blood orange and poppy seed spelt muffins

i haven’t been able to make it out to the farmers’ market much lately, but this weekend when i arrived at the one in silver lake i was greeted by bushels of beautiful blood oranges.  i thought to myself, “what better way to use these blood oranges than with one of citrus’ best friends, poppy seeds? and where do poppy seeds feel more at home than in a wholesome muffin?”

after trying my hand at all-oat crackers, i am continuing to explore wheat and gluten-free baking, this time with spelt flour.  you should be able to find it any natural foods store, and it is perfectly light and crunchy for muffins.  as opposed to muffins made with traditional flour, which are heavy and leave you feeling too full first thing in the morning, the spelt flour is light and satisfying.

blood orange and poppy seed spelt muffins
3/4 c soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 c blood orange juice and pulp
1/2 earth balance (or other vegan margarine)
3/4 c sugar
1 3/4 c spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 whole blood orange

begin by adding the vinegar and blood orange juice and pulp to the soy milk.  the acidity of these will help thicken the soy milk so it can act as an egg replacer.  let sit for about 5 minutes.

meanwhile cream your margarine and sugar together.  once it’s smooth, mix it together with the soy milk mixture.

sift together the spelt flour and baking soda in a large bowl.  add the wet ingredient and mix until smooth.

add the poppy seeds last.

peel the blood orange and cut down the middle.  then cut thin slices across so you have little half circles of blood orange to top the muffins with.

spoon the batter into cupcake liners until they about 3/4 full.  i used silicon liners, but they didn’t come out of them easily, so i think the smart move is to use paper ones.

lay 2 of the slices on top each of the muffins and sprinkle with additional poppy seeds.

bake for 20 minutes at 350F.  let cool before attempting to handle.  they are delicate and will fall apart easily.

you can eat them immediately or save them in an air-tight container for later.  they are the perfect treat in the morning, toasted with some vegan margarine spread over them, with a cup of coffee or tea.