Orange Almond Chia Muffins

When I was younger, the breakfast muffin that trumped all others was the orange muffin.  You know, the cream colored muffins with tiny flecks of orange and that sweet, buttery-orange flavor.  They were my favorite!

Not blueberry.  Not cinnamon streusel.  And definitely not lemon poppyseed.

This muffin was inspired by my mom who has been wanting to try chia seeds but isn’t really sure what all she can do with them.  I thought muffins would be a great place to start.

I haven’t done much baking with chia seeds and was excited for a new challenge.  With the recent lemon blueberry almond flour cupcakes, I was inspired to make another grain free recipe.

Almond flour and almond meal make outstanding baked goods.  They are incredibly moist and fluffy but also quite dense.  Fluffy and dense sound like opposites, but they definitely hold both of those attributes.

A quick refresher:

Almond Flour – ground into a fine flour from blanched almonds [almonds with no skin]

Almond Meal – ground into a fine flour from raw almonds

Trader Joe’s carries 1lb bags of almond meal for about $4.  Bob’s Red Mill carries both the flour and the meal, but they are quite pricey.  There are other places you can find both products online, but you can also make your own using a high power blender, large food processor, spice grinder, or coffee grinder.  It’s best ground in small batches until very fine.  Avoid over-grinding as it will turn into nut butter!  Once ground, let cool and store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Unfortunately, there is no real substitution for almond flour/meal.  Because almonds are a not a grain, baking with almond flour [and coconut flour] is quite unique.  More eggs are required to hold the flour together and liquid [like milk] is typically left out.  The texture is also extremely moist because of the high fat content from the almonds.  In comparison, almond flour is softer and a bit lighter, while almond meal is slightly more dense and textured.

I prefer using almond flour for cupcakes and almond meal for muffins.  The heartier texture from the meal works brilliantly for muffins.

Chia seeds soak up quite a bit of moisture, so I knew I would need to add some sort of liquid to the batter.  Since I already planned to zest an orange, I decided to use the juice as well and add an equal amount of milk.  I couldn’t be happier with the results!

Print this!

Orange Almond Chia Muffins

gluten-free, grain-free // yields 12 muffins adapted from Roost

• 3 cups almond meal
• 6 Tablespoons chia seeds
• 3 eggs
• 6 Tablespoons milk
• 6 Tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 5 Tablespoons coconut oil [butter/ghee], melted
• 1.5 Tablespoons orange zest
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat your oven to 350* and line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
2. Mix together all dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients until smooth.
4. Add the wet to dry and stir with a large spoon until just combined.
5. Pour evenly into muffin liners and bake on the middle rack for 25-30min until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins are golden brown.  Top with slivered almonds before baking, if desired.

notes:  I used unsweetened almond milk but feel free to substitute 1-2% milk, soy milk, hemp milk, etc.

These make an excellent breakfast alongside a bowl of yogurt topped with fresh berries.  They have a slight crunch from the chia seeds but are incredibly soft with that sweet orange flavor I’ve always loved.

I can’t wait to share these with my mom first thing in the morning.

Ashley

avocado pudding, two ways

I am addicted to this recipe.

I’ve been buying avocados by the half dozen and making this at least twice a week.

My first spotting of avocado pudding was over on Gena’s blog, Choosing Raw.  I couldn’t get over how smooth and creamy it looked.  Skeptically, I made it and was blown away.  As of two weeks ago, it had been about a year since my last batch.  Why, why, whyyy?

Once again I’m hooked, but this time it’s going to last.  The addiction, not the pudding.  The pudding won’t last you very long.  Trust me.

I’m going to interrupt again for a little photography comparison.  I’ve been taking a lot of photos without the light bounce lately.  It creates a photo with more shadow + contrast.  I go back and forth on which type of photo I favor.  It really depends on what’s being shot.

[left – no light bounce : right – light bounce to the right with light coming in from the left]

For the examples above + below, I prefer the two left photos without the light bounce.  The shadows give the photo a more dramatic feel and help to define the edges.  It gives the photo a bit more of a realistic quality.

Sometimes I’ll go weeks using my light bounce 100% of the time.  Right now, I’m definitely on a no-light-bounce kick.  Again, it kind of depends what you’re shooting.  Taking a few photos with and without is great when you’re learning.  Sometimes it’s hard to tell which look best until you open them up on your computer.

Back to the pudding.

I have two recipes to share.  Both extremely simple.  Both better than my original.

The green pudding you see above is literally avocado + banana.  That’s it! 

The one you see below adds unsweetened cocoa powder and just a few other ingredients.

PRINT this!

Avocado Banana Pudding

vegan, gluten-free // serves 2-4

Both recipes were inspired by inspired by Gena’s Raw Chocolate Avocado Pudding

• 2 avocados, ripe
• 2 medium bananas, ripe

1. In a food processor, combine ingredients and process until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of bowl as necessary.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Store in a sealed container and eat that day. [you may notice browning from both the avo + banana if you leave it longer than 1 day]

Chocolate Avocado Banana Pudding

vegan, gluten-free // serves 2-4

• 2 avocados, ripe
• 2 medium bananas, ripe
• 6-8 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1.5 scoops Raw protein powder [optional]

1. In a food processor, combine the avocado + banana and process until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of bowl as necessary.
2. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and protein powder [if using].  Process again until smooth. 
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve and add any topping you like.
4. Store in a sealed container and eat within 2-3 days.

notes:  This has the consistency of a thick pudding, but is not similar to chocolate pudding from a box.  If you want a thinner consistency, add your favorite milk, starting with 1Tablespoon at a time.  Do not use frozen bananas.  The riper the banana, the sweeter and stronger the flavor will be.  Your avocados should be slightly soft to the touch but not mushy, hard, or watery when cut.  If you don’t like banana, feel free to sub in a squash puree [drained of excess liquid].  Add honey or maple syrup if desired.  An immersion blender should also work for this.

So rich.

So smooth + creamy.

Easily eaten any time of day.

I’ve been out of bananas 4 days and my avocados are feeling lonely.  A definite problem.

And while we’re on the topic of avocados, you must watch this awesome stop-motion film.  I found it on the website SHFT, which I’m currently loving.

Ashley

p.s. Thanks for all the tips on where to find seeds!!