Hail and Welcome
- bethchartnett
- Sep 25, 2015
- 3 min read
Happy Fall, everyone! (Just ignore the 95 degree weather today)
Tis officially the season of all things covered in leaves, sprinkled with cinnamon, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. When I think of fall, I admit it, I'm basic.
I really have no idea where this basic thing came from, but I still can't stop laughing when I look at this meme.
Anyway, back to my point, which is vair important:
Give me all of the pumpkin things!
All of them. I'd like to slurp down the pumpkin spice lattes, inhale all the apple fritter, and throw back those cinnamon sugar and pumpkin spiced donut holes everyone is pinning like mad people to Pinterest (why do you torture me so?!) My Pinterest boards are bursting with recipes I'm lusting after and, let's be honest, I will probably never get around to making before season's end. But! I am proud to say that I have been in the kitchen this past week to whip up something Autumn appropriate. If you are finding yourself craving all the Autumn things like I am, this recipe should make its way into your kitchen too - It will give you all the flavors of the season that you're craving and won't make you shed too many tears if you eat the whole thing in one go. Interested? I thought so.
The deliciousness in question is - vegan apple pumpkin muffins!
I pulled out my mini muffin tins once again to make these fall-flavored goodies. They were easy to make and the perfect potluck item for an extra special gathering I was luck enough to take part in this past week.
The lovely Sydni Kitchel invited me to take part in my very first Autumn Equinox celebration, also known as Mabon. It is a tspecial holiday for many Pagan and Wiccan traditions, who see this day as a time to give thanks for the year's harvest and for other blessings. We gathered at the gorgeous home of one of Sydni's friends, Cynthia, who had the most perfect backyard for the occassion.
I mean, look at this! And take a peak at the magazine-perfect table decor by Sydni.
The gal did good. She pulled out all the stops - guests gathered together for henna, tarot and astrological readings, and lots o crafting.
We had a blast channeling our inner woodnimphs as we adorned our heads with handcrafted wreaths.
[Some Valkyrie action was happening]
In addition to all of these fun Autumn activities celebrating the Equinox, was another Mabon tradition that I enjoyed very much - eating. Mabon is the Wiccan Thanksgiving. Blessed be! (as my Wiccan sisters so aptly put it). It makes sense; we are celebrating the yearly harvest after all. The Mabon table is filled with fresh squashes, plump pumpkins, juicy turkey, and all the fixins'. I was pleased to see that my muffins were a welcome addition to the feast. I wanted something vegan so everyone could enjoy, and because I figured the fresher, vegan-friendly ingredients would help bring out the spices and other delicious flavors in the cake.
I was right. The mini muffins were bursting with the tastes of the season - cinnamon, nutmeg, apple, pumpkin.
I adapted the recipe from Today's Mama. Instead of using the oil, I substituted apple butter. You can use apple sauce as well if you don't have the apple butter on hand. The recipe is accomplished in five easy peasy steps (but first, set your oven to preheat at 400 degrees Farenheit):
1. Combine the following in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2. Combine the following in another bowl:
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup almond milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
1/3 cup oil, apple butter, or apple sauce - your choice!
3. Mix the contents of both bowls until just combined.
4. Grease and fill your muffin tins.
**To get fancy, top your muffins with cinnamon sugar, additional spices, pecans, chocolate chips, whatever your heart desires!**
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
6. Consume rapidly.
From my Mabon table to yours, Equinox blessings to you this season and always!
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