Pumpkin Muffins
Ayurvedic Pumpkin Muffins
Hellooooo everyone!
I haven’t posted a recipe on here for an age and a half! I’m at the stage now where it feels like I open every new post with this statement. XD
I've shared sporadically on Instagram over the last months but I am feeling more than ready and excited to start getting back to sharing more with you and delving deeper into some of the fascinating spaces I've explored in the last year or so. I have new vooma, inspiration and gusto and am excited to connect with you all again. If you missed the Instagram update posts, head on over to @thehealingroot_ to catch up if you would like to :)
In short, a lot changed. I went back to Uni to do my last year of studies in Human Kinetics, doing my thesis on Cancer-Related Fatigue. I shaved my hair and felt reborn. I then also realised that although these are important symbolic gestures, and do have profound resounding impacts and lessons to give, they are no substitute for doing the gruelling inner work of healing. I then spiralled/dived head first into some much needed internal TLC; attending to all the nooks and crannies of my spirit to iron things out and come back home to myself. (This is still in process). I fell in love and semi-moved to Scarborough, a beautiful seaside village outside of Cape Town. I adopted a dog who is my emotional support dog and my anchor into loving and remembrance of goodness. I enrolled in an Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Course which is blowing my mind. One reason for this was to deepen my own understanding and toolkit of internal resources of resilience but another was to learn more about embodied trauma work so that I can infuse it more consciously into my own bodywork practices with clients. It’s been a roller coaster journey so far, but one that has been incredibly enriching.
I have also made an incredible bunch of new friends which have brought fresh life and zest into my life. I re-discovered my love for yoga and all things nature and movement. I started the process of healing my nervous system and noticing the core beliefs and trauma-responses that I have (for years and years) conflated with "who I am" and that these same core beliefs clearly have been running my life. And now, I am finally getting back into creative flow in the kitchen and as such, sharing recipes with you again is calling me.
Another thing that I really “sat” with was a proactive inquiry into the nature of my relationship to social media and how I want to engage with it from now on. More on this will come in another post as it requires more space, time and many more words than what the poor pumpkin muffin recipe need!
Please do bare with me as I try to (yet again) find some rhythm and routine with sharing on this platform. Would you believe me if I told you that at my core I am actually a bit of a technophobe? I am no good with working on technological things - Instagram, blogs, etc. I’ve had to learn over the years how to do it and the one thing that drove me was to have a creative outlet space that I could call my own and I wouldn’t change that for anything. But it does mean that it is still something that I am learning and is often a love-hate relationship; one that I always end up enjoying once I can juuuust bring myself to sit down and just DO it. My hope is to start sharing recipes regularly again. It is also my intention to write more Ayurveda and lifestyle posts as well as to share more on the Trauma healing course I have been learning heaps from.
I made these muffins in mid Autumn. I felt my body craving sweeter, denser and more grounding foods such as root vegetables and wholesome porridges. When I say these muffins hit the spot, I mean it. They hit the spot in a whole way.
Unfortunately, for the vegan followers of The Healing Root, the OG Pumpkin Muffin recipe that is oh so delicious is not vegan. It contains eggs and ghee; two ingredients that really helped me immensely in my journey to restoring gut (and overall) health. I have been promising a post on the extensive and far-reaching benefits of Ghee for years now (ever since I started using it in my diet). I have not yet delivered on that promise. But perhaps this post will encourage me to finally do just that!
If you would like more info on why I stopped being vegan and my journey with illness, you can check out the following two articles: Transition Away from Veganism and Top Tips for Healing Illness.
Luckily for the vegan munchers out there, I am currently working on some vegan substitutions for this recipe, as well as gluten-free and sugar-free options. I will update the recipe as I trial and error.
For now, here is the simple Pumpkin Muffin recipe for those of you wanting to make the most out of the last Pumpkins of the season!
Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin puree (boiled/roasted and then mashed to make puree and can substitute sweet potato)
1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of flour of choice (I used buckwheat, but you can use regular or possibly a gluten-free flour blend that you trust)
¼ cup grated apple (I used granny smith; their tartness cuts through the sweetness beautifully)
¼ cup of melted ghee (can sub for coconut oil if you would prefer!)
2 eggs (I am sure you can substitute with aquafaba or a flax egg but I am yet to try)
3 tablespoons of mashed banana
½ cup of raw turbinado sugar/coconut sugar or granulated sweetener of choice
¼ cup chopped dark chocolate (I used 78% Lindt Dark)
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
Sunflower seeds for topping
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line muffin tray with muffin holders or grease your muffin tray.
2. Mix the pumpkin, banana and apple together. Mix in the vanilla essence, salt, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, eggs and lastly the melted (and slightly cooled – just enough so as not to “cook” the eggs when you add it all together) ghee. Mix well.
3. Now mix in the rolled oats, the flour and baking powder together. Mix until just combined to form your batter.
4. Place the mixture into the muffin holders, top with chopped dark chocolate and sunflower seeds (and another sprinkling of salt). Place into the oven for 20-30 minutes OR until golden brown and smelling glorious. Times may vary according to your oven, so rather set less time and check in than burn them. To test if ready, stick a knife in the centre of one, if it comes out clear it is ready to roll.
5. Tuck in and ENJOY!
Found: https://njvvc.com/benefits-of-pumpkin-for-your-skin/