Blender Pumpkin Coconut Oatmeal Cups

These vegan breakfast muffins are nothing less than a nutrition powerhouse and are only naturally sweetened (and I’m not talking about maple syrup). Skip the drive through or a bowl of sugary cereal, and give your body what it’s asking for first thing in the morning. And to make the mornings less hectic, make 2 batches and freeze. Defrost the night before on a counter or pop in the microwave.

If you are having a Starbucks muffin or a Tim Hortons donut for breakfast and thinking you are OK, let me tell you that you are not. All it takes is to Google and see here and here that you gobbled up a whopping 47 g of white sugar and the day just begun. Then you get to the office and oh my, free cookies a size of your head…Seriously, start baking healthy muffins.

I first discovered a killer combo of pumpkin and coconut milk last year (I prefer canned to carton because it’s thicker and more flavour concentrated). The natural sweetness and high fiber content of both yields extremely flavourful and moist baked goods. The flavours are just meant for each other!

My latest Medjool dates obsession is slowly overtaking our pantry. Nowadays, I sweeten 95% of desserts with dates. The benefits are extra fiber and entirely unprocessed sugar. And since you need a blender to incorporate these mother nature’s candies into most recipes, I thought why not to stay inside the blender?! No bowls.

You know what I mean about the blender, although sometimes I’m sure you are laughing at my Ukrainian English because I’m laughing myself the next day after the post is published. But that’s OK. You haven’t moved to Ukraine and nearly half a million of Ukrainians now are reading you, right?! So…

I topped the muffins with some fancy grade unsuplhured, unsweetened and organic coconut flakes. Just to make them pretty and extra crunchy. But you don’t have to.

Last thought is on why vegan?! You really don’t need eggs to make these cups hold together. Instead, I went the flax seed route which is often used as an egg replacer in vegan baking.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about eating animal protein, vegan and gluten free diets. I’m definitely not going on a discussion which one is better. Instead, I found myself slowly reducing meat and dairy intake and concentrating on plants. Living organisms we don’t hurt, that seem to give us cancer fighting abilities, building the immune system and generally filling us up. Plants just seem so natural to be eaten…I leave you with this thought.

And last but not least, one morning I decided to forget my kids do not like pumpkin and gave them two options: with organic cream cheese or peanut butter. I just got tired of being told what to do…Not a crumb was left and I already made these cups twice in 2 days (I blame it on Alex). Enjoy!

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Blender Pumpkin Coconut Oatmeal Cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup coconut milk, light (canned)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)
• 10 - 12 Medjool dates, pitted (depending on size, I used 10 large)
• 1/4 cup flax seed, ground (whole seeds would work too)
• 1 tsp baking powder, aluminum free
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 + 1/2 cups quick or old fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten free oats for GF version)
• 6 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes, for topping (I used organic unsulphured fancy grade)
• Cooking spray (I use Misto)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray non-stick 12 muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Add all ingredients, except oats and coconut flakes, to a powerful blender and blend until smooth. Add oats to the blender and stir with a wooden spoon (or older spatula that is OK to get a bit of cuts from the blade) until combined. Using large ice cream scoop, fill each cavity of the muffin tin full with batter. Muffins do not rise or spread much. Top with coconut flakes if desired and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cups cool for at least 45 minutes, inside the tin and on top of cooling rack. Muffins might appear too soft but they will come together as they cool.
Storage Instructions: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 - 4 months.

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http://ifoodreal.com/blender-pumpkin-coconut-oatmeal-cups/

The recipe and images are property and copyright of iFOODreal.com

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 12

Amount Per Serving = 1 muffin:
Calories: 212.8
Total Fat: 9.9 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 97.9 mg
Total Carbs: 29.6 g
Sugars: 13.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.2 g
Protein: 3.6 g
WW Points+: 6