Vegan, Gluten-Free Strawberry Oat Muffins
Recipe By: Barb Biagioli
It’s finally strawberry season! After a long winter, I spend the spring in anticipation of the first time I’ll sink my teeth into a perfectly red ripe strawberry from the farmer’s market.
Strawberries are best when they are in season during the summer; when they are freshly picked from the farm; and when they are local. The best place to find yourself a juicy ripe berry is at your local farmer’s market or directly from the strawberry pickin’ patch. You’ll notice that the difference between a fresh summer strawberry and one purchased from the grocery store in the fall and winter months, is that the inside is bright pungent red, rather than pale pink and white. These beautiful berries are packed with vitamins and nutrients, including vitamin C, manganese, fiber and folate. They are immune boosting, mood regulating, and a wonderful source of antioxidants. Strawberries are known for their beauty boosting benefits and for their ability to promote skin vitality, improve eyesight health, regulate blood sugar, lower blood pressure, alleviate allergy symptoms and treat arthritis symptoms. Go get yourself some strawberries this summer!
But first, a word of caution.
When you are shopping for strawberries at your local farmer’s market, be sure to ask them if they use any pesticides or insecticides to grow their berries, and determine whether they are organic or use organic growing practices. Why? Sadly, strawberries are ranked the number one “dirtiest” produce on the EWG dirty dozen list. This means that conventionally grown strawberries are the most pesticide laden produce that we can consume. The most recent EWG research reports that 7.8 different pesticides were found on conventionally grown strawberry samples and the dirtiest berries had up to 23 different pesticides. Yuck! These pesticides and chemicals have been linked to cancer, reproductive and developmental damage, hormone disruption and neurological problems. Think twice before buying conventional strawberries, and always buy these little goodies organic.
Once you are stocked up on organic strawberries, you might consider making some summer favorites, like strawberry rhubarb crisp or strawberry shortcake. Instead, try out these strawberry oat breakfast muffins! I made them last weekend for my family, and my husband and toddler gobbled them up. They are a great sweet treat, on-the-go breakfast, or mid-morning snack. They are both vegan and gluten free. And they’re delicious.
And now, to make muffins:
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup coconut flour 1/3 cup coconut sugar 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 bananas
1/4 coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 lemon squeezed
2 tbsp ground flax
6 tbsp filtered water
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F then lightly grease muffin tin with coconut oil or muffin wrappers.
2. In a bowl, combine the ground flax and water and set aside for about 10 minutes. In a separate small bowl, combine the almond milk and lemon and set aside for 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, coconut flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt and rolled oats. Whisk to combine.
4. In a blender, combine the bananas, coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup.
5. Pour the wet ingredients from the blender into the bowl with the dry. Add the flax egg and the almond milk mixture to the bowl. Stir everything together with a spatula until well combined.
6. Fold in the strawberries and walnuts. Transfer the batter to muffins tins and bake for 18-22 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes and enjoy! Stores well in glass containers for 4 days.