Tomato...in a muffin? Yup!

Okay, so I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes.  Like, at all, really.  I don't like chunks of tomato in my pastas, soups, sauces, toppings, or anything else.  And I definitely don't like them on sandwiches or hamburgers (when I used to eat them, that is...now I don't like to eat them on my veggie burgers  :)  ). 

So, I was pretty shocked when I found that I LOVE these new muffins.  (Although it might have something to do with the sugar...)  With my first bite I wasn't so sure about them.  It was one of those things where you take another bite to see if you really like it or not.  Then I noticed I'd eaten the whole muffin!

The muffins have a tomato juice base which acts as a reactant to the baking soda, giving them a nice rise.  They also stay moist for a few days (although in all seriousness they've only been around for a few days).  Plus, they're great for when a recipe calls for only a few tablespoons of tomato paste and you have some leftover, wondering what in the world to do with it.  You can add 3 or 4 parts water to the tomato paste to make the tomato juice.  Same with tomato sauce (although it's a different ratio). 

So, after all that build-up, here's the recipe!  Hope you try it!  And if you do, be sure to come back here & comment and let me know what you think! 

Vegan Wheat Cranberry Nut Muffins

Oh, and I'm usually not a fan of nuts in things (like cookies, breads, muffins, and stuff like that), but they are good in these! 

Things I've Learned

There's lots of stuff I've learned since becoming vegan.  Like how to bake without eggs, for example. 

One of the cool things I've really enjoyed about becoming vegan is the chance I've had to try lots of new (and retry old!) vegetables.

I've found:
-I really like leeks
-Brussel sprouts are actually pretty awesome
-I still don't like avocados, no matter how much I want to
-Sweet potatoes aren't my favorite, but I can manage to eat them in a few things as long as they're mixed in with other vegetables/sauce
-I still don't like mustard.  At all.
-Beets are growing on me.  I like them, but I can't eat them everyday or anything.  Once a week is probably my limit.
-I still don't like grits.  Never did.  I'm very tempted to put this into the "never will" category.
-I still don't drink glasses of milk
-Speaking of milk, I think unsweetened almond milk is my favorite, although I like the other kinds, too (soy, hemp, rice, coconut, etc).  Of course I'm a fan of the light chocolate soy milk!  :)
-Dates are awesome to bake with!  So delicious!
-Nuts are actually growing on me...I can eat them in stuff now instead of just on their own.  I like them in muffins and SOME cookies now (sorry Ju!), but definitely not in brownies or chocolate chip cookies or things like that.
-I like cabbage
-Carrots are still one of my favorite veggies
-Cauliflower is also a pretty useful veggie in vegan meals

I'm sure you were lying awake at night wondering which veggies I've found I like, so here you go - you're welcome!  :)