First, if you are a regular reader of this blog, I must apologize for being slow to reply to comments and being completely absent from social media. My dad was hospitalized early last week and things just aren’t looking up so I haven’t been able to focus on much else.
This fun vegan muffin recipe is something I made a few weeks ago in anticipation of going on vacation. Neither Duncan nor I are usually huge fans of savory muffins, but we are happily eating these and I hope you share our enthusiasm.
These delicious vegan muffins are great for a gathering, a hike, a picnic, or a quick mid-afternoon snack when dinner is a long way off. They are quick to make, easy to use to get the main ingredients and come together in a single bowl. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
More about ingredients
the oil: Oil keeps these muffins moist and prevents them from drying out too quickly. I used light olive oil to make this, but you can use the oil you’ve saved from your dried tomatoes to reduce waste and enhance the flavor.
lemon juice: A small amount of lemon juice increases the acidity of the batter and reacts chemically with the baking soda to help these muffins rise. You can replace it with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, for example.
plant milk: I used soy milk to make these muffins, but any other plant milk will work just fine as long as its flavor is neutral and not overpowering.
Garlic and onion powder: I added a touch of both garlic and onion powder to these muffins to give them more depth. If you don’t have these spices in your cupboard, use a minced garlic clove instead of the powder, but I wouldn’t recommend using a grated onion as it will add too much moisture to the batter.
today: I used a combination of fresh basil (as it grows on my windowsill) and dried oregano to give these muffins a delicious flavor reminiscent of a good pizza. Feel free to play with other herbs of your choice.
Courgette / Zucchini: Coarsely grated courgettes/zucchini that keep these muffins moist, extra nutritious and keep them delightfully summery.
Sun dried tomatoes: Sundried tomatoes add a lot of flavor to these muffins. I dice them finely so the flavors intersect evenly. If you don’t like sundried tomatoes, you can use olives, capers or grilled artichokes instead.
Vegan Feta: The type of vegan feta (cheese) that works best here is nut-based rather than coconut oil-based as the latter turns into a messy liquid when baked. If not using feta, you may want to add finely chopped capers, olives, artichokes or more sun-dried tomatoes and a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast for a hint of cheesy flavor.
flour: I used plain wheat flour, but you can also make this with a good gluten-free flour blend. Add half a teaspoon of xanthan gum or 1 tablespoon of flax seeds for a better texture.
raising agent: A mixture of baking soda and baking powder is used. Their quantities are carefully calibrated to make these muffins just right.
salt pepper: Salt and pepper are used in this season. I used fine salt and fine pepper to distribute the flavors evenly.
Combine the oil, plant milk, lemon juice and dry spices in a large bowl (the one you see in my photo holds half of the muffins), add the grated zucchini with all its juices – no need to squeeze out the moisture.
Then add chopped sundried tomatoes, fresh herbs (in my case basil) and vegan feta, mix well. Finally add flour and baking agent. Mix everything well until there are no dough pockets.
Divide the mixture between 12 well-greased standard muffin holes. Garnish the tops with the remaining sundried tomato slices and vegan feta chunks (if using) and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Muffins
- 90 ml / 6 tbsp vegetable oil*, plus more for greasing
- 10 ml / 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 320 ml / 1 + 1/3 cup soy milk (or any plant milk)
- Half a teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tsp fine salt and ½ tsp ground pepper
- 240 g / packed 1½ cups grated courgette / zucchini
- 20 g / 0.7 oz fresh basil, leaves finely chopped
- 30 g / 1 ounce (drained) sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 30 g / 1 oz diced vegan feta, optional*
- 250 g / 2 cups all purpose flour or GF flour mix*
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
method
- Preheat the oven to 180° C / 355° F (or 160° C / 320° F if using the fan function). Grease a standard 12 muffin tray with oil or vegan butter (greasing works better than paper liners in this recipe).
- Place the oil, lemon juice and plant milk in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the dry spices, grated zucchini (no need to drain), chopped basil leaves, sundried tomatoes and vegan feta (if using) and stir well to combine. Reserve some sundried tomatoes and feta cubes for garnish.
- Add the flour and both baking agents in two batches, folding well after each addition.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffins. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and feta, if desired.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out clean – about 25-26 minutes.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool completely before eating. Once cool, run a butter knife around each muffin to remove from tin.
Comment
*Vegan Feta: The type of vegan feta (cheese) that works best here is nut-based rather than coconut oil-based as the latter turns into a messy liquid during baking. If not using feta, you may want to add finely chopped capers, olives, artichokes or more sun-dried tomatoes and a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast for a hint of cheesy flavor.
*Flour: I used plain wheat flour, but you can also make this with a good GF flour mix. Add half a teaspoon of xanthan gum or 1 tablespoon of flax seeds for a better texture.