Okay, these muffins are made of so healthy plant-based ingredients, I think it’s really bad for your health not to try them, lol! 🙂
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’ve been trying to speed up breakfast making. There is only one thing better than a quick breakfast: a make-ahead one! The idea of dessert for breakfast really warms my heart, so I made a breakfast treat with the star in season, plums, and spiced it up quite a bit as finally, fall is here!
I share some words on my latest minor dietary change: I can have oats again, yay! However, these muffins are still sugar-, dairy-, egg- and nut-free, as usual, and I recommend a tested option for an oat-free version.
So, I suggest you give these muffins a go: bake them one evening and they’ll make the perfect companion for your morning coffee whether cozying up to a newspaper or already on the go.
The first days of fall have finally arrived – I’ve never been so happy about the first rays of autumn sunlight! Stone fruit season is already rolling. My most fond memories about plums include my grandmother’s famous “snow rolls” filled with plum marmelade, and most of all, that plum marmelade my father made once by cooking it a whole day and night(!) over an outdoor fire!
Inspired by the balsamic roasted strawberries I made this summer I thought I’d try roasting plums, and sticking to the theme of fall, I’ll use some spicy red wine this time.
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About my dietary changes… I omitted gluten-containing foods along with the contested oats from my diet years ago. Actually, I was a little bit sad about oats, as they are so rich in nutrients, like non-soluble and soluble fibers, complete protein, so comforting, versatile, not to mention: affordable.
Later, one of my readers sent me some granola bars made of GF certified oats from abroad and it turned out I can actually have GF oats. However, it’s kind of difficult to get them around here and I really wasn’t that much into them at that time.
Following my pregnancy I decided to give a try to “regular” oats again, as the past 1.5 years has brought so many changes to my life, what if…? So, I had a very cautious taste of some oatmeal one morning, and… nothing bad happened. And tasted some more and still nothing. Oh, so happy!
I was so happy to get oats back in my life I had oatmeal for breakfast for two weeks straight.
I know that people on strickt gluten-free diets can’t have oats, not even GF certified oats, so my recipes labeled gluten-free will contain no oats (just like before), or I’ll give you a tested substitute in the ingredients list.
The scent of plums roasted in spicy red wine filled our home. My husband asked me if it’s not too early for mulled wine? When I showed what I had in the oven he only said whatever I make of that he wants his share. 🙂
Next morning when I packed some of these muffins in his lunch box he still asked if it’s okay to have them when driving. 😀 I think there’s not much alcohol left in that wine after 30 minutes at 180 C  / 350 F.
For the spicy red wine roasted plums, you’ll need:
750g or 1.6 pounds of plums (whole)
1/2 cup of red wine
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground clove
some pieces of black and Peruvian pepper, ground
1 star anise, ground
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (homemade)
I used the spices whole, for photography purposes, which made tasting these muffins kind of an adventurous experience… For less thrill, I’d go with ground spices. 😉
Clean and cut plums in halves, evenly coat with the spicy red wine, lay in a baking pan over parchment sheet and roast for 30 minutes at 180 C / 350 F.
I used half of the plums for the muffins, the remaining portion ended up on my morning oatmeal or magically disappeared…
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- 150g or 2 cups of oatmeal (or buckwheat meal for a gluten-free option)
- 50g or ½ cup of buckwheat flour
- 50g or scant ½ cup of brown rice flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 banana (weighed 250g whole)
- 200ml or 1 scant cup of rice milk (homemade or storebought is fine)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon stevia powder
- ½ portion of the spicy red wine roasted plums (described above)
- Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F.
- Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: oatmeal (buckwheat meal), flours, baking soda, salt.
- Put chunks of banana, rice milk, chia seeds and stevia powder in a blender and mix well.
- Add liquids to solids and combine, finally add the plums.
- Devide into muffin caps and bake at 180 C / 350 F for 20 minutes.
The next morning I poured the muffins over with some of the leftover baked plum-wine juice: for once, it worked really well for photography purposes, and second, it tasted heavenly. 🙂
I made carb counts considering storebought rice milk (to remain on the safe side, as homemade is usually lower in carbs), and it still made only 25g CH/muffin. They can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
So, what is your favorite plum dessert?
These muffins were shared at Gluten Free Fridays.
These really are just too stunning! And the flavors!! How unique and wonderful! <3
Thanks, Rebecca, I really liked making these. I guess, it shows. 🙂
How amazing, Nori. I've been able to add oats back into my diet as well over the last few months 🙂 I omitted them years ago too along with gluten, as both were making me ill, but I cautiously tried gf oats again recently and have been ok — soooooo happy! I can only imagine how much you enjoyed these beautiful muffins <3
This is great news, I'm so happy for you! Well, I'm sure you can relate now. 😉
That title sounds like a mouthful! A delicious mouthful. 😉 I wish I could handle oats again, but I'm sure I'll be happy with just the spiced plums. 🙂
Well, I tried to come up with a shorter title. Headache. Gave up. 🙂
Try subbing buckwheat flakes – I did and they work just the same.
I am fascinated by the plums! I never thought of plums. Pears sure, but plums? Genius! What type of wine did you use?
I used some locally produced dry red wine. I'm glad you liked the idea of the plums: it sure was difficult not to eat them all on their own. 🙂