Blueberry Lemon Muffins (Gluten-free and Vegan)

Are there any foods that are blue in color?

The theme for the Cookbook Challenge this fortnight is 'blue'. I flipped through several cookbooks, hoping to find a dish that is naturally blue in colour, but wasn't really successful. I tried my best to think out of the box, but all that i could think of was blueberries. Also, aren't blueberries purple? Perhaps I was just craving for blueberries again . So instead of fighting my craving, I listened to my body, and made some of these wonderful blueberry lemon muffins.

I have always enjoyed the sweet and slightly sour taste of blueberries; they are perfect in oatmeal and baked goods. Yet, I can be a real utilitarian in my food choices sometimes – I like getting the most out of the food I eat. What I learnt about blueberries recently made me embrace blueberries even more.  Apparently, blueberries are one of those fruits that you don’t have to buy organic. Unlike fruits like apples, strawberries, grapes or peaches that are laden with pesticides, blueberries are one of the least contaminated of the lot.

This recipe is adapted from one of my favourite vegan cookbooks - The Joy of Vegan Baking. This cookbook has indeed brought me lots of joy; it has demystified the art of vegan baking and taught me how to bake without eggs or dairy. While the flours used in this the recipes are not gluten-free, I do find that many of these recipes can be easily made gluten-free. I do have one big problem with this cookbook – the end products are always too good, I just can’t stop at one serving.

In this recipe, I substituted the all purpose-flour for gluten-free flour, and added a tiny bit of xanthan gum. The resulting muffins were so delicious, they were gone within two days – I made a dozen of them. The muffins were moist and done to perfection ; the lemon flavor went really well with the blueberries too, and because they are not crazily sweet, it leaves you wanting for more. Needless to say, this is a keeper!

Blueberry Lemon Muffins 
Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking
Yields 12 muffins


Ingredients
Dry mixture:
250g (2 US cups) all-purpose flour OR gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mills)
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp salt
Zest of 2 lemons
1 tsp xanthan gum (only if you are using GF flour)*

Wet mixture: 
150g (3/4 US cups) granulated sugar
235 ml (1 US cup) nondairy milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)
78 ml (1/3 US cup) canola oil
1 tsp lemon extract
15 ml (1tbsp)  distilled vinegar
1 box blueberries

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Grease your muffin tins. If you are lining your muffin tins, do remember to grease the liners as well. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, lemon zest and xanthan gum; make sure they are well mixed.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, milk, oil, lemon extract and vinegar; mix well.
4. Add the flour mixture, and slowly stir the ingredients until they are well combined. Fold in the blueberries.
5. Fill the muffin tins to about two-thirds full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until muffins are lightly browned, and the wooden skewer comes clean when inserted into the center.
6. Remove from oven and let it sit in the tin for 5 minutes ; transfer the muffins to a wire rack and allow it to cool. Grab your fork! Enjoy!

Cook's Note 

- This recipe is originally not gluten-free, so if you can take wheat or gluten, feel free to use all-purpose flour.

* Check your gluten-free flour mix to make sure it contains xanthan gum. You can omit it if there's xanthan gum in it.

Do check out my fellow Cookbook Challengers' entries here.