded coconut, (optional)
8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
9. Cool on a wire rack.

These muffins are made using amaranth flour and coconut flour. Amarath flour adds moisture and coconut flour needs lots of moisture so this combination of flours work well together. The flours are from Cuisine Soleil.  I like that all their products are gluten free, certified 100% organic and Kosher.

Summer Strawberry Muffins with hemp seeds & strawberry jam. Guest post by Gordy.

My mother in law Flo brought me some local strawberries from a farm near the cottage. I feel a bit guilty about doing anything with these local strawberries but eat them raw. They are  perfect as is but as you may know (or not) I love my muffins so strawberry muffins I will bake.  We ate handfuls, blended some for a smoothie and the rest went into these muffins and some home-made jam by Gordy. 

 Gordy made the jam, (did I mention that Gordy has never made jam before and he is thinking... " could I make it on the bbq)."

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Guest post from Gordy...

Strawberry Jam brings back memories of summers beside Lake Simcoe with my mother singing over the sweet aromas of fresh strawberries boiling in her old pot on the stove.

That homemade jam was the perfect complement to all that  Kraft Peanut butter (crunchy) smeared over the challah that the baker truck used to deliver up from the city.  (We call came running to the cries of “Baker, Baker!”). 

But good things don’t last forever and one day I realized that there was no jam to be had.   

Just  moments later the doorbell rang and there was my mother with a large container of fresh berries picked that very day.  Marla convinced me to try and make jam myself, so with a lot of encouragement I cleaned and sliced and diced and boiled and stirred with a little help from Marla of course.  Stirring those sweet berries swimming in sugar and lemon gave aromatherapy new meaning. 

To this day I can’t believe I was able to pull off making my own strawberry jam.  Goes perfect with Organic Raw Almond butter and  baguette from  Blackbird Backing Co. in Kensington.

Muffin Recipe:

This recipe makes 8 Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup spelt flour of choice
• 1/3 cup hulled hemp seeds
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 ripe banana, mashed,
• 1/4 cup maple syrup 
• 1/4 cup organic unrefined cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
• zest from ½ a lemon
• 1 cup strawberries, chopped

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a medium bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
• In a large bowl mix together the wet ingredients.
• Add the dry ingredients to wet, folding strawberries in last and mix until just combined 
• Spoon batter into a lined muffin pan filling cups 3/4 of the way.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to cool.

Very Simple Strawberry Jam Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
• 4 cups white sugar
• 1/4 fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
2. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C).
3. Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch space and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

GOOD MORNING MUFFINS (VEGAN)

My Good Morning Muffins are vegan and made with a little bit of everything – spelt flour, coconut flour, zucchini, carrots, applesauce, dates and maple syrup. True to their name, they are worthy of breakfast after I spent the weekend enjoying too much TV, red wine, dim sum, and french fries (my weakness). The good thing about overindulging is that you know you can always start over and put aside the fries, and yes my jeans are a bit tight. Yale told me it is lame to wear leggings all the time, but it is winter and I must keep warm.  I admit to watching too much TV and I am hooked on Episodes and True Detective. I may never give up TV, french fries or wine, but I can make some healthy choices, bake muffins and start a new day, good morning.

This recipe makes 10 large muffins.  I used applesauce, maple syrup and dates to naturally sweeten these muffins.

Ingredients:

Dry

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1 tablespoon of coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt

Wet

• 1/2 cup applesauce
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup melted organic coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Add-ins

• ½ cup of grated carrots
• ¾ cup of grated zucchini (unpeeled)
• 4 dates, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
3. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
4. In a smaller bowl combine all the wet ingredients.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
6.  Finally, mix in the carrot, zucchini and dates and mix again.
7. Spoon the batter evenly into your muffin tin.
8. Bake for 35 minutes, or until tops are browned and a knife inserted comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely or a cooling rack before removing from muffin tin.

CARROT MUFFINS MADE WITH SPELT AND COCONUT FLOUR (VEGAN)

I have been testing muffin recipes this week and my in-house taster Gordy has very busy eating them.

My plan: To come up with a healthy muffin recipe using coconut flour, coconut sugar and coconut oil.

The method: Having never baked with coconut flour, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The first few batches I baked used just the coconut flour, I found the muffins too dense and heavy. I wanted a muffin with texture, so I added spelt flour, nuts for crunch and currents for sweetness.

What the experts are saying:  Marla: ‘I think this is a really good muffin, moist and not too sweet. You could add a handful of chocolate chips or some shredded coconut to the mix.’ My taste tester is happy and I am he has no idea that this is a certified healthy muffin he is snacking on. He said ‘the muffins are delicious’ and asked me ‘what are we testing next week’…‘cauliflower pizza crust,’ I answered.

Coconut flour is high in fiber and protein and is gluten-free.  Since coconut flour contains natural sugar from the coconut meat, the good news is baked goods need less added sugar.

RECIPE WILL RETURN SHORTLY

MAGIC VEGAN CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Yale calls these cupcakes magic.  Magic because they taste good, magic because they make you smile, and magic beccause cupcakes make you happy.  I call them magic because they are made without white sugar and white flour.  Gordy calls them magic because he can make them disappear real quick.

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This recipes makes 12 cupcakes.

This recipe was developed by my friend Karen from Nutrilicious and myself. We spend many afternoons baking, testing and eating these cupcakes. Thanks to our personal testers Mark, Marcy, Haley, Gordy and Yale, you worked hard eating the dozens we made!

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp espresso powder (optional)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ cup agave
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup safflower, canola or melted coconut oil
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2.  In a small bowl, mix apple cider vinegar and soy milk. Let it sit for a few minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix well with a whisk.
4. Beat the milk mixture again.  Add the agave, maple syrup, oil and vanilla to the milk mixture, whisking until well combined.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until only a few lumps remain.  Do not overmix.
6.   Spoon into greased or lined muffin cups.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
8. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp Earth Balance or vegan margarine, softened
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ cup maple syrup

Directions:

1. Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
2. Spoon onto cooled cupcakes.
3. Shave or grate some dark chocolate to top your cupcakes, (optional).

RED FIFE MUFFINS

Red Fife is a heritage red spring wheat native to Ontario, love that being from Canada, eh!

I found this loaf and muffin mix at Fiesta Farms and though I never buy mixes I was attracted to the package and the healthy list of ingredients. I do feel proud eating these muffins knowing that something so delicious is from Ontario. I love the grainy texture and wheaty flavour. You can add any fresh ingredients to make them your own.  My favorite combinations are:

• blueberries and pumpkin seeds
• cranberries, lemon zest and walnuts
• mashed ripe banana, vanilla extract, hazelnuts or walnuts

For baking instruction see the recipe on the back of the package.

Check out the website at : http://www.grainstorm.com/