Do you find bran a little…blah? Sadly, bran is one of many “health foods” with a bad rap. The funny thing is this layer is an integral piece of the whole grain. Bran is where most of the grain’s goodness lives, including dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, protein, vitamins and minerals. Imagine all of those nourishing nutrients missing from your morning meal. Now, that would be blah. That’s why I took it upon myself to turn a boring – albeit sugar-overloaded – coffee-shop style bran muffin into a treat your taste buds and active body will enjoy. Made with gluten-free oat bran, these muffins have everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Ingredients
½ cup quinoa flakes
½ cup oat bran
2 Tbsp. coconut flour
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup currants
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup raw honey
¼ cup water
1 ripe banana
2 whole eggs
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or coat with 1 tablespoon coconut oil.
- In a small bowl, combine water and chia seeds. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, allowing mixture to gel.
- In a large bowl, whisk together quinoa flakes, oat bran, coconut flour, cinnamon, currants and baking soda.
- In another large bowl, mash the banana. Add the dry ingredients to the banana and stir to combine. Add honey, pumpkin, almond milk, eggs and chia seed gel “egg” and stir until well combined.
- Pour batter into prepared muffin pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The tops will be golden brown when done.
- Serve warm and with a drizzle of honey.
Vegan alternative: Make this entirely vegan by swapping the honey for maple syrup and doubling the chia seed mixture to eliminate the eggs.
Make it a cake: This recipe also works well as a coffee cake. Simply pour batter into a greased cake or loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until the top becomes golden
Shop dairy-free favorites, from milk alternatives to chocolate-rich treats!