The Martlet

These sweet, sugarless muffins are a great way to start the day. With a healthy dose of bran, fruits and vegetables, these baked goods are a nutritious treat and a healthy reward, for early risers.

Although this recipe uses a sugar-free alternative to make it extra sweet, feel free to forget the stevia altogether (it is delicious enough without it), or replace it with brown sugar for a richer flavour.

Even if you have nothing else to wake up for in the morning, these vegan breakfast muffins are sure to get you out of bed.

Healthy breakfast muffins

65 ml (¼ cup) margarine 3 bananas, very ripe 15 whole dried dates, unsweetened 250 ml (1 cup) soy milk (or other milk alternative), unsweetened 85 ml (1/3) cup applesauce 15 ml (1 tbsp) vanilla 17 ml (1 ½ tsp) egg replacer + 30 ml (2 tbsp) water 5 ml (1 tsp) stevia, or replace stevia with 190 ml (3/4 cup) of brown sugar 125 ml (½ cup) whole spelt flour 125 ml (½ cup) rice flour 125 ml (½ cup) oat bran 30 ml (2 tbsp) baking powder 5 ml (1 tsp) salt 15 ml (1 tbsp) cinnamon 5 ml (1 tsp) nutmeg 5 ml (1 tsp) allspice 1 large carrot, grated 125 ml (½ cup) raisins

Preheat oven to (660 F) 350 C.

Place margarine, bananas, dates, milk, applesauce, vanilla, egg replacer and stevia in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just moistened.

Pour the batter into a lightly-oiled muffin tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 mouthwatering muffins.