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Raspberry Orange Muffins
Dry Ingredients:
1/2 C EACH: quinoa flour, millet flour, spelt flour, oat flour
2 T ground flax
1/2 t salt
3 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
“Wet” Ingredients:
1/4 C non-dairy milk
1 mashed banana
scant 1/2 C fresh squeezed orange juice (about 1 Valencia orange)
zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1/4 C evaporated cane juice (vegan sugar)
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce (or 3 ice cubes of applesauce, thawed)
1 T olive oil
1 t vanilla extract
1 C raspberries
Combine the dry and wet ingredients separately, and combine. Fold in the raspberries. Bake in muffin liners at 350 degrees for 23 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.
Have you ever tried Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix? If you haven’t, you should! If you don’t have Celiac Disease (Sprue), gluten intolerance or a wheat allergy, don’t let that stop you. Personally, I like to “diversify” my grain consumption. This mix uses potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and corn flour.
I actually discovered this product when looking for a vegan pancake mix while vacationing in Kauai. It impressed me so much that I still buy it, even at home.
The recipe on the label calls for: 
- 1 1/2 C pancake mix
1 egg(*Use a mashed banana instead)- 3/4 C milk
- 1 T oil
I use 1/2 cup non-dairy milk and 1/4 cup juice instead of all milk. Organic apple juice is good. I also add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts or hazelnuts. Add a little extra water to thin the batter…about 1/3 cup.
For Hawaii-style pancakes, use pineapple juice, macadamia nuts, and add a tablespoon of shredded coconut..Mmm!
At home, I like to put maple syrup and jam on my cakes.
Banana Hazelnut Muffins
Dry Ingredients:
1/3 C EACH – millet, quinoa, spelt & whole wheat pastry flours
1/2 C ground oats
1/4 C ground flax 
1/2 C ground roasted hazelnuts (filberts) OR hazelnut butter
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
“Wet” Ingredients:
2 large bananas, mashed
*1/4 C evaporated cane juice (granulated vegan sugar)
**1/3 C unsweetened applesauce (3 cubes – see note)
1/3 C non-dairy milk
1 T organic canola oil 
2 t hazelnut extract
Coarse chopped hazelnuts
Raw vegan sugar
Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Spoon into 12 muffin liners. Sprinkle 1/8 t each, coarse chopped hazelnuts and raw sugar on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 22 minutes.
* These are not too sweet. Increase sugar to 1/3 cup if you desire more sweetness.
** This equates to 3 frozen ice cubes of applesauce. I freeze applesauce in ice cube trays so that I always have small amounts of applesauce on hand. Thaw.
I invented this recipe to be “portable oatmeal.” It doesn’t have a muffin texture- it’s more of a dense spongy “cake.” Try it! It’s my weekday breakfast. I like the addition of yams for added flavor and nutrition. I store these in the freezer, thaw overnight, and heat in my toaster oven for about 5-10 minutes at 300 degrees while making my morning green smoothie.
Scrub 4 medium to large yams and poke with a fork. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes on foil or parchment. Cool. Peel. This will yield about 1-1 1/2 cups per potato.
“Wet” Ingredients:
4 Yams- cooked, peeled (about 4 C)
1/2 C Evaporated cane juice (vegan sugar)
1 C Non-dairy milk
1 t Vanilla extract
~2 T Maple syrup (reserve)
Dry Ingredients:
2 C ground oats
1/2 C spelt flour
1/4 C ground flax
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
Process the yams, sugar, milk, and vanilla in a food processor. Fold in the dry ingredients. Distribute in 18 *muffin liners. Make a well in the center of each with a 1/2 t measure. Drizzle maple syrup in the well.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Check at about 25 minutes. You might have to put foil lightly over the top to prevent burning. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 18.
*I like the “If You Care” brand muffin liners, because food won’t stick even if you use very little to no oil in your baking.
Coffee Cake Muffins
“Wet” Ingredients:
2 mashed bananas
1 C non dairy milk
1 T white vinegar
1/3 C applesauce
1/3 C canola oil
1/2 C evaporated cane juice
Dry Ingredients:
*2 C mixed grain flours (Use 1/3 C of each: quinoa flour, millet flour, spelt flour, garbanzo bean flour, whole wheat pastry flour & ground oats)
2 T ground flax
1/3 C unsweetened coconut shreds
1/3 C ground walnuts
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1/2 t sea salt
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1 C blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 C raspberries (fresh or frozen)
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and then fold in the berries.
*Depending on the moisture level of the berries (i.e. if using thawed frozen berries) and the size of the bananas, add another 1/4 – 1/3 C flour (wheat or oat) if the batter seems too thin.
Bake in muffin liners for about 22 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about 18.
>>NOTES: To make this recipe gluten-free (GF), reduced fat, and reduced sugar…
- For the 2 C flour, use 1/2 each quinoa flour, millet flour, brown rice flour, and oat flour (GF)
- Instead of the flax, use garbanzo bean flour
- Instead of the walnuts, use rolled oats (GF)
- Reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup
- Reduce the milk and the vinegar by half
- Instead of 1/3 C oil, use about a tablespoon of oil and then the rest more applesauce.
Go! Get yourself a copy of Dreena Burton’s latest cookbook, “Let Them Eat Vegan.” You won’t be disappointed. I love the way Dreena cooks and bakes. Her creations have the perfect balance of healthy and delicious. She uses primarily whole plant ingredients, plenty of beans/legumes, minimal added fats and “just enough” sweetener. Eat all you want because there’s zero guilt!
The first recipe I tried was the Chickpea Pumpkin Seed Burgers on page 136. At first I wasn’t sure that the burgers would hold together, but after I let the patties sit for about an hour they held up just fine in the pan. I cooked 2 and refrigerated the other 4 patties (between layers of parchment paper in a storage container.) Now I know that oats are a secret ingredient for vegan burger success! I’ve used gluten flour before, but I’ve never used oats. Oats work great– I think they’re my new favorite cooking ingredient! The “resting” time must allow the oats to soak up moisture and this helps bind the burger.
For Burger Night #1 we had a side salad with a creamy horseradish dressing and some roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, celery and onion.
For Burger Night #2 I made the Raw-nch Dressing on page 47. I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used kale instead. It worked. The dressing made for a great romaine lettuce dip and burger sauce. We made some homemade potato chips!
For Burger Night #3 we had steamed broccoli. Raw-nch Dressing also makes a great veggie dip.
I’m looking forward to making more out of Let Them Eat Vegan!
