I’ve hosted many retreats in Taos, New Mexico and always loved the opportunity to bring the local food culture of the Southwest into our retreat kitchen. The menus for our Taos retreats are designed around locally grown food and regionally inspired flavors, and as a fully plant-based menu, it was a fun challenge to create balanced meals through an Ayurvedic lens while honoring the rich culinary history of the region.
In the Vedic tradition, corn relates to the moon and symbolizes nourishment and fertility, similar to the history of Native American and Central/South American cultures where the many wide varieties of maize provided a staple sustenance and correlated to their creation stories. Corn’s qualities are light, warming, dry and rough, making this a great grain for reducing Kapha in late winter and springtime when our outer environment is often damp and cool. The addition of ghee in the base mixture and the added topping of sweet apple butter makes this a Vata-friendly food as well. As with anything, enjoying food in moderation, with awareness and pleasure, is part of the Ayurvedic approach to eating.
PREP: 15 minutes | COOK: 15–18 minutes | YIELD: 20 muffins
Ingredients
Blue Corn Muffins:
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 cups blue cornmeal
½ cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons mineral salt
½ cup maple syrup
⅔ cup melted ghee or olive oil
4 eggs or 4 flax eggs
Whipped Cinnamon Apple Butter:
1 cup softened organic cultured butter or ghee
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon unrefined cane sugar or coconut sugar
3 tablespoons applesauce
½ teaspoon mineral salt
½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Blue Corn Muffins: Lightly grease two standard 12-cup muffin tins. Combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted ghee, maple syrup, eggs, and almond milk mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until evenly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among 20 muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. Let the batter rest in the tins for at least 10 minutes while the oven heats.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake for 15–18 minutes, until the tops are firm and the edges are lightly browned. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Whipped Cinnamon Apple Butter:
Add the softened butter or ghee, cinnamon, coconut sugar, applesauce, salt, and vanilla, if using, to a mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Taste and adjust the cinnamon or sweetness as desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
Cooking Notes
Notes on texture: Blue cornmeal creates a hearty, slightly crumbly muffin. Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes before baking to give the cornmeal and tapioca time to hydrate. Don’t skip this step!
For moist muffins: Be careful not to overbake. It can be hard to gauge with the blue corn just by the tops. Remove the muffins as soon as the tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
Dosha Notes
V: Enjoy warm with a hearty serving of whipped butter
P: Enjoy in moderation
K: Enjoy in moderation
Nutrition
(Per serving)
Calories: 225 kcal
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 10 g
Carbs: 32 g
Sugar: 8 g
Fiber: 4 g
Shop Kitchen Essentials
Heirloom Blue Corn Flour
Pink Mineral Salt
Ground Cinnamon
