Vegan Bran Muffins

When my son John was 15 and away at Camp Yawgoog with the boy scouts, he wrote me a short note telling me that he had decided to become vegan and to 'please tell Dad'. At that time I didn't understand that 'vegan' meant no cheese, no eggs, no tuna fish, no honey, no leather and no wool even! Well that was quite a few years ago and that announcement continues to have an effect on the way we cook and eat as a family. Today he is sophomore at UMass Amherst and he is currently home for winter break. This week I experimented with making bran muffins which ended up being a big hit with all of my kids. Less sweet than most recipes, they went really well with a pasta and bean soup.

Vegan Bran Muffins

(makes 8 muffins)

in a small bowl combine and let stand:

1 cup Kellogs All Bran - the one that looks like twigs

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk

in a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients:

1 cup white unbleached flour (I used spelt flour due to my wheat sensitivity)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

in a pyrex or glass container melt in the microwave just until liquid:

1/4 cup of vegetable shortening (Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

add to the melted shortening:

1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff not the artificially flavored corn syrup)

1/4 cup flax seed egg substitute (yes, this does work very well when you get the hang of it)

combine wet and dry ingredients and mix in:

1/4 cup soft raisins

Fill greased muffin cups and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes. My oven is old and off so watch them carefully as the time may be different in yours. When a knife can be inserted and comes out clean, they are done.

This recipe is less sweet than some people may be used to. The cereal, soy milk and maple syrup all add sugars to the muffins. Many people are becoming aware that the insulin response to high glycemic foods is very damaging and aging to the body. We have gotten used to foods that are not as sweet and now prefer it that way.

The flax seeds in the egg substitute add subtle flavor and I recommend it over egg replacer.

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