Banana, Carrot and Spinach Muffins

I love hiding vegetables in food for the kids! It's so easy to hide goodies in food with a Thermomix, as it can be grated down finely in a few seconds. Here's a different take on these BaCaZu Muffins from the Recipe Community. You could substitute different nuts/seeds for the sunflower seeds. You could also substitute the carrot and spinach or use a combination of zucchini, pumpkin, sweet potato, apple - anything you think or whatever you have in your fridge really!

INGREDIENTS

40 g sunflower seeds

20g walnuts
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
20 g baby spinach leaves
2 eggs
100 g sunflower oil (or macadamia or coconut or light olive oil)
1 banana, ripe
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
150 g cup wholemeal SR flour
130 g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
180 g Dark Brown Sugar

METHOD

1. Turbo seeds and nuts 1 - 3 times, depending on your desired consistency. Set aside.

2. Chop carrot and spinach 3 - 5 seconds, speed 5. Set aside.

3. Mix eggs, oil, banana and vanilla for 10 sec speed 7.

4. Add remaining ingredients including reserved nut/veg. Mix 10 sec speed 6, scrape sides down. Mix another 5 -10 sec speed 6 or until evenly combined.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins (mini muffins) or 25 mins (regular muffins) or until a skewer comes out clean. Turn out to cool on a wire rack.

6. Top with cream cheese icing.

Pumpkin Gingerbread

One of my favourite recipes. Pumpkin Gingerbread is moist and full of flavour. It's versatile enough to bake in a loaf tin as a "bread", yet works equally as well as cupcakes or a large cake. You can leave it plain, have it with some butter, or go the whole hog and slap some cream cheese icing on it. Whichever way you choose, I'm sure you and your peeps will love it!

Based on this recipe.

Yields two medium loaves OR any combination of cake and cupcakes/loaf etc. It's basically a double mix.

You will need approximately 400g pumpkin puree for this recipe. Peel and deseed 400 - 500g pumpkin. Chop into 3cm pieces (roughly). Place pumpkin pieces in TM bowl and chop 6 seconds speed 6. Cook 12 min, 100 degrees speed 2. Once cooked, puree 30 sec speed 8. Set aside. 

INGREDIENTS
470g raw sugar
170g macadamia or coconut oil
4 eggs
130g water
400g pumpkin puree
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
540g plain flour
2 tsp bicarb soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line two medium loaf tins with baking paper.
2. Mill sugar 5 sec speed 9.
3. Add oil and eggs, mix 8 sec speed 4.
4. Add all other ingredients and mix 10 sec speed 6 (you may need to assist with spatula as it is a large mixture).
5. Scrape down sides of bowl, then mix another 10 sec speed 6 or until mixture is smooth (don't over mix).
6. Divide mixture between tins and bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour (loaves) or 25 mins (cupcakes), or until skewer comes out clean. 


Serve with butter, cream cheese icing, whipped cream, dusted with icing sugar or plain!