Snowed In!

Nothing gets me in the mood to bake like a snow storm. Today I woke up to about 6 inches (not counting the drift) of the fluffy white stuff. Since the 9am yoga class I was planning to attend was cancelled, I figured I would make productive use of my time by rousing my inner domestic goddess. I decided to vacuum my apartment, do some laundry (long overdue!), throw away old magazines and bake something (especially since the eggs in my fridge were on the brink of expiring).
My favorite thing to bake are muffins because they are so easy to make and can be frozen in individual portions. I always like to keep a batch in the freezer to pop out for a quick breakfast or snack (45 seconds in the microwave is all it takes to turn an icy blob into a warm, moist pastry). Hmm, what flavor to make? I really didn’t have any choice but to prepare Carrot & Ginger Muffins since the carrot & gingerroot (even though it was slightly shriveled) sitting in the vegetable drawer were the most appealing muffin ingredients I had on hand. Apple juice and olive oil would have to serve as the liquid and fat portion since I only buy milk when it is called for in a specific recipe. And during cold and flu season, I like to keep my dairy intake (excluding butter and ghee, of course) to a minimum. I’m not Greek, but I love to bake with extra virgin olive oil. It is probably the healthiest “vegetable” oil (olives are actually fruit) on earth and you really can’t taste it in the finished product.
This recipe is quite Vata-pacifying due to ingredients that are heavy, moistening and warming - it’s chock full of sweet carrots, cinnamon and spicy ginger. The heavy oil and fiber, from whole wheat pastry flour and raisins, also help to keep things moving down the “pipe” (aka. GI tract or Annavaha srotas).

Carrot & Ginger Muffins

Makes 12 reasonably sized muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup raw cane sugar
½ cup apple juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tb finely grated gingerroot
1 cup grated carrots

1/3 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.

2. In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk the eggs, sugar, apple juice, olive oil and grated gingerroot.

3. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Gently mix until almost all the flour has been moistened. Stir in carrots and raisins and mix just to evenly distribute them.

4. Scoop batter into greased muffin tins and bake for 18 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack. If you do plan to freeze them, make sure they cool completely before you do. If you wish to eat them right away, wait a few minutes (I suggest preparing a cup of tea, the time it takes for the water to boil should allow for the muffins to cool enough not to burn the roof of your mouth).