Recipe: Healthy Vegan Blueberry and Banana Muffins

If there's one thing I learnt from my Mum when cooking it's to always check and make sure you have all of your ingredients before starting. 

But really, just like Mum, I don't always do that and I'm either found racing to the shop to pick up those missing ingredients - or I'm getting creative and doing without.

These deeeelicious muffins were a happy accident - as I had forgotten to check I had the ingredients I thought I had and ended up creating something completely different from what I'd originally planned to make. 

But the mystery muffins redeemed themselves with their deliciousness - and I forgot all about the ingredients I'd had to go without. 

They're hearty and healthy and perfect for breakfast or a snack. Actually, they're perfect for anytime and they've been known to make an appearance in our house for a healthy dessert option. 

Best of all? They're freezer friendly so you can make up a big batch and freeze them for a quick and easy breakfast, lunchbox addition or snack! The recipe is gluten free, low fat, vegan, refined sugar free and so easy to make so what are you waiting for?!

Let me share the recipe with you so you can make them for yourself! >> 

Healthy Vegan Blueberry Banana Muffins Recipe makes 12-16

low fat, gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free, clean eating friendly, nut free

2 large ripe bananas. mashed (~250g/1 cup + 2 tbsp mashed banana)

1/4 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce 

2 1/2 tbsp - 1/4 cup (50g-85g) honey or maple syrup (for a strict vegan option) or 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar/coconut sugar

3/4 cup milk of your choice

1 1/2 cups (180g) gluten free plain flour or regular plain flour (for non-GF)

1 cup (100g) gluten free oat flour *see notes for substitutions

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp chia seed, ground or left whole **see notes

~3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

• Preheat your oven to 180C/355F 
• Grease and/or line your muffin tins and set aside
• In a mixing bowl, mash your banana until smooth. Add in your applesauce, honey, sugar/sweetener and milk, mixing until combined.
• Stir in your flours, raising agents and ground chia seed, mixing until just combined and adding a little extra milk if needed. The batter will be a thick muffin batter but should be easy to mix together.
• Carefully fold through your blueberries to evenly mix them throughout your batter.
• Spoon your muffin mixture into your muffin tins, filling 3/4 of the way full.
• Bake your muffins for 10-25 minutes, depending on the size and depth of your muffin tins, removing your muffins from the oven once they're cooked through and a skewer inserted into the centre removes clean.
• Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the tins. 
• These muffins will keep up for up to 3-4 days either at room temperature or in the fridge in an airtight container and will freeze for months stored in an airtight ziplock bag or container.

Notes:

• *If you can't eat oats or don't have oats available, feel free to substitute them with either another cup of plain flour or buckwheat flour, quinoa flour or brown rice flour.  Please Note: Not all coeliacs can tolerate oats. Find out more about oats on a gluten free diet here.
• **You can either leave your chia seeds whole, or grind them up if you've got fussy eaters around! Jesse has an issue with chia seeds getting stuck in his teeth so I just grind them up with my oats when I'm making my oat flour!

But tell me, are you always careful to check you have everything before you start cooking - or are you a bit like my Mum and I?

And what's one lesson you learnt from a family member/friend about cooking that you never forget?

As well as Mum's ingredient check, I always remember my childhood neighbour Audrey whenever I'm making pancakes. When I was about four, she taught me how to make pancakes in her kitchen on her electric skillet and I always remember her telling me to "jussssst be patient, you've got to wait til the bubbles pop!"