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Even the seemingly healthy ones are caloric timebombs. A corn muffin at Dunkin Donuts, the healthy option at that establishment, runs 510 calories and 18g of fat. That's more than 3 glazed donuts for the same nutritional eakdown.And really, would you consider eating three glazed donuts if you were on a restricted diet?
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In the words of Admiral Ackbar, "It's a trap."
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So here comes along a muffin recipe that's easy on your waistline. It's vegan, which means that it's made with no animal by-products (in this case, butter or eggs, honey (what comes from bees is meant for bees, not humans), or white sugar (often bleached with animal bones)). The sweetness comes from unsweetened apple sauce that you can find in any grocery store and Agave Nectar, a sweet honey substitute that comes from the agave plant, most famous for inging us tequila.
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These muffins are hearty and healthy, so I wouldn't recommend taking them to a school bake sale. But they will be a massive hit with your friends who are up and running early in the morning, your yoga crew, and those friends of yours who are trying to cut back on sugar. Trust me, all of those people will appreciate this treat and ask you for the recipe.
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Want to make it even more exciting? Instead of putting butter or margarine on top of your muffin, throw a heaping scoop of Greek yogurt on top of it. You will never look back.
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Vegan Raspberry Lemon Muffins
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1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup agave nectar (you can also use honey)
1 cup water
Zest from 1/2 lemon
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cups frozen raspberries
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Optional:
1/4 cup flax
1/4 cup oat an
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl.
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In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together water, apple sauce, and honey. Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Just before you pour mix into muffin tin, fold raspberries into the muffin mix and gently combine so that raspberries don't eak apart. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until deep own.
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Note: I added the flax and oat an because these are two ingredients I always seem to have lying around my pantry but never know what to do with. You could alternatively throw in a cup of an cereal to give your muffins a bit more of a an muffin texture without significantly adding to your caloric intake. But regardless, these are delicious and will quickly become your favorite on-the-go eakfast.