Blueberry Bliss Muffins

Something about baking makes me quite introspective (see some earlier posts here, here, and here). As I was baking these muffins, I started to reflect on how food (and really anything that brings us pleasure) is a lot more enjoyable when you actually work for it. It's easy to buy food that other people prepare, but when you actually prepare your own food and take time to learn about what appeals to you, the result is a lot sweeter (…or saltier depending on the recipe 😉 ). Obviously, as the writer of a food blog, I've realized this quite a long time ago, but sometimes you have to remind yourself to enjoy your own hard work and recognize that the best things are things that you can imagine, work for, and create (and that goes way beyond the topic of food!)

Back to the muffins, the following recipe is full of fiber and antioxidants from the wild blueberries. If you can't find wild blueberries, regular blueberries (fresh or frozen) will work just fine.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole grain flour (whole wheat, whole spelt, whole brown rice, etc. all work)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1.5 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp. safflower oil
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used hemp milk for this recipe). Add more if needed.
• 1.5 cups frozen wild blueberries
• ½ cup oat bran

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and oat bran together in a large bowl and mix well.
• Add the oil, applesauce, non-dairy milk.
• Add the wild blueberries (no need to defrost if you're using frozen ones).
• Grease a muffin tin or use muffin tin cups. Using a spoon, transfer the muffin batter into each cup evenly.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes. The muffins will be ready when golden in color and if the "toothpick test" comes out clean (insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If done, none will remain on the toothpick after removing if from the center of the muffin).
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Enjoy!

-Jess