Gluten-free Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
When I'm feeling a little down about the cold weather in Minnesota, I fire up the oven and start baking. The star of my baking recipes this month is PUMPKIN for obvious seasonal reasons and also because it's loaded with nutrients. It is a vegetable after all, so if I can turn vegetables into sweet treats that even the pickiest of eaters can enjoy, I feel pretty awesome about my chances of someday becoming a competitor on my imagined future favorite TV show featuring Gordon Ramsey (of Master Chef) getting as intense about nutrition as he is about all other culinary matters. The cooking challenge he'd present would be "Create a healthy gluten free vegan dessert in under 30 minutes!" and I'd whip up a batch of these Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Muffins - WIN!
Even without the imagined win, these muffins are a real treat. Why vegan? The three most common food allergies are dairy, egg, and gluten, so by avoiding all three, it is my hope that most people can enjoy these. If you are not sure whether or not you have a food intolerance, I'd recommend asking your Naturopathic Doctor about getting tested. Identifying and removing a food intolerance can not only help your digestion, but also improve energy, mood, weight, and eliminate various health issues such as headaches, joint pain, acne, and more.
Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned, BPA-free lining)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
3/4 cups organic unrefined sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil (I used a combo of grapeseed oil and coconut oil)
1/3 cup water
1 very ripe banana mashed well
Optional add-ins that make the recipe even more nutritious: 1 Tbs flaxmeal, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup grated carrot
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together 1 cup pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, mashed banana and water. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Mix in optional add-ins. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
And a few more sweet pumpkin recipes from other healthy foodies:
Grain Free Pumpkin Bars from The Detoxinista
GF Vegan PumpkinMuffins from Nosh and Nourish
Warmest wishes,
Dr. Liz