Gluten Free Vegan Apple Muffins

For those of you who have missed out on the latest news due to our server meltdown -- The Blender Girl is Chow's member of the month. For someone who writes a humble vegetarian recipe blog, this was an amazing opportunity. If you haven't seen the story yet, check it out. The team at Chow did an amazing job. In the article they feature my raw vegan mayonnaise, vegan roasted beetroot dip, raw vegan chocolate cinnamon mousse, and gluten free honey carrot and date muffins. They sampled a lot of my vegetarian recipes in their test kitchen, but these were some of their favourites. Stick your snout into these troughs if you haven't already, and be sure to leave a grunt at the bottom of the recipe post.

I apologise to those of you on the mailing list who have not received recipe updates the last few months. Max, my webmaster, or "piggy partner in crime" as I like to affectionately call him, has come up with a new piggy mail express service which should now deliver a new healthy blender recipe to all of you every week. Fingers crossed we have finally worked that pain in the piggy tail out!

But to fill you in -- I really had a blast chatting with Chow's senior editor, Jill Santopietro, as part of an interview she did with me. In fact, we got along so s'blendedly that the Chow team have invited me to San Francisco to shoot some videos in April. I am absolutely delighted. I am in the process of coming up with my top Chow Tips to share with everyone. But in the meantime, Women's Health magazine is inviting everyone to submit their favourite blog for their Blogs We Love 2011, so wiggle your snouts and vote for Healthy Blender Recipes!

In the immediate future, I am excitedly preparing for a visit from my beloved family. In the healthy blender (Vitamix) world, that is code for "testing allergy free recipes in the healthy blender kitchen"! My mum, dad, sister Kara, and little baby niece Alexandra (who has severe food allergies to wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts and lamb) are flying over on March 6th for a few weeks. I just cannot wait. I have been shopping for a little kiddy kitchen table and chairs for Alex to eat her meals at, and am determined to have a new s'blended allergy free vegan treat for her to nibble on top of it every day. I told my sister, "Just hand that baby over to me when I pick you up at the airport, and I won't stop loving on her until I drop you back there 2 weeks later."

I actually think Mika might be more excited than I am, if that is humanly possible. After skyping just once with Alexandra she was IN LOVE! Mika is part of my family. My parents proudly "adopted" her way back when we first met at UCLA, and a Masters family visit to L.A would not be complete without a trip to her favourite dumpling restaurant and a Tibetan foot massage! As I noted in the seaweed salad post, Mika is a fellow foodie and our L.A culinary go-to guide. My parents have already started inquiring with rumbling stomachs, "Where is Mika taking us this time?" "Are we going to go for dumplings?" I swear they are ready to coat-check their social graces and sell their table manners, all for a measly helping of dumplings. It is hilarious.

But unfortunately, Alexandra's food allergies are so severe that it is safest to take home-cooked prepared food for her to restaurants to ensure there is no cross-contamination. Which is why I have been experimenting with a lot of allergy free recipes this month -- recipes that are free of The Big Four -- gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free, so she feels like she is sharing in the fun! I am also making them soy free, seeing as I am not a huge fan of soy because of all of the phyto-estrogens. She drinks soy formula and that is more than enough for her! OK, that's enough Dr Tess! Yeah… thought I had better say that before someone else did!

Anyway, onto the bit I am qualified to talk about -- these delicious gluten free vegan muffins. I just don't think you can go wrong with the combination of apples, cinnamon and raisins. In fact, if you are baking egg free sweet breads, cakes and muffins, apples are one of your best culinary friends. They help to bind and add texture and flavour. I was a bit heavy-handed with the xanthan on the first batch of these muffins. But by the second go, I think I had them just about right. These vegan apple muffins have a lovely flavour that is not overpowering (you could use an extra pinch of cinnamon if you wanted more of a kick) and a light springy texture. Not bad for gluten free muffins. If you are looking for gluten and dairy free recipes for muffins these are for you!

For those of you looking for allergy free recipes you will not believe how good these are! I can't wait to serve them up to my little niece during her "Welcome to America" feast at her new table. I have to say, though, I served these up to a ton of my toxic omnivore friends and they gobbled them up with glee.

Enough said -- mainstream culinary acid test accomplished. These gluten free vegan muffins are safe for anyone! YUMMO!