Carrot-Ginger Spice Muffins

How is your week going?  Mine has been all about recipes. We have a new recipe database at work that will allow us to quickly calculate recipes based upon how many orders we are making.  Sure, this doesn't sound like a big deal, but when your kitchen is responsible for making over 1,000 orders a day having a program like this makes a huge difference.  

It's crazy to think about making a batch of food large enough for over 1,000 people.  I've been doing the data entry for our system and typing things like 120 pounds of kale, 2 gallons of oil, or 1 cup of salt.  I can't imagine adding 2 gallons of oil to something.  That's the kind of quantities that we're talking about. The upside of this is that I'm getting really good at math. 

Quick: how many ounces are in a cup?  How many pints in a quart?  How many quarts in a gallon?  How many of these muffins did I eat today?  

Wait! Don't answer that last one... 

I usually start my day with a green smoothie for breakfast, but these muffins have been perfect lately.  I love heating one up just before I leave for the bus stop so that I not only have something delicious to munch on, but then I can keep my hands warm in the process.  These are nice and savory without a lot of sweetness which is always my preference with baked goods.  If you need a little extra sweetness to start your day, you can also add some more sugar (the original recipe called for 1/4 cup).  I even promise not to tell if you have more than one. 

Adapted from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Carrot-Ginger Spice Muffins
Yields: 12 muffins

Dry ingredients:
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (or a mixture of whole wheat and unbleached flours)
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:
1.5 tsp freshly grated ginger
3 Tbs agave nectar
3 Tbs maple syrup
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup soy milk
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 3)
1/4 cup golden raisins


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray or use muffin liners.

Combine the apple cider vinegar and soymilk and set aside.  

Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients. Add the liquid to the dry and mix just long enough to combine. Add the carrots and raisins and stir to combine.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups–it will be very thick. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.