Carrot applesauce muffins

I'm pleased to say that Mini Bite and Mr Bite are back to full health. Mini Bite, in particular, is eating to make up for lost time and it is sometimes difficult to fill her up. I made these muffins to help get us through days of meals, snacks and more snacks!

We have also managed our long awaited first bike ride of 2018, and I hope to get out again this weekend. The weather is perfect for cycling and it is joyful to be on a bike again after so many months. 

 

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Banana, carrot and sultana mini muffins {vegan, no added sugar + non fat}

I was hesitant to put 'fat free' and 'sugar free' in the title of this post, because those labels may conjure up images of bland, flavourless muffins. The texture of fat free baked goods is often different too. However, these muffins are fully flavoured and beautifully textured. The use of lots of bananas and natural sugars simply removes the need for added fat or sugar. (For the sticklers among you, there is some fat in the oat milk and oats.)

I recently had lots of bananas to use up, thanks to my clumsiness when unpacking shopping and a bag of bananas being dropped on the floor. They all went a bit mushy and prematurely brown - good for freezing, smoothies and baking but not so good for eating in their natural state. These muffins used 3 of the bunch so they are good and banana-y!

Whilst I made these as mini muffins, you could, of course, make regular sized ones instead. Just increase the cooking time accordingly (adding 5-10 minutes at an estimation).

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Sweet potato and date muffins

It is a sign of how long I've been blogging that I am no longer sure of what is on my own site. Case in point: last weekend I went to find my sweet potato and date muffin recipe, only to discover I didn't have a sweet potato and date muffin recipe. Or at least I didn't - I am pleased to rectify the situation now.

These muffins were exactly what I wanted last weekend. They are sweetened only by dates and sweet potato, so they are semi rather than very sweet. They are dense and have a crumb-like texture, but also sit gently on the stomach and are moist from the natural ingredients. They aren't gluten free, but by using spelt flour and oats they also pack more nutrition than standard wheat flour muffins.

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One-bowl vegan blackberry and chia seed muffins

How do you like your muffins? There are so many features to consider: size, flour base, flavour and even topping. Traditionally, I have liked my muffins dense and wholegrain, often with a vegetable in the mix (such as my carrot, apple and sultana muffins or pumpkin, apple and cranberry muffins). Sometimes, though, I veer across to muffins that could almost be cupcakes, such is their fluffy texture and sweet flavour.

These blackberry and chia seed muffins are in the fluffy sweet camp, but trust me, it's worth going there even if you're not usually a white flour and refined sugar type. The muffins are absolutely studded with berries and the chia seeds boost the nutrition while also giving some texture contrast.

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Banana-maple muffins with potato and spelt flour

After making potato-based fudge for Vegan MoFo, I knew I wanted to progress to try mashed potato in baked goods too. I decided on muffins, and to add to the fun, muffins without oil or processed sugar. These make use of almond butter and maple syrup, with extra sweetness coming from the banana and some raisins.

As the pictures below show, my muffins have a collapsed look about them. This is entirely my fault. Having made the recipe up, I estimated 15 minutes cooking time but didn't take into account the different consistency that potato gives over flour. The muffins weren't anywhere near cooked at 15 minutes, and opening the oven door interrupted their rising process.

If we overlook the collapsed tops, these muffins came out nicely. I was impressed at the texture, which was similar to a regular muffin but a little moister and a little chewier. There is no discernible taste of potato, and instead the muffins hum of banana, maple syrup, almond butter and vanilla. They are sweet enough, but not too sweet. They are obviously and messily homemade, but I look forward to trying a repeat batch where I keep the oven door shut for the necessary amount of time. I expect that would give a far neater result!

Banana-maple muffins with potato and spelt flour

A twist on standard muffins that is vegan, oil free and refined sugar free

Makes 12 muffins

Author: Bite-Sized Thoughts

Print recipe

Ingredients:

1 large potato, weighing about 330g

1/4 cup almond butter

2 medium ripe bananas, roughly mashed

1 cup (250ml) non-dairy milk of choice

1 tbsp (15ml) vanilla

1/4 cup (62ml) maple syrup

1 cup (140g) spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup (70g) sultanas or raisins

Method:

Ahead of time, peel and chop the potato and add to a saucepan of boiling water. Simmer until soft, approximately 30 minutes. Allow the potato to cool slightly before preparing the muffins.

When the potato has cooked and cooled, preheat your oven to 160'C (320'F) and prepare a 12 pan muffin tray.

In a large bowl, beat together the cooked potato and almond butter using electric mixers (a blender or food processor would work too). The resulting mixture will be very thick. Add the mashed banana and non-dairy milk and beat to incorporate. Add the vanilla and maple syrup and beat to incorporate.

Stir the spelt flour and baking powder into the muffin mix, and then stir through the sultanas / raisins.

Transfer the mixture to your prepared muffin tray, and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the muffins are golden and the tops bounce back when touched.

Potato in baking - is it something you have tried?

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Classic chocolate muffins, vegan style

I have been relishing more than my food processor since our shipment arrived. I'm also pleased to have muffin tins again and, of course, to be able to put them to use to make muffins. I have made two batches in the last few weeks. The first was a spelt-based apple variety, minimally sweetened but only mildly enjoyable. The muffins were a little dry. I should have measured ingredients more carefully than I did.

Average apple spelt muffins

The second batch, however, turned out rather well. Mr Bite is a chocolate muffin connoisseur, so I knew that if they met his standards they would be doing well. They did - and as a bonus, I liked them too.

Better chocolate muffins

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Apple and zucchini muffins - the buckwheat version (vegan, GF, refined sugar free)

I imagine I'm not the only blogger with a recipe or post that, well, niggles. It may be that you have never mastered a particular recipe, or that you mastered one version but want to make an adaptation that goes a step further. It may be that you made a great meal but dislike the photos you took, and haven't found the time to re-make and photograph the dish. Perhaps you haven't found the time to write things up at all, or you lost your scribbled piece of paper with the ingredients you used, or you can't remember if you baked things for 20 minutes or 40. Please tell me I'm not the only one who can relate to these scenarios?

Today, I hope to lay one of my niggles to rest: whole grain apple and zucchini muffins.

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Chocolate zucchini muffins

As my last post may have conveyed, we had a lot of fun camping on the weekend. As my first time sleeping in a 'normal' tent (versus a shared open-ended hootchie on the traumatic experience that was year 8 camp, and a smaller hootchie on the enjoyable but short-lived Duke of Edinburgh year 10 camp), it was also a novel experience for me. I still have some reservations; I loved sleeping amongst trees, but was less enamored with the bugs, and I loved walking for 5 hours on the Cape to Cape track, but would have liked a shower at the end of it! However, I can definitely imagine more camping in my future.

After leaving work early on Friday and returning home on Sunday to the usual weekend requirements (shopping/washing/ironing...), I am also thanking myself again for bulk baking muffins last weekend. A few posts ago, I shared the pumpkin, apple and cranberry variety. Today, we have chocolate zucchini.

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Pumpkin apple and cranberry muffins

It's taken a while, but I am finally grasping the implications of having a whole, full size freezer in our garage. All those months and years I bemoaned my inability to make things in bulk and freeze snacks and meals for later? I can finally make up for lost time.

(Or at least, I can make up for lost time within the bounds of planning to move countries in 6 months.)

On the weekend, I embraced this realisation with two batches of muffins. These vegan pumpkin, apple and cranberry muffins were one batch. They are adapted from the vegan pumpkin apple muffins on Minimalist Baker. They are full of goodness, easy to make, and completely delicious.

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Vegan chocolate peanut butter muffins with a raspberry jam filling

My parents are currently visiting family in the U.K., and my sister and her boyfriend are celebrating the end of university exams (and for my sister, the end of university) with 3 weeks in Asia. Thus, my brother is house and cat sitting the family home, a set up that has perks (large house all to himself; no questions or requests regarding the cleanliness of said house; food money left so that he can afford to eat) but also some costs (two challenging cats to care for; no food shopping or cooking except what he does himself; no mother to take pity on her PhD studying son and do his laundry for him).

In such scenarios, I take great pleasure in catering. What self-respecting big sister wouldn't? These muffins were the first installment, and gave me an opportunity to indulge in peanut butter baking, which invokes horror in my nut hating husband (sigh).

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Plum muffins (vegan and streusel topped)

I finally got those plum muffins I was dreaming of.

As it turns out, they really are the muffins of my dreams (and I have made a lot of muffins in my time). They don't have an exotic ingredient list, they aren't particularly different to other plum muffins around, and they're not really new or creative. They are, however, really really good.

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Crumbly strawberry coconut flour muffins

Yesterday, whilst at workplace number one, I started the day by dropping a glass container of coffee on the floor. It shattered.

It turns out that cleaning up glass and coffee granules without a brush or broom is a tricky task indeed.

Overnight, I remembered that yesterday was the birthday of one of my university friends. I'm still feeling terrible about forgetting.

This morning, at workplace number two, I spent some minutes wondering where I'd put my coffee cup. Then I remembered that I dropped it on the floor last week. You guess it - it shattered too.

To this string of events, I could add these coconut flour muffins. They weren't dropped, and I didn't forget anything in their preparation, but they didn't quite turn out as expected. As their name suggests - they were crumbly. If optimal muffin crumbliness is a 3 out of 10, these are probably a 7.

However, whilst these muffins are above average in crumbliness, they are also above average in taste. They taste of strawberries and slightly of coconut, and are sweet enough to taste like a treat without being so sweet that they deserve to be called dessert. They are also light and dense at the same time, in the way that coconut flour manages to be.

In light of this, I'm going to interpret these muffins as a lesson in my coconut flour learning process. I'm sharing them along with my thoughts for future adaptations.

Messiness in the form of muffin crumbs is, after all, a lot better than messiness in the form of coffee or glass all over the floor.

Crumbly strawberry coconut flour muffins

Not quite right in texture, but highly enjoyable in taste

Adapted from banana coconut flour muffins at Detoxinista

Yields 12 muffins

Vegan and gluten free

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Ingredients

1 1/2 punnets strawberries (150g unhulled / 15 medium strawberries)

1 medium banana

1 cup (125g) coconut flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup apple sauce

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp water

1 tbsp coconut oil, in liquid form

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp baking soda

In future I would also add: 1 tbsp chia seeds soaked in 1 cup water

Method

Preheat your oven to 180'C and prepare a 12-pan muffin tray.

Hull and roughly chop the strawberries. In a large bowl, roughly mash the berries and the banana. Leave some strawberries relatively whole.

Add the coconut flour, maple syrup, apple sauce, water, coconut oil and vanilla to the strawberry mixture. Mix well to combine.

Add the apple cider vinegar and baking soda to the other ingredients, and mix through.

Divide the batter between 12 muffin trays.

Next time I would press the mixture firmly down into the muffin trays.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.

I really enjoyed these, but do concede to needing more coconut flour practice. It is quite odd not being able to predict how baked goods will turn out! Most non-vegan coconut flour recipes use rather a lot of eggs, so I am working on the assumption that these needed more binder (thus my thoughts on adding chia). However, if you have any other thoughts or ideas for me - please let me know.

Do you enjoy baking with coconut flour? How about other gluten-free flours? I don't have problems with gluten and am thus quite a novice in this area!

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Pear and raspberry muffins, for Mother's Day

I like Mother's Day. To me, it has a relaxed yet special feel and is often a precursor to a books and coffee outing with my Mum. It is also an excuse to bake. And, of course, it is a day for spending with family.

Today, we had lunch at my parent's house with my family plus Mr Bite's Mum. A barbecue with plenty of vegetarian options, with weather that was just right for eating outdoors. Perfect.

My contributions to the day were mostly things I had made before, or bought, largely due to being away for most of last week and not being organised enough to plan ahead prior to that! In the end, it was an easy to prepare list:

• The cinnamon sweet potato and chickpea salad I made last Christmas, adapted from the recipe on Oh She Glows
• A basic green salad
• Some bought veggie burgers and sausages (I had intended to make the burgers, but ran out of time)
• The vegan strawberry white chocolate truffle balls I made to welcome my sister home last year

My Dad cooked chicken on the barbecue and this was rounded out by potatoes, sweet potatoes, and some bread and dips.

I did, however, make one new thing. As the title of this post would suggest, that came in the form of pear and raspberry muffins. Interestingly, I have never baked with pears before, unless I have done so and forgotten (entirely possible). In the end, this leap into something unfamiliar slightly backfired on me, but I suppose that is part of what baking is. Experimentation can't always go to plan!

Why backfired? Well, I didn't like these much. They seemed to be well received by others, and as my brother ate two I don't think it was just politeness...unless he was very hungry. I can't quite put my finger on what was wrong, but I found the texture to be not quite right, and the flavours almost bland. I make muffins so often that I may be quite demanding in my standards, but these were definitely not up to them.

This may have been, in part, due to the use of quite thick cupcake liners. I have only used these once before and I have found them to affect the cooking time, and also make it harder to judge when things are cooked. These were cooked, but might have been slightly underdone. The pears also changed the texture of the muffins and I think there needed to be more 'grit' in the batter in order to counter the softness of the pear.   Chia seeds, for example, or nuts. I'm not sure why this is, given I make apple muffins all the time with no problem, but the pears seemed to give quite different results to apple.

As for the flavour, I don't really know what would have improved it. Don't get me wrong, it was nice enough - but that was all, nothing exciting. More vanilla might have helped, or using almond meal and turning these into friands. Making a raspberry glaze for the top would have been another option, or adding yoghurt to the mix.

I do think that these have potential and so am posting the recipe here, but would encourage experimentation if anyone decides to try an offshoot!

Pear and raspberry muffins

Adapted from the 'peary berry muffins' in Kris Holechek's 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes

Vegan

Makes 12 muffins

A bit of a work in progress...

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Ingredients

2 1/4 cups plain flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp oil

1/4 cup apple sauce

2 medium - large pears, peeled and diced

1 cup frozen raspberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 200'C and prepare a 12 pan muffin tray.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl.

Combine the wet ingredients (milk, vinegar, vanilla, oil and apple sauce) in a medium bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and mix through to combine.

Add the pear and raspberries and mix through until just combined.

Divide between 12 muffin pans and bake for 28 - 32 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean (mine were 30 minutes, but the heavy cupcake liners but have influenced things). Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Do you bake with pears regularly, and if so, is there anything I should know about how they behave or what it goes well with?

And happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there!

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Ugly Duckling Muffins, for work

With the first full work week of 2012 ahead (not to mention the first 12 hour work day), I thought I might want something more than containers of cut up fruit on hand.

These Ugly Duckling Muffins were the result.

A hybrid of my Apple and Zucchini Muffins and Carrot, Apple and Sultana muffins, these Ugly Ducklings are very low in sugar (and fat), can almost count as a vegetable serve, and are perfect for just about any time of the day.

I think I still like the Apple and Zucchini / Carrot, Apple and Sultana varieties best in their original forms, but these make a nice change and certainly deliver nutritionally. The low sugar content is not something I've tried before, but the apple sauce and natural sugars were enough to give a slight sweetness, and in the aftermath of Christmas, lower sugar still seems appealing.

As the name suggests, though, you do have to look past their appearance.

Ugly Duckling Muffins

A mix of apple, carrot and zucchini, with just a hint of sweetness and lots of goodness

Vegan, low in sugar and low in fat

Makes 16

Print recipe

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour

1 cup plain wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp mixed spice

1 - 2 tbsp brown sugar (I used 1 tbsp; use more to taste)

2 tbsp chia seeds soaked in 1 cup of water for at least 10 minutes

1/2 cup sweetened apple sauce

2 tbsp soy milk (or milk of choice)

1 tsp vanilla

1 medium zucchini, grated

2 small carrots, grated

1 small apple, grated

1 small apple, chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 180'C and prepare muffin tins.

Soak the chia seeds in water and grate the zucchini, carrot and 1 apple (I used the grater attachment on a food processor). Chop the second apple.

Combine the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, baking soda, spice, sugar) in a very large bowl.

Add the soaked chia seeds and water, apple sauce, soy milk and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. The mixture will seem quite dense at this stage.

Add the grated zucchini, carrots and apple, and the chopped apple. Mix thoroughly.

Divide between 16 regular muffin pans.

Bake for 20 minutes at 180'C, then reduce the heat to 160'C and bake for an additional 10 minutes. The muffins should be just set in the middle and slightly brown on top.

Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before removing and cooling completely.

Moist, apple scented, and with a hint of carrot (no detectable zucchini), these are perfect with a cup of tea. The fact that they are good for you whilst still being enjoyable to eat is a bonus.

Just don't judge on appearance!

What's the ugliest product to come out of your kitchen? (I have a few!)

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A movie review and non-vegan chocolate mud cake muffins

Both components of this post are a little unusual for me. I don't usually do movie reviews (I don't see very many movies!) and most of the recipes I post are recipes that reflect my taste preferences.

Today, I'm branching out.

First up, a movie. I noted back in August that my book club group read The Help, which focuses on racial tensions in 1960s Mississppi, through the writing of a (fictional) book containing stories from the black 'help' who are employed, and controlled, by white families.

Last night, 5 of our group went to see the movie version. I was looking forward to seeing it, but didn't have very high expectations as I had read rather mixed reviews. The main criticisms seemed to be that it was too long, at well over 2 hours (not something I usually enjoy in a film), and that the ideas underpinning the book and film weren't explored as well as they could have been.

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As it turns out, I really liked this movie. I thought the actors did a wonderful job, particularly Bryce Dallas Howard as the unlikable but well played Hilly Holbrook, Viola Davis as the central Aibileen, and Octavia Spencer as sassy Minny. The movie didn't follow the book precisely, but I found the variations from the text to be understandable, and sensible for a film adaptation. It didn't provide any answers, but I thought it addressed the central issues and race conflicts with poise and consideration, and also humour.

The 1960s outfits were pretty impressive, too. Who knew I liked that time period so much for fashion?

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Amazingly, I also got through the movie without being bored. Given my usually short attention span for TV or movies, and the running time of nearly 2.5 hours, this was quite impressive.

All in all, it was a film I would recommend - although, as always, I would recommend reading the book first.

As the title of this post suggests, I also have a mud cake muffin recipe today. You see, Mr Bite doesn't always share my preferences for vegan, raw, and/or vegetable-based baking. He often likes the end product, but it probably wouldn't be his first preference.

These muffins were for him.

Chocolate mud cake muffins with a hint of peppermint

Adapted from this recipe

Makes 12 small or 6 large muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins-

• 125g butter or margarine, roughly chopped
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
• 1 egg

For the icing-

• 1 medium avocado (ok, not quite traditional...)
• 1/3 cup good-quality cocoa powder
• 250g icing sugar
• Few drops of peppermint essence

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 160'C and prepare a 12-pan muffin tray (or a 6-pan tray if you're making large muffins).

2. In a heat-proof bowl, combine the butter, chocolate, hot water, and milk. Heat over a medium saucepan on low heat, or in the microwave, until the ingredients have melted and the mixture is smooth. I used the microwave on 50% power and it took about 2 minutes, in 30 second bursts.

3. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and add the peppermint essence and brown sugar. Stir to combine and set aside to cool slightly.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and add the flours and cocoa powder. Add the melted chocolate mixture to this bowl and mix with a hand whisk until ingredients are combined. 

5. Divide the mixture across the prepared muffin pans and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until the muffins are cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. When the muffins are cool, prepare the icing by combining the avocado, cocoa and icing sugar in a food processor or with an electric beater. Mix until smooth and the avocado is fully processed. 

I think next time I would add more peppermint essence, as Mr Bite didn't pick up on it as a distinct flavour. However, the muffins were definitely dense and chocolatey. They were also surprisingly easy, being made and baked within 45 minutes.

Hopefully they've gone some way towards countering the tofu dinners, vegan experiments, and quinoa side dishes!

Have you seen The Help? What are your thoughts on film adaptations of books?

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Muffin Mania

I love the carrot, apple and sultana muffins I posted yesterday. So much so that I've already eaten several, and they only came out of the oven 24 hours ago.

However, I also like variety. And when I bake, I like to pair healthy options with chocolate.

It seems balanced that way.

After talking about cookbooks, I also wanted to allocate a whole post to this muffin collection:

It is much loved. The pages are well worn, with remnants of past baking mixtures stuck to some, and the binding is starting to come undone in sections.

It doesn't talk about health or nutrition, but it does start with an inscription from the authors, Canadian sisters Cathy Prange and Joan Pauli, who say that they hope their recipes will inspire baking and an enjoyment of baking in others.

My Mum received this book from her own sister, who lives in Canada, and it definitely has a friendly, family feel to it.

Whilst it doesn't include pictures, some of the recipes are also perfectly inscribed into my memory. Banana, Apple Cinnamon, and Orange Date muffins were regular favourites, and I can recall not only the muffins, but the baking experiences I shared with my mother. The mixing, the tasting, the cleaning up, the tasting...and pulling the warm muffins out of the oven, and eating one right there in the kitchen.

I feel lucky to have those memories. On googling this book, I also feel lucky to have a copy I can access. Although it has now been republished, for a while there were second hand copies going for over $100!

Maybe I should take it home with me, quietly...

Chocolate-filled vanilla muffins

Adapted from jam-filled muffins in Muffin Mania

Makes a half-batch (6), or double the ingredients for a full batch

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• Egg replacer to the equivalent of 1 egg (or 1 egg)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp soy milk
• 3/4 cup soy yoghurt (I used vanilla, as it's the closest to plain I've been able to find)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ~50g chocolate squares, cut in half, or chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180'C fan-forced, and grease and line a 6-pan muffin tray.
2. If using chocolate squares, cut them in half.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, prepare the egg replacer (or egg) and combine with the oil, milk, yoghurt, and vanilla.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just combined.
6. Fill each muffin tray ~2/3 full, and then add 1/2 a chocolate square (or a decent sprinkling of chocolate chips) to each.
7. Cover with the remaining muffin mix, and sprinkle grated chocolate or extra chocolate chips on top.
8. Bake for ~15 minutes.

The muffins will be slightly golden when cooked, and have a gooey centre.

I recommend serving them warm!

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Carrot, apple and sultana muffins, and musings on cookbooks and health

One of the things I love about my Mum's kitchen is this:

The cookbook collection. The ones balancing on top are my own, but there are plenty more of my Mum's in the pantry too. Many of them hold recipes that instantly conjure up childhood memories, and many of them are vegetarian, or contain decent vegetarian sections.

My Mum has eaten fish and chicken for as long as I can remember, but she has always favoured vegetarian dishes, with lots of legumes and pulses, and she introduced me and my siblings to this way of eating at an early age.

She also introduced us to carob as an alternative to chocolate, wholegrain bread and brown rice over the white varieties, and oats as a baking staple. My siblings haven't taken any of these foods into adulthood, but for my part - thank you, Mum.

Having her cookbooks at my disposal has allowed me to read over books in greater detail than I usually would. The result? I've marked a few recipes to make, but I've also been reminded of how far we haven't come in understanding health and healthy eating.

Consider this book, first published in 1993.

It's not a vegetarian cookbook, but it includes plenty of recipes with vegetables as the primary component.

It talks about health, and is based on the idea that fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, grains, legumes and seafoods should be the main contributing foods to our diets. It discusses the roles of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and outlines the different vitamins and minerals we need, and the foods in which they can be found.

It talks about the dietary needs of athletes, pregnant women, vegetarians and vegans, and gives example food plans for each.

It is balanced. There is nothing that seems odd, no fads, no feared or banned foods, and no extremes.

It was a refreshing read, and a stark contrast to some of the cookbooks on the market today.

This is just one example from my Mum's shelf, and I don't mean to promote the book excessively. It's simply an example of what healthy eating used to be about (and still is, in theory), and a delightful reminder of what I would like it to be about now.

This book also gave me the inspiration for the following muffins, which have captured my tastes quite effectively.

Easy, healthy, made with real ingredients, vegan, and delicious!

Carrot, apple and sultana muffins

Adapted from Rosemary Stanton's Healthy Cooking recipe for Carrot Muffins

Makes 10
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Ingredients

• 1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp agave (or honey if non-vegan)
• Flax or egg replacer to the equivalent of 2 eggs (or 2 eggs if non-vegan)
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 2 tbsp apple sauce
• 2 small carrots, grated
• 1 medium apple, grated
• 1/4 cup sultanas

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180'C fan-forced, and grease and line a muffin tray to fit 10 muffins.
2. Combine the flour, oats, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. Grate the carrots and apple and set aside.
4. Prepare the flax eggs or egg replacer (or eggs) and combine with the agar (or honey), soy milk, and apple sauce.
5. Add the grated carrot and apple to the wet mixture, along with the sultanas.
6. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix until just combined.
7. Bake for ~20 minutes (mine took 20, but I would check after 15).

These could be deemed suitable for breakfast, snacks, or dessert.

Which is probably fortunate, because I can see myself eating them at all three of those time points!

Do you have any 'old' cookbooks that you continue to use and enjoy? Or favourite recipes from childhood?

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