Vegan Carrot and Parsnip Muffins

I’m a sucker for baking with vegetables, so much so I like to combine them for different flavour profiles and contrasting colours. The carrot and the parsnip, kissing cousins of the vegetable world, work wonderfully here with the spices – the holy trinity of sweet spices (IMHO) ground ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. If you have any other suggestions of spices to be used in sweet dishes, I’m all ears, I have discovered none but these 3 that seem to work in harmony with a cakey bake.

I’ve been developing these bad boys for a while now and have just managed to perfect them. Getting the ratio of wet/dry is really important in eggless cooking and I found that this batter needs to be wet. The ground almonds really help to keep moisture in the muffin along with the parsnips and carrots, which add sweetness to a low sugar treat.

Vegan, low sugar, low fat blah blah blah – These little delights are filling enough to take for breakfast and healthy enough to snack on without planning a run and a green smoothie afterwards.

Don't be put off by the number of ingredients, you can use one type of flour and water instead of almond milk, I just thought I'd experiment, and it worked, Makes 12.

Vegan Carrot and Parsnip Muffins

125g grated carrot

125g grated parsnip

140g whole wheat flour

70g spelt flour

70g gram flour

70g ground almonds

70g dried fruit

100g soft brown sugar

1tsp cinnamon

200ml sunflower oil

200ml almond milk

50ml water

1tsp ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Pinch of salt

1tsp vinegar (I used hazelnut)

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4

Stir together all dry ingredients, mix wet ones in apart from the water. You should have a relatively wet batter with a nice dropping consistency.

If the batter is too think, add a little water and work in until you have the desired consistency.

Spoon in to prepared muffin cases in a 12 hole tin.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown on top.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins

I know, I know, you'd think all I do is bake... 

Well these bad boys are a work in progress - this batch is the one i've been happiest with so far. I was aiming for a muffin you could grab and eat for breakfast that would be sturdy enough to travel to a festival but not dry and mealy. 

The addition of the low fat yogurt definitely helps keep the muffin moist, whereas the oats keep it filling and sturdy, in case of any squishing they will retain some structural integrity. imagine if you used whole wheat flour they would be even more dense but i didn't have any and wanted something soft, I fear the whole wheat flour may have made them a but claggy. I'll report back when I continue my experiments.

These can easily be made vegan with some stewed apple in place of the eggs and some non-dairy yogurt. I doubt they will last very long, they may even get snaffled on the journey to Glastonbury, I hope you enjoy these versatile little buns!

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins

30g butter

150g crunchy peanut butter

150g brown sugar

2 eggs

150g plain flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

120ml low-fat yogurt

50g rolled oats
juice of one lemon

2 ripe bananas, mashed

Pre-heat oven to 160C/Gas Mark 3

Cream sugar, peanut butter and butter for 5 minutes with hand held electric mixer, scrape down the sides with a spatula.

Add one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly each time and scrape down the sides.

Fold in sifted flour and baking powder, then stir in the yogurt, banana and oats one by one. Finally stir in the lemon juice. The mixture will be quite sloppy, don't worry.

Line a 12 hole muffin tray and fill each about 3/4 of the way.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Leave to cool on a wire rack and eat when the bottom stops being squidgy.

Spiced Golden Syrup Granola

Breakfast can a tricky meal to navigate... 

...because it is everyone’s personal wake up call. Do you have coffee and a croissant? Toast and a cup of tea? Cereal and juice? Yoghurt and fruit? I’ve been doing the cereal/fruit/yoghurt combo recently and wondered if I’d be able to make something as delicious, if not more so, but with less sugar.

I’ve mused about making my own granola for a while but didn’t like all the sugar in the recipes, which is why I’ve used golden syrup, a tiny amount of brown sugar and apple juice as sweeteners – their distinct flavours, the treacle note sin the syrup, caramel form the sugar and tartness form the juice – all lift this granola above a need for a sugar fix in the morning.

When it comes to the component parts it is entirely up to you, (you know how I like to encourage you all to experiment) I used what I had in the cupboards, oats, whole almonds, cashews and sunflower seeds, but any grain, nut and seed combo should work, depending on your preferences. I added dried fruit to give more texture to the mix and impart a sourness to the earthy grains and nuts, which is pleasing any time of the day.

Spiced Golden Syrup Granola

200g oats

4tbsp Golden Syrup

2tbsp sunflower oil

75ml apple juice

1tbsp Demerara sugar

50g almonds

50g cashew nuts

50g sunflower seeds

100g dried fruit

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon 

Heat oven to 160C/Gas Mark 3 and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Put Golden Syrup, oil, apple juice and sugar in a pan and heat gently till it boils. Turn off the heat.

Tip liquid into a bowl with oats, nuts and seeds. Spread on to the baking tin.

Bake for 10 minutes then mix with a metal spoon, and for 10 minute intervals until it reaches a toasty-golden hue.

When satisfied, remove from oven to cool and break up the big pieces you may have missed.

When cooled, mix in dried fruit and spices.

Store in an airtight container.

Baked Eggs with Salami and Spinach

A lazy weekend breakfast

Eggs for breakfast are a weekend treat for me as I rarely have the time to make eggs in the morning of a weekday, partially because I'm lazy, and partially because I don’t want to leave the squirrel nest. Baked eggs are a great healthy way to prepare eggs and come with none of the anxiety that poached eggs breed. I've added a slice of salami to the base of the tin but in the past have added sliced tomato or sautéed mushrooms, which would work for a vegetarian option.

The size of your tin will dictate what you can add on top of or underneath your eggs, spinach is a pleasing one, as it recalls the luxuriously decadent eggs Florentine, but without the masses of butter. I tend to grate a bit of hard cheese on top as it imparts a lot of flavour with a small amount, Cheddar, Parmesan or Gran Padano all work well, if you’d prefer ad a dash of cream before baking for some richness but not the fat of cheese.

I'm a big seasoner of eggs, salt and pepper are a must, I pepper before going in to the oven and salt when they come out because salt can decrease the cooking time of the egg. If you want runny eggs then 7-10 minutes works well. If you want set but still gooey 10-12 minutes and if you want hard boiled style yolks then 15 minutes is for you. I tend to serve them with some good crusty brown bread but if you’re trying to stay off the carbs then they’re great on their own,  or have as a late brunch with a green salad to mop up the yolk.

Baked Eggs with Salami and Spinach

4 eggs

4 slices of salami

Handful of baby spinach

25g hard cheese, grated finely

Oil to grease

Salt n pepper

Pre-head the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6

Grease a Yorkshire pudding or muffin tin and put a slice of salami in the bottom of the tin.

Arrange spinach leaves on top.

Crack in the eggs, season with pepper, sprinkle on cheese.

Bake for at least 7 minutes and then judge for yourself on how you like your eggs cooked.