Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Muffins

Lately, I haven’t been able to read my favorite blogs as regularly as I like, so it’s a real treat to catch up on the posts that I’ve missed.  I adore withfoodandlove.com.  Sherrie Scaglione Castellano, a life coach & fabulous blogger, always has really great recipes made with whole foods & they just taste really good & are good for you. Sherrie even makes you feel good about infusing your own vodka & mixing up spicy bloody marys (like I did here).

The one recipe that I found most recently that spoke to the ingredients that I had on hand & my sweet tooth was this one for chocolate chip banana oat muffins.  These muffins are so delicious that Chris compared them to his favorite chocolate banana bread from Starbucks. They are that good but these are much more healthful. For one, they’re vegan - which just sounds better right? It means they they’re made without animal products (like milk, eggs, butter).  I had never baked anything vegan before so I was a little hesitant - but don't be they don't taste "vegan".  Plus, they have chia seeds which are a popular super food amongst my healthy friends (Jennifer, Natalie & Rose - I’m looking at you!).  These bitty little seeds can help combat diabetes, are packed with fiber & omega3s plus lots of other great health benefits.

Ok, so these muffins have chocolate chips - but hey chocolate has antioxidants right?  I will definitely be making these again.



recipe adapted from with food & love’s chocolate chip banana oat muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 super duper ripe bananas (I used defrosted frozen bananas I had in the freezer. I freeze my bananas when they’re super ripe)
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of grated nutmeg (optional. I added this to the original recipe. My mom always puts nutmeg in her banana bread - so I do too)
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + more for topping
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional - I added these to the original recipe)
• 1-2 tablespoons agave (optional - add this if your bananas aren’t super ripe)

Make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a food processor pulse together the quick oats, baking soda, baking powder & sea salt until you have a fine powder.
3. Then add in the ripe bananas, almond milk and vanilla extract.
4. Taste the mixture (it’s vegan remember there are no raw ingredients to be weary of so yeah you can lick the spoon too!) If you prefer a sweeter taste (if your bananas aren’t cutting it themselves) drizzle in 1-2 tablespoons of agave.
5. Pour the mixture into a mixture bowl and fold in the chia seeds, walnuts & chocolate chips.
6. Line a muffin tin with parchment paper or muffins tins. Evenly distribute the batter, I used an ice cream scoop so that I got even amounts in each muffin tin.
7. Top with a few more chips.
8. Bake for 13-15 minutes.
9. Serve warm or room temperature or even cold.