Mango Muffins

With a busy semester ahead, I have decided that it would be helpful to make meals in advance and freeze them. At least one day a week I will have to eat lunch and supper at school, and it is way cheaper to bring my own food than buy it from the expensive cafeteria. If I can just grab something from the freezer the night before to thaw in the fridge, it will save me time and energy during the busy weeks.

Yesterday I made Kris Carr’s split pea soup recipe ,this time adding the kale and dulse seaweed. I also made a spicy chickpea recipe that I plan on posting later. The soup was split (haha) into small tupperware containers, and I sliced pieces of bread and froze them in individual ziplock bags to have with the soup. To make room in the freezer I had to finish off a bag of frozen mangos. So, I decided to make muffins with it. Here is the recipe that I discovered from holycowvegan.net. I used a different oil, halved the sugar, and doubled it because that’s how much mango I had. I’m thinking that you could replace the mango with any frozen fruit. Here’s the recipe for 12 muffins.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used regular whole wheat and white flour because that is what I had on hand. It works, but I am sure that using the pastry flour would make the muffin softer and spongier)
2 cups mango purée (I’ll explain how I made that)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
6 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp (or if you want more sweetness, put 3/4 cup… But I really don’t think it needs it)
2 tbsp flax meal, soaked in 6 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla extract

To make the mango purée, I took all the mangos I had (probably about 5 cups. I doubled the recipe) and simmered them in a pot until it resembled a chunky sauce. I had to add a bit of water at first to avoid burning. I did not add any sugar, as I figured the mango had enough sugar in it already. I then pureed the mangos with a hand blender until it was smooth, but with a few chunks.

Next I mixed all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg), and all the wet ingredients in another bowl sugar, coconut oil, flax meal mixture, and vanilla). The puree was added to the wet ingredients. Next, I incorporated the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients by folding them together with a spatula. It’s important not to over-mix.

I greased some muffin tins and used an ice cream scoop to divide the batter equally. I baked the muffins at 375*F for about 20 minutes. What I did is set the timer for 17 minutes and then checked the muffins with a toothpick until it came out clean. I judged by the look of the muffins that they were still too wet. So, they probably baked for about 22 minutes. This may be due to the fact that I doubled the recipe and had 24 muffins in there at once.

The nutmeg in the muffin is a delicious addition, and the mango makes the muffin very moist. The blog where I got the recipe indicated that the recipe was developed from a banana muffin recipe. So, one could easily replace the mango puree with mashed banana. I kept some out for eating right now, and froze the rest to be eaten as needed. I guess I didn’t really free room in the freezer, but I think the muffins will be eaten quickly.

Pancakes

My goodness, I cannot believe that I did not post at all in August. That makes the first month that I have not posted on this blog since I started it in January, 2013. August seemed to fly by. I finished my summer semester and drove off to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for two and a half weeks with my boyfriend, Tom. It was a much-needed vacation that left me feeling rejuvenated for the coming semester. We visited my extended family in Bathurst, saw some good friends from undergrad in Halifax, then spent a week rock climbing in Welsford, NB. It was an adventurous yet relaxing time spent in nature away from the city life. Our camp site was in a patch of trees on the outskirts of a farmer’s field, just far enough away from the horses, sheep, and goats, and right beside a cemetery. We were the only campers for several nights, which was a bit creepy at times, but also refreshing. I’m thinking that the vacation was just what I needed to start the last year of my master’s degree.

Needless to say, I did not do much cooking during my trip. I was graciously fed by relatives and delicious local restaurants along the way. We tried three great restaurants from the show You Gotta Eat Here: Tide and Boar in Moncton, The Armview in Halifax, and Taco Pica in Saint John. Other places that I recommend are Stillwells and Two Doors Down in Halifax, and Thandi in Saint John.

I would like to share with you my recipe for pancakes. It was a fun realization that vegan pancakes can be just as delicious without eggs and butter. I must say, though, that my cousin-in-law John makes delicious pancakes that happen to be non-vegan. The fun thing about eating flexitarian is that when I do eat non-vegan food, I am hyper-aware of the flavours of animal products. That means that I can appreciate what the eggs and butter add to the pancake, but also appreciate the vegan alternative that is also delicious. Here is the recipe that I have used over and over for the past year or so. I got it from food.com.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup soy milk or another non-dairy milk
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl I stirred together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a measuring cup I mixed together the soy milk, oil, and vanilla. Then I added the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisked until smooth.

I preheated a frying pan on medium heat and added about a tablespoon of coconut oil. I then spooned a half of a cup of batter into the frying pan and made sure that it spread out to about 1/4 inch thickness. I let the pancake cook until bubbles appeared ontop, flipped it, then let the other side cook for another couple minutes.

This recipe makes about five pancakes. If I am making it for more than two people I will double it. I find that for a filling brunch each person will eat about two and a half pancakes. In the past I have drizzled maple syrup, topped the pancakes with blueberries or bananas, and have also drizzled a fruit sauce on top. I make this by boiling fruit with sugar until it reached a thick consistency. Either way, this pancake recipe has made a delicious Sunday morning delight.