Carrot Spice Muffins
An esteemed expert on plant-based nutrition, registered dietitian Brenda Davis has been the lead nutritionist and health educator for the Diabetes Wellness Project in the Marshall Islands for several years.
Vesanto Melina coauthored the joint position paper on vegetarian diets for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada.
Together, this dynamic duo has penned a life-changing cookbook for anyone who has type 2 diabetes or cares for someone who does.
THE KICK DIABETES COOKBOOK: An Action Plan and Recipes for Defeating Diabetes, authors Brenda Davis, RD, and Vesanto Melina, MS, RD, explain how the nutrients found in unprocessed plant-based foods positively affect insulin production and can turn diabetes around.
Certain foods help ward off hunger and lower blood glucose levels, while other foods can send them skyrocketing. Easy-to-read charts and tables indicate which foods to eat regularly and which ones to avoid.
Included are lifestyle recommendations that can help promote optimal wellness.
Ingredients
2 cups (500 ml) old-fashioned rolled oats
1⁄4 cup (60 ml) ground flaxseeds
2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground cinnamon
11⁄2 teaspoons (7 ml) baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon (2 ml) baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt
1⁄2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon (1 ml) ground cloves
1⁄4 teaspoon (1 ml) ground nutmeg
1⁄4 cup (60 ml) hemp seeds
11⁄2 cups (375 ml) fortified unsweetened soy milk or other non- dairy milk
3 medium or 2 large carrots, chopped
1 apple, diced
1⁄2 cup (125 ml) pitted soft dates
1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1⁄2 cup (125 ml) coarsely chopped walnuts
1⁄3 cup (85 ml) raisins
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Oil a standard twelve-cup muffin pan or mist it with cooking spray.
Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan.
Put the oats, flaxseeds, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in a blender and process until the consistency of flour. Transfer to a large bowl.
Put the hemp seeds and milk in the blender and process until creamy. Add the carrots, apple, dates, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Pulse just until well combined but not smooth (there should be some texture).
Pour into the oat mixture and stir just until combined.
Fold in the walnuts and raisins.
Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack, then remove from the muffin cups using a table knife.
Recipe Note
These tender muffins are mildly sweet and packed with great nutrition. Because the batter is prepared in a blender, it’s quick and easy to make. Serve the muffins fresh from the oven or at room temperature, plain or with a little nut or seed butter.
