Can't Wait for Fall

My favorite season is quickly approaching…fall! There is a crispness in the air; the leaves are starting to turn colors (some are already falling!); and this weekend marks the official end of summer.

Hello, fall. I’ve missed you <<air hug>>

To celebrate  the unofficial beginning of fall, I dug into my stash of canned pumpkin (remember the shortage a couple of years ago???) and whipped up a batch of Pumpkin Spice Muffins. But…this time I did things a little different. I replaced the whole wheat flour with oat bran, replaced the sugar with dates, and used raisins for the dried fruit (instead of my standard craisins). What resulted was a dense, filling, little gem that’s naturally gluten-free (make sure your oat bran is processed in facility that doesn’t cross contaminate), has less than 2 grams of fat, and is free of oils and refined sugars. Yum!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

2 c oat bran

1/2 c dates, packed (soak for a few mins in warm water if dry)

1/2 c  lite coconut milk (or another non-dairy milk)

1/2 tsp salt

1 - 2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice (optional)

1 15 oz can pumpkin (or about 2 c)

1/3 c raisins

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Mix dry ingredients (oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice). Sift or stir with a fork to combine.

Puree dates in a high-powered blender. Add them to the dry mix. Add remaining wet ingredients (pumpkin puree and non-dairy milk). Stir to combine, but don’t over stir. Once combined, stir in raisins.

Generously fill paper/foil muffin cups (or use a non-stick tin).

Bake about 20 minutes or until center is firm to your liking.

This batch made 12 muffins. Sometimes I get up to 15.

Using lite coconut milk (the kind from a can) and raisins, each muffin has 118.3 calories, 1.7 grams of fat, 154.1 miligrams of sodium, 21.8 g carbs, with 4.8 g fiber, and 3.2 g protein (according to Sparkpeople). I don’t track any micronutrients except fiber, so I can’t report on the vitamins and minerals, but I’m sure they’re little powerhouses!

Lately, I’ve been eating my muffins with a tiny smear of raw almond butter. I’ve happily proclaimed this the best snack ever!

Pumpkin Spice Muffin

The only picture I have of my yummy Pumpkin Spice Muffins is with a little Earth Balance (which is delicious!) because every time I eat one with almond butter, I gobble it down so fast, I forget to take a picture! So, if you’re like me and can’t resist your new favorite muffin, freeze the left overs.  I put my in sandwich size zip top bags for automatic portion control. The muffins thaw very well – 30 seconds in the microwave works for me.

I love these muffins so much, I want to share them with as many people as possible. That’s why I’m submitting them to this week’s Wellness Weekend at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. Thanks for enabling so many people to share their delicious and nutritious recipes, Ricki!

Update: I love these muffins so much, and I want to share them with as many people as possible, so I’m also submitting them them to SSGF’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and to CP’s Allergy Friendly Friday. Check out  both sites for some great recipes! (Note: Neither site is vegan.)

Second Update: I also submitted my yummy muffins to Tuesdays at the Table and the Delicious Dishes Party.

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