Blueberry Muffins (Vegan and Paleo)

July 30, 2014

Blueberry Muffins (Vegan and Paleo)


There are things I find myself doing over and over again when I travel.
One is to pretend to pass off as a local.
So no maps, I only use Google maps on my phone. I walk with confidence, somehow implying I know where I’m heading to — even when I’m completely lost.
Yes, I might have a back-pack on my shoulders, but that’s because I carry a laptop and a couple of books. I have stuff to do in this city, you know?
The Yankees baseball cap I’m wearing? It’s a fashion thing.
And I’m aiming a camera and taking a gazillion pictures of things that a gazillion other people have taken a gazillion photos of, because I’m a postcard photographer, alright?
I.Am.Not.A.Tourist. Don’t you dare call me that!

Blueberry Muffins (Vegan and Paleo)
I nod and smile when the locals speak to me here in Amsterdam. Sometimes I even say 'yes' (“ja” in Dutch) when someone asks me a question - because it's more polite than 'no' - and never look as I disapprove.
I can also say ‘thank you’ (dank je/u wel), ‘please/you’re welcome’ (alstublieft), ‘yummy’ (lekker) and - of course - ‘awesome’ (geweldig).
I feel like it’s enough vocabulary to get by.
When I'm at the grocery store, I hope that the cashier doesn't ask me anything more than 'do you have a loyalty card?' (called Bonus card - two words easily detectable) or ‘do you want the receipt?' I know how to answer to that.
However, if he's up for a chat, my act falls apart. Epic. Fail.

Blueberry Muffins (Vegan and Paleo)


I’m aware that this ‘pretend to be a local’ thing is kind of idiotic - more often than not, I have to come clean and confess “I’m sorry I don’t speak Dutch” - but I love the feeling that drums up when locals think I’m one of their own.
Look at this place people. I want to feel I belong here...

Houses in Amsterdam

...what about this?
Canal in Amsterdam


OK, enough with my (travel) idiosyncrasies.
Let’s talk about muffins, shall we?
Blueberry is by far the most popular flavor muffin in the USA, and probably in the world.
This recipe is awesome for those who like love blueberry muffins but can’t have grains, dairy, and refined sugar or for those who just want to have a healthier (but still delicious) blueberry muffin.
Sweet, but not too sweet, with those juicy little blueberries baked right into the middle and not sunken into the bottom.
Perhaps the secret ingredient to how good these muffins taste is coconut milk.
It gives them a smooth texture when you bite in, and also a hint of coconut flavor that permeates throughout the entire muffin.
I know they’re funny looking; they’re flat, like cupcake flat. They do taste like muffins though, there’s nothing cakish about them.

Blueberry Muffins (Vegan and Paleo)
Blueberry Muffins (Vegan and Paleo)                                                                  Print this recipe!
Adapted from Living Healthy with Chocolate

Do not add more blueberries than the recipe calls for (I know you’ll be tempted but don’t) or you’ll end up with soggy and mushy muffins. For the very same reason, use only fresh blueberries, not frozen ones.

Ingredients
Makes 6 muffins

1 cup / 3.2 oz / 90 gr almond flour/meal (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of fine grain sea salt
2 tablespoons raw organic honey
½ cup / 120 ml full fat coconut milk (use BPA-free coconut milk)
1 flax egg (or 1 pastured egg)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
¼ cup / 1.2 oz / 35 gr fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle. Line a muffin pan with 6 liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl mix almond meal, baking soda and salt.\In another bowl whisk together honey, coconut oil, coconut milk and egg.
Using a spatula, gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Fold blueberries into the batter.
Divide batter among muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until tops are golden brown (make sure they do not burn though).
Let cool completely on rack before removing.

Nutrition facts

One muffin yields 229 calories, 19 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein.

38 comments:

  1. Could the coconut milk be substituted with almond milk?

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  2. At 5ft tall, or should I say 5 ft short, my hopes of passing as a native in Holland are at most 0.01% ;-)

    Now, whenever I was in Italy, every single person would assume I was Italian and would speak to me in heir language at t100 words per minute. Brazilians can for the most part understand Italian if they speak slowly (= never), but still... it was amazing to have to convince them that they better speak to me in English if they wanted to have a meaningful conversation... ;-)

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    1. Hahahaha Sally, that's fantastic.
      Question: is there a place in the world where you haven't been/lived? Seems like you've travelled everywhere :)

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  3. Such gorgeous views - love the water/buildings/boats - have you been on a water taxi/boat ride?

    As for these muffins - love your use of almond meal and coconut milk in them!

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    1. I have, I have. Seeing Amsterdam from the canals is such a awesome experience. It gives you a completely different view of the city!

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  4. As usual, these look awesome Mike, nice job and welcome back!

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    1. Thanks Matt, I'll be on this side of the pond for a couple more days. YAY!

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  5. As always I love your writing Mike. Gorgeous muffins too!

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  6. another delicious recipe Mike.. nothing beats a good home baked blueberry muffin. i am so craving one right now!

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  7. So incredibly delicious! Pinned!

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  8. Mike! How goes the trip? I'm impressed that you are still posting while you're over there...and with current pics at that! That's how the wolfpack rolls, my friend! Oh, and I've always had a not-so-secret desire to move to western Europe. It's a crazy thought, but the culture and life over there would rock!! Enjoy every minute of it!

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    1. You know David, I'm staying at my sis. So I have a kitchen, props, wi-fi, etc. basically everything I need to blog. If I were in a hotel, I don't think I would be able to do it.
      I would love to move over here as well, maybe for a couple of years or something. It would be awesome!

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  9. I act exactly as you do :D And for some reason shop assistants are always up for a chat. Why oh why they always blow my cover as a local Dutchie :D Even in Sicily I can pass for an Italian. I swear, I had an Italian guy talk to me for like half an hour until he realized I am not a local. But not in Netherlands. Nope. The minute they hear my accent (ahem, who can pronounce correctly their crrrazy G's and R's?) they start talking to me in English. Anyway, this "pretend to be a local" thing is totally NOT idiotic. It helps to experience the life the way the locals do it.
    Ok, I am off to bake those delicious-looking blueberry muffins. Groetjes ;)

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    1. Hahahaha Vita, that's so awesome to know I'm not alone on this one. BTW here in the Netherlands literally everybody speaks flawless English, it's incredible!

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  10. It sounds like you've been having a great trip! I hope there's more pictures to come, (you can't post too many in my opinion)! My husband loves blueberry muffins, I'll have to pin these for a later date when it's not 90 degrees outside!

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    1. Yup Kari, I've taken so many pictures, you'll get sick of them! :D

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  11. These muffins look amazing but that building with flowers in the window?!! I want to live there so badly!!

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  12. I would be tempted to replace the baking soda with 3/4 teaspoon baking powder so that they rise and don't sink in the middle. Just a thought...

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    1. If you try, please report back. I'm curious to know how it turns out!

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  13. Hi Mike, That looks like such a lovely place, I would love to live there for sure. In fact when we travel I am always wanting to move to that place, well maybe not always. Your muffins look wonderful.

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  14. I live in Belgium, the country next to the Netherlands. If you feel the urge to visit Belgium,you should definitely aim for Ghent and Bruges.
    Belgian chocolate would be fantastic in your muffins !

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  15. Hey there, glad I found this blog. I will definitely try this.
    You have a new subscriber :-).
    My husband is a Ironman triathlete too :-)

    I am a new blogger, please visit anytime.
    xoxo
    www.cookwithdesy.com

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  16. These look so yummy! Have to make them this weekend!

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  17. Dang, wish Id seen this an hour ago, before deciding to invent my own vegan paleo muffins aka fall into tiny pieces soggy fruit mess ha! Epic. Fail. Next time...

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  18. I'm so glad I found this recipe cause it's been hard finding a grain-free and gluten free muffin recipe! Thanks for sharing! :)

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  19. Made these last night: so good. Thanks for sharing!

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  20. Just found your blog and I love it! I can't wait to try the recipes!

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  21. This is incredible! Paleo AND vegan baking recipes are close to impossible to find. Thank you!

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  22. Has anyone tried these with frozen berries?

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  23. I just tried this recipe and it failed miserably. I don't know where I went wrong, as I followed everything exactly. I just ate one with a spoon, and it was like eating a spoonful of wet almond meals. Very frustrating. :(

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  24. Dear "Ashby and Abram", this happened to me a few times. Mainly my own fault: I thought coconut milk was like actual milk (like soy milk/drink or almond milk/drink, but the coconut-based version). Today I used actual coconut milk from a can. Check out the link in the recipe that this website's author uses.
    I used a little less than 1/2 Cup, thinking I could always add more if the consistency of the batter didn't seem right to me.
    Also, today I used muffin molds instead of small cake molds which I used before. They were in the oven for 20 mins; I checked with a tooth pick and they actually came out perfect!

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