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Veggie Tales

imagesnov10_page_4_image_0012 Eggnog is already in stores, Kroger smells like cinnamon, and holiday decorations fill the aisles at Hobby Lobby. It’s the only time of year where excessive baking is totally acceptable.

I took a recipe from the blog, “Oh She Glows,” which I definitely recommend. The author had adapted a previous pumpkin bread recipe to make muffins.

The recipe ingredients are listed in the side bar; feel free to cut it out and bring to the grocery store when shopping.

The total time for baking and preparation was longer than the blog suggested. Instead of 35 minutes, it took closer to two hours, however, I did not have the ingredients measured and ready to mix in advance.imagesnov10_page_4_image_0013

First, grab two medium sized aluminum baking bowls and a spatula. You will need measuring cups and spoons. The chia seeds will need to be soaked first for approximately two to three minutes. Pour the chia seeds into one of the bowls and whisk in the water; you can use a spoon, too.

Next, dry ingredients will need to be mixed together. In the other bowl, start with the spelt flour as base and then mix in the baking powder, baking soda, sea salt and pumpkin pie spice. I did not have spelt flour so I decided to use almond flour, which I already had in the pantry.

Set the dry ingredients aside and check the bowl with the chia seeds. Once they have absorbed the water, begin adding the wet ingredients. You will need to add brown sugar, pumpkin puree, grapeseed oil, maple syrup and molasses. The recipe called for a specific type of molasses, but I grabbed the first (and cheapest) bottle off the shelf and it was sufficient. Also, I used grapeseed oil instead of coconut oil even though I had both. In retrospect, the coconut oil would have possibly made the muffin a little lighter.

Once you’ve mixed those thoroughly, pour the wet ingredients into the dry—you will need a spatula to scrape the rest of the mix into the bowl. Stir that until there are no dry patches. You can also add walnuts if you want. The mix will be thick and clumpy, so you do not need to use a blender or over-stir it.

Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, line the muffin pan with twelve paper cupcake cups and pour until a quarter from the top. Put in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Mine took longest to cook in the middle so most likely it will turn out a moist, thick cake with a concave center. They would taste incredible with an ice cream (vegan) scoop on top.

American traditions can sometimes hold road blocks for the vegan or vegetarian. It takes some digging and practice to perfect a vegan version of classic recipes, but experimentation is worth the effort.

Ingredients:

  • For the wet ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin purée
  • 1/3 cup grapeseed oil or melted coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
  • For the dry ingredients:
  • 1 2/3 cups whole-grain spelt flour***
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Heaping 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts (optional)

 

One Comment

  1. Antoinette Muhammed-Clinton Antoinette Muhammed-Clinton January 6, 2017

    Pumpkin bread recipe? These look like my vegan CHOCOLATE cupcakes. Spelt rules, right? The super grain that won’t add a pound to you!

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