Apple Spice Crumb Muffins

This post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill.

I'm craving fall like no other right now. The weather is slowly making a shift, but I'd like to speed things up a bit. Colorado weather can be so wacky this time of year. So while we're still having some pretty warm days here, I'm pretending it's fall with the foods I eat, including these Apple Spice Crumb Muffins that I've consumed approximately 9 of in 2 1/2 days (hmm, maybe more?).

Inside these muffins you'll find some of my very favorite ingredients and one ingredient that I've never really done much baking with before. I typically leave hulled hemp seed hearts for smoothies, oatmeal toppings, and the like, but I wanted to see how they would fair in a hearty breakfast muffin. Turns out, very well! They're so soft that you really don't even notice their presence in these muffins, except for a bit of added flavor. It's not like biting into a crunchy nut or sunflower seed. They pair tremendously well with the oat, buckwheat, and almond flour combination and earthy spices like cinnamon, clove, and molasses.

You all know I'm a huge fan of Bob's Red Mill products, whether they sponsor my work or not. I've been using their products for years + years and am always impressed by the quality and variety of what they offer (which seems to be expanding all of the time). I know most of you are on board with BRM as well, which is why I continue to work with them and feel it's such a good fit in this space.

Per the usual, I have a heavy list of notes at the end about substitutions and a couple tips, so be sure to check them out. While the ingredient list is somewhat long for these muffins, they're not tricky to make, and I promise you won't be disappointed once you get to the eating part. They're the perfect fall breakfast muffin, studded with little bites of apple and topped with one of my favorite crumb toppings ever. I included hemp seeds in the topping, as well as grated apple, oats, oat flour, coconut sugar, etc. It melts in your mouth.

Hopefully the photos sell you on these babies and hopefully you love them so much you eat 9 in 2 1/2 days just like me. Actually, I think I lost count. 

Print Recipe!

Adapted from my: Vanilla Muffins + Blueberry Crumb Muffins

Apple Spice Crumb Muffins

gluten-free, dairy free // yields: 12 standard muffins

for the muffins:

• 1 cup GF oat flour
• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour 
• 1/2 cup hulled hemp seed hearts
• 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons coconut sugar 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax seed meal
• 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 medium-sized, crisp apples 
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil

for the topping:

• 1/3 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup GF rolled oats
• 1/4 cup softened coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 3 tablespoons hulled hemp seed hearts
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 medium-sized, crisp apple 

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a 12-mold muffin pan with liners.

In a large bowl, stir all dry muffin ingredients together well. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the milk, applesauce, molasses, and vanilla extract. (Hold off on the oil + apple.)

In a medium bowl, place all topping ingredients except for the apple in a bowl. Mix together with your fingers or a fork until crumbly and thoroughly combined. 

Peel 2 apples. Dice 1 cup of the apple at 1/4-inch size. Set aside. Grate the remaining apple and drain lightly in the fine mesh strainer if extra juicy (give a light press until it's not drippy). Measure a lightly packed 1/2 cup. (If needed, peel and use the 3rd apple.) Mix the 1/2 cup grated apple with the topping mixture and set aside.

Whisk the coconut oil in with the wet muffin ingredients and immediately pour into the dry. Stir until just combined (when you no longer see dry flour). The mixture will be thick. Fold in the 1 cup of diced apple.

Scoop into the muffin liners almost to the top and gently spread. (I kind of tap the tops to spread the batter.) Crumble all of the topping mixture over each muffin. Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out nearly clean (should be slightly sticky/tacky but not wet/gooey). Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully place on a cooling rack until fully cooled (about 1 hour). Texture firms and becomes fluffier once fully cool.

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Notes:

• If you are sensitive to coconut flavor, use refined coconut oil or sub another baking oil in the muffins and use butter or vegan butter in the topping.
• Almond meal can be subbed for almond flour.
• Honey can be subbed for the molasses but the overall muffin flavor will change.
• Sucanat, muscovado sugar, cane sugar, and brown sugar (lightly packed) can all be subbed for the coconut sugar.
• Feel free to add other spices if you like. (ie: ginger, all spice, etc.)
• If you leave the hemp seeds out of the muffins, you may want to decrease the liquids slightly. I haven't experimented with this.
• Braeburn apples worked perfectly, whereas Honey Crisp were actually too juicy and needed to be drained of excess liquid.

I'll be back again soon with a pregnancy update and then another recipe! It feels good to be back in this space a bit more lately. Stay tuned!

Happy Friday + happy weekend. 

Ashley

Today's post is sponsored by Bob's Red Mill, and I received compensation + product for writing this piece. Opinions are always my own. If I didn't love it, you wouldn't hear about it. Thanks for your continued support!

Lemon Garlic Tempeh with Turmeric Hemp Dressing

This post is sponsored by Frontier Co-op.

As our diets started transitioning years ago, and we started to cook more from scratch and eating less meat (then eventually no meat), there were a few grocery store items that didn’t seem doable to make at home. Salad dressing was one of them, along with granola bars, cereal, hummus, and nut butter, just to name a few. It was something I never thought about, really, and it took me awhile to finally realize these items were more than feasible to make at home. And once I started experimenting with homemade dressing, it was like, GAME ON. I actually started to enjoy salads!

So when Frontier Co-op came to me and asked if I’d be willing to share how I Cook With Purpose, I knew homemade salad dressing was the perfect topic to start with. When I started making more things from scratch, I felt such accomplishment and also a bigger sense of purpose in the kitchen. I was no longer cooking to eat and be done. I was cooking for our health, for the enjoyment I felt, and because homemade food just tastes better.

I can’t think of one store-bought salad dressing I ever actually enjoyed. (Okay, maybe ranch as a kid.) Most bottled dressings use a multitude of cheap and highly processed oils like soybean, canola, safflower, etc. and rarely use actual cold-pressed olive oil. Making dressing at home might seem intimidating, but it can be as simple as whisking together lemon juice, olive oil, honey or maple syrup, salt + pepper. And half the time, I’ll squeeze lemon and drizzle olive oil right over my salad and call it a day.

But there are times where I want dressing with a bit more depth that can hold up to a big bowl of greens, protein, and grains. I developed this dressing from my recent orange hemp salad dressing (still in love with that one) but kept this more on the savory side. I wanted to infuse the dressing with turmeric for its vibrant yellow color and light, earthy flavor. (Bonus: Frontier Co-op’s turmeric is sustainably grown by small farmers in Sri Lanka!) And instead of all hemp seeds I used a combination of hemp seeds and cashews, for an unbelievably creamy texture. Using turmeric alone fell a bit flat. But with a little more experimentation, I figured out that smoked paprika and cumin compliment turmeric extremely well. With a whole bunch of lemon and a clove of garlic added in, it couldn’t get much better.

Besides the dressing, I cooked a simple batch of quinoa, steamed broccoli, and pan-seared tempeh that can marinate on your counter for 30 minutes or in the fridge overnight. I urge you to make enough for leftovers the next day!

Print Recipe!

Lemon Garlic Tempeh with Turmeric Hemp Dressing

gluten-free, vegan // yields: 3-4 servings

For the tempeh: adapted from The Full Helping

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 2-3 teaspoons sriracha
• 2 medium cloves garlic, finely grated (I use a microplane for this.)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
• zest from 1 small-medium lemon (about 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1, 8oz block tempeh (gluten-free if needed)
• 1 tablespoon oil, for cooking

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight or at least 4hrs, then drained)
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds
• 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 medium clove garlic, peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt + pepper

For the meal:

• 2 large heads broccoli, chopped into florets
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed + drained
• 1 1/4 cups water

Place tempeh marinade ingredients in an airtight storage container (medium size) and whisk to combine. Chop tempeh into 1/2 - 3/4 inch cubes and add to the marinade. Seal and gently shake to fully coat. Let sit on the counter for 30 minutes (up to 60 is fine), turning a few times. Or, refrigerate for 8-12 hours, turning a few times.

After about 15 minutes, add quinoa to a medium pot with the water and a big pinch of salt + pepper. Turn to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover for 15 minutes. Quickly check to make sure water is fully absorbed by tilting the pot, then replace the cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Meanwhile, add all dressing ingredients to your blender. Turn on working to high speed until fully smooth, 30-60 seconds. Taste and add more lemon or water if needed. Dressing will thicken as it sits. Whisk in more water to thin if needed. Store in a sealable jar in the fridge for about 5 days. Shake before using.

Set up a pot steam your broccoli. Then, heat a medium-large pan over medium heat with a swirl of oil. Once the pan is hot, add tempeh with the marinade and cook for about 4-5 minutes on one side, until deep golden. Add your broccoli to the simmering pot right after you add the tempeh to the pan. Flip tempeh and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until golden. Toss for 1-2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Broccoli should be finished in about 8-10 minutes. Test with a fork.

Plate quinoa with broccoli, tempeh, and dressing. Add salt, pepper, and sriracha if desired.

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Notes:

• If placing tempeh marinade in a plastic container, note that the turmeric may stain it. Turmeric will also stain clothing, towels, some types of counters, wood utensils, etc.
• In the photo I also chopped some fresh chard, which you can do as well or leave out. Other greens will also work well.

Don't forget to check out my live webcasts over on my Nom.com channel each week! You can still watch previous episodes and then sign up to tune in and chat with me live while I cook (or you can just watch and not sign up). My next episode is coming up this Friday. Stay tuned to Instagram + Snapchat: edibleash for more details!

Ashley

Today's post is sponsored by Frontier Co-op, and I received compensation for writing this post. Opinions are always my own. If I didn't love it, you wouldn't hear about it. Thanks for your continued support!