Gingered Carrot Millet Muffins

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I realized the other day that I have so many recipes either bookmarked from online or tagged in my cookbooks and magazines, that have been sitting there, waiting for me to get to it, for way too long. Many times they're a seasonal recipe I discover at the end of it's prime season, so it gets saved until the next spring, or summer, or fall arrives in the hopes that I remember to come back and rediscover the recipe I found the year before.

So I found myself going through them, editing down my long list to what is relevant to me in this moment now. I felt quite organized after doing this and ready to start fresh and tackle the recipes I had long been waiting to try. The first was a millet muffin from Heidi's book. I remember when I first came across her recipe and how intrigued I was by the idea of crunchy little millet seeds in a muffin. So I whipped up a batch for the weekend. They were delicious. Slightly sweet from the honey with a bit of tang from the yogurt, and of course, the crunch of millet that I was anticipating.

Her muffins were what lead my brain to these little gingered carrot and millet muffins. I craved adding some shredded carrots to the recipe. Then I gave myself the challenge of making them vegan so I could share a batch with our weekly Monday night potluck friends and everyone could enjoy. That meant no yogurt, honey, or eggs. Those got replaced with coconut oil, natural cane sugar, and flax meal. I thought about how ginger would make a great flavor profile alongside the carrots, so I added fresh and ground to the batter too. By that point they were a whole new muffin, but they came out as perfectly as I had envisioned. I knew there was a reason I had tagged that page. They inspired me to a new delicious recipe and hopefully one for you too.

Did you know millet is actually a small seed from the grass family and not a grain. Awesome right! I've been cooking millet for awhile now and love it combined with quinoa or bulgar for a slightly different texture. This was my first time baking with it and using it in it's uncooked form, but I can't wait to try it baked into more things. Have any of you experimented with millet in other baked goods?

Gingered Carrot Millet Muffins / makes 12-15 muffinsInspired by Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson

This recipe yielded an awkward 15 muffins for me. I think next time I'm going to fill them as high as possible in the paper cups to get 12, as well as a slightly higher dome on top.
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour1/3 cup raw millet1/2 cup cane sugar1 teaspoon baking powder3/4 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon ground ginger1/2 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons flax meal + 6 tablespoon water combined1/2 cup almond milk1/3 cup coconut oil, melted1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger2 cups grated carrots, about 3 large carrots
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, millet, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the flax meal mixture, almond milk, coconut oil and fresh ginger. Stir in the carrots, then pour all the wet mixture into the dry. Fold the wet into the dry just until combined. This may take a few strokes as the batter is very thick.
Scoop out batter into prepared muffin tins, filling roughly level with the top of the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool slightly. Serve warm or room temperature. Store covered for about 2-3 days or freeze for a month.