Carrot Cake Muffins and Good Housekeeping's Simple Vegan!

I'm going to tell you right now, this cookbook is not for all of you.  What I think makes it noteworthy is its very existence.  Good Housekeeping published a vegan cookbook last year.  The vegans have arrived.  We have the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. 

I'm finding all the time more and more people interested in vegan cooking.  The standard, "but where do you get your protein" has been replaced by, "I want to make more vegan meals."  (Well, perhaps a caveat is in order here - I do associate mostly with modern hippie-ish co-op preschool parents in health-conscious Southern California.  Are you still getting the horrified look and "that sounds hard" reaction?) 

So I think Good Housekeeping's vegan cookbook would make a nice introduction to the vegan-curious.  There is nothing intimidating here.  The recipes are totally doable and for the most part the ingredients can easily be procured in any local grocery store.  Plus it has that homey, hard-backed, internal spiral design that is just so safe and sturdy and reassuring.  It's a book that wants to lie open on your counter and totally doesn't mind a spattering of vegetable broth or whole grain muffin batter across its thick, almost glossy pages.  It's full of beautiful photographs, and there are good, basic, helpful asides on things like alternatives to dairy and how to grill vegetables.  

But if you are anything beyond completely new at this, you don't need this book.  There's a recipe in here for vegan burgers that calls for 2 packages refrigerated vegan soy burgers.  Really.  

This muffin recipe is solid though.  It's relatively low in fat, high on flavor, lightly sweet, and contains no ready-made products from your grocer's freezer.  It gets Your Vegan Mom's Seal of Approval.

Whole-Grain Carrot Cake Muffins
adapted from Good Housekeeping Simple Vegan!  If you don't have white whole wheat flour, you can also use whole wheat pastry flour, 1 cup all-purpose + 1/2 cup whole wheat, or plain ol' all-purpose flour.

Active Time: 20 minutes * Total Time: 45 minutes
Makes: 12 muffins

• 1 cup rolled oats 
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/4 cups plain unsweetened soy milk
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 and grease your muffin pan.
2. Process oats in blender until finely ground.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spice.  In small bowl, whisk soy milk, applesauce, oil, and vanilla.  Stir into dry ingredients until moistened.  Fold in carrots and nuts.  
4. Spoon batter into prepared pan (cups will be very full).  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 23 to 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Remove to cooking rack.

Simple Vegan's going into the box.  If you don't want it, give it your (real) mom.  If you haven't already, leave a comment on the last post for a chance to win.  And stay tuned for the rest of this month to see what else is going into the super fun surprise pack.