:: a happy nest ::

more muffin goodness.

Hello there!

I know it's been quiet around here. We've had a bit of a crazy week - Thea has been taking sporadic naps (for over three weeks!) and I've been working really, really hard on finishing up a big project (more on that next week). And today, we found out that we need to replace our furnace. Oh my!

But I did want to leave you with a little bit of yummy goodness for the weekend.

vegan pumpkin muffins

adapted from the original recipe here

- in my version, I've modified for Thea's allergy needs and tried to reduce the amount of sugar - 

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour, sifted

1 cup packed dark brown sugar 

1/3 cup white sugar 

2 teaspoons baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

2 cups pumpkin puree 

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use canola)

1/2 cup almond milk

2/3 cup orange juice

:: makes 12 standard muffins (cups filled to the brim) and one small 3 x 5 loaf ::

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour small loaf pan and muffin tin (or use muffin cups).

In a large mixing bowl, mix flours, sugars, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Stir in pumpkin, oil, milk, and juice. Stir until blended.

Spoon into muffin tins and loaf pan.

Bake muffins for about 30 minutes. Bake loaf for about 45 minutes. Both should cook until a toothpick or knife insterted in the middle comes out clean.

Enjoy! And happy weekending!

a new favorite.

vegan banana muffins

With Thea's limited diet, I've been doing some experimenting with vegan recipes. The first time I made these, she ate three whole muffins. I'd say they are a hit (and I'm a big fan of them too). The recipe is actually for banana bread, but for some reason, my kid will only eat muffins, and they're just as tasty that way.

Vegan Banana Muffins (or bread!)

(I made a few small changes to the original recipe found here)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup + 2 TBS almond milk (soy milk will work too)

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 cups mashed banana (about 4 large very ripe bananas)

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 TBS maple syrup

*Makes about 14 muffins or 1 9"x5" loaf

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pan or use cooking spray to prepare bread pan.

In a medium bowl, mix flours (I prefer to sift mine), sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup almond milk with apple cider vinegar and let sit for 2 minutes. Add banana, canola oil, vanilla and maple syrup.

Pour dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well. Add the additional 2 TBS of almond milk and stir until blended.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups or into loaf pan.

Bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes - until muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean. The loaf would bake for about an hour.

Next up is to try to reduce the amount of sugar while retaining the same yummy flavor.

Enjoy!