Apple-Carrot Muffins (Gluten-Free)
Keep a batch of these gluten-free Apple-Carrot Muffins in your freezer for those mornings when you need a quick and nourishing breakfast to go along with your favorite hot beverage. These muffins are rich in fiber, especially heart-healthy soluble fiber from the oats, apples, and carrots that helps control cholesterol and supports a healthy gut biome. The flaxseeds and walnuts provide heart-friendly omega-3 fats, and the turmeric is anti-inflammatory. The carrots add antioxidant carotenoids, and both the apples & carrots add natural sweetness. And the pea protein and eggs provide protein to support tissue building and repair. These moist and mouth-watering muffins are the perfect way to start your day.
- 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) flaxseeds, ground (about 6 tbsp when ground)
- 1 ¼ cup gluten-free rolled oats, ground to flour (makes about 1 ½ cups ground)
- ¼ cup pea protein (Trader Joe’s has good one … no additives, sweeteners)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp. baking powder (preferably aluminum-free)
- 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp. ground turmeric
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 very large (or 2 med) apple (with skin), chopped (2 cups chopped)
- 1 ½ cups chopped/grated carrots
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1-2 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place muffin papers into muffin pan.
Grind the flaxseeds into powder and pour this into a medium bowl. Then grind the oats into flour and add them to the bowl, along with the pea protein, brown sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
Next separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside briefly, while you chop the apples and either grind or roughly grate the carrots. Place the apples and carrots in the bowl of your food processor. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and dry ingredients. Mix together briefly, and then add the walnuts. Pulse just enough to mix in the walnuts (and not to grind them). Lastly, fold in the beaten egg whites. (To save time, you can avoid this step, but the beaten egg whites will make a lighter muffin).
Spoon the batter into muffin papers and bake for about 25 minutes, until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Remove muffins (in muffin papers) from muffin pan and allow to cool completely. You can store muffins at room temperature for a day or so, but to maintain optimum freshness, it’s preferable to stored cooled muffins in the freezer. You can enjoy the taste of fresh-baked muffins by thawing/heating slightly in microwave for approximately 30 seconds.
Each muffin provides about 150 calories, 6 g protein, 7g fat (1 g sat), 55 mg cholesterol, 18 g carbohydrate (9g sugar, 3g fiber), 40 mg calcium, 40 mg magnesium, 260 mg sodium, 190 mg potassium.