Accidentally Vegan: Coconut Mango Muffins

I recently poked fun at someone for wanting a mortar and pestle. Cauldron jokes were made, and I deemed the utensil unnecessary.

I was wrong. This recipe calls for a mortar and pestle to crush cardamom pods. I crushed the pods with the bottom of a rocks glass, wishing for the silly piece of stone the entire time.

I’m not quite ready to let go of summer yet. I’m not ready to say goodbye to warmth until April, and I’m definitely not ready to give up summer fruits.

I took my denial to the kitchen, and made muffins.

After dishing out these little muffins to a few friends, the consensus was positive, and the recipe was requested.

What you need:

2 cups of flour

t tablespoon of baking powder

1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds

3/4 cup pf unsweetened coconut flakes, and more for topping

2/3 cup of sugar

9 cardamom pods

3/4 cup of non-dairy milk

1/3 cup of canola oil

1 chopped mango

 

I know what you’re thinking, and a cardamom pod is not a futuristic vehicle. (That was what you were thinking, right?) You can buy them in bulk at GreenTree, the most lovely co-op in mid-Michigan. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle or patience, get about 1/4 of a teaspoon ground cardamom and add more if you like the flavor. As with flaxseeds, I did not ground mine. I did smash them with a rocks glass for about five minutes until I became so frustrated I threw them in the bowl in a fury. They turned out tasting wonderful, ground or not.

 

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and grease your muffin pan. This recipe made 12 muffins for me.

2. Mix together the flour and baking powder, then mix in your flaxseed, coconut, and sugar.

3. Crush your cardamom pods and mix them in. Retain sanity, if possible.

4. Mix the milk and oil in a separate bowl, then add to the dry mixture with the chopped mango.

5. Put your muffins in their tins, and sprinkle coconut on top. If you have almonds, and unconditional love for roasted almonds such as myself, I recommend putting one of the top of each muffin. Plus, it looks nice. Bake them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. Make sure that you can stick a toothpick in the muffin and it comes out clean.

Eat them, share them, offer them to a cat, and protest the oncoming deathly temperatures of winter we are all about to endure.