Although I’ve never been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity I have noticed that my psoriasis tends to flare up when I’m eating too many wheat based products. As much as I love pasta dishes, breads and baking homemade cookies, when my diet contains too many products containing wheat the familiar red, flaky patches of psoriasis almost always show up. I’m working on removing most grain based foods from my diet because I truly do not believe that human beings evolved to eat them and if they did eat them, they certainly didn’t eat them in the quantities and in the processed ways that we eat them today.
However, every once in a while even the best of intentions fly out the window and I just want something sweet and fresh and warm right out of the oven. I really try to limit these treats (pizza, pasta, cookies, cakes and muffins) to no more than once a week and I try to experiment with gluten-free recipes so I can at least have a healthier homemade version on hand when a craving hits.
A couple of weeks ago I was looking at some slightly over ripe bananas in the fruit bowl and as almost everyone knows, over ripe bananas are good for two things…banana bread and banana nut muffins! So of course I had to try baking up a batch of gluten-free banana walnut muffins (and don’t forget the chocolate chips and chia seeds).
I’ve been baking almost all my life but I’ve had a hard time trying to duplicate the texture and fluffiness of wheat based goodies so I don’t do it that often however, these little gems turned out surprisingly good on the first try. They were pretty easy to make and took care of my craving for something warm and sweet so I wanted to share the recipe with you.
GLUTEN-FREE BANANA WALNUT & CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
Prep Time: 20 min
Bake Time: 325 for 25-30 min
Makes about 24 regular size or 48 mini muffins
INGREDIENTS
- 3 mashed ripe bananas
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 large eggs (Vegan substitution: 3 T ground flax simmered in 1/2 cup water or 1/2 cup aquafaba*)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup of melted butter (Vegan substitution: melted coconut oil or vegan butter)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 cups of gluten-free baking mix
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life! Gluten-free, vegan, soy & dairy free chocolate chips)
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, combine the baking mix + baking soda + salt +xanthan gum + cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs + applesauce + melted oil or butter + vanilla + chia seeds. Add mashed bananas and mix thoroughly.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until blended.
- Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips.
- Coat muffin cups (either a 12 or 24 cup muffin pan will work) with coconut oil or butter or use paper liners. Fill each cup until almost full.
- Bake at 325 for about 25 – 30 min (less if you used a 24 cup muffin tin) or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes then remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack…or just eat them while they are warm since that’s when they taste best!
- To store; cool completely on a wire rack then store in refrigerator or freezer.
*Aquafaba is amazing! It’s the liquid that’s drained off a can of chickpeas. I actually prefer aqaufaba in my vegan recipes because it produces the light, fluffy texture you expect to find in muffins and cakes.
#glutenfree #vegan #chiaseeds #breakfast #muffins
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