Turnip Blueberry Muffins

I’m always looking for ways to include vegetables in every dish, desserts included. After making vegan sweet potato muffins with great results, I one day thought of trying other root vegetables in a muffin. Turnips, rutabaga, kohlrabi are not the most popular among their category, but rich in health benefits and culinary opportunity, so I try to pay them as much attention as I can. Lately I’ve been eating a lot of salad turnips from the local farm – they are great raw, with a squeeze of lemon juice, some salt, pepper and light drizzle of olive oil.

For these muffins, I made a turnip mash to include in the batter and the technique did not disappoint – I got a nice, light batter. Blueberry season is here, and we’ve been celebrating with these gluten free treats. I will also be making them with other berries and chocolate.
And if you enjoy this type of baking, you will like our Parsnip Cake with Candied Kumquats.

Turnip Blueberry Muffins – Vegan and Gluten Free

1 medium to large turnip
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil – soft, at room temperature
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 heaping cup of blueberries

1. Boil turnip for 20 -30 minutes or until soft when pricked with a fork. Drain immediately once done. Cool, peel and shred on the finest side of a box grater. You should have about 1 cup of puree.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.
3. Using a hand mixer, beat coconut oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add in the turnip puree and mix in well. Add almond milk, lemon juice and vanilla, stirring well to incorporate.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mix to combine. Fold in the blueberries.
5. Distribute between 12 muffin holes. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note: These muffins are best the same day, but can be kept tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.