comfort muffin

Do you have a comfort food? You know...a food that gives you that instant feeling of calm in that first savory bite. A feeling of friends. Of home. Of the holidays. All those wonderful thoughts enter your mind after just one taste. Pumpkin bread is comfort food for me. I take one bite and I'm just plain content. Everything in the world, for that one moment, is good. There aren't many foods that do that to me. Strawberries come close. They are by far my favorite fruit. There was one time when I was very young, when I ate a few too many strawberries. I broke out in hives and I thought I'd never be able to eat strawberries again. This was a devastating thought! Thankfully, it was only a one time thing. The thought of not being able to eat pumpkin bread is a pretty awful thought as well. It's probably best that Heather and I are turning vegan in October. I'm not sure how I would handle having to give up eating a piece (or multiple pieces!) of pumpkin bread at Christmas. However, we have discovered a vegan pumpkin muffin recipe that is a close replacement. It's definitely not a complete replacement. Seriously, in my opinion nothing can compare to the pumpkin bread my mom makes. But, these muffins are surprisingly delicious. I have had other vegan muffins and have never been impressed. Needless to say, I definitely had my doubts with this one. My coworker (also named Mandi by the way) is vegan. She let me borrow a few vegan cookbooks and this was one of the recipes that she marked off as GOOD at the top of the page. Despite this, I was still a little doubtful. Not to mention the recipe called for molasses of all things! Ick! But, to my surprise, they were mighty tastey pumpkin muffins! Even though I was tempted, I didn't leave out the molasses. And because of an error on my part (adding the WHOLE can of pumpkin puree instead of just one cup) I ended up with a bunch of extra batter which I put into a mini muffin tin. So, I had a bunch of bite size guys. Also, my muffins ended up being a bit brighter orange in color than Heather's and I think they tasted a little different as well. But, none-the-less, my doubled pumpkin puree muffins tasted great. And I think the muffin itself was pretty pleased with how it tasted. While I was photographing it, I noticed that the muffin looked quite content. Check out the little grin. Comfort muffin? For sure.

autumn in a (vegan) muffin

Each year, when I turn my calendar over to October, I usually think to myself something along the lines of "Yay!  I am so excited that fall is here!" or "Time for apple picking!" or "Man! Halloween will be here before we know it!"  This year, however, when I flipped September's calendar page out of the way and set my eyes on October, I saw my large, hand-written note in big, bold capital letters: "VEGAN MONTH!"  This year, October's arrival has been synonymous with our foray into the world of veganism.  I have been anticipating this dietary experiment nearly as much as I have been anticipating the pumpkins and the apples and the brightly colored trees. 

So, perhaps you're thinking..."Why go vegan?"  Well, I suppose that the simplest answer is as basic as, "I just wanted to try it out."  The more detailed answer involves stories of my past experience with vegetarianism, my recent reading of a rather thought-provoking article, and simply having one of those personalities that likes a challenge.  "Could I go a whole month as a vegan?" I began to wonder after reading the aforementioned article.  Well, I guess we'll find out now, won't we?  My husband, my sister, and I have all agreed to follow a vegan diet for the month of October. 

Once we decided upon this challenge, I headed to my absolute favorite resource for all things unknown and new...the library.  It's quite easy for me to get lost in the cookbook section of the library.  As I sit staring at the glossy, full-color spreads and read through the mouth-watering recipes, I begin to dream of having limitless time with which to whip up creative, healthful, beautiful meals for my little family of three.  I have to snap myself back to reality with the reminder that one of our three is a 15-month-old, who I adore with all my being, but who also makes cooking a bit of a...well...challenge.  With this particular library visit, I had the fortunate limitation of vegan cookbooks, so I left with just a handful of the most interesting-looking ones.  That night I sat on our living room couch, reading, perusing, bookmarking pages, and becoming increasingly excited about this new vegan world.

It didn't surprise me that one of the first recipes to catch my eye was "The Best Pumpkin Muffins" from Vegan with a Vengeance.  We have, afterall, arrived in my favorite season of all - Autumn.  And what says Autumn more than pumpkin?  This seemed the perfect place to begin. 

I only slightly feared that my fervor for fall would be disappointed by a lackluster muffin.  Happily, any twinges of fear were unnecessary.  Despite the lack of eggs and milk, this recipe produced one of the best pumpkin muffins I have ever tasted. My little one adored them as much as I did, and even my pumpkin-shunning husband claimed them to be "excellent."  These muffins made the house smell like fall, and their spicy, wonderful flavors tasted like a little bit of Autumn right on my taste buds.

Of course, in the spirit of honesty, I must admit that my very first thought upon biting into this delightful little muffin was, "This would be great with a cup of milk!"  I had to stop myself from pouring a nice tall glass of cow's milk to go along with my vegan muffin.  Some habits die hard, I am finding.  Fortunately, my love of fall doesn't have to be one of them.

The Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

from Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.  In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and molasses.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

VARIATION: Fold in a cup of either chopped fresh cranberries or chopped walnuts, or a mixture of the two.