Happy Labor Day to my American readers! I wish I could say I was going to a fun party or something today, but my only plans consist of going to the gym, working, doing a few errands and getting ready for a short overnight trip I need to take to Los Angeles tomorrow. I am having a LASIK consultation to finally see if I can get rid of my contact lenses. I’m very excited about the possibility of having normal vision again, although the idea of surgery on my eyeballs kinda freaks me out. <—-(I will choose to not think about this too much). I do have some fun vegan-inspired plans while I am in LA so I will attempt to post about my adventures on Wednesday when I’m on the road.
Until then, I can’t wait to share this new muffin recipe with you! I rarely make baked goods anymore, but when Alan and I were at Dr. Fuhrman’s Health Getaway the week before last, Dr. Fuhrman mentioned a bread that he and his family occasionally make together which was pretty much just flour, raisins, spices and baking powder. I figured if Dr. Fuhrman can have bread every once in awhile, then I can certainly have some too. 
That being said, I couldn’t help but health-ify (is that a word?) these muffins by adding some broccoli slaw into the mix. I buy broccoli slaw at Trader Joe’s, but it is just grated broccoli stems and carrots. You could substitute grated zucchini, too. I also got all crazy and added some garbanzo beans to the batter, too. I promise you can’t taste the veggies or the beans in the muffins!
I sprayed my muffin tin with some coconut oil to prevent sticking, but other than that, these muffins are 100% oil-free. I sweetened them with raisins, applesauce and date sugar which is just dried, ground dates (I buy the Bob’s Red Mill version through Vitacost; you can click this referral code if you’re a new customer and we’ll both get $10 off our orders).
The batter looked like this:
I baked them at 375 degrees for 30 minutes and they turned out better than I ever could have imagined!
Here is the recipe:
Back to School Cinnamon Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups of rolled oats (use gluten-free if you need to)
1 cup raisins
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup date sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups broccoli slaw (or grated zucchini or carrot)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or coconut oil.
2. Place the oats in a food processor and process until ground into a flour.
3. Add raisins, flax meal, cinnamon, baking powder and date sugar to the oat flour and process for 30 seconds or until the ingredients are mixed well with the flour.
4. Add the wet ingredients including the vanilla extract, broccoli slaw, applesauce, beans and unsweetened non-dairy milk to the food processor and pulse together until combined.
5. Using a spoon, place about 2-3 tablespoons of the batter into a lightly sprayed muffin tin.
6. Bake the muffins at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
I think when I make the next batch of these muffins, I might even leave out the date sugar to see if they are sweet enough without it. If you try it that way, please let me know what you think!
I managed to get to the farmers’ market this weekend and was shocked to see butternut squash available. I guess we really are heading into fall. Here was some of my bounty from the market:
I also got some lettuce mix, baby tomatoes, bell peppers and a giant watermelon. I made this salad using ingredients primarily from the market:
If you’re going to a party today and want to bring a healthy dish, be sure to check out my recipe index here. Have a great day and I’ll see you back here on Wednesday!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I never would have thought to add broccoli slaw mix to it! That is such a great idea — what an ingenious way to add more vegetables into your diet!
Great idea to add broccoli! I’ve added spinach before but that’s as wild as I’ve gotten.
Hey, Carrie ~
I made the Dr. F. zucchini bread and put it into muffin cups. Similar process and quite tasty. Though it didn’t use the beans. I will have to try your recipe and see how it compares.
And don’t worry about LASIK surgery. I had it done about 13 or 14 years ago. Best $$ I spent on myself. Just now (I’m waaaay over 40) am I starting to use reading glasses. So convenient to not have to wear glasses or contacts. Do it! You won’t regret it!
Hi Jan! I am soooo excited to get rid of my contacts and glasses. I realized just recently how vulnerable I am not being able to see and I am really anxious to do the LASIK.
Let me know if you like my muffin recipe.
Hey Carrie,
Those muffins look yummy.
LASIK was the best $4K investment that I have ever made. I don’t regret one moment of it. Since my surgery in January 2008, I have had no issues whatsoever.
Thanks for the info on the LASIK, Jonathan!
Yum these look delicious! I love putting veggies in muffins/bread and beans are always a plus! I will have to try these out!
The muffins look yummy and dense – just the way I like it! I’m wondering if you can use just dates pulsed in the food processor instead of the date sugar to sweeten?
Hi Laurie! Yes, I think you do sweeten the muffins this way. You could also just add some extra raisins, too.
These look awesome!
Instead of applesauce I may try mashed banana.
Thanks for sharing hun!
Eye surgery would freak me out too, though I have heard say it was so worth it.
Good luck xx
Thanks, Lisa! I think a ripe banana would be fine instead of the applesauce, you just might need a little extra liquid to thin out the batter. Let me know how they turn out!
I don’t eat baked goods much these days, either, but if I were, this would be right up my alley! I made a curried squash bread this weekend with squash, buckwheat and flax and will post it later this week.. baked goods must be in the air these days!
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