Wheat Free Vegan Blueberry Muffins

These are the muffins I keep in the freezer when I have to eat breakfast on the go. I just defrost them and nibble at the streusel top while locking the door and then impatiently wait to devour the rest when I next have a quiet moment. They are quite moist and intensely blue-berry flavored so they don't need any jam or butter. When muffins for breakfast became a bit of a trend, nutritionists reacted by pointing out their horrifically high calorie numbers and that most of them were essentially cupcakes without (usually) icing. Fortunately, bagels became the next big coffee shop breakfast item and we could all stop reading articles in the morning paper about exactly how many servings of sodium we were digesting while we tried to enjoy a breakfast muffin. I don't know how much sodium are in these, but I am willing to argue not much. 

I am sure that any homemade muffin is bound to be much better for you than something you purchase at a cafe in the subway, which is where I previously got my muffin fix. So, maybe not an everyday affair, but certainly okay for any morning where what you really feel like is a cupcake, but know you shouldn't, if only to feel a bit better when you read the paper. 

Makes 12 muffins. 

MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:

2 cups wheat free flour

1 cup brown sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup vegan margarine

2/3 cup apple sauce

1/4 melted coconut oil

1/4 soy milk  mixed with 1 tbs lemon juice (or whichever type of milk you like)

2 eggs replace 

dash of vanilla

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup wheat free oatmeal

5-6 tbs canola oil

2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup dried blueberries

MUFFIN DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine the dried blueberries, oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, and canola oil. Using your hands, work the mixture together to form a crumb. You may need a little less or a little more oil. Set this aside

Place the blueberries in a sieve and gently coat in a few tablespoons of flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom.  In a large bowl stir together the milk, apple sauce, margarine, coconut oil, 1 cup sugar, egg replacement, and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and xantham gum. When thoroughly whisked, sift the dry mixture into the wet and stir with a spoon until just combined. Carefully add the blueberries. Don't stir too much or your batter might turn blue!

Line your muffin tin and grease the top of the pan for any batter that might stick on the top. Place a heaping tablespoon of batter in each liner and then place a teaspoon of crumb on each pat of batter. Add additional batter until muffin liners are three quarters full and then place a little crumb on top, patting it down to make sure it stays while the muffins bake. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.