Raspberry Almond Muffins (Vegan)

Muffins should be a requirement in everyday life.

Fresh, slightly sweet and slightly tart raspberries.

The crunch of almond.

Heartiness (and a pretty blue color!) from rye flour.

Overall, a pretty delicious breakfast (or snack. or lunch. or dinner. Can I eat these always?)

Raspberry Almond Muffins
Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rye flour (optional: can replace with whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2cup sugar or splenda
• 1t baking power
• 1t baking soda
• 1/4t salt
• 1/2cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4cup + 2T unsweetened soy/almond milk
• 1t lemon juice
• 1/2t vanilla extract
• 1 cup raspberries (fresh, or frozen and thawed)
• 1/3cup slivered almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Meanwhile, combine flours, sugar/splenda, baking power, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, combine applesauce, soy milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture. Mix with a spoon until the dry ingredients are half-moistened; at this point, add the raspberries. Mix just until there aren't dry spots left (lumps still may be present). Over-mixing can cause tough muffins (yay gluten formation!)
4. Divide batter evenly among 12 normal-sized muffin cups or 6 jumbo muffin cups. Evenly divide almonds among the tops of the muffins, pushing down gently to adhere them to the batter.
5. Cook in oven for 15-18 minutes (normal-sized) or 20-25 minutes (jumbo) at 375F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool; remove from pan and serve for up to five days.

Nutrition Information (using Sugar):
Sodium: 208mg
Total Fat: 7g
       Saturated: 0g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 19g
Calories:227

Nutrition Information (using Splenda):
Sodium: 208mg
Total Fat: 7g
       Saturated: 0g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 5g
Sugar: 2g
Calories:163

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Some of us don't like pink.

I don't have anything against pink; not at all. But I have trouble really enjoying it and valuing it as a color. Does that even make sense? I think it's because I've been exposed to so much pink propaganda growing up with the hegemonic female ideal of "pink this, pink that, pink everything."  And, of course, around V-day (which I also don't have anything against, but enjoy mocking nonetheless) it always becomes an issue. Store shelves filled to the brink with pink and red! The idea that you must be consumerist if you want to show love towards those you cherish! Capitalism! Marketing!

So, yes. Around this time of the year, pink doesn't always jive well with me.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut (really emphasize the length here in your mind)....

...these decadent, flavorful muffins can definitely make getting some pink into the day a lot easier!

They start out with a rich and sweet cream cheese base, which ensures a perfect texture and almost fluffy end result. Fresh raspberries are folded in at the end (they were on sale at my grocery store! yes!!), making each bite bright and flavorful. Two adjectives which clearly I need more of, because I am a huge cynic and should probably appreciate all the chocolate on the shelves more. 

Have some Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins with a cup of tea to beat any morning blues!

P.S.

Happy V-Day week! If it's something you celebrate, I hope it's great. For everyone else-- happy Tuesday! 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Adapted from Cooking Light

Makes 12        

• 1/4c. light vanilla soy milk
• 1/4tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3c. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 3tbl light margarine, room temperature
• 3/4c. splenda OR sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4tsp vanilla
• 1tbl canola oil
• 1/2c. all purpose flour, plus 1tbl
• 1/2c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/8tsp baking soda
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1c. fresh raspberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a small bowl, combine soy milk and cider vinegar. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. It will curdle slightly-- you are basically making dairy-free buttermilk.
3. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and margarine in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until very creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly add splenda/sugar; beat until fluffy. With the mixer still running, add vanilla, egg, and oil. Beat well.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and soy milk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (I did it in 2 batches). Mix until just moist, and then put away the mixer.
5. In a small bowl, coat the fresh raspberries with 1tbl flour (this helps them from bleeding into the mix and from sinking to the bottom of the muffin). Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, gently fold them into the muffin batter. 
6. Cook at 350° for 17-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Nutritional Information (with Sugar)
Sodium: 104mg
Total Fat: 4g
       Saturated:  1g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 26g
Calories: 183


Nutritional Information (with Splenda)
Sodium: 104mg
Total Fat: 4g
       Saturated:  1g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 1g
Calories: 87 
 

Peach and Thyme Bran Muffins

Vegan recipe today, guys! (And no one who I gave them to even had a clue!)

I am so freaking excited to be sharing this recipe with you. There is a really fun story behind the inspiration for this. In Colorado, I am a weekly volunteer at the Larimer County Food Bank, which has a huge impact on the local community. They gathered and distributed 8.7 million pounds (I know, right?!) of donated food via their their main programs:  Food Share, Food Link and Child Nutrition/Kids Cafe. All three are awesome. I'm a volunteer in the Food Share program, and I usually work on Fridays during the school year.

Aaaanyways. So I started in March, and because I am incredibly obsessive I always leave campus about an hour earlier than I need to (I am absolutely anal about being on time. If I am one minute late, I freak out. Issues). But when you have an extra hour, what do you do? For me, I explored some local coffee places. My favorite one turned out to be Little Bird, which is this adorable little cafe right in the heart of our downtown square. They have a farm-to-table approach and source locally, which I love. Also, their pastries and coffee are the bomb. In April, about a month into my volunteering, I had finally started to realize that about halfway through my volunteer shift I would always get hungry and that I therefore needed to actually bring something to eat (duh!). And as you can guess, I started getting their Peach and Thyme Muffins. They were so good! The peach and thyme were both so subtle, nuzzled into this sweet batter that had hints of floral notes, and I gobbled them up the way normal people drink water. Naturally, I decided to create my own so I wouldn't spend $500 every week on muffins (since I already spend about that much on coffee-- eep!).

I really think that this recipe is spot on. A lot of people are afraid of bran muffins because they think that they will be dry-- these muffins are far from it! They have the perfect texture, and the bran adds both some complexity and a nice nutty flavor to the batter. The thyme adds beautiful fresh undertones, and I used a mixture of yellow and white peaches so that the sweetness and tartness would intermingle. They get a little caramelized on top which is fantastic, because who doesn't like natural sugars? They look beautiful, as well. This is also an accidentally-on-purpose vegan recipe, in the fact that I could have added an egg but I didn't, and I am so glad for it! If you aren't vegan, don't be afraid. Bake these and don't add any dairy, and it will totally revolutionize the way you think about vegan food.

It's Monday. Have some Muffins. (Muffin Monday should totally be a thing).

Peach and Thyme Bran Muffins
Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1c soy (or almond) milk
• 1T lime juice
• 3/4c (3/4oz) oat bran
• 3/4c (1 and 5/8oz) wheat bran
• 1/2c packed (3 and 1/4oz) brown sugar
• 1 and 1/2c (8oz) whole wheat flour
• 2t baking powder
• 1t baking soda
• 1/4t salt
• 1c unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2T almond extract (if you do not have, use vanilla)
• 2T fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 1 medium white peach, skin removed, diced, and patted dry with a towel (will total about 1/3c. diced)
• Cooking Spray
• 1 large yellow peach, sliced into 24 segments

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine soy milk and lime juice. (We are creating homemade "buttermilk".) Let sit for ten minutes. Mixture may look slightly curdled, do not worry.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F.
3. In a large bowl, sift together oat bran through salt. Make a small well in the middle of the mixture, and pour the soy milk mixture, applesauce, extract, and thyme into it. Stir the wet and dry together until about half-mixed, then add the white peach cubes. Stir only until everything is just moist (over-stirring can create toughness in the end result).
4. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with cooking spray. Evenly divide batter into the pan (I used about two ice cream scoops for each muffin: don't be afraid to pile that batter into there). Top each muffin with two yellow peach slices, sticking the slice in at an angle so it is about halfway buried into the batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Nutrition Information
Sodium: 62mg
Total Fat: 1g
      Saturated: 0g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 14g
Protein: 5g
Calories: 135
Dietary Fiber: 5g

Blueberry Muffins

I remember that blueberry muffins were the first thing I ever posted on Michelle's Healthy Bites. I was only sixteen years old and I had started a food blog for my photography class (which was taught by the mother of my boyfriend at the time, so I basically wanted to make it really really good so she would be impressed and let me hang out alone with him at their house. Which, shockingly, didn't really work). I remember sitting back and thinking, "What's a recipe that everyone loves but that isn't normally healthy?"

The first thing I thought of was blueberry muffins. Most of us grew up the boxed or bagged kind; or at least, in my family we all grew up on it. I remember walking downstairs with bare feet in the morning and begging my mom or dad to let me mix the batter (because licking the spoon went to whoever did that and duh the batter is always the best part). The blueberries were from the can and the batter didn't have even a pinch of whole grains but damn, they were good.

These are even better. I say that as someone who has eaten blueberry muffins for years, and made this recipe too many times to count. It started off as just a lower-sugar, lower-fat version, and now I've gone full-out vegan on it. They're fantastic, with a hearty-yet-tender texture from the oats and just a touch of sweetness from brown sugar, applesauce (instead of calorie-dense oil) and blueberries. Almond milk adds in some healthy fats, while lightness is achieved with a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. They're so good. They're the first thing I ever made for my old blog, and I couldn't resist sharing them any longer.

Blueberry Muffins
Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (3 ¼ oz) oats (quick cooking)
• 1/2cup (2 ½ oz) all-purpose flour  (Plus 1 tbl. if using frozen blueberries)
• 3/4cup (4oz) whole-wheat flour
• 1/3c. sugar (I like using Splenda instead, but to each her own)
• 1/4c. (1 ¼ oz) brown sugar, unpacked
• 1 tbl. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4c. no sugar added applesauce
• 1c. sweetened plain almond milk
• 1/2 tbl. vanilla
• 1 and 1/3 cup blueberries (use only 1 cup if they are large) (fresh or frozen- I recommend frozen) rinsed and drained
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix together the oats, flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the applesauce, milk, and vanilla. 
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir together until half-moist. If using frozen blueberries, mix them with 1 tbl. flour until they are coated. If not, skip adding the flour and fold them into the batter. Mix until just moist (over-mixing can cause unpleasant texture).
5. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, and fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full with batter (Tip: I like to use a ice cream scooper to fill mine. Just spray the scooper with cooking spray beforehand, and the batter will slide out easily). 
6. Place the muffins in the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes: this changes depending on where you live and such, so make sure to keep an eye on them! (Tip: To test if they are done, either stick a toothpick in and see if it comes out clean, or touch the top of the muffin and if it springs back it is ready). 

Nutrition Information:
Sodium: 226mg
Total Fat: 1g
      Saturated: 0g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 13g
Protein: 3g
Calories: 137

Raspberry-Blueberry Muffins

I once heard someone call muffins "cupcakes without frosting." I wanted to flag them down, jump in front of them with all of my muffin recipes and beg them to reconsider. It's true that many store-bought muffins are, indeed, basically cupcakes being sold as a breakfast food. The amount of sugar in some of those things will make most nutritionists and healthy foodies shudder. But I firmly believe that muffins don't have to be like cupcakes. We need to let muffins be the cool cousin of the cupcake, the one who you can meet with all the time and who listens to your problems and consoles you.

Ok, maybe not that far. But you get my point, right? We can allow muffins to come back into the spotlight as something that can give you health benefits, something that is acceptable as a breakfast food. This involves reducing the sugar and the oil, using more fruit to add sweetness instead of relying on chocolate. It's an easy switch.

I'm not saying to never eat cupcake-muffins. Cupcake-muffins taste good. But muffins, just muffins, also taste good. Really good. Actually, I personally think they taste better. Especially when they're packed with oats and raspberries and blueberries, sweetened with a touch of sugar and undertones of vanilla. It makes it easier to have a healthy lifestyle with these guys every day than with cupcake-muffins every day. Because if I have to choose between "not-so-healthy+tastes good" versus "healthy+tastes-AHmazing," I think we all know what I end up eating.

Raspberry-Blueberry Muffins

Makes 12 servings

Quick tip: If you are using frozen blueberries when baking, toss them with about one tablespoon of flour before mixing them into the batter. This stops them from leaking blue into the rest of the muffin.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/4c. oats (quick cooking)
• 1/2c. all-purpose flour (Plus 1 tbl)
• 1/2c. whole-wheat flour
• 1/3c. sugar OR Splenda
• 1/4c. brown sugar, unpacked
• 1 tbl. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1c. light soymilk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2/3c. frozen wild blueberries (use only 1/3 cup if they are not wild -which means small-) rinsed and drained
• 2/3c. fresh raspberries, cut in half
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix together the oats, flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg, milk, and vanilla. 
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir together just until moist (over-mixing can cause unpleasant texture).
5. Mix the frozen blueberries with 1 tbl. flour until they are coated. Add in raspberries. Fold berries gently into the batter, making sure they are evenly distributed
6. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, and fill each muffin cup about 2/3 of the way full with batter (Tip: I like to use a ice cream scooper to fill mine. Just spray the scooper with cooking spray before hand, and the batter will slide out easily).
7. Place the muffins in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes: this changes depending on where you live (I’m high elevation, so my baking times usually take longer); just make sure to keep an eye on them! (Tip: To test if they are done, either stick a toothpick in and see if it comes out clean, or touch the top of the muffin and if it springs back it is ready). 

Nutrition Facts (using sugar):
Sodium: 227mg
Total Fat: 2g
      Saturated: 0g
      Trans: 0g
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 5g
Calories: 160