Hello! I meant to post something since last week but I felt the need to slow down. Another university semester has finished and I am glad to be chilling out a bit more. The much needed catch-up on sleep and personal time has been so nice.
During the last week of exams I had an urgent need for muffins. I think this is the best bran muffin I have baked so far. Although it is vegan, it is moist and has just the right about of sweetness. They are great for breakfast or an on-the-go snack. Extra muffins can be stored in the fridge or kept in the freezer. 
Vegan Blueberry and Raisin Bran Muffin
Adapted from Plant Fueled’s Whole Wheat, Low Fat, Vegan Muffins and Vegan Thyme’s Vegan Bran Muffin. Yield: 1 dozen
1 cup wheat bran
3 tbsp grounded flax seeds
2 cups almond milk
2 medium bananas (~ 2/3 cup mashed)
**1 tbsp olive oil (see note below)
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda + 2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup dried raisins
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1. Mix together bran, flax and almond milk. Let it sit and become a thick mixture.
2. Combine the flour, oats,sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and raisins.
3. Mash banana and add it to the bran mixture.
4. Combine dry and wet mixtures. Fold in blueberries.
5. Fill a lined muffin pan. Bake for 25-30 mins at 350 degrees F.
** I’ve tried the recipe with and without oil. Without oil it can be a bit dry, but I don’t mind at all. However, it might be a good idea to add the oil for more moistness.
This week I also went to visit a past high school teacher. I usually bring something each year for his birthday but with the end of the semester workload I wasn’t able to. I decided on cookies after seeing HowToCookThat’s Gangnam Stlyle Cookies. I thought they were the most adorable and funny things. What an idea! I love all of Ann’s tutorials and creations from HowToCookThat. I know that the buzz around Psy’s Gangnam Style song has diminished but I was hoping it would be fit because my teacher is learning Korean and enjoys K-Pop 🙂
I baked two batches of Chocolate Covered Katie’s Healthy Sugar Cookies recipe. I wanted to keep the food colouring as naturally sourced as possible. I mixed together icing sugar with vanilla extract and water. For the colours: strawberry juice for the pink (lips), fresh orange juice for yellow (skin) and cocoa powder +melted dark chocolate for brown (outline, hair and the shades). 
Handsome outlines. 
They turned out fairly well for first time decorating with icing.
Half of the cookies were not so pretty because the icing bag was cut too large. Note to self, snip a smaller tip next time! 
Hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather today!
Eat Pray Bake 