Blueberry Muffins

I am always on the lookout for a good blueberry muffin recipe, especially one that I can use during Lent.  Muffins are my favorite Lenten breakfast.  Blueberry muffins, however, generally don't turn out well when they are vegan.  I've tried and failed many times.

Today, though, I tried a new recipe.  Bumble Bee wanted banana muffins (our go-to muffin), but I had a bunch of blueberries I wanted to use up before they could go bad.  A quick Google search brought me to a new recipe at the Speckled Palate.  It seemed promising, but I was missing applesauce and didn't want quite so much sugar.  So, I tweaked it just a bit, and with Bumble Bee's assistance, I made a nice batch of blueberry muffins.  I also generally like just to throw everything in and mix, so my step-by-step was a little different, too, but  I don't think my lazy style hurt.

I will admit these aren't strictly Lenten because they do require a smidgen of oil, but if you don't mind that or can wait for an oil & wine day, they're worth the effort.  Even with about a third of the sugar called for in the original, they were still nicely sweetened.

Ingredients

• 1 medium mashed banana
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼  teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar + 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup original flavored soymilk
• water as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat the blueberries in 1 tablespoon of flour. Set aside.
3. Stir together salt, sugar, oil, bananas, and vanilla. 
4. Stir in soymilk, baking powder, baking soda and vinegar. (Bumble Bee enjoyed watching it all froth as I added the vinegar.
5. Add flour stirring until just mixed.
6. Add water as needed to make the batter more pourable (I found it to be too doughy with the original liquid content).
7. Fold in blueberries.
8. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

A Breakfast to Finish the Fast

I realize I didn't post nearly as many Lenten recipes as I thought I would.  Here's a great Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin recipe that I adapted years ago from a basic banana bread.  It is a hit with the kids, and I often bake these to give to new neighbors, who love them, too.

Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/8 cup sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp salt (omit if not using sugar)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda

1/4 - 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil or tahini

If you have a large Kitchen-aid mixer, you can throw everything in and mix.  If not, mash the bananas in a small bowl.  Mix the dry ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients and bananas, and mix.  Pour into 12 muffin cups, and bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes (I don't preheat).

I no longer use sugar because we've been trying to cut out refined sugar. These are still a hit with the kids because the bananas with the bit of chocolate chips really give it a sweet punch.  The walnuts are a great source of omega 3s, but if you don't like them, you can substitute ground flax seed (I do about 1 tablespoon) for a tasteless source of omega 3s.

Bean Burrito Soup

This is a really simple recipe that captures the spirit of Lenten food.  It arose from a modified recipe the results of which I did not anticipate.  I started out to make a leek and potato soup that I have made many times.  Then, because I've already been getting complaints of people feeling bad from not having enough protein, I thought I'd add some beans.  My initial plan had been to add great northern or some other white beans, but not finding them in my pantry, I turned to some pinto beans.  I had not thought ahead to how that would affect the look of the soup until it was too late.  So, I continued on with a brown soup expecting the worst when my family saw it.  I was pleasantly surprised when the girls finished their bowls with only a few grimaces, and DH asked for seconds of the "Bean Burrito Soup."  So, here it is...

Ingredients
3-4 medium potatoes, cubed
1 large leek, sliced
1.5 cups of dry pinto beans, rinsed & soaked
1 T salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 dashes garlic powder
water or vegetable broth
hot sauce (optional)
cheddar cheese (optional)

Toss everything into a large pot, and cover with water or broth.  Cook until the beans are soft (30 minutes in a pressure cooker, 1.5 hours otherwise).  Puree in batches until smooth, adding extra water if it gets too thick. 

DH wanted hot sauce, especially a Mexican habanero variety.  The girls had cheddar.