I love onions and, as I have mentioned before, I am not a huge fun of sweets. So I love using my muffin form to make savory treats. Today I decided to combine onions with instant gravy powder and create these muffins that are the ultimate comfort snack. Alright, lets see what’s in them.

Ingredients

-1 cup self-rising flour

-1 tablespoon salt

-1/3 cup instant gravy powder (I am using a vegan variety that I get from Ekoplaza here in Delft)

-1 full tablespoon egg replacer powder, beaten with one tablespoon water. If you do not have egg replacer, you can use a tablespoon ground flax seeds instead.

-2 tablespoons sesame seeds or more

-1 teaspoon pepper

-1 big onion

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 cup water (or less)

Instructions

1. First you need to preheat the oven at 180 C. If you are using a combo microwave/oven, then 200 C is a better idea.
2. Peel and chop the onion.
3. Put the onion in a pan with the olive oil and cook it until it becomes translucent.
4. In a bowl mix the flour, salt, gravy powder, baking soda, sesame seeds and pepper.
5. Add the egg replacer and start adding water slowly until you have a very sticky dough. It shouldn’t be runny, but it shouldn’t be too firm either.
6. In a muffin tin or silicone form divide the dough in 6 cups and top with the onions.
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 180-200 C. Use a toothpick to check that your muffins are done.
8. Enjoy!

Why onions?

Because they taste great. And because they have tons of health benefits. First of all, they contain quercetin, which is a compound that helps in cancer prevention. They also contain chromium, which helps regulate your blood sugar, reducing sugar spikes. They are rich is sulfur as well, which helps keep your liver strong. Among other sulfur compounds of onions are methionine and cystine, which bind with heavy metals such as mercury and lead, and lead them out of your body. Onions have also blood-thinning properties, which means that if you eat them often, you can prevent blood clots. When eaten raw, they increase your good (HDL) cholesterol. And on top of that, they lower blood pressure. They also have antibacterial activity, killing salmonela and E.coli among other pathogens. So stop worrying about bad breath and just eat them!

Why sesame seeds?

Because they are rich in calcium and antioxidants (vitamin E being one of them). They are also packed in zinc, which helps maintain strong bones and they help you keep your cholesterol levels in check, as they contain phytosterols. Just make sure to chew well, in order to brake the seeds and help your digestive system absorb all the goodness. If you are not good at chewing, just add a tablespoon of tahini to your diet (and to these muffins as well).