I don’t consider myself the most tech-savvy person, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve from time to time. One of my “tricks” (which is probably common knowledge, mind you) is filtering out email addresses from my inbox. Like many of you, I receive a frightening amount of press releases and other spam. You know the ones that start out like, “Regards Webmaster” or “Dear [any name except your own]”.
To help combat my spam woes, I started filtering out email addresses a couple years ago. If you use Gmail, you probably already know about this filtering feature. The beauty is that if you receive an email from an unwanted recipient you simply click “more” and then “Filter messages like these” and then choose how you filter out the email. That way, if they should try to spam you again from the same email (and you know they will) the message will go straight to the archive, trash, etc. – whichever you prefer! I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my inbox, cutting down unwanted emails by probably 50% over the past couple years. It’s quite amazing to see how many are filtered out each day! You can also use the filtering feature to have emails sent directly into folders of your choosing.
So, back to not being the most tech-savvy person.
Last week we were getting ready to leave on a trip to visit my family. In preparation, I somehow managed to create an email filter that sent all new/unread emails straight into my trash bin. Who knew that was even possible? I still have no clue how it happened…I swear! So all last week, I was in this blissful state of ignorance thinking that I was having a rather “light” week for email. [We all know that doesn’t happen unless it’s Christmas holidays. fool!]
Do you know how good that week felt though? I was free!
When we returned home, I realized something was majorly wrong because I wasn’t even getting my own emails (yes, I email myself…not weird at all…). When a girl can’t get her own emails that’s where I draw the line! So the investigation began. Eric, tech-ninja-genius, suggested I check my trash and spam bins. There, in the trash bin among the lowly filtered-out spam, I found emails from my family, friends, publisher contacts, editor, blog readers, and fact checkers. Dear Lord what did I do? I was getting follow-up emails like, “I haven’t heard from you yet, please reply ASAP!!!!” and then I had to try to explain that I created a filter that sent their emails to the trash. It wasn’t my proudest techy moment.
Tech-ninja fixed the problem and I’m back in email action and caught up, but I will never forget that week of freedom. It almost brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it.
Lesson learned: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, like these vegan blueberry muffins…
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Blueberry Banana Muffins
Yield
12 large muffins
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Delightful, healthy banana blueberry walnut muffins made with spelt flour so they are naturally wheat-free (but keep in mind that spelt has gluten in it). If blueberries aren't in season, I suggest using frozen blueberries and saving the fresh ones for summer baking. You can also leave out the walnuts and swap the almond milk for coconut milk if you'd like a nut-free version.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium)
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (210 mL) unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut oil, melted
- 2 cups (280 g) white spelt flour
- 4 to 6 tablespoons (40 to 60 g) coconut sugar or natural cane sugar*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup (50 g) walnut halves, chopped (optional)
- 1 1/4 cups (160 g) frozen or fresh blueberries**
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a muffin tin.
- In a medium bowl, mash bananas and measure out 3/4 cup. If you have any leftover mashed banana you can freeze it for a smoothie.
- Place mashed banana into medium bowl along with the milk, vinegar, maple syrup, and vanilla. No need to stir it yet.
- Melt the coconut oil in a small pot over low heat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda).
- Stir coconut oil into the wet mixture. Pour wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix as spelt is a fragile little flour.
- Gently fold in the walnuts and then the blueberries, being sure not to overmix as this can result in dense muffins.
- Spoon a heaping 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin tin, filling each tin about 3/4 full (they will be almost full, but this is normal). I like to press a few extra blueberries on top of each so they look pretty after baking.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 23 to 27 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. I baked them for 25 minutes.
- Cool in pan for 5 to 8 minutes and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack and cool for another 15 minutes.
Tip:
- * When using ripe, spotty bananas I find 4 tablespoons of sugar is plenty sweet, however if your bananas aren't overripe, you might need to use the full 6 tablespoons. Add to your taste.
- ** If using frozen blueberries, be sure to leave them in the freezer (do not thaw) until just before you stir them into the batter. This helps prevent bleeding.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Yum! What a great recipe! I tried it this morning, and they are soooo good!
I didn’t have spelt flour, so I used oat flour (rolled oats ground in the food processor). Instead of blueberries, I used fresh raspberries. I think I could have reduced the milk to 3/4 cup or a little less. The muffins were a little too moist (probably b/c I used a different flour), but still absolutely delicious. I’ll be making these again for sure!
Thanks for another great recipe, Angela!
Thank you so much for this recipe, I just made them and they are absolutely delicious! Perhaps the best thing I’ve ever baked!
My boyfriend loves these muffins!!! I make a batch for him every week. I cut out the coconut sugar and cut down on the maple syrup as we are trying to watch our sugar intake and I also use whole spelt and they taste great! Love your website and your book. I am going to tell my vegan friends ( only have one lol) all about your book and website.
I tried making these and while the flavor was delicious, they turned out like muffin soup. They didn’t rise or cook at all in the middle, even though I cooked them much longer than you recommend. The only thing I did differently was substitute spelt flour for almond flour. Any ideas on what the problem was?
Vegan muffins are very sensitive to changes, so my guess was the flour swap that you made. I hope it goes better if you try them again!
I messed these up in so many ways, and they still turned out great! I only had white whole wheat flour. The only vinegar I had was being used to pickle beets, so I snagged a tsp of beet-red vinegar, only to find out I didn’t have any baking soda! I added more baking powder, but was afraid the whole thing would be inedible. My husband has eaten 6 of the 12 in about 3 hours, and he’s now nicknamed me The Muffin Man. Delicious in spite of all my oopsies. Thank you!
These were so delicious! The only thing I changed was swapping 2 cups spelt flour for 2 cups whole wheat. Next time I make these, I’m going to try adding in a flax egg because I felt the muffins came out very loose if that makes sense. I feel like if I dropped one accidentally it would crumble! This might be due to swapping the flours, but the recipe still does work, and its yummy. Will definitely make these again.
this recipe is stupidly delicious and sooo easy. really dense, perfect flavor, and a total crowd pleaser even for the non vegans. thanks for sharing!
I’ve made these several times and they’ve turned out perfectly every time. Absolutely my favorite muffins ever!
These are RIDICULOUSLY good. They were in the oven whilst I was making the green taco mix “meat” and as soon as they came out of the oven I tore into one. I found them a little on the sweet side for my taste, and I had already reduced the coconut sugar from 6 TBSP to 5, but I may reduce it further next time (i.e tomorrow) I make these. As a side note, the taco recipe is awesome. I’m hoping there will be some left by dinner time as I keep picking at it :-)
I’ve been vegan for…ooooh….3 days now and I’m very inspired by your recipes.
I just got around to making these yesterday (don’t know why it took me so long when they’re so easy)! They are delicious and very satisfying. Thanks for making being a vegan easy and tasty!
Just finished making these and they are DELICIOUS!! So excited to have recipes with spelt to avoid an upset tummy! THANK YOU!
Yum! I have made these twice now, and they are a hit. I used Bob’s Red Mill Spelt Flour, and I am not sure if this was specifically “light” spelt (doesn’t indicate), but is definitely more coarse in the muffins than the other spelt flour I used from the bulk bin at my cooperative. Still, they turned out just as well, and I actually prefer the coarser texture. Added lemon juice instead of the vinegar, and also zest of 1/2 a lemon. Excellent!!
This is the best muffin recipe I have made. It is amazing with chocolate chips as well and I have made a straight up substitution with gluten free flour that turned out just as good. Thanks!
I made a version of these muffins last night using buckwheat flour instead of spelt for a GF version and it worked really well. I love this recipe!!!! Thank you!!
These work really well with buckwheat flour (light colored type)……
Oh my goodness, these are crazy good! My mother-in-law made these this afternoon and I’ve been (not-so-discreetly) nabbing them one at a time. If I were by myself I’d probably eat them three at a time, but I’m trying to give the allusion that I have at least some self-control. Thanks for the great recipe!
These were GREAT! I didn’t have spelt flour so I tried oat flour and the texture was still really nice. They are really tasty :)
Haha! That’s great! The first half of your post I was thinking “Ohhhh! I’m going to do that to my email!” Now I’m scared to. Haha! I guess the good ‘ol “Unsubscribe” will have to do!
I LOVE this recipe and have been munching on these this week (we sweetened with honey and used almond and chick pea flower and they are AHamazing!! So I can only imagine how great following this to a T is!) Anyway! I’m logging all my food, (with my UP Move band and app) and would love it if you had nutritional info or could give me even a rough guess as to what that is? For example, Calories, fat, protein, fiber etc. If you don’t have them, that’s fine. I just know these are WAY healthier than the generic “Gluten free blueberry muffin” I’m putting in. I can imagine there are others who would love this feature for recipes.
Thank you for this!!
I made these with regular spelt flour (didn’t have “light”) and they turned out GREAT! Will definitely be making them again! I have never used spelt flour with muffins before, so this opens up a lot of new possibilities :)
These were terrific! The spelt flour made for a delicate, delicious, fluffy muffin. I would recommend letting them cool for 5-10 minutes on the rack before digging in – the first muffins we ate were crumbly and fell apart, but the ones that cooled longer before we ate them were perfect.