Whole Wheat Vegan Muffins

Caution: this recipe is sweat-free!

If you are new to vegan baking, I would suggest you start with something simple. My take on whole wheat flour vegan muffins is easy to prepare, and a perfect recipe to try if you have never baked before.

What I love the most about the recipe is that you literally need 5 minutes to mix the ingredients. That’s as time consuming as it gets. All you need to do now is pop the muffins in the oven and bake. Make a cup of coffee or tea and be ready to enjoy a delightful plant-based muffin in only half an hour.
In no time your house is smelling nice, and you are ready to swallow all of the ready muffins at once. I am talking from experience here! I know it is very tasty vegan delight, but be careful of your portion control. Follow the Vikaterian motto and don’t restrict yourself from anything, but also know which foods to eat all by yourself, and which ones are prepared in a portion to share.

Your best friends when pleasing your sweet tooth are the whole ingredients. In my case, I chose to prepare the muffins with whole wheat flour, instead of bleached white flour. Whole wheat flour is rich in vitamins B, iron, calcium and protein (read more about the benefits of whole foods). I also substituted the commonly used refined sugar with coconut sugar and maple syrup. If you are following a plant-based diet, replacing white refined sugar with maple syrup, is probably one of the best decisions you could make, since it is rich in calcium and zinc.

Without further a due! Let’s bake!

Print Recipe

Whole Wheat Flour Vegan Muffins

Easy and delicous introduction to plant-based baking.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Sweet Treat, Vegan Breakfast, Vegan Snack
Cuisine: Plant-based, Vegan
Keyword: chia egg, maple syrup, muffins, refined sugar-free, whole wheat flour
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 154kcal

Equipment

  • 12-cup muffin tin

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

Wet Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Other Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds for chia "egg" (check notes)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
  • Start by preparing the chia “egg”. In a small bowl mix 1tbsp chia seeds with 3tbsp water. Give it a stir and let it sit for 30 minutes to thicken. Chia “egg” should have gel-like texture when ready. (Check the notes)
  • In a big bowl mix all dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, salt, coconut sugar).
  • In a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients (coconut milk, maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla extract), including the thickened chia “egg”. All wet ingredients should be room temperature.
  • Start adding the wet ingredients mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Pour slowly while stirring, until well incorporated.
  • Grease the muffin tin with a little oil, or use paper liners.
  • Divide the batter into equal parts among the muffin tin.
  • Bake the whole wheat flour muffins for 30 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick. Muffins are ready if the toothpick comes out clear.

Notes

Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 154
Total fat: 7.7g
Carbs: 18.3g
Protein: 2.2g
Calcium: 53.5%
Iron: 1.4%
Potassium: 57.8mg
Chia "Egg":
Chia “egg” usually takes from 5 to 30 minutes to thicken, after adding the water. Sometimes I prepare it much in advance, and leave it in the fridge overnight, or even for a day or two. If you choose to do this, make sure to take the chia “egg” out of the fridge well in advance. All ingredients need to be room temperature when mixed together are.
 

Creamy Shiitake Spinach Spaghetti

Rich creamy texture is not something people associate with plant-based diet. Especially when we talk-pasta. This recipe, though, is here to prove them wrong.

The recipe is very personal mostly because it was created out of an insane crave for white sauce pasta. A vivid example of how hearty appetite leads to creativity! To be more specific, it’s not the traditional version of white pasta sauce that I have been missing, but rather the thick richness and the feeling of satiation. Moreover, the recipe incorporates my latest obsession- shiitake mushrooms. I simply love them and their chewy texture. Honestly speaking the measure of the mushrooms, I added to the ingredients list, sometimes doesn’t correspond to the reality of what I actually use when I prepare the sauce. If you are one of those strange people, who don’t fancy my most beloved shiitake, feel free to substitute them with another type of mushroom. Even though I can’t promise the same healthy benefits if you choose to do so.

If you are still not drooling over my flavorful introduction (maybe I am not as good of a writer as my mother made me believe), let me give you a practical reason to cook this dish. All the ingredients you need are 100% whole foods! No vegan cheese, no gums, no refined sugars. Everything you need is simple, easy to find and inexpensive. On top of that the Creamy SSS take only around 30 minutes to prepare, and are packed with handful of nutritional benefits.

 

Print Recipe

Creamy Shiitake Spinach Spaghetti (SSS)

An easy and fast way to prepare plant-based deliciousness in a hurry.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fast/Easy, healthy, Italian, Plant-based
Keyword: coconut milk, healthy, shiitake, spaghetti, spinach, vitamin A
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 340kcal

Ingredients

Creamy sauce

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion minced
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 tsp ginger minced
  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms diced (around 140g/5oz)
  • 4 cups raw spinach (around 120g/4.2oz)
  • 2/3 cup coconut milk full cream
  • 4 tsp sesame seeds roasted
  • 2 tsp nut meg
  • 3 tsp turmeric
  • salt and paper to taste

Flavorful pasta

  • 250 g spaghetti (9oz)
  • 3 tbsp dried mint
  • 4-5 bay leaves
  • 1 shiitake mushroom
  • salt

Instructions

Sauce:

  • Sauté onions in the coconut oil, until transparent.
  • Add the minced ginger, salt, pepper, turmeric and nut meg. Stir to evenly distribute the spices.
  • Add the mushrooms and cook until mushrooms soften and release water.
  • Add the crushed garlic cloves.
  • Pour the coconut milk in the pan, cover and simmer on medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
  • Add spinach and sesame seeds. Keep stirring until spinach leaves soften.

Spaghetti

  • Bring salted water to boil.
  • Add bay leaves, dried mint and a shiitake mushroom in the boiling water.
  • Boil the spaghetti for 8 minutes, or until al dente.
  • Drain pasta and add it to the simmering sauce. Stir well and let sit for few minutes, so the sauce absorbs.

Notes

Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 340
Total fat: 9.1g
Carbs: 57.8g
Fiber: 4.4g
Protein: 11.1g
Calcium: 14.9%
Iron: 20.7%
Potassium: 214.7mg
Vitamin A: 56.3%
Vitamin C: 17.5%

As you have most probably noticed from the nutrition information, the Creamy SSS is packed with vitamin A. There is a lot of controversy when we talk about this specific vitamin. That’s because it gets stored in the body and we can actually “overdose”. The good news is that we need to be aware of our vitamin A intake, only when supplied from animal source “dealer”. And since my new favorite pasta recipe is completely plant-based, the only think you can overdose of are the potential vitamin benefits. So get ready to boost your immune system and protect your vision! Let’s cook!

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