Recipe: Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins



About a year ago, I started to turn into an oompa loompa. Well, not really - but I did have a lovely orange glow. My hands and fingers looked liked I'd been self tanning without gloves, my stomach had odd orange blotches and the soles of my feet had a lovely orange glow.

The doctor told me it wasn't impacting my health, but the orange glow was due to my love of betacarotene filled vegetables - pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, zucchinis. Sure, I could give up the vitamin A - but seriously those veggies are way too good!

Pumpkin is one of my favourite vegetables - I love it in sweet foods, savoury foods, baked, roasted, pureed, sautéed you name it. When I first started making pumpkin muffins, my family were grossed out - but Jesse had convinced me to give them a try. Little did I know that I'd soon be roasting 3 pumpkins at a time just to make my own pumpkin puree and searching the web for where to find pumpkin puree in Sydney.

Pumpkin season is just beginning in the US and it's already ended here in Australia - but that certainly isn't going to stop me from baking up some pumpkin treats and taking advantage of the year round supply. You'll notice these muffins aren't super orange and that's thanks to a pale pumpkin (another sign pumpkin season is over) but the brighter your pumpkin, the brighter the muffins!

Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins  makes 12 muffins

gluten free, vegan option, low fat, sugar free

3/4 cup gluten free plain flour

3/4 cup buckwheat flour or gluten free oat flour (the choice is yours!)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp mixed spice

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup egg whites or 2 eggs 

1 cup pumpkin puree (if your pumpkin puree is quite liquidy, you may need to add 1-2 tbsp of flour)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4C-1/2C honey (use more/less depending on how sweet you like things - if vegan, use maple syrup and you can also use sugar if you prefer)

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F

In a bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking powder, baking soda, spices and a pinch of salt.

Combine your egg choice with the pumpkin puree, applesauce, honey and vanilla.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on size, until a skewer removes clean.

We usually freeze our muffins and then take one out of the freezer as we want to eat them - but they will also last for a few days if you want to make them ahead of time. Use your best judgement as the results will change depending on your climate etc (in hot humid climates you might want to keep them in the fridge as they'll get mouldy quicker) different climates and altitudes also change baking times and results

But tell me, what is your favourite vegetable and how do you like to eat it?

I love roasted pumpkin, but I'm also a huge zucchini fan - at the moment we're loving cheesy zucchini boats and stuffed zucchinis.

    

   

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