Oh my, even in Arizona I can feel fall in the air so I thought it was time for some homemade muffins! I jokingly call these "faux" muffins because I have modified an old recipe I had to be dairy free, gluten-free, and egg-free. They are denser and not as fluffy as an egg-based muffin, so don't expect light and fluffy, but they are still good.
Steve actually whipped this batch up for the first time and he did a great job!
RECIPE
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix 2 T. dry chia seeds with 6 T. boiling hot water in a bowl and set aside for about ten minutes. This will make a sticky "faux egg" that will bind the dough together.
In another bowl, mix together 1 cup nut milk (almond, coconut, or such) with 1/2 c. oil (I like sunflower oil), and 2 t. vanilla extract and then mix well with the cooled chia seed "eggs."
In another bowl mix well the dry ingredients of 1 cup coconut sugar, 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, 4 t. baking powder, and 1 t. salt.
Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients and add fruit and nuts of your choice. I used blueberries/cherries I bought frozen and then I thawed them and then tossed them with 1 T. of lemon juice before putting them in the dough and mixing well. Any nuts will add a nice touch too. Raisins and chopped apples would be great too! Whatever fruit you like is the best.
Put in muffin tins and bake 16-20 minutes. Do not bake too long; test them with a fork or toothpick 'til it comes out clean.
These freeze well so just contain and enjoy your muffins for breakfast or with a nice salad lunch.
FALL FRUIT BREAKFAST COMPOTE
I also like to make an easy baked apples/pears/oatmeal compote in my slow cooker when fall arrives. This is yummy as a breakfast meal with nut milk on top or even as a dessert with dinner with a scoop of non-dairy "nice cream." (Or go ahead and have real dairy ice cream if that's your thing; some of us just can't do that without feeling ill.)
Here's what I do to make this little recipe ...
Dice apples and pears and toss in slow cooker. I use four or five of each.
Cover with one or two individual packages of instant oatmeal.
Add a dash of cinnamon, vanilla, and a little water.
Stir it all well and turn the slow cooker on high and it will be done in no time. Stir once during cooking so it all mixes up well. if it seems dry, you can add more water or even a little coconut or other oil.
MY KITCHEN FAVES
I am still partial to my old-fashioned Crockpots with no buttons to program. I like just high, low, and maybe warm settings with a plain old knob. Easy-peasy. I also now prefer a smaller size and we keep two slow cookers on hand so I can cook different things at the same time. (I love to make "boiled" potatoes in my slow cooker and I will tell you how I do that in another post.)
I really like these non-stick muffin tins.
Also, I am so in love with my new lemon dish towels that you see in the pix above. Soft, absorbent, great price. They look so pretty hanging on our black-glass oven door; they just make me smile! I also love these dishcloths. They are a happy yellow color, absorbent, and have enough "scrubby nubby" on them to get tough stuff.
It's the little simple things in life and at home that bring joy, don't you think?
Kathryn
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