Vegan oil- and gluten-free apple nut muffins

The vegan, oil- and gluten-free apple and nut muffins are wonderfully light and moist. As an added bonus, they are a low-calorie and healthy dessert.

Nutrient profile: One portion, in this case 1 muffin, covers more than 50% of the average daily requirement of omega-3 fatty acids. 1 muffin contains just 163 kcal, which is less than 10% of the recommended daily calorie intake. The fat content is 12% and the carbohydrate content is less than 7%, which is also very low for a sweet snack. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is 3:1, well below the maximum recommended ratio of 5:1. More on this at: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors.

Almonds: Almonds have a good ratio of high fat content of 49%: only 7.4% of this is saturated fat and there are no trans fats. They are also a good source of iron. However, they have a very poor ratio of linoleic acid (LA) to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). For this reason, we have used walnuts in this recipe in addition to almonds.

Walnut: The real walnut, also called tree nut, has the highest proportion of linolenic acid (ALA) of all nuts. They are also rich in vitamin E, zinc (an important trace element for the liver and hair, among other things) and potassium (for the heart muscle, among other things).

Flaxseed: The flaxseed has a double use in this recipe. Firstly, it serves as a flaxseed egg and secondly, the slightly nutty-tasting flaxseed is very healthy. With around 50% of the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), its fat content has the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids of all known vegetable oils. Those who eat a lot of industrial food should increase the amount of flaxseed in their diet and correct any nutritional errors in this regard.

Oat flakes: Oat flakes have a high protein content and contain many essential amino acids. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals. Oats are available as gluten-free oats (see tips). Seed oats are particularly close to nature.

Date syrup: Natural date syrup is made from dates and water. In contrast to table sugar, dates contain a whole range of nutrients. It is similar to or slightly sweeter than table sugar, but has fewer calories, and is considered to aid digestion. However, like agave and maple syrup, it is only partially suitable for people with fructose intolerance due to its fructose content.

Oats and gluten: Those suffering from celiac disease (gluten intolerance) are only intolerant to gliadin, not glutenin. Those affected must therefore avoid classic grains such as wheat, but can eat oatmeal to a certain extent. In this case, however, it must not only be ensured that the oats are not contaminated with wheat and other grains containing gluten, but they must also be specially cleaned. Corresponding oats are available in stores as gluten-free oats.

Date syrup: Caution! In addition to natural date syrup, artificially produced date syrup is also available. This often consists of different flavors and different types of sugar. If in doubt, always look at the ingredients list. Date syrup should only consist of dates and water and, if necessary, lemon juice or vanilla.

Looseness of the dough: In addition to the baking powder, we achieve the looseness of the dough through the carbonated mineral water and the linseed egg.

Omit oil: We have deliberately omitted oil completely and reduced the sweetness for health reasons. You can find more information on this topic in the book we describe in detail: "Salt Sugar Fat" by Michael Moss.

Reduce the sweetness: We have deliberately created the recipe so that it also appeals to children, which is why we are not too sparing with the date syrup. The muffins prepared this way have a pleasant, malty sweetness. However, you can certainly reduce the amount of date syrup or replace it with more banana. This will give you very subtly sweet but still tasty muffins. If you use more banana, however, the muffins may be a little moister than they were originally and the banana flavor may come through more clearly, which is what we wanted to avoid here.

Make your own date syrup: You can make date syrup Buy organic quality from health food stores and well-stocked supermarkets. Make sure that there are no other undesirable ingredients besides dates and water. You can find a recipe for homemade date syrup here .

As an alternative to almond milk, you can also use oat milk or tap water. You can also make your own oat and almond milk. Information on making your own raw vegan oat and almond milk can be found at the following links: Oat milk, Raw almond milk.

As an alternative to potato starch, you can use the same amount of corn starch and you can also use regular baking powder instead of cream of tartar.