Loving the BITE: Gluten-Free Protein Power Muffins
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:
- In a small bowl, combine almond flour, hemp seeds, salt and baking soda.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, honey, apple cider vinegar and melted coconut oil. Blend well.
- Mix dry ingredients into wet, blending well.
- Gently fold in berries or cherries.
- Line muffin pan with paper liners. Pour batter into liners.
- Bake at 350° F, for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
- 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:
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.
