Making a Return…. And Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Family & Friends,

I can’t believe Not So Doughie has been out of commission for the past 2.5 years! However, I am back and excited to share some new recipes. Over the years, I’ve received several requests to bring the blog back to life, which was great to hear. Blogging takes a lot of time & work that’s for sure, but I definitely enjoyed and missed it!

I decided Not So Doughie will be my place to of course share healthier recipe, but I don’t plan to ensure I have the most perfect picture to share to increase “likes”, get more traffic, etc etc… Let’s be serious there are millions of blogs out there so becoming the next Pioneer Woman just isn’t my plan.

So without further ado, I welcome you back and look forward to seeing your comments & sharing some Not So Doughie meals!

September 1st rolls around and PUMPKIN is everywhere. Personally, I think people need to pump (<– pun intended) the brakes on this obsession. I mean, people obsess over a gourd…. Don’t get me wrong, I love the flavor pumpkin and am happy to enjoy a delicious slice of pumpkin bread and the occasional PSL. That being said, I decided the other day to try to concoct a healthier, Not So Doughie, pumpkin muffin.

After watching What the Health (many opinions on this documentary), I became a little intrigued with a plant-based diet. So when researching different muffin ideas, I decided to put together some of my findings on substitutions to create these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins.

I was a bit skeptical at first because I love butter and just didn’t want them to come out dry and dense. However, they are perfectly pumpkin-y, cinnamon-y, fall-y and delicious! I hope you enjoy!

VEGAN PUMPKIN MUFFINS
Prep Time: 5 minutes ||| Cook Time: 25 minutes ||| Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 cup All purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp (+ a pinch) ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp granulated sugar (optional)
1/2 cup pure Maple Syrup
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup olive oil (other options: coconut oil [this will make them coconut-y], canola oil)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except for the sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the syrup, pumpkin & oil. Throughly mix.
4. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Stirring until combined and smooth.
5. Pour into muffin liners, evenly distributing the batter. Smooth the tops.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Use a toothpick to ensure thoroughly cooked (it will come out clean).
7. In a small bowl, combine the pinch of cinnamon and sugar.
8. As soon as the muffins come out of the over, sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over them.
9. Serve immediately or store 3-4 days in airtight container.

Enjoy!

Raspberry Pistachio Muffins

08.08.14 21,286 Comments

{sweet.salty.crunchy}

Baking items aren’t common guests on Not So Doughie. Here are my reasons:
1. I don’t really crave sweets.
2. I love salty more.
3. They usually are doughie recipes.
4. I don’t really have the time to bake, unless it’s the weekend [or a random night where I made easy homemade brownies for Bryan].

If you’ve been one of my long time readers or have checked out the dessert section of my blog, you will notice a few recipes there. Most are my favorite kinds of dessert – I love fruity desserts more than chocolatey desserts and I also have been loving the salty and savory side of desserts lately.

This recipe doesn’t really fall into a dessert category for me though. I ate these muffins for breakfast for a few days. If healthy ingredients are used, muffins for breakfast are great, easy powerhouse options. Load them with superfoods, fiber rich ingredients and they will be a great way to start your day.

Do you remember your history class where you learned about hunters and gatherers? This recipe made me think about that lesson, random I know. But the two main characters in the muffins are nuts and berries. Our early ancestors munched on these for their meals after those dedicated gatherers returned home, giving them adequate nutrition. I think I would be a good gatherer!

Anyways…. raspberries & pistachios – tart & sweet + salty & crunchy. What a combination, not to mention the nutrition these two items contain.

Raspberries: rich in fiber, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, rich in vitamin c and manganese
Pistachios: energy warehouse, rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids [the good fats], packed with minerals such as copper that aids in metabolism and red blood cell production, rich in vitamin C and B complex vitamins

So what are you waiting for go grab some pistachios and raspberries and make this delicious, portal breakfast muffin. An added bonus, they are very pretty!

raspberry pistachio muffins

Recipe By: Sara
Prep Time: 15 minutes ||| Cook TIme: 15 minutes ||| Servings: 12-16 ||| Difficulty: Medium ||| 195 calories/muffin

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup shelled salted pistachios
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) melted
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup fat-free milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
12-16 muffin liners

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 3/4 cup flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
2. Stir in melted butter.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla.
4. Slowly pour milk mixture into flour mixture. Stir gently and leave some lumps, it makes a better muffin.
5. Finely chop about 1/4 cup of the pistachios
6. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup flour with the raspberries and fold into the flour/milk mixture.
7. Stir in finely chopped pistachios.
8. Spoon mixture into muffin liners.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and quickly sprinkle the remaining pistachios over the tops of the batter.
11. Bake an additional 7-8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Serve warm or store in an airtight container for about 4-5 days.

Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

02.01.14 1,096 Comments

{lemon is healthy, right?}

I am not a baker. It may be that I would rather be given a salt lick than a sugar cube. Or perhaps that I don’t really care for the exact science of it. It’s odd though because I love science! Nonetheless, there are times when I crave for something sweet. Last weekend was one of those times.

I knew I needed to detox/eat healthy/stop being addicted to food/all that jazz and I wanted a little last “hurrah” before I dove into the clean eating / calorie counting. Therefore, last weekend I went through a bit of a baking frenzy. I planned to bake some goodies Friday evening and gathered my ingredients. When I got home I realized I forgot butter. Seriously? Butter? Forgotten? It was a balmy 1 degree out so there was no way I was trekking back outside. So my baking adventure was postponed until Saturday, butter in hand.

Bryan & Chase aren’t huge lemon fans so these muffins were strictly for me. That being said, I did not need 12 muffins to myself so my coworkers got to enjoy them. I was very pleased with how they came out {for not being a baker}! I have very few baking recipes that I keep and this definitely is one for the books.

Their sweet & bright lemon flavor had me itching big time for summer. Oh wait, it is a giant snow globe outside right now…. The snow was great and all for maybe 1 day, but over a month of this BS is getting old. I need a vacation. Stat.

Lemon Poppy seed muffins

recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Hands On Time: 15 minutes /// Cook Time: 17-19 minutes /// Makes: 12 muffins

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup low fat sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted + 1 Tbsp melted
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
white sugar crystals

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin baking pan with muffin cups or spray with cooking oil.
2. Combine the sugar & lemon zest together in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub together until fragrant and the sugar has a yellow tint.
3. In a stand mixer (or bowl), combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, 1 stick of melted butter, eggs, and vanilla.
5. On medium speed, slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until JUST combined.
6. Add poppy seeds.
7. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin dish.
8. Bake on the center rack in the oven for 17-19 minutes. Insert a knife into the center and if it comes out clean they are ready.
9. Brush on the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar crystals.
10. Serve immediately or place in airtight container. Lasts about 5 days.