Chai Pumpkin Berry Muffins (Zero Fat!)



Extreme close-up of melting berry goodness





Aerial view of awesome pumpkin muffins


About a week ago I roasted up a medium-sized pumpkin and pureed the flesh. I froze it in 1 cup amounts and so lately have been making several recipes which feature pumpkin because all I have to do is whip out a Tupperware container from my freezer the night before and let it defrost in the fridge and I have the main ingredient all ready to go. This weekend I tried another of Kathy's great recipes from her blog "Happy. Healthy. Life." and once again it didn't disappoint. For those of you who are looking for healthy recipes, this one definitely qualifies because it has NO FATS in it at all - no oil, butters, eggs, etc. Only oats, berries, pumpkin, etc. And not a whole lot of sugar either.

The original can be found here: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/09/pumpkin-chai-spice-oatmeal-blueberry.html

Chai Pumpkin Berry Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry:

-1 1/4 cups rolled oats

-3/4 cup + 1 tbsp flour

-1 tsp salt

-1 tbsp baking powder

-1 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar

Wet:

-1/3 cup applesauce, unsweetened

-3/4 cup pumpkin puree

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 tsp apple cider vinegar

-1 tbsp orange juice (we don't have OJ in the house so I used water and it was fine)

Egg replacer:

-1/2 cup boiling water + 1 chai tea bag - strongly brewed

-2 tsp ground flax seeds

Fold ins:

-1/4 cup sliced almonds (or any nuts) (I didn't use any nuts in mine)

-1 cup mixed berries (I just used organic frozen berries)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin with paper cups. Boil the water and steep the tea for a few minutes, squeezing out as much chai flavor as possible then toss the bag. Add the flax powder and stir well, set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add in the wet ingredients and stir well.

Fold in the tea+seeds, fold in the berries/nuts. Pour batter into muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes (test with a toothpick - it should come out clean).