Month: March 2024

Leprechaun (Spinach) Muffins

When my Beautycounter friend Amy Carter shared her secret spinach muffin recipe that fooled even her tiny humans into thinking they were dessert, let’s say I was intrigued … and relieved because now there’s hope for all parents struggling to get their picky kiddo’s to eat their veggies. I wish I knew about this clever recipe when raising my kids.

#SpinachMuffinMagic is what I’d call it!

The recipe Amy shared was called Popeye Muffins from thegreenforks.com. I made a few changes to make it whole food plant based no salt, oil or sugar (WFPB no SOS) compliant and they turned out super delicious. My first attempt I used oat flour while in the second iteration I opted for chickpea flour. Much to my surprise there wasn’t a noteworthy difference between the two. This recipe strikes a perfect balance of sweetness, effectively masking any trace of spinach flavor. The dark green color may look intense, yet funny enough, it could pass as camouflage on St. Patrick’s Day. With everything healthy in this recipe the more your little leprechaun’s eat the healthier they will be!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups oat or chickpea flour (you can make your own flour by processing rolled oats or dried chickpeas into fine powder)
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup chopped raw pepitas
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 (6 oz. bag) fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 bananas)
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 – 4 unsweetened dry apricots

Directions

  • Wisk together dry ingredients and set aside (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pepitas)
  • Place milk and spinach in a high speed blender until completely pureed. Add the banana, applesauce and vanilla and blend until completely mixed.
  • Pour pureed mixture into the dry mixture and fold together with a wooden spoon or plastic spatula until completely combined.
  • Fill silicone muffin pan with the batter 3/4 full.
  • Top the muffin batter with small pieces of dried apricots
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until tootpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Kids that like to get involved will think the colors are pretty cool (but then that blows the secret of the hidden spinach)
I think the apricots look like little nuggets of gold
Very moist with very little crumbling

Protein Packed Healthy Veggie Muffins

These scrumptious little muffins earn an A+ in flavor, are highly nutritious (packed with dense plant based protein) and are nearly impossible to just have one. They are super easy to make and delicious right out of the oven or chilled in the refrigerator. You can use whatever combination of veggies you like, throw in your favorites nuts or seeds and season to your liking – the possibilities are absolutely endless. These tasty gems remind me of little quiche lorraine’s without the crust and using tofu to simulate the eggs and nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. I haven’t quite decided whether these muffins should be on the breakfast, lunch or dinner menu – or maybe served as an appetizer or snack. Whatever you decide, I hope you find these healthy little muffins as irresistably delicious as I do.

Ingredients

  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 serrano pepper chopped (seeds included)
  • 1 medium zuccini cut in small pieces
  • 5 button mushrooms cut in small pieces
  • 3 green onions cut in small pieces (use both white and green parts)
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. tumeric powder
  • 14 oz. container extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 30 minutes)
  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour (see notes)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 baking soda
  • 2-3 tbsp. dairy free milk
  • 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower or pepita seeds or chopped walnuts (optional)
  • 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions

  1. Place 1/4 cup water in a skillet then add the chopped vegetables and spices (first 10 ingredients) and saute for 5 minutes or until water evaporates.
  2. Process the tofu, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast (if using), baking powder and baking soda in a food processor. Add the 2-3 tbsp. of dairy free milk and process again until the mixture is smooth and dough like.
  3. Place the tofu mixture, sauteed vegetables and seeds/nuts (if using) in a large bowl and mix together thoroughly.
  4. Pour the mixture in a silicone muffin mold.
  5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until muffins are a golden brown. Wait until the muffins cool down completely before removing from the molds.
Such a savory aroma when sauteeing
Eating one just isn’t enough!

Special Notes

  • You can use whatever vegetables appeal to you for a total of 2 cups chopped vegetables.
  • The nutritional yeast will give the muffins a cheesy flavor but is completely optional.
  • A tofu press removes excess water from the tofu. Failing to remove the water will result in a soggy muffins. If you don’t have a tofu press you can improvise as in the fourth and fifth picture.
This is the tofu press that I use called Tofuture. I purchased it on Amazone for about $22.oo.
This is the block of tofu prior to pressing
After 8 hours 200 cc of water was squeezed out
Don’t have a press? No problem. Just wrap the tofu block in a clean dishtowel or several layers of paper towel and place in a large plate with a rim.
Place a heavy object on top of the tofu like a frying pan. Place other weighted objects on the frying pan to weight it down even further. The water will soak into the towel and flow into the plate.

What is Tofu?

Tofu is made from dried soybeans that have been soaked, crushed and then boiled. The mixture is then separated into solid curds and soymilk. The curds are pressed into solid blocks which is the tofu. The Japanese word tofu means bean curd.

Plain tofu tastes bland but, like a sponge, it will soak up the flavors it is cooked in. Tofu is very low in saturated fat, rich in heart healthy unsaturated fat, has no cholesterol, is glutin-free and is an excellent source of protein, fiber and vitamins. Tofu is technically not considered a whole food because it is processed (although minimally). Despite this, it is still considered “green light”because of all the health benefits.