http://www.care2.com/greenliving/wheat-free-orange-quinoa-muffins.html
Wheat-Free Orange Quinoa Muffins
Adapted from The Golden Door Cooks Light and Easy by Michel Stroot (Gibbs Smith, 2003).
Many a muffin can be blamed for diet sabotage, but muffins from the renowned spa, the Golden Door, are light and lovely and rely on pureed fruits instead of butter and oil. This Golden Door recipe for orange quinoa muffins uses quinoa, oats and cornmeal to replace flour, making them not only super moist but also an excellent source of protein and other nutrients.
When the Golden Door spa opened in 1958, they set the standard for fresh, colorful, flavorful “spa food.” These muffins are no exception. And although they don’t have wheat flour, they aren’t gluten-free because the oats contain gluten—if you want to make them gluten-free, just double the quinoa and drop the oats.
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup cooked quinoa
1 ¼ cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 oranges
1 large ripe banana
1/3 cup apple juice
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar (or one of Care2’s recommended natural sweeteners).
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg
2 egg whites
2/3 cup chopped pitted dates
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable oil and set aside.
2. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the rolled oats into a fine flour. Add it to the cooked quinoa and mix in the cornmeal, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. Grate the oranges to make 2 teaspoons zest. Peel the remaining oranges and separate the segments of all 4 oranges. Remove all the pith. Cut the outer membrane from the orange segments. Chop ¾ cup of the orange segments and place into a large bowl.
4. In food processor, process the banana with apple juice, brown sugar, honey, oil, egg and egg whites. Pour into the bowl with orange segments. Stir in the dates and orange zest and mix well. Pour the banana-orange batter into the dry ingredients and mix until well blended.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack; serve warm or let cool.
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22 comments
add your comment »I made these muffins, followed the recipe, and had some real questions along the way (ie the cinnamon/salt amounts, the thing with all the oranges. They were still good, but I really don't think they turned out how they were supposed to. My quinoa stayed like a grain and not flour (which, when you look at the picture above, looks like they don't contain whole quinoa). The batter was very runny (from the 4 oranges?) so I used muffin papers in my tray, which almost burnt (because they were soaked? not sure). they are tasty little morsels, with lots of great stuff, but I think the recipe needs to be tweaked and clarified a bit for the average healthy baker.
Thanks, keep up the good work!
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4 oranges seems like alot of oranges to make only 3/4 cup?? Has anyone tried this yet, if so how many oranges did you use?? Also any one know of a subtitute for the apple juice? I just went to the store and dont want to go again. This recipe sounds sooo mouthwatering, cant wait to try it.
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I notice that many of you are slightly uncertain as to what Quinoa is. Quinoa - pronounced keenwaa - is a cereal grain, native to South America. It is gluten free, hight in protien, iron and B vits. It has a sweetish taste and is easy to digest. Make sure to wash the grains before cooking, to remove the bitter substance that coats them. Cook it as you would rice, in 2x the volume of water. It is a really pretty grain when cooked, and quite delicate. I often use it to accompany many dishes as an alternative to rice, coucous, or bulgar. It's delicious!
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I live in Taiwan and am wondering if Quinoa is available here.Anyone know where I can find it?
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I've seen "gluten free oatmeal"--I think from Red Mill.
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yes, I, too, am gluten intolerant, and I plan to make these muffins substituting equal amounts of quinoa for the requested oats (which contain gluten). Quinoa is a fabulous grain and I use it all the time for a perfect wheat substitute.
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Thanks,Zederal,
For responding in reference to Quinoa. I GATHER it IS a type of flour. It is a new one to me.Will check out my local grocery store first. Looking forward to trying it eventually.
Have a good day,
Elaine
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A lot of folks with Celiac Disease (gluten intolerance) can't eat oats, irrespective of where they are processed. anyone got any suggestions as to what we can use in this recipe instead of oats?
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I still have no idea what quinoa is!
Sounds like good ols rice!!
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Quinoa has a slightly bitter taste if not rinsed first before cooking. I rinse w/water and put through a strainer before adding to my pot. It makes a huge difference in the taste.
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