Vegan Blueberry Banana Muffins

When Simon and I first met, he would tell me things were "just across the road" and like a silly girl, I would believe him. After walking for 20 minutes, we'd arrive at our destination. I don't mind walking, in fact- I love walking. If its above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and less than an hour walk away, I'll walk. That was a great thing about living in downtown Chicago, I walked everywhere. However, I like to be prepared for my walk. It took some time until I realized that nothing is actually just across the road when Simon says it is- not the grocery store, not the fish and chips shop, not the bus stop. "Just across the road" from our house here in Rowayton, there is a little deli called "White Bridge Deli". This place is maybe a 5 minute walk from our house, if there wasn't a river in between, it really would be just across the road. Simon and I love White Bridge Deli, or as we call it- Michael's. Michael, the owner, is a really nice guy and makes REALLY good egg and cheese sandwiches. He makes a lot of other things too, but Simon and I always go for breakfast, even if its 2 in the afternoon. Since giving up dairy and eggs, I can no longer get my beloved Micheal's breakfast. This weekend when Simon walked over there for his sandwich, I was really disappointed. If he was having Michaels, there wasn't a chance I was having cereal or a piece of fruit. 

I've had a few negative experiences with vegan baking. Things turn out dense, too dry, too moist, bland. Last weekend I did not have a poor experience. I had really awesome muffins:

Vegan Blueberry Banana Muffins

(makes 12)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon flax seed (chia work as well)

3 tablespoons water

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup white sugar*

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup almond/soy/coconut milk, your choice

1 whole overripe banana

1 cup blueberries (frozen are fine)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add flax seeds and water to a small bowl, let sit for a few minutes. In a large bowl, mix flour salt and sugars. Add mashed banana, vanilla, and milk to your flax mixture and mix together. Combine with dry ingredients. Stir until completely combined. Gently fold in blueberries. (IMPORTANT) Oil your baking cups or tin. As this recipe is oil free, it is very sticky. Pour batter into 12 muffins. Cook for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

*Note: Not all sugar is vegan, most regular white sugar at the grocery store uses animal bone to crush it into fine granules. Do your research if this is important to you, typically beet sugar (tastes the same) is vegan, amongst others