Ever since I saw the recipe for Almond-Quinoa Muffins in Veganomicon, I knew I had to try them. While I am quite partial to oatmeal and whole wheat couscous, quinoa is my favorite grain. And this recipe is not only phenomenal because it puts quinoa in a muffin, this recipe is phenomenal because it is sweetened with agave nectar and dried fruit - as in, no dry sweeteners! These muffins are also 100% whole grain, and combine cinnamon and cardamom in the spicing category. All right, no more: if you want to know what else is in these muffins, you'll have to bust out Veganomicon yourself! The pictures can do the talking from here.
I was really curious about the appearance of the inside of the muffin. Believe it or not, the quinoa wasn't extremely noticeable from the outside of the muffin, and inside we've got a nice little apricot guy.
So, what did I think about these muffins? Pretty darn good. They are healthy enough to be breakfast, but I just made a 1/4 of the recipe for an afternoon snack. Since the muffins have no refined flours or sugars, they keep you happily full and sugar-coma free. Normally I never say this, but I do wish they had been a tad sweeter. Were these muffins worth the 13 dollar bag of almond flour? I think so. Yes, you read correctly: unless you're lucky enough to find almond flour in the bulk section of your local natural foods store (I wasn't), expect to hand over around 13 dollars for a little Bob's Red Mill bag of this stuff.
I got the ingredients on Saturday at Whole Foods, so I couldn't pass up picking up a nice little lunch there too!
I had a tofu noodle bowl with ginger-peanut sauce. Back in the corner is my awesome SIGG water bottle. Everyone should get one. Anyway, it was quite a yummy lunch. My only criticism is that the peanut sauce was entirely too gingery and not enough peanut butter-y. Just to let you know a little more about my tastebuds, I could probably live with eating tofu with thai peanut sauce every meal for the rest of my life. I've never made my own peanut sauce; I've only tried it in establishments that are awesome enough to cater to vegans like myself. So, you experts out there, to which cookbook or blog should I direct myself to find the most kick-butt thai peanut sauce recipe?
Just from one muffin recipe, I have discovered why Isa Chandra Moskowitz is basically the number one vegan chef ever. From the second I smelled the contents of my brand new, just-opened bottle of ground cardamom, I knew she had good taste. No doubt will I be recreating many more Isa and Terry recipes in the future!
9 comments:
Ooh, I hope somebody responds with a good recipe for Thai peanut sauce. It's my favorite!
Those muffins look tasty! I've been dying to try them too - I just picked up my copy of Veganomicon a week or so ago...
Welcome to the world of vegan blogging :)
I love peanut sauce, but like you, I don't have my own yummy recipe. The muffins look stellar-- a perfect snack! Veganomicon is on my Christmas list!
The muffins turned out perfectly and look fantastic! Try some with toasted millet too. It's like eating those little candy ball sprinkles!
My favorite tofu and peanut sauce thing at Whole Foods is the Thai springrolls - a big slice of tofu in the roll to dip in the peanut sauce.
Oh, yeh - Isa rules!
I too am obsessed with quinoa, in addition to the other grains that you mentioned (oh, and barley is terrific as well!!); and agave nectar makes a lovely addition to baked goods as well. those muffins sound absolutely perfect!! yum!! I definitely need those muffins to be the second recipe that I make from Veganomicon :0)
you should try TEMPEH with thai-peanut-sauce - now THAT'S a divine combination. as for the sauce recipe, Celine (from the 'have cake, will travel!' blog) has great peanut-sauce recipes in her recipe index!! check 'em out!! :0)
thanks for your comment on my blog, rrv!
thai peanut sauce is definitely amazing! the best recipe i've ever made is this one:
3/4 c coconut milk
1/2 c peanut butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tbsp tamari
dash cayenne, or to taste
put it all in a food processor and blend until smooth. it gets thicker as it sets, especially after refrigeration. so good with tofu satay!
Nice blog! Do you mind if I link to it?
The muffins remind me of some barley muffins I made. I like muffins to be breakfast-like rather than dessert-like!
Do you rinse your quinoa before cooking it? I can't find a strainer with small enough holes--the quinoa always fall through.
Quinoa in a muffin sounds perfect. I wonder if I could sub amaranth. I have a whole bag of it and need to use it up!
I love Sigg bottles too, no wierd taste like the Nalgene bottles.
Hmmm, peanut sauce. It seems like I try a new one every time I make one. But if I ever stumble upon one steller recipe, I'll let you know!
oh no! I cant even buy that cookbook yet!! Dont tell me I gotta wait till april to make a quinoa muffin!
:'(
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