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.

Mum's Carrot Cake Bars

Food evokes such a sense of nostalgia

My mum used to make my school trousers, and reinforce the knees with extra fabric because I’d fall over so much. My brother and I weren't allowed fizzy drinks unless we were on holiday and our packed lunch would always come with a home baked treat. This was partly down to being thrifty and partly down to knowing that home baked treats taste so much better than supermarket fare. You have to remember this was the 80s, when a Club was the height of sophistication in the playground.

Moving in to secondary school my mum no longer made my trousers or reinforced my knees, I did get bought my first ever pair of Doctor Marten’s, which doubled as school shoes and my pathway to after-school rebellion. Soon my packed lunches gave way to dinner money that got spent on 10p crisps and cigarettes, innocence lost.

A few years ago my mum photocopied all her old recipe cards and I was transported on a nostalgia trip, so many different things that used to appear in my lunch-box were now attainable again, but made by me. Over the course of this blog I will delve through these history bites and give you an insight into my childhood along the way.

I decided to make these  carrot cake bars with a lime/yoghurt icing instead of the cream cheese prescribed as I wanted to take them in to work and was aware one of my colleagues doesn't tolerate cream cheese icing (I know, weirdo). I'm happy to modify and mix I up and compromise when I make food for others, my mum did

the same for me when I was going through my chocolate-spread-vegetarian phase…. A story for another time, maybe.

I substituted the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves for ground ginger, any warm ground spice will work well. Obviously you can substitute the dried fruit and nuts to your taste. Everything is adaptable. This is why i've given you the two icings, one is my mum's and one is mine.

Let me know if you've resurrected any old family recipes or been passed any down.

Mum's Carrot Cake Bars

200g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

3 eggs

200g grated carrot

175g caster sugar

165 ml vegetable oil

50g raisins

75g chopped walnuts

Set the oven to 180c/Gas mark 4

Sift plain flour, baking powder, bicarb, spices in to a bowl.

Combine eggs, carrots, sugar and oil in a large bowl and mix well.

Add flour mix gradually mixing with metal spoon or spatula until thourouhly combined. 

Mix in raisins and walnuts.

Spread batter into 15 x 10 x 1 tin, ungreased and bake for 25 - 30 minutes - check with a skewer.

Cool on a wire rack.

Lime Yoghurt Icing

2 tbsp Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp lime juice

zest of 1 lime

200g icing sugar

Cream Cheese Icing

75g cream cheese

50g butter

2 drops vanilla essence

225g icing sugar

Either icing is the same, chuck in a bowl, whizz with an electric mixer till combined.

Don't ice the cake until it has cooled.

Cut into 8 - 12 bars depending on how greedy you are.