These muffins are a great way to enjoy the taste and texture of cornbread without all the fat and calories. Very easy to make and delicious with my Veggie Crock Pot Chili or White Bean Chili. See Notes for the gluten-free option.
A friend recently posted a link to a scone recipe. The recipe called for whole wheat flour, and the addition of fruit, making it seem like a healthier version. I opened the link only to find the recipe was anything but healthy. It called for 1 cup whole cream, 1 stick of butter, an egg and and egg white. Yes, whole wheat is better than white, but with all the other unhealthy ingredients still there, it hardly makes a difference changing the flour and adding some fruit. Herein lies the problem with the way so many people eat. Adding a single food or nutrient, or taking it out, won’t really make much difference in health outcomes. We must pay attention to the overall pattern and big picture. As my friend and mentor Dr. Pam Popper says, “the totality of the diet and lifestyle”.
I was determined to “healthify” (not really a word, but I’m going with it) the recipe. I thought I would just be able to sub out good stuff for bad, but ended up basically creating a whole new recipe. I don’t use oil or vegan butter in my baked goods, but I did use a small amount here. Scones are all about fat, and I felt I needed some for them to turn out like anything resembling a scone. Keep in mind these are lighter than traditional scones because they aren’t loaded with fat. The average scone has 20-30 grams of fat (a day’s worth), so you’d have to expect this healthy version, which has about 3, to be a little different. They are still delicious, especially when you know arteries aren’t being clogged, and thighs or bellies aren’t growing during consumption!
NOTE: Use organic strawberries, as conventionally grown strawberries are very heavily sprayed with harmful pesticides. Or, feel free to use a different type of berry.
Banana. I love it anyway I can get it. Straight up banana, banana bread, banana non-dairy ice cream, banana sandwich (with a little peanut butter, of course), or these delicious super healthy donut-muffins I made the other day. Shaped like a donut, with the dense texture of a muffin, these are little cuties really are tasty. Thanks to Chef AJ for the original recipe and Healthy Girl’s Kitchen for tweaking them a bit and posting the recipe here: http://healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/03/chef-ajs-just-banana-muffins-possibly.html#more
The only change I made was I added 1/2 tsp nutmeg. These healthy treats have zero added sugar – they are sweetened naturally by the bananas, apple sauce and apple juice. They aren’t super sweet, which is partly why
I like them. While I still have a sweet tooth, thankfully it takes very little to satisfy it since I changed my evil eating ways. It’s confirmation that I really was a sugaraholic before.
I used a combination of my one donut pan (makes 6), and 6 muffins. I cooked them for 22 minutes, but the muffins, which are a little taller than the donuts, could have used another minute or 2 in the oven. The recipe doesnt specify banana size. My bananas were ginormous so I only used 3. So, I’m assuming using 4 average sized bananas would work perfectly.
Well…sort of. Got your attention didn’t I? Let me explain….
Vegan and vegetarian restaurants seem to really be gaining popularity and popping up more and more. This is amazing and wonderful! The fact that it’s happening means there is a demand for it, and I couldn’t be happier about that. There is just one problem. Much of the food at these restaurants is the opposite of healthy, despite the fact that it’s plant-based. Sure, you won’t find a fatty piece of meat smothered in cheese, but you may be surprised to realize the amount of fat and calories that are in many of the dishes offered at these “healthy” restaurants.
I know this from experience. My family and I often eat at a vegan restaurant called The Veggie Grill. Most of the options are transitional foods – so, they are made to resemble the real thing, however, they are made from plants. For example, their “carne asada” is made from soy protein. These items are great for people moving away from the standard American diet. Personally, I don’t care for that type of thing. I didn’t enjoy the taste of meat before I changed my diet for good – I don’t want something that tastes just like the real thing. Plus, I try to eat only whole foods, and faux meat products aren’t that. So, I would usually get a sandwich made with a tempeh patty, or my personal favorite, the All Hail Kale. This salad is marinated raw kale, some quinoa, raw red cabbage slaw, a handful of slightly sweetened walnuts, served with a ginger-papaya dressing (the same thing in which the kale has been marinated. A very light dressing – or so I thought). Sounds light and healthy right? Wrong. I spent some time looking at their Nutrition Facts page on their website and was amazed, and saddened, by what I found. If I were to eat that salad the way I listed it above (and I did eat it), WITHOUT using the side of dressing, the grand total for grams of fat would be…drum roll please…..FIFTY THREE. I’ll put it another way. 53!! If I had added tempeh which I often do, and used the dressing, the fat count would have been 73. That’s more than TWO bacon cheeseburgers! I realize it’s without cholesterol and mega doses of saturated fat, but still!! I emailed the company hoping the numbers were typos (no luck) and was told they use rice bran oil in the marinade which is why its so high in fat. And since it’s pre-marinated, you can’t ask for it without. Well, you can ask, but you won’t get it. I was also told the only way to reduce calorie/fat content would be to order a lunch size portion – which is still 28 grams, btw, and not enough food in my opinion.
The innocent looking All Hail Kale Salad. Same calorie count and nearly twice as much fat as a bacon cheeseburger.
According to diet-centered medicine experts, we should be consuming a diet consisting of no more than 15% fat. So, for somebody consuming 2000 calories a day, that’s 30 grams of fat. This number should be less for somebody trying to lose weight or reverse a disease. Puts that 73 grams for a supposedly healthy salad into perspective doesn’t it?
Some examples of menu items and their values:
Grilled “chicken” wrap = 690 calories, 34 grams of fat. Kid’s mac-n-cheese = 470 calories, 27 grams of fat. Portobello mushroom burger = 360 calories, 17 grams of fat. They do offer a few soups, a green salad, and chili (if you get it without sour cream) that are lower in fat, but the majority of menu items are up there.
I’m pleased as punch that these restaurants exist, as I said. And I’m not saying we should avoid patronizing them. What bothers me is they really aren’t making much of an effort to make the food healthy, while making it plant-based (and I realize by virtue of making it plant-based it’s already healthier, but we can do better here!). Creating a kale salad consisting of over 50 grams of fat, (sans dressing), is almost irresponsible. I get that a “burger” and sweet potato fries is going to be fattening, vegan or not, and these are meals people need to be careful of regularly consuming, but a kale salad??? C’mon!
Reason for my rant is this. I want everyone to beware and understand that just because something is vegan or plant-based does not mean it’s healthy. I’m thrilled restaurants like this exist but people need to realize they are like most other restaurants – they want to sell what tastes good. Fat tastes good. And no matter what they tell you, fat is fat. Good fat, bad fat, doesn’t matter. It’s gonna end up on your bod if you eat too much (and create a slew of health problems in the process). That being said, food CAN taste fabulous without being so high in fat. So pay attention wherever you are dining. Become a smart restaurant consumer and know exactly what you’re eating by looking at the posted nutrition facts (ask if you don’t see them anywhere). Don’t assume, as I did, that just because it tastes nice and light, it is, or that if it’s being served at a vegan restaurant it must be good for you. You know what they say about assuming.
Again, to reiterate: I am NOT trashing The Veggie Grill or anybody else. I applaud them for going against the grain and for being successful! I just wish they’d make more of an effort to create truly healthy food, not just food that looks like it. As consumers we are charged with looking out for our best interests. We simply can’t assume this is being done for us.
I was at Costco and I saw this 2 lb container of cut up butternut squash. I had to have it. It’s not impossible certainly, but cutting that stuff yourself is sort of a pain. So, I put it in my cart along with my 8 bags of frozen mixed berries for smoothies, and immediately envisioned dinner: roasted butternut squash with herbs and balsamic vinegar, steamed broccolini and garlicky cannellini beans. Healthy, easy and super tasty, just the way I like it! 🙂
One of my favorite restaurants Native Foods has an African Peanut Soup that I adore. It tastes very fattening though so I wanted to try and make something similar, but with less fat. As well, theirs is a very smooth soup and I prefer chunkier soups – I like chewing! This version is thick and chunky, while still being creamy. And this can vary depending on how much of it you want blended, using your immersion or regular blender. Feel free to play around with spices and amounts. Those listed here result in a mild flavor.
I’m not proud of this, but when I was in junior high, I ate taquitos from the cafeteria nearly every day. I don’t even want to think about what they were filled with, but I just loved them; mostly for the crunchy corn tortilla and the green dipping sauce with which they were served. We won’t even talk about the Hostess mini crumb donuts I ate too. Geez. Gotta love the offerings in school cafeterias. Sad to say it’s no better 30 years later. Did I just say that? 30 YEARS? “sigh”.
Anyway, I digress…sorry. As we all know, traditional taquitos are deep fried. We also know deep fried foods = bad news. I set out to create a plant-based taquito that I could bake, but would still be crunchy. I don’t cook with oil as a rule, but for form and function, a small amount was required for this to work. I tried it without. Fail. However, I was amazed how such a small amount could make a difference. 1 tablespoon of olive oil or less for the entire batch of 12 taquitos. Not bad. Since these taquitos are filled with potatoes, I’m calling them paquitos. 🙂
These muffins are very similar to my Sunshine Muffins, with a few small changes, and the addition of blueberries and poppy seeds – yummy. I have only used fresh blueberries in this recipe but frozen (thawed) would work too. These go VERY quickly in my house.
As much as I complain about not enjoying cold weather and shorter days, I must admit the food that is most often consumed during those months, i.e., soups and stews, is my most favorite! I made this soup in the crock pot recently on a rainy Saturday. Perfect! I really like lentils so a soup that calls for two kinds – even better!
I’ve been craving lemon lately, which isn’t normal for me. I’m guessing it’s because I associate lemon with spring and the outdoors, which are two things I also crave. Living in SoCal the winters are really no big deal, but it’s still winter, and we have our days of no sun, with plenty of rain and even some cold temps (all relative, I understand). Whatever. I’m over it. However, since I have a ways to go until fairly consistent warmth and sunshine ensue, I will satisfy my cravings with muffins like these. To me, they taste like sunshine. The cardamom flavor paired with the fresh lemon is quite delicious. And the best part is they are healthy, using whole grain flours, no animal products and no added fat. The sun is shining in my kitchen!
Extras: 1) Top muffins with candied lemon zest just prior to cooking for extra lemony goodness. 2) Add 1-2 TBS poppy seeds to batter for Sunshine Poppy Seed Muffins. 🙂
UPDATE 2/12/13: Apparently the cardamom I used the first few times I made these had been around awhile. I purchased fresh (as fresh as you can get in the store) and used it in the recipe yesterday and the cardamom flavor was way too strong for my tastes. If you like it strong, stick with the 2 tsp, but I’m adjusting the amount to call for 1/2-1 tsp. Also, I felt the need to improve texture a bit. I wanted to lighten them a little; do something to help them rise a bit more (always tricky with fat/free, vegan baking). I added ground chia seeds/water and was very happy with the end result. You can grind them in a clean coffee grinder or blender.