I slipped in a secret ingredient in my muffins this week. Guess what it is?
Kale!
I know what you must be thinking… but really, most people love carrot cake and zucchini bread…and these are sweet treats made with vegetables. So, I say, give kale a chance!
I didn’t go crazy with the kale, just add some finely sliced kale to boost the nutrition in my muffins.
My first go around with this recipe was a fail. Not a complete fail, I mean, I ate at least 2 of the muffins…but not good enough to post about it. But…I think I got it right this time.
I know it’s a bit out there for some people to eat kale never mind put it into a muffin recipe…but sometimes you really do need to step out of your box, right?
I substituted in some quinoa flake cereal for some of the flour in this recipe. Ancient Harvest makes quinoa flakes which you can also use to make a hot creamy breakfast cereal. The quinoa flakes look like this…
I tossed some almonds with cinnamon and sugar and put a bit of this mixture on top of the muffins before baking. Mmmmmm…Check out these babies…
Ingredients
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup Quinoa Flakes (I used Ancient Harvest brand)
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Cinnamon, a few dashes
- 1 cup finely chopped kale leaves
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Prepare 12 muffin tins with liners
- In medium mixing bowl, add bananas, maple syrup, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla and water mixing to blend.
- Add in quinoa flakes, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and a good dash of cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon or so) and gently blend ingredients.
- Fold in kale and carrots.
- Fill muffins liners about 3/4 full.
- Mix almonds with sugar and a dash of cinnamon and sprinkle the top of each muffin with a little of this mixture.
- Bake for about 12 minutes.
Liz
This looks so delicious! I am able to eat small amounts of oatmeal(1/4 c.), and organic white corn chips (handful/cup)now and am looking forward to a quinoa “challenge.” I’ve been enjoying something lately that may be tolerated by others as well: PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter. It is 85% less fat than regular PB, so may not be a trigger. Total Fat: 1.5g, Sugar only 1g! I eat it on a freckled ripe banana, or put it in my almond milk, banana, & spinach smoothie (for those who don’t like veggies in their smoothies, the PB2 & banana is all you can taste!:) There is also a second version of PB2 with cocoa powder, but no additional sugar in that. I hope it falls into the “legal” category! So, wanted to pass this on for scrutiny. You can get it at most food stores now. bellplantation.com
Liz
Oh, I forgot to say that you mix PB2 with water (or almond milk) to make it creamy for spreading.
katescarlata
Liz…it looks like it should be okay the PB2. Watch almond milk –some brands seem to be a trigger in my clients.
Becca
Is PB2 Chocolate considered low fodmap? Are marshmellows?
Well Balanced - Food - Life - Travel
Not sure Becca about PB2 chocolate–I am sure that PB2 hasn’t been tested. Marshmallows made with corn syrup–not high fructose corn syrup should be okay–in reasonable portion.
Alicia
Going to have to try these.
I am starting to try more kale reluctantly.
I was surprised to see your comment above about Almond Milk. Since I can’t do soy or regular dairy, I thought Almond milk was safe… but sounds like it might not be?
katescarlata
Alicia, I initially thought Almond milk might be OK…but many of my clients have had subtle trouble with it. Almonds are a source of fructans and GOS–these are water-soluble fibers. So, in theory these water-soluble fibers could stay in the liquid that is drained from the almonds into the final milk product. Almonds are allowed on the low FODMAP diet but only in a portion of 10 almonds at at time.
Try small amounts of kale and see how you do. I am in LOVE with the Olivia’s organic baby kale available in the US. OMG…I have found a new addiction. Love it in salads with a Dijon mustard dressing I make myself with lemon juice, splash of red wine vinegar, Maille Dijon, Olive oil and sea salt and pepper. Seriously yum. Kale chips are fun to make too. Hope your body likes the kale!
Nina
Hi-
I hope this message finds you well! My name is Nina and I’m a writer for SHAPE magazine.
I’m working on a recipe roundup “Veggie Desserts” and I was wondering if it would be alright to use (and get a photo for) this recipe. Please shoot me an email at n.lincoff@gmail.com.
Thanks so much for your time!
Best-
Nina
katescarlata
Yes Nina…I would be honored! 🙂