The Best Apple Muffins

Has anyone else noticed the large number of recipes-made-healthier that appear on blogs on Mondays and Tuesdays. Anyone else think it have a correlation with Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays????

Well this recipe is another that will be put up just in time to be included. These are seriously good muffins, their name doesn’t lie. First of all a yummy taste, then an amazing texture (and no gluten, dairy or cane sugar!) and they come off the patty cases easily. They are soft in the center but have a slightly crisp top. Hope you enjoy them!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays 6/7/11

The Best Apple Muffins

3 eggs

120g apple puree

2/3 cup dairy free milk (I used rice milk)

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup light olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 small apples, peeled and chopped finely

2 cups of your favourite gluten free flour mix

3 tsp baking powder

1 cup powdered dairy or dairy free milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius

Place patty cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.

In a large jug beat together the eggs, apple puree, milk, honey, olive oil and vanilla. Add the apples and mix well.

In a large bowl place flours, baking powder, soy milk powder and cinnamon and mix together well.

Tip wet mixture over the dry and mix until just combined. Really don’t over mix, there should still be a bit of dry flour, this is ok!

Bake for 25 minutes until golden on the top.

Cool for 1 minute in tray before placing on cooling racks. 

Chickpea, Carrot and Cumin Flatbread

This easy peasy bread recipe is gluten, sugar, dairy and grain free. I like it because it doesn’t crumble or break if you are taking it with you for lunch. Since it’s a flatbread there is no slice required so you can just grab two pieces and go ahead with your sandwich making!

To get the carrot flavor in this bread I’ve used carrot juice. When I was making my morning juice I just threw in some extra carrots first and put them aside for this but if you don’t have a juicer you could pick up some carrot juice from the shops or sub in water for the juice and make the bread just chickpea and cumin-yum!

Chickpea, Carrot and Cumin Flatbread

¾ cup chickpea (besan) flour

¼ cup buckwheat flour

1 ½ tsp cumin

1 tbs flax seeds

1 tsp baking powder

200 mL carrot juice

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add carrot juice mixing until just combined but with no more dry bits.

Spoon mixture onto trays. With this amount I usually make 4 breads (as above) but I have also made one large one in the centre of the tray (if you do this just make sure the centre isn’t too much thicker than the edges as it will not cook properly).

Place in oven and cook for about 15 minutes (depending on how thick you have made them it can range from 10-20 minutes). Loosen from trays as soon as they are out of the oven but they are fine to cool on the trays.

I'm keen to try more flavours with this versatile recipe. Maybe a sweet one with nutmeg and milk, or apple juice and cinnamon. 

Any other ideas? 

Tomato and Basil Pesto Muffins

While I was at the market last week I picked up a bag of basil, which was on sale. I thought it would be perfect to make my first batch of homemade pesto with. But now I have a whole jar of pesto and although pasta and pesto is yummy I soon realised needed to get a bit more creative. Enter Tomato and Basil and Pesto Muffins.

These were inspired by Spinach Muffins from Green Kitchen Stories. I love this blog. So, pop over and check out the other beautiful recipes David and Luise have over there.

Tomato and Basil Pesto Muffins

Makes 12 yummy treats!

What you need…

1 onion

2 tomatoes

1 grated zucchini

1 cup buckwheat flour


1/3 cup tapioca


2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp pepper


3 eggs


1 cup bio-dynamic yoghurt

2 tbs basil pesto

What to do…

Preheat over to 180 degrees celcius.

Chop onion and add to a fry pan with a small amount of coconut oil. Chop and deseed the tomatoes and add to pan. When both onion and tomatoes are soft bring the pan off the heat and stir in the zucchini. Let this mixture cool while you prepare the other ingredients.

Combine all dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, pepper) in a large bowl and make sure they are mixed well. Whisk wet ingredients (eggs, yoghurt, pesto) together in a large jug.

Add the cooled vegetables to the jug of wet ingredients. Then pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Do NOT over mix them (yes, the caps really are necessary, this is important!) Spoon into muffin cases and bake in oven for approximately 25 minutes.

Buckwheat and Millet Porridge

It is always interesting to see which recipes are the most popular on a blog. Which receive the most hits, the most comments. I know that when I am looking through the round-up on some of my favourite recipe carnivals I am always drawn to the baked goods (sweet or savoury). Breads, muffins, cakes, loafs seem to me the ‘harder’ things to recreate gluten free and so seem more interesting.

However, when I really think about it the posts and recipes I most enjoy reading are the ones regarding foods the blogger loves to, and regularly, eats everyday. These are often simple recipes in the sense that they are not particularly challenging or requiring special ingredients, but, like a loved teddy bear losing patches of fur, these recipes hold a special kind of charm.

This recipe is one I enjoy almost every morning. My standby, easy breakfast. I sometimes vary the types and proportions of grains, the nuts and seeds, the spices, but I always get a comfortable and nourishing start to my day.

I hope you enjoy it.

Buckwheat and Millet Porridge

Serves 4

½ cup raw buckwheat

½ cup raw millet

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup dairy free milk (I use rice milk)

1 cup water

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Nuts, seeds, fruit and extra dairy free milk, to serve

Place buckwheat and millet in a glass bowl. Pour over enough water to generously cover the grains and add the apple cider vinegar. Leave to sit for 3 hours or overnight.

Tip the grains and water into a strainer and rinse well.

Place grains and, dairy free milk, water and nutmeg in a microwave proof bowl.

Microwave on high for 15 minutes uncovered.

Remove from microwave and stir with a fork. At this stage there may still be some liquid left over, this is ok. Cover and leave to sit for 5 minutes or until all liquid is adsorbed.

Place in bowl and top with your favourite combination of nuts, seeds and/or fruit and extra milk if you wish. 

What are some of your favourite everyday recipes?

Green Ribbon Spaghetti

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”

Romeo and Juliet: William Shakespeare

Well, that may be so, Bill. But renaming food, particularly vegetables, is especially effective in making them more appealing. Probably the reason so many parents refer to Broccoli as ‘Little Trees’. A little boy I know will only eat potatoes when they are referred to as ‘Auntie-Debbie’s-potatoes-from-her-garden’.

In this recipe I have employed this trick once again, so zucchini becomes ‘green ribbons’. Much prettier, don’t you think?

A super easy and highly nutritious recipe which can be made while helping with homework, chatting with a friend or helping your sister pack for rowing camp (full disclosure: I’ve only actually tested the last one, this first two are just guesses).

This post is included in Seasonal Sundays (5-15-11)
Green Ribbon Spaghetti with Beans

Serves 4

200g cooked spaghetti (I used one made with brown rice flour)

4 zucchini

2 large handfuls lightly steamed green beans

juice of 2 lemons

Use a vegetable peeler or similar to slice the zucchini into ribbons.

Once spaghetti is cooked drain the water and tip spaghetti back into the warm saucepan. Add the raw zucchini ribbons and stir, the warmth from the pan with heat the zucchini enough to soften it.

Add green beans and squeeze the lemon juice over, toss and serve.