Tumeric Latte Mix

This recipe came about because of the generous acts of two friends. One friend bought a big bag of turmeric last spring, which she shared with me. The other friend gave me an envelope of Latte 1 from The Golden Number. Instead of ordering more when it was gone, I experimented with making my own recipe.
I love making lattes in the evening using almond milk but you can try my recipe with whatever kind of milk you enjoy. I used teaspoons as my unit of measurement because I had only a small amount of ground ginger when I went to experiment. Use the unit that works for you! 

1&1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt

6 grinds of black pepper

Stir all ingredients together well.
To make a latte, stir together 1 tsp of the mix plus 8oz of your preferred milk. Heat & enjoy!
I like to use almond milk plus either a drop of vanilla stevia or a little bit of honey. It's good without sweetener too.

Adding 1/4 tsp of cocoa powder to a tsp of the mix is also nice.

Vegan Banana Muffins

Super moist, flavorful vegan banana chocolate chip muffin!

Adapted from the Minimalist Baker blog. She made a tasty crumb topped muffin.

Muffins:

• 5 Tb water and 2 Tb  flaxmeal to make flax eggs
• 4 medium ripe bananas (don’t worry about measurements – it’s forgiving)
• heaping 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) or coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1.5 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (or unbleached all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4-1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and lightly grease a standard size muffin tin (will make 10-11 muffins)

2.    Prepare flax egg in a large mixing bowl. Let set for 5 minutes.

3.    Add banana and mash, leaving just a bit of texture.

4.    Add brown sugar, baking soda, salt and whisk for one minute.

5.    Stir in vanilla, melted butter and mix.

6.    Add flour and oats and stir with a spoon or spatula until just combined. Lastly, fold in chocolate chips .

7.    Divide batter evenly among 10-11 muffin tins, filling a generous 3/4 full

8.    Bake for 17-22 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes, remove from muffin tin and serve warm.  I freeze them and take out one by one (heat or microwave)

  These are a go to breakfast. I made loads of them at the residency and everyone liked them...and they weren't vegan!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

Yesterday was Thanksgiving & I loaded my plate with lots of veggies! I had oven roasted sweet potato & beets, steamed cauliflower & broccoli, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy (from My Beef With Meat), & of course cranberry sauce. "Where was your protein?", all the meat eaters are asking. My answer - I made raw pumpkin-maple pie with baked oat crust from THE oh she glows COOKBOOK. It's packed with nut protein & pretty darned yummy too!

Then there was leftover pumpkin puree. What's a hen to do? A little research & merge a traditional pumpkin bread recipe with a vegan pumpkin muffin recipe & here it is!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar (your choice)

1/4 cup molasses

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 flax eggs (2 Tbs ground flax mixed with 6 Tbs water)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

I tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

Prepare a 12 muffin pan & set aside. Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, make the flax eggs &  let rest a few minutes. Stir in the rest of the wet ingredients. Add the spices, raisins & nuts. Stir well. Add flours, baking power & baking soda. Stir gently just until all ingredients are combined. Fill muffin pan & bake at 350F for 30 minutes.