The Oriental Organic Matcha Muffins ( Vegan )

1 very ripe banana 210g/1 cup of brown rice or buckwheat flour 120g/½ cup of coconut flour 1 tablespoon of matcha green tea powder 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed 1 vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon of ground vanilla powder) 5 tablespoons of coconut oil 5 tablespoons of agave or maple syrup 250ml of rice milk (or other plant-based milk of your choice) 1 teaspoon of baking powder ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda A pinch of salt 35g of raw pistachios Makes 10-12 muffins depend on size you make: Start by adding 5 tablespoons of water to the ground flaxseed and whisking together before setting aside to thicken. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Sieve the flours, Oriental Organic Matcha Powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and stir until fully combined. Place the coconut oil into a saucepan and set to a low heat so it melts. Once melted, add the agave syrup. Slice open your vanilla pod and scrape all the seeds into the pan as well. Give this a stir so it’s all mixed up and leave on a low heat for at least 5 minutes so the vanilla has a chance to infuse into the oil and syrup. Mash the banana and place in a separate bowl to your dry ingredients. To this add the flaxseed and water mixture along with the oil and syrup mixture and rice milk. Stir it all up well and then add half to your dry ingredients. Mix until combined and then add the second half of the wet ingredients and do the same until you have a cake batter. Spoon the batter into muffin cases, filling them almost to the top until you have 12 equal amounts. At this point, place the pistachios into a pestle and mortar and bash them up until they’re in small pieces and large crumbs. Sprinkle this evenly onto each of the muffins before placing them in the oven for about 20 minutes until they’ve risen and are starting to turn a little golden brown. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving and savoring! Along with all of this, matcha green tea has a wonderful flavor which, in these muffins, is really complemented by the warm vanilla essence. You also get a slight tang of banana that adds a subtle sweetness to the agave nectar – so they’re totally refined sugar free. This makes them really versatile – you can enjoy them for breakfast or as an afternoon pick me up or even as pudding. They’re also gluten free and vegan, and the roasted pistachio crumb on top really gives them that edge.

bon appetit