Loving the BITE: Gluten-Free Protein Power Muffins

08
Mar
2012

Seems like a great week to shake things up a bit.  Are you game?  Let’s use some different ingredients, bake them, and come up with a wonderful alternative to our normal breakfast.  Something new.

We were asked by the good folks at Udi’s Gluten Free to make this week’s Loving the BITE a part of their “Look Again It’s Gluten Free Recipe Contest”. The challenge was to create a gluten free recipe that was so tasty and fantastic that consumers wouldn’t know it was made without gluten.

Sure, I love my Greek yogurt-nuts-and berries breakfast, but even I (a definite creature of habit) can appreciate a change now and then, so I decided to try something new and take them up on the task.

Recipe of the Week: Gluten-Free Protein Power Muffins 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 2/3 cup hemp seeds
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 large organic, cage-free eggs
  • 2 Tbsp organic honey
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp organic coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup berries or pitted cherries, fresh or frozen (if larger than blueberries, chop)

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine almond flour, hemp seeds, salt and baking soda.
  2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, honey, apple cider vinegar and melted coconut oil.  Blend well.
  3. Mix dry ingredients into wet, blending well.
  4. Gently fold in berries or cherries.
  5. Line muffin pan with paper liners.  Pour batter into liners.
  6. Bake at 350° F, for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
  7. Allow to cool and serve.

Makes 12 muffins

Nutrition information: 210 calories, 17 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 124 mg sodium, 11 grams carbs, 5 grams sugars, 3 grams fiber, 8 grams protein

Comments:

What’s special about this recipe?  First, the nutrients and ingredients it has.  And second, what it doesn’t have.  In fact, compared to most sugary, low-protein muffins, we’re significantly upping the nutrients while minimizing ingredients that promote low energy, disease, and inflammation

What it has:

Almond flour: Almonds provide healthy monounsatured fats, protein, fiber, and antioxidants.

Hempseeds: A Loving the Bike favorite, hemp seeds provide protein, healthy omega-3 fats, fiber, and vitamin E.

Organic Coconut Oil:   It contains a special fat, lauric acid, that promotes improved insulin sensitivity (helps us deal with blood sugars better) and overall health.

Organic Honey: As far as natural sweeteners go, I like organic honey (and pure maple, for that matter).  In addition to adding a delicious sweet taste, it provides antioxidants and natural enzymes.

Berries: The darker, brighter, more vibrant the fruit, the better. These antioxidants work to fight free radicals in the body, and decrease damage to cells.

What it doesn’t have:

Wheat/Gluten: Now, I don’t think that everyone needs to completely eliminate gluten or wheat from their diets.  However, I have consistently seen improvements in health, digestion, and fat percentage in clients that reduce or eliminate it.

Processed sugars: Although there’s no perfect sweetener, small amounts of honey offer nutrients that are more slowly digested/metabolized than table sugar and many processed sugars.

Unhealthy fats: Every fat in this recipe promotes health.  No trans-fats nor highly processed fats.

I loved combining new flavors and gluten free ingredients to create this delicious recipe, but if you don’t have time to bake and are looking or a great alternative the gluten free muffins from UDI are a fantastic choice as well.

Now I’m curious to know, what do you enjoy most about trying something new?

For your chance to win a $350 William Sonoma gift card to purchase a Kitchen Aid Mixer or other gluten free cooking tool of your choice, complete these two steps:

1. Share the Udi’s Look Again, It’s Gluten Free Recipe Contest with your friends (be sure to include a direct link to your social media post)
2. Tell us that you’ve invited your friends to enter the Look Again, It’s Gluten Free Recipe Contest AND tell us what you enjoy most about trying something new below

Find out more by going to the Look Again It’s Gluten Free Recipe Contest page and also heading over to their Facebook page as well.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine. Official BlogFrog Sweepstakes Rules.

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