Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mega Muffins (Vegan)

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Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Moist, Dense Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mega Muffins

Makes six large whole wheat pumpkin muffins or one 8″ x 4″ loaf, 20 minutes to prepare, 40 minutes to bake.

Recently I decided that I wanted to start baking with whole wheat, rather than refined flours. That’s better for you, right? Little did I know that one cannot simply sub whole wheat flour for all purpose flour and expect all to be right in the world. Whole wheat is a bit thirstier than all purpose, so when trying a recipe with whole wheat you have to include more liquids. Thanks to my laziness and inability to follow any recipe perfectly, I ended up with just the right amount of moisture to counter-balance the whole wheat flour in these pumpkin muffins.

Sifting flour into muffin batter Sift your flour for better muffins. You’ll have to mix less to get out clumps, resulting in fluffier muffins.

I made these muffins in ramekins so they would be extra big and breakfast-sized, but you can just as well bake this batter in a muffin tin or loaf pan — just be sure to adjust the time accordingly. This recipe is adapted from the Postpunk Kitchen.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp ground flax
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup white sugar or evaporated cane juice
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground
  • 3/4 tsp cinnamon, ground
  • 1 18oz can pumpkin puree
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax, 3 tbsp water, see note)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk, cream only (see note)
  • Oats to sprinkle on top, decorative

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mega Muffin Batter
Mix liquids, spices, baking powder, and sugars first, then incrementally sift in the flour. 

Recipe notes and Tips:

  • Note: Refrigerate can of coconut milk overnight. The liquids and solids will separate, and the solids will float to the top of the can. Carefully open the can and spoon out only the solids. Save the rest.
  • Note: Combine flax meal with water in a bowl and mix well with a fork. Refrigerate for at least ten minutes, until the consistency of the mixture thickens and forms a strand when you lift your fork out of the mixture.
  • Tip: In retrospect, it would’ve been better to mix the sugars in with the oil first. I ended up having to mash out brown sugar clumps with a whisk — not very effective.

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix oil, brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin, spices, baking powder, and coconut milk cream first in a large bowl. Sift in about a half cup of flour at a time, and mix just enough to incorporate. If you do dry ingredients before wet ingredients, you could end up with clumps of brown sugar.

Four Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mega Muffins

Grease four ramekins with cooking spray and pour in about 3/4 cup of batter. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon on top of the muffin and top with rolled oats. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. As Isa suggests, cover the individual muffins with tin foil. This creates a wonderful, moist texture on top of the muffin. When the muffins have cooled for about ten minutes, remove them from the ramekins by twisting the muffin a little and then gently dumping the muffin out.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mega Muffin

If you’re like me and you want to smother them in butter, this is the time! Split that piece of pumpkin heaven open and let there be butter.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mega MuffinsWhat are your favorite uses for a can of pumpkin? How do you like to use other squashes in baking? Share your results and opinions in the comments!

Spicy chickpeas in tomato cream curry

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Spicy chickpeas in tomato cream curry
Serves 2-3, 25 minutes to prepare.

If I could eat one kind of food for the rest of my life, it would probably be Indian food. Curry in particular can be so rich and creamy, but also full of strong flavors and bright colors. You can also hide tons of super healthy veggies inside it and not worry about feeling like you’re eating a warm salad. If you don’t eat dairy, like me, it can be a challenge to achieve a smooth, creamy curry without the weird flavors that can accompany “dairy substitutes” like soy yogurt. This curry uses the solid cream from coconut milk, which has zero coconut flavor but greatly enhances the texture of this curry.

This curry came about on a day when I needed to make a quick lunch before going grocery shopping. My cupboard and fridge were practically barren. Hopefully you’ll find that most of these ingredients are pantry staples, and you’ve probably got them lying around. No specialty ingredients here!

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp vegan butter or margarine
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 3 tbsp curry powder (I like S&B)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar or evaporated cane juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 16oz can chickpeas
  • 1 18oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 dollop coconut milk cream, see note
  • 1 large handful spinach, stems removed, cut into a chiffonade
  • White or Brown Basmati rice

Recipe notes and tips:
Coconut Milk Cream

  • Note: In advance, you should refrigerate the can of coconut milk overnight. This will cause the solid cream to separate from the liquid and settle at the top. Then, you can open the can on the bottom and carefully drain the liquid. Keep leftover cream for making desserts or a cream-based curry.
  • Tip: A little cayenne pepper goes a long way. Buy a couple tablespoons of cayenne pepper in bulk — save yourself some money and you’ll be set for quite a while!
  • Tip: You can use the leftover cream to make non-dairy cheese and desserts!

Instructions:
Start by melting the margarine in a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan or dutch oven with a medium heat flame. Once hot, add diced shallot and sautée until fragrant and slightly golden, about 1 minute. Add spices (curry, turmeric, chili, and cayenne) to pan and cook them in the butter until they start to thicken a bit. Throw in the chickpeas and allow those to cook for a bit until the spice mixture starts to coat the chickpeas.

A chiffonade of spinach

Add canned diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, and mix well. Bring the curry up to a simmer. Meanwhile, separate the coconut milk cream from the liquid (see note). Once most of the liquid from the tomatoes has cooked off (~5-10 minutes), add the dollop of coconut milk cream and most of the spinach and mix well. Cook for a couple more minutes, until the spinach has slightly wilted. Then taste for salt and spices. If it’s too spicy, add more coconut milk cream. If you’d like it spicier, slowly add more chili powder or cayenne pepper.

Turn off heat, serve over basmati rice or with naan! Garnish with a small dollop of coconut milk cream and raw spinach chiffons.

Serving Suggestions:
Add more veggies! Double the sauce and include other vegetables like carrots, peas, and broccoli. Just be sure to put the harder vegetables in early enough that they have time to cook in the curry. You can cover the pan to keep more of the heat in.

Substitute kale in place of spinach. Either green will look beautiful and provide you with valuable nutrition. In fact, why not include both?

Not so spicy chickpeas. If you’re not into sinus-clearing curry, feel free to cut down on or omit the chili powder and cayenne pepper. Just be sure to taste and check as you go!

What’s your favorite type of ethnic food? Do you have an easy time getting good ethnic food in your city or town, or do you have to travel for it? Share your experiences and results in the comments!