Wholesome Blueberry Muffins

Welcome to my Ayurveda & Yoga blog! I’m Evangeline and I’m an RMT and holistic health coach. I started my blog during covid to stay connected to my clients and share my love of cooking healthy, AYURVEDIC INSPIRED meals.
Ayurvedic cooking is a conscious approach to preparing and cooking tasty, nutritious, balanced meals using spices and herbs, and taking into consideration the external conditions- the season, time of day, and how you are feeling and the state of your health.

A classic muffin and one that often gets requested in our household. This is my go-to muffin recipe that I adopted from my daughter’s daycare. It contains whole grains, antioxidants and a not your typical crumble topping that takes it to another level of wholesome. Whether it’s blueberry, carrot, zucchini, apple muffins or chocolate chip, it always turns out moist and delicious.

The daycare kids voted the original recipe 5/5 stars. Despite the modifications I had made my kids still give it a big thumbs up. Along the way, I also added in some Ayurvedic elements, creating a boost to your health, and a reminder of the practical use of spices even in desserts. I substitute melted ghee for the vegetable oil- ghee has a high burning point at 485°F / 252°C, a fat that nourishes all the bodily tissues, and provides other health benefits; cut out refined grains, substituting whole grain ones; added cinnamon; and substituted the ubiquitous flour-butter-sugar topping with a ground sunflower seed-pecan-maple syrup combination. The cardamom in the topping gives this muffin a unique twist. Whole grain flower combinations I’ve used include 50-50 einkorn-spelt, or kamut-spelt, or einkorn-buckwheat.

Cinnamon- helps metabolize sugar

Cardamom- helps digest protein

Sunflower Seeds and Pecans- rich in protein, good fats, minerals, Vitamin E- an antioxidant, and B Vitamins

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Makes 6 muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 18-20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

⅔ whole grain flour

½ cup rolled oats

⅓ cup sucanat or cane sugar

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

⅛ tsp salt

¾ cup wild blueberries, fresh or frozen

⅓ cup plain yogurt

1 egg

¼ cup melted ghee or butter and cooled a bit

TOPPING - optional

¼ cup sunflower seeds toasted and ground
¼ cup pecans toasted and crushed
¼ tsp cardamom, ground or powder
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp maple syrup or sucanat

Mix all together in a bowl.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

3. In a larger bowl combine blueberries, yogurt, egg and melted ghee or butter and whisk all together.

4. Add dry to wet ingredients and mix all together until moist. Batter will be moist and thick, not runny. Don’t over mix.

5. Spoon batter into muffins cups or a greased muffin pan.

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

8. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Substitutions | omissions

Chocolate Chips instead of blueberries and omit the topping - pictured just below

Chocolate Chip version with 50-50 einkorn-buckwheat flour combo - no topping

References

https://www.webmd.com/diet/ghee-good-for-you
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015