Hello my lovely veggies! Thank you all so much for all your votes in the Vegan Recipe Challenge! I came in 3rd and that was way more than I was hoping for!
It’s been a busy week around here- I'm so sorry to my fellow bloggers whose blogs I've been neglecting. I am trying the best I can to catch up and will read every one of your wonderful words. But I’m back and eager to share a ton of stuff with you! You can expect some delicious food coming up on the blog!
I’ve been playing around with my diet again, trying to come up with a combination that helps my tummy feel it’s best. For those of you who are new readers, I’ve suffered from very uncomfortable digestion for years and I’m on a quest to correct it! Read this post for a few things that I’ve found helpful recently.
So in playing around with my diet, one thing I’ve done is cut out grains. I know, crazy right? It’s something I never thought I would do and I always thought that “paleo inclined” eaters were insane! What do they do without quinoa? Fresh baked goods? No sushi? No BREAD?
turns out you just need to find the right kind of baked goods!
Just goes to show you the lengths I’m willing to go to fix this problem. And it actually hasn’t been too bad! I don’t really miss them the way I thought I would (except when out at restaurants- even harder to find options now!) and I do think it is helping.
You see, due to the make-up of grains, people with delicate digestive systems often find them aggravating. The carbohydrate content of the grain is primarily made up of starches as well as some sugars that require extra steps to digest. If you are unable to digest them properly due to a weak system, we are left with undigested fragments that are then used to feed the no-so-good bacteria in our system. This can lead to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and a crowding out of the good guys. The bad guys can also begin to produce toxic substances that can damage our intestinal lining, leading to something called leaky gut. And what leaky gut basically means is that the tight junctions between your intestinal cells become “loose” due to damage and now undigested proteins and particles can make their way into your bloodstream and cause inflammation, allergic responses and general havoc! All in all, not a pretty picture for proper digestion.
So through cutting them out, I’m hoping to further help to heal my digestive system. I by no means think this will be a permanent move for me, but I will continue with it for as long as I feel I need to.
Now, one of the upsides to this dietary change is that I get to experiment in the kitchen! Grain-free baking was really daunting to me, but my recent success with my berry crisp and now these muffins is making me feel like all that fear was unwarranted. Now I can say I LOVE grain-free baking!
I love that when you bake with nut meals and coconut flour, there is a ton of natural sweetness and healthy fats in there- meaning you can use less added oil and sweetener! Not only that, nut meals and coconut flour are so healthy! Lots of healthy fats and fibre! While they are not exactly low in calories, you’ll find that you are wonderfully satisfied after a small portion.
Like take these muffins. They certainly are not light bites. BUT they are filling, nutritious and delicious. And they surprisingly don’t feel heavy- they have a wonderful crumb that would satisfy the most traditional baker. I hope you all try them- I’m certain you’ll love them!
Grain-Free Carrot and Zucchini Muffins (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-Free, Paleo, SCD)
Adapted from these at Amazing Paleo.
Ingredients (12 muffins)
Dry
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 tablespoon of coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
Wet
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- ¼ cup melted raw honey
- ¼ cup melted organic coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Add-ins
- ½ cup of grated carrots
- ¾ cup of grated zucchini (unpeeled)
- 1/8 cup of raisins (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease with coconut oil or line a 12 muffin pan.
Mix all your dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix your applesauce, honey, coconut oil, vanilla and cinnamon. In a final small bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, water, baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Now add the applesauce mixture to your dry ingredients and combine well. Now add in the coconut oil and baking soda mixture. Finally, mix in the carrot, zucchini and raisins.
Spoon the batter evenly into your muffin pan. You want to do this fast since you want to make sure the baking soda and vinegar will still be reacting to give some lift in the oven. Bake for 35min, or until tops are browned and a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
