Dinner Muffins
When I saw the polenta (yellow corn meal) in the shop, I thought it was a good idea to buy it, thinking I would make some croquettes with a tomato based sauce! 🙂 That was a little while few weeks ago and it was still sitting there unopened along with the white maize meal (they are different products)! So, when Ronit of Tasty Eats posted her corn muffin recipe I just had to have a little play and DEGF (Dairy. Egg. Gluten. Free) it! 🙂 I tried to follow her recipe but you’ve probably realised now that ‘recipes’ and ‘following’ are abstract concepts to me! 😛 🙂 Anyway, I made a Life Diet Health version of the light fluffy crumbly flavoursome muffins 🙂 These are good! Real good! My son even thought they were ‘real’ as opposed to ‘free from’ and told me to write on my blog how amazing these are (both he and my husband ate four!) So try them for yourselves 🙂 Oh, and please bear with me over the next few days with my posts… they might be a bit different as I’ll be out and about as it’s the school holidays! 😛 🙂
Gather
- 10g chia seeds
- 50ml cold water
- 150g polenta (course yellow cornmeal)
- 75g porridge oats (GF if required)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut sugar
- 240ml unsweetened carton coconut milk
- 50ml coconut oil melted
- 70g sweetcorn (I used frozen)
- 1/2 red chilli deseeded and finely sliced
- 15g fresh spinach
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (I used freshly ground)
- —————————————————————–
- Choice of fillings – small pieces of vegetarian sausage, a cube of cheese (vegan), cashew cheese (this is what I put in mine), or just leave them as wholesome muffins! (we left some plain too).
Prepare
- Mix the chia with the water and leave to rest.
- Put the polenta in a large bowl, blitz the oats into a flour and mix altogether with the salt, baking powder and sugar.
- Mix the milk with the coconut oil and chia mix.
- Tip the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly.
- Add the sweetcorn, chilli and spinach.
Sprinkle with black pepper and stir everything together.
- Put spoonful’s into the base of the muffin cases (or greased tins) and add your choice of filling to the centre
before topping the muffin case up with more batter.
- Bake at Gas Mark 6 (400f / 200c) for 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack before peeling the cases off (otherwise they will stick).
- Enjoy!
Serve & Store
- Serve as part of a main meal with fresh salad or vegetables (we had raw courgetti and tomato & cucumber salad)
- Add some extra protein such as sizzling tofu or quick chick peas.
- Eat with soup instead of having traditional bread.
- Have as a tasty after school snack.
- Store (if there’s any left) in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
I didn’t see the ‘dinner’ in the title, only muffins, so as I read the post I expected sweet muffins. Than I saw corn and thought it a little unusual, but kept reading, only to find spinach, chilli and black pepper. Ok, what’s going on? Then I read the title and everything got so much clearer! 🙂 These muffins must be amazing! And that cashew cheese filling… O-M-G! Did you make it yourself or?
Lol Milica.. that did make me giigle! 🙂 🙂 🙂 They were amazing! 🙂 and yes I did make the cashew cheese too! 🙂
Yum, love, love, love the cashew cheese! 🙂
Me too! 😛 🙂
Thanks for the linking to my post. 🙂
I love your version – the muffins look delightfully crumbly the addition of the spinach is brilliant. I will use it next time.
Thanks for the inspiration Ronit! 🙂 Most definitely a go-to recipe! 🙂
They look great LDH! 🙂
Thank you Ellie/Alex ☺They’re very good! ☺
Ha, oops! It’s Alex 🙂 I’ll be trying them when I restock on polenta!
☺Alex… excellent! Let me know how they turn out ☺ ps. Thirty minutes til lights out for earth hour
I will! 🙂 Thanks for the reminder, I’d better get a couple of candles lit in preparation! x
Your savory muffins look just so wonderful! I love your inviting pictures too! x
Thank you Sophie 🙂 I’m trying very hard with the photos… sometimes its hard when things get gobbled up so quickly! 😛 🙂