Mango Lime Muffins

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I suddenly got incredibly busy this summer. I've been working almost every night at a Thai restaurant, running errands, making appointments, trying to see old friends, and planning for my huge scary exciting Europe trip. 

Yeah, that's the big one.

I officially bought my plane ticket the other day, so suddenly this whole thing has become a lot more real. 
September 5th. 9pm. London here I come. Then on to Paris, Spain, Italy and Greece, with a little wiggle room in between so that I can do some spontaneous traveling. I can barely even contain my excitement!

Anyway, needless to say, this trip has been taking up a lot of my brain space. I have had a lot of people ask me if I will keep blogging while I'm away and the answer is yes! That's So Vegan will temporarily become a travel blog, still centered around food, but with many more life experiences thrown in the mix.

For now, however, the brutal heat in Minneapolis has cooled down and I can finally get back to baking. I tried a couple of no-bake recipes during the 100º weather, but those really don't do it for me as much as watching something magically transform in the oven.

These muffins are lovely for summer mornings. They are light, sweet, and citrus-y and will start your day off right alongside a tall glass of iced tea. 

Mango Lime Muffins

makes 1 dozen muffins

1 1/2 cup flour
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

zest of 1 lime

juice from 1 lime

1/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup almond milk

1 cup diced mango, fresh or frozen

2 tbsp flaked coconut 

1 tbsp sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 375º and line a muffin tin. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lime zest. Whisk together the lime juice, oil and almond milk in a smaller bowl, then add the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir until just combined and fold in the mango pieces. 

3. Pour the batter into the muffin liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Mix the coconut with the tablespoon of sugar and sprinkle a bit on the top of each muffin. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the coconut begins to toast and a toothpick comes out clean.

Strawberry Muffins

Some girls daydream about being on the beach.

Some girls daydream about their weddings.

Some girls daydream about their future careers...

and I daydream about food. Not even eating it, just making it.

Lately these daydreams have been filled with lemon and citrus, avocados, always chocolate, vegan caramel, and strawberries. I decided to make the last fantasy a reality. A delicious, delicious reality. That's right, these are double-delicious.

Strawberry Muffins

makes a dozen muffins

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp soy milk
1/2 cup soy yogurt (could also substitute applesauce)
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup agave
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped strawberries

1. Preheat your oven to 375º and line a muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the soy milk, yogurt, oil, agave and vanilla. Stir in the flour and baking powder until just combined. Fold in the strawberries.
3. Divide the batter evenly into 12 muffins. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

Side note: If you haven't seen yet, I have updated my list of favorite blogs to the ones I've been following more recently. There are some beauties on there, check it out!

What do you tend to daydream about?

Whole-Wheat Apple Ginger Muffins

The skies have been pretty grey around here lately and I don't know about you, but if it's cloudy for too long I tend to fall into a slump. This month, though, I have vowed to keep myself out of those rainy day blues by doing little things to cheer myself up once in a while! Here's what I've come up with:

-Exercise every morning

-Listen to songs that take me back to really happy moments in my life

-Watch Breakfast at Tiffany's

-When I study, relocate once in a while to somewhere across campus to get a change of scenery plus a refreshing walk

-Wear lipstick (silly, but I've found that a little glamour always helps)

-Reserve a studio and dance around for an hour 

-Make an effort to prepare myself a good breakfast to start the day on the right foot

As far as breakfast goes, my favorite thing to do lately is bake a big batch of muffins or scones, freeze them and then heat one up in the microwave in the morning. Voila! Instant, delicious baked-goods. These yummy apple ginger muffins have kept me going for about a week now, and I'm still not sick of them :)

Whole-Wheat Apple Ginger Muffins

makes 12 muffins

1  1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

3/4 cup almond milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup canola oil (can be replaced with applesauce for a fat-free version)

1 apple, peeled and grated

1. Preheat your oven to 375º and line a muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the almond milk with the lemon juice and let it curdle for a minute or two. Whisk in the ginger and canola oil. 

3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the grated apple. Distribute the batter evenly between the muffin liners and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

What do you do to cheer yourself up on grey days?