Mesquite Walnut Fig Muffins

I have so many basic muffin recipes, in fact most vegan muffin recipes are somewhat the same in terms of basic ingredients – so it’s just about adding in a little flare into each batch to make them distinctly unique and I think I have accomplished that in this batch!

This recipe kind of evolved after I wanted to work with a few basic ingredients like Grainstorms kamut flour,  banana flakes and these incredible mesquite crusted walnuts that I recently discovered, along with some mesquite powder which has become one of my favourite new superfoods.

So using one of my basic banana bread recipes, I just started subbing in ingredients to make them as delicious as they turned out. They are hearty, crumbly, gritty but still moist and tender as a muffin should be.

Why are these muffins good for me? These muffins are not only good for you, they are great for you! Filled with fiber and protein from whole rolled oats and kamut, make them a satisfying breakfast option. They are also naturally sweetened with palm sugar, apple sauce, banana flakes  and have a little added texture from dried figs. Mesquite offers these muffins a unique malted taste while helping to control blood sugar levels.

I say no more. You must go off and bake these.

Mesquite Walnut Fig Muffins

1 1/2 kamut flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp banana flakes (or 1/2 ripe banana)
1 tbsp mesquite
1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup palm or coconut sugar
1/2 cup chopped dried figs
1/3 cup apple sauce +1 tbsp ground flax or chia
1/4 cup mesquite crusted walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

3.  Combine wet ingredients in another bowl and stir together.

4. Combine wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and cream together until you get a thick batter.

5. Spoon into 8 parchment paper muffin cups.

6. Bake for 20 minutes.

7. Enjoy with a dollop of almond butter!

What is your favourite muffin recipe?

What do you love to put in your muffins, on your muffins?

The Moistest Most Delicious Banana Bread (I have ever made!)

I love making banana bread or banana muffins, it has to be my favourite thing to bake. This is probably because I grew up on chocolate chip banana muffins that my mom used to make.

A batch of them were pretty much around every week while I was growing up and then a special birthday batch was always made for my birthday sleep-over parties. I remember taking her muffins and squishing them into my mouth, as they were so soft, moist and tender!

Once I got a handle on the ingredients that my mom was using, I took the recipe into my own hands and switched things up – for the better of course! However even though mine are fairly soft, I could never quite achieve the moistness that she did…

So every now and then I like to change up the recipe even more, to try new things and achieve a different texture and flavour. Since I am always finding new ways to use my left over almond pulp from making my own Nut Milk, this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The soft grainy almond bits are totally useful in recipes for muffins, pies, cookies whether raw or baked. I have made many raw cookies, using the pulp as filler and as a binder, but baking with it – is a totally different experience!

It will give your recipe a chewy, moist, rich texture that is loaded with fiber and trace amounts of heart healthy fat (as most of it is in the milk).

So of course I am leading up to the climax here, so what I used was 1 cup of almond pulp in my banana bread along with most of my other “tried, tested and true” ingredients and what came out was an incredibly moist, rich, dense banana loaf. If you are one that is into light and fluffy, this bread is not for you! I definitely achieved the moistness that my mom’s muffins had, but this loaf was hearty and decadent, my kind of loaf – as light and fluffy, does not do it for me! In fact when I normally ate my “regular” muffins, I would throw on a slap of nut butter to cream it up a bit, which is definitely not needed in this recipe. Enjoy!

Yup, that’s right there is a nice big smudge of warm chocolate on the plate!

Kamut-Almond Banana Bread

1 cup fresh almond pulp (the fresher the more moist your bread will be)

1 cup kamut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp sea salt

2-3 ripe bananas (depending on their size)

½ cup rice milk

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup maple syrup

1/3 cup applesauce + 1 tbsp ground chia

1 cup blueberries or chocolate chips

How it’s made!

1. Pre heat oven to 350 F.
2. Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately.
3. Use a large bowl for the dry ingredients. Then mix wet ingredients into dry and fold slowly, and mix together until there are no lumps. Stir in blueberries or chocolate chips.
4. Drop by spoonfuls into an oiled muffin tray or pour batter into a loaf pan.
5. Bake for 20 minutes if these are muffins or 40-50 minutes if this is a loaf.

Move over Whole Wheat. Here comes Kamut!

When it comes to whole grains, I feel like Kamut or better known as khorasan always gets the pushover. It is all about whole wheat, rye and even spelt gets the spotlight more than Kamut does. I even notice that I use spelt most of the time in my recipes (unless it’s gluten free). There is nothing wrong with spelt, don’t get me wrong. But there is something very special about Kamut and it is time it gets some attention! In fact before I go on, something very interesting that I just learned and would like to share is that Kamut is not actually the name of the wheat variety, it is the brand name. khorasan is actually the name of the grain that we know to be Kamut. Interesting fact..huh! Or maybe you already knew that. You can still refer to that grain as Kamut, because the grain has been trademarked under that name!

But here is a little more info directly from the source:

KAMUT® is the name of the BRAND, not the wheat. One of the biggest misconceptions about KAMUT® Khorasan Wheat is that the name “Kamut” refers to the type of wheat, while in fact, KAMUT® is the branded name. Bob Quinn, Founder of Kamut International, wanted to assure the quality of the organic, heirloom grain, khorasan wheat.  Under the brand KAMUT®, consumers know they can trust this wheat will always be grown certified organic, will always be non-GMO, and will never be altered or modified. KAMUT® brand khorasan wheat is grown under strict production guidelines and every field is tested for high quality standards.  Go to http://www.kamut.com/en/trademark.html for more information about this like how “KAMUT” was picked as the name!

The reason why most people don’t use whole grains or unknown varieties is because people are just not informed. It doesn’t mean they don’t like it, they just don’t know. Once they taste it, it surely gets the seal of approval!

Kamut has a whole host of health benefits. Not only does this whole grain provide our body with complex “slow burning” carbohydrates but it is also high in fiber and other nutrients. Kamut in particular is considered a high energy food that is also high in protein and doesn’t cause the same kinds of problems that whole wheat does in our body in terms of gas, bloating, pain and cramping. (The same goes for Spelt, Barley, Rye and Oats they are all very similar). Individuals who are even intolerant to wheat, do very well on Kamut (but not if you have Celiac Disease). It is high in antioxidants, easy to digest and overall causes less allergic reactions and over all discomfort. However if you are gluten intolerant of have Celiac – then you would stay away from Kamut and the above listed grains all together and go for grains like quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, teff, milled and brown rice.

Recently I have been experimenting with some different brands of Kamut flour but my latest favourite is from  Grainstorm, a local Toronto company that specializes in hand milled fresh grains. I picked up a bag at the farmer’s market a few weeks ago and have been experimenting ever since. The good thing to know is that Kamut can replace whole wheat flour in equal amounts in any recipe. You will get a grainier, chewier richer texture with Kamut. you will be pleasantly surprised and you can actually taste the difference!

One of my favourite muffins to make this time of year is Carrot Ginger – they are like mini bites of carrot cake. So good!

Approx. 4 mini muffins equals 2 regular size muffins, but it’s hard to keep track they

they are this small!!

Spiced Carrot Ginger Muffins

What’s in it?

2 cups whole grain Kamut flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I like to use a lot!)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup vanilla rice milk

2 organic eggs or 2 tbsp ground flax soaked with 6 tbsp water

2 tablespoons applesauce

2 tablespoons grapeseed or coconut oil

2 medium carrots, grated

1-2 tablespoons ginger, grated

1 cup raisins

What You do!

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mix dry ingredient
3. Add wet ingredients (along with raisins, carrots and ginger)
4. Stir until combined
5. Pour into mini muffin cup trays (makes approx 36 muffins)
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes

For full size muffins- Bake for 20-24 minutes (makes approx 18 muffins)

Have you tried Kamut?

In what or how?

Please share!

"Burger" in a bowl

A burger doesn’t always need to go in a bun. A burger can be eaten on a salad, on a pile of grains or just alongside some steam veggies. When I refer to “burger” here, I am talking about an all natural veggie burger made from whole food ingredients. See Recipe Below!

If I were to put my burger on bread, it would be bread made from either spelt, kamut or sprouted grains. Companies such as ShaSha, Little Stream and Grainsfields make excellent breads that are easy to digest, high in protein, fiber and taste delicious!

But in this particular case, I have deiced to put my “burger” in a bowl. Not just in a bare bowl all on its own, but a bowl filled with quinoa, steamed green veggies (broccoli and snow peas from my garden), steamed sweet potatoes and then topped with tahini and tamari toasted almonds. Wow what a bowl! It was a random occurrence of ingredients, but that is the best way to make a meal – especially a vegan one. You can get as creative as you want and just throw a whole bunch of things together and you have yourself a whole foods, balanced meal. Not only is this meal colourful and full of texture but there is also an amazing amount of calcium, protein, fiber, beta carotene, b vitamins, minerals etc… all jammed packed into one little bowl.

Making a homemade veggies burger is also a great way to get in some healthy nutrition and fulfill that urge to eat something that is burger like and has a “meaty” or rich texture. By meaty, I mean (hearty/grainy) so in this case you can use grains, beans, root veggies, nuts and seeds and not even have to go the length of using a faux meat or soy based substitute to get that “patti or juicy burger” option. There are much more naturals options!

So the next time you want to get a little creative and make a burger and throw it in a bowl – make sure to fill both the burger and the bowl up full tasty and nutritious ingredients!

If you have a veggie burger recipe that you would like to share…please leave a comment!

Black Bean Veggie Burger

1 cup black beans, soaked overnight or use 1 can or Eden organic black beans

1 cup sweet potatoes, shredded

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup red onion

1/4 cup spelt flour

2 tablespoons tamari

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon cumin

Procedure:

1. Rinse soaked beans, place in a pot with water (cover by 1-2inches). Bring water and beans to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 1-11/2 hours. Remove from water and drain. Or rinse and drain can of organic black beans.
2. Place beans in a bowl and mash. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Scoop 1/3 cup of batter at a time to form burger patties.
4. Place burgers on a baking sheet (you may need two)
5. Bake in oven on 350 F for approx 45 minutes.
6. Serve with sprouted buns, a salad or  and enjoy!

Whole Grain Goodness