spelt & berry muffins.

I don’t know exactly what the deal with spelt flour is, but apparently it’s easier for your body to digest than regular wheat flour. That being said, the only reason I bake certain baked goods with spelt flour (muffins, sometimes cakes) is because I find that it yields a lighter, more delicate crumb. Its taste is also less pronounced than regular whole grain flours.

Last weekend, Christian and I had my older brother over for brunch. In addition to a frittata with slow-roasted tomatoes, we served these muffins and fruit (and lots o’ bacon for them). Neither Christian nor Matt is vegan, but these muffins are… and neither gentleman said they noticed.

In fact, they both ate two muffins, while I congratulated myself on making healthy-ish muffins that rock. Enjoy!

Makes one dozen

1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C soymilk
1/2 C pure maple syrup
1/4 C light agave nectar or honey
1 C white spelt flour
1 C whole spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 C fresh blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries

Heat oven to 375°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk oil, soymilk, syrup and nectar in a bowl. Combine flours, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients; fold in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown and a knife comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with large cups of coffee or tea.

Speaking of my older brother… check out the adorable little addition to his household!

easy vegan muffins that actually, you know, taste good.

I don’t want to admit which famous-actor-gone-cook from whom I stole this recipe because her foray into country music left me feeling awkward for her. However, I flipped through her cookbook the other day and was impressed by the simplicity, creativity, and health of the recipes, so I can’t mock her too much. Conclusion: I think she may actually be a good cook, and these muffins are tasty and far healthier than the usual variety, as they have no refined sugars, flours, or saturated fat.

And they’re moist. (Between you and me, the word “moist” creeps me out. But it’s true!) Whenever I’ve made vegan muffins in the past, they were never quite right. Something seemed to be missing. But I would never guess that these were vegan or really any different from a standard muffin.

I made a few adaptations based on what I had on hand. You can use whichever berries you prefer (the original recipe called for blueberries), even frozen. Fresh berries are so expensive that I usually opt to use frozen berries in baked goods. However, word to the wise if you use the frozen variety: toss the berries with a little flour to soak up extra moisture. Otherwise, you can be left with some unsightly muffins. Alternatively, you can place frozen berries in the muffin tins as you add the batter, instead of mixing all together, to prevent the color from the berries dyeing the batter.

Enjoy these for breakfast or an afternoon snack! lv, molly

Vegan Berry Muffins

Makes about 1 dozen

1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 C soymilk
1/2 C pure maple syrup
1/4 C light agave nectar or honey
1 C white spelt flour
1 C whole spelt flour or 1 C whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 C fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, whatever berry you fancy most

Heat oven to 375°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk oil, soymilk, syrup, and nectar in a bowl. Combine flours, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients; fold in berries (if using frozen, see above). Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until muffins are golden brown and a knife comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

And what music accompanied the baking of said muffins? you may ask. (Or not. But I’m going to tell you anyway.) Some good ol’ hippierific music by The Avett Brothers.

healthy frittata +unhealthy muffins + a happy video.

Happy Sunday!

I love this video. It will make your Sunday morning happier.

Seriously. It’s awesome. (And it makes me wish I were in a sunny South American country).

Also, here is a recipe for a frittata that I made this morning and that caused me to light my oven on fire. Tonight I am going to make the vegan chocolate muffins below. I recognize that “muffin” is a euphemism for cupcake in this instance. lv, molly

Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour (or you can use half whole grain/ half AP)
1 C granulated sugar (or other sweetener, such as honey)
2 Tbl cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl vinegar
1 C warm water
1/2 C chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center.
In a separate bowl, combine oil, vanilla, vinegar, and warm water. Add to the well, and stir until just moist. Don’t overmix as your muffins will be too tough. And no one likes tough muffins.
Stir in chocolate chips Spoon batter into lined (or parchment paper-lined) muffin tins, filling to top. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool on rack when done.