Kind lifer Madeline is sharing this yum looking muffin recipe today! Thanks so much Madeline for your thoughtful words and delicious recipe!
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Hi Alicia!
My name is Madeline and I owe you a tremendous debt for changing my life. For most of my entire life, I grew up eating fast food, meals on the go, and consuming sugary drinks. I wasn’t overweight, but I would practically eat the same unhealthy foods on a daily basis: sugary cereal, bagged Caesar salad, frozen chicken nuggets–you get the idea. I purchased The Kind Diet my freshman year in college and, after reading the book in one sitting, was instantly committed to a vegan life-style. Now, after five years of being a vegan, my life has drastically changed for the better.
Becoming a vegan altered my life, making me a more health-conscious person as a whole. I immediately noticed that my body was leaner, but that wasn’t the real reason that I changed my eating habits. In all honesty, becoming a vegan changed my life. While I was never really interested in cooking before, I started to enjoy devising my own vegan recipes. I also noticed that I had tons of energy and my mind seemed clearer. When I was younger, I had no desire to do much in the way of exercise, but now I crave it. It’s amazing how healthy, natural, non-meat-based food can give you that extra energy boost to keep you going throughout the day. I also NEVER get sick. Like the average person, when I was growing up I used to get colds a few times a year. However, since I’ve been a vegan, I can’t remember a day when I was ill. I’m not saying that I don’t get a cough for a day or two, but whatever has invaded my system, literally goes right through me. My available sick days at work are really starting to pile upJ And, I also have perfect skin and my hair and nails grow like weeds. While this is all fantastic, what really has kept me on a vegan path is awareness. The truth behind the food industry is absolutely horrific and there is no way I could ever ingest those horrible substances again or support a food industry that is abusing helpless animals. As a child, you just don’t learn about these things. At least I didn’t. I saw no connection between animals and what was served on my plate. Hopefully, now that veganism is more prevalent and even “trendy,” more and more people will fight the inhumane food corporations. I proudly live a cruelty-free life, and cannot thank The Kind Diet enough for that.
I have made great vegan discoveries that I share on my blog, Plantaful.com. I like to call this recipe: muffins with an identity crisis. This sweet concoction is a hybrid between a corncake and the traditional blueberry pastry, with quinoa thrown in the mix! Ya, you heard me. Because it’s packed with muscle-building protein, quinoa is a great addition to any traditional baked good.

Makes a dozen 
Ingredients

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds mixed with 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup unsweetened enriched coconut milk
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the chia seed mixture, quinoa, maple syrup, coconut milk, applesauce, lemon juice, and oil. Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and whisk until well combined. Fold in the blueberries and scoop the batter evenly into lined muffin cups.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown. Let cool before devouring.

 
Photo Credit: Plantaful.com