Vegan Talk Forums

BigBecka · Animal defender Joined: 02 Dec 2006 Posts: 412

OK, Let me explain... I'm currently trying a training plan where I eat six small meals a day (instead of two small and one huge meal

). I seem to be carrying around hundreds of tubs of food every day! So I found this recipe, which is ideal for my 4 o'clock "meal." Unlike most muffins, these are relatively low in carbohydrate and high in protein, with no added fat. And they get most of their sweetness from the fruit in them.

I guess they would make a good breakfast if you're in a hurry in the morning.

I based this on a recipe at http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com/ However, I didn't have some of the ingredients, and I wanted to have a go at using protein powder. The end result is a bit more dense and gooey in the middle than a traditional muffin.

Note that 1 cup is a 0.25 litre container.

And, yes, when I say "muffin" I mean an American muffin, not an English one

Ingredients
1 cup plain flour (you could use wholewheat, spelt or barley flour)
1 cup plain hemp protein isolate (I guess any plain isolate would work: hemp protein gives the muffins an unusual green colour

)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ripe bananas, peeled
3 tablespoons black treacle (optional: I don't have a sweet tooth, and just made a very nice batch of muffins without treacle. The original recipe uses "blackstrap molasses"?)
1 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (the original recipe uses apple cider vinegar, or you could probably try lemon juice)
1 aubergine (eggplant, zucchini, whatever...) grated
½ cup broken brazil nuts (or any nuts you like)
½ cup currants or raisins

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray with nonstick spray.

2) Combine the flour, protein isolate, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and whisk together.

3) Place the bananas, treacle / molasses, apple juice, and vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth (or just mash everything with a potato masher). Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, then fold in the zucchini, nuts, and currants or raisins. Use a bit more apple juice if needed to wet all the flour.

4) Divide mixture evenly into the 12 lined muffin cups, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the top springs back to the touch. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

BigBecka · Animal defender Joined: 02 Dec 2006 Posts: 412

A warning: my green gooey muffins are attracting attention - people think they look funny alien

I think I will try to add chocolate and turn them into brownies

Watch this space...

Sergio · Vegan Talk Veteran Joined: 24 May 2001 Posts: 224

BigBecka · Animal defender Joined: 02 Dec 2006 Posts: 412

American Muffins seem to be sweet, like very large fairy-cakes.

English Muffins are a type of bread: small, round and flat. They are baked on a hot-plate or stove, although some bakers sell "oven-bottom" muffins. They should be made using milk, yeast and flour, but most of the muffins in supermarkets are vegan

My copy of "Mrs Beeton's Guide to Household Management" says that they should be toasted slowly, cut open and buttered. Then served hot. Muffins and crumpets were usually served at tea-time.

They sometimes get served with a posh English Breakfast, with poached eggs, and fried bacon and tomatoes. You should really have thick slices of white bead with an english breakfast...