Cherry Vanilla Muffins With Pecan Streusel
Makes 9-11 muffins

1 1/2 cups frozen cherries
1⁄3 cup flax meal (ground flaxseeds)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1⁄3 cup sugar
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat)
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or more vanilla)

Streusel topping:
1⁄3 cup pecans
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 margarine (preferably Earth Balance)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Pulse cherries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
3. In a small bowl, add the milk, flax meal, sugar, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Combine well. Add the cherries and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet mixture and combine with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
5. Pulse the pecans, brown sugar, and margarine in the food processor to make the streusel. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and top the muffins with the streusel. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 26-28 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before moving to a cooling rack.

For some extra cherry goodness, I'm in love with the Snow Geisha tea from Teavana. It is a loose leaf white tea that smells like cherry lollipops (it has a light cherry flavor when brewed). Awesome.

I love these muffins and so do my muffin-loving kids. Enjoy!
Cranberry Tangerine Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• Juice from 2-4 tangerines (or oranges)
• 2 Tbsp tangerine (or orange) zest (preferably organic or tangerines not coated with wax or another coating)
• 1⁄3 cup flax meal (ground flaxseeds)
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or more whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup protein powder (optional, replace with flour if not using)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped.
3. Pour zest and tangerine juice into a measuring cup for a total of 3⁄4 cup. Pour into a small bowl and add the flax meal, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Combine well.
4. In a large bowl, combine flours, protein powder (optional), baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet mixture and mix with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-23 minutes.

These muffins are not super sweet but they are really healthy- they contain lots of iron and protein too! I wasn't sure if they'd pass the "kid test", but...

Success!
Big smiles:

Blackberry Orange Muffins
Makes 9-10 muffins

1 cup flour (preferably whole wheat or spelt)
1 cup ground oats (grind in food processor or VitaMix until they look like course flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup fresh blackberries, halved
1 Tbsp orange zest
2 Tbsp hemp seeds (for protein and extra iron)
1/4 cup unrefined sugar (organic sugar)
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 375〫F (190〫C) degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and ground oats. Sift in the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, then stir in remaining dry ingredients and combine well.
3. In another bowl, combine applesauce, soy milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and oil.
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix gently until just combined (do not overmix). Spoon into a lined or lightly oiled muffin pan and bake for 19-24 minutes (mine took 19), until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe adapted and published with permission from Dreena Burton's "As-You-Like Muffins" from The Everyday Vegan.

I converted a banana bread recipe into muffins today and they turned out so good that each of my kids ate two of them. That's no big deal for my almost-two-year-old, who will eat almost anything (I've seen him wolf down kale chips and ask for more!). But my four-year-old tends to be quite picky and he loved these muffins. These are free of "chunks" for my kids' sake, but you can add walnuts, raisins, blueberries, or other things if you like.

Best banana muffins in the history of all banana muffins
2 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup applesauce or another banana
1 1/2 tsp rum extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar (note: these are pretty sweet, so adjust to taste)
1/4 cup oil (I used coconut but canola works too)
~1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soy, rice, almond, hemp, etc.)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Dash of fresh grated nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Mash the bananas in a small bowl and add applesauce, both extracts, sugar, oil, and milk. Mix well.
2. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients and gently stir until combined but don't over-mix or your muffins will be tough. Add more milk of the batter is super thick (it should be thick but not cookie-dough thick).
3. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and fill the muffin cups level with the top. Since this is a converted loaf recipe, I found that it make only 11 muffins. Your mileage may vary. Bake for 20 minutes or until they are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.