Meatless Monday: Pineapple Cornbread Muffins

We just bid farewell to our pal Gene Baur from Farm Sanctuary. He came through Dallas on his Just Eats Tour and we had a blast with him all weekend! This was the first time I met Gene and was able to hear him speak. He is so warm, friendly, compassionate, and truly walks the talk. A pioneer in the movement, one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met, and a super star advocate for the animals. Thanks Gene and his crew Lisa, James, and Ben for stopping by!! We had such a great time showing you how vegan Dallas can be!

We ate out mostly while Gene was here, including a proper southern barbecue, but I did have a chance to make him Spinach Artichoke Dip and the Pineapple Cornbread Muffins from my book Blissful Bites (which is available for pre-order on Amazon!). He wrote a little note on the Farm Sanctuary calendar for me that really just made my day! It says “For Christy, Thank you for caring and for making a difference. Your cooking is blissful and goes a long way to advance our cause.”

And now I will share that recipe with you! This muffins are completely guilt-free! Using no oil and using maple syrup instead of sugar, this muffin is also naturally sweetened by the pineapple. Kids and adults alike will go crazy for these!!

Pineapple Cornbread Muffins
Makes about 16 muffins

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 cup barley flour (or other whole-grain flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Dash cinnamon
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup unsweetened rice almond or soy milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 can (14 ounces) crushed pineapple in its own juice (or pineapple chunks)
Oil spray for pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin tin with oil or line with cupcake liners. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients then fold in pineapple with it’s juice. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Spoon into muffin tin until almost full. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let sit for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.