Lentil Muffins

Say what?  Lentil muffins?  Ew, really?  Is this a joke?

Nope, it’s real, and they are fan-freaking-tastic!  They are gluten-free, vegan, full of fiber, protein and healthy fats, and they are delicious.

Don’t tell anybody what’s in it until after they take a bite.  They might think it’s a bran muffin- but it’s so much more moist. They might think it’s whole wheat – but they’re so soft.  Because the lentils are blended, I’d be surprised if anyone could guess what’s in them!

Once I got the idea of making lentil muffins I couldn’t get it out of my head.  I wanted a muffin that surpassed all other muffins.  I wanted a muffin that I would eat and think “Damn, that was good, and damn I FEEL GOOD!”

So the lentil muffin was born.  To up the feel good factor, I made it vegan and gluten-free, since my stomach doesn’t tolerate dairy or gluten very well.  I will also take any excuse I get to use chia seeds and coconut oil.  They are serious feel good foods.

You’ll notice in this recipe I use chia eggs.  If you don’t want to use eggs in a recipe you can make a chia egg using 1 tbsp of milled chia seeds with 3 tbsp of water per egg.  You simply let it sit in a small cup or bowl for 5-10 minutes and let in gel.  Then you’ve got yourself a vegan egg to bake with!  Ground flax works the same way.  It is a very healthy, tasty, cheap baking trick!

If you make these muffins- and you should- make sure they’re fully cooked and have sat for 5 minutes before you remove them from the pan.  They are very soft and moist inside, so they’re a little fragile at first!

Let’s just say I planned to “try” them, and two disappeared.  They’re that good.

[box]Lentil Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

• 1 cup Cooked (and cooled) lentils
• 2 Chia eggs (flax eggs or real eggs will work too)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Maple syrup
• 1/2 cup Coconut oil
• 1 cup Gluten-free brown rice flour
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1/8 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 cup Walnuts
• 1/4 cup Sunflower seeds
• Dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cook your lentils in advance and allow to cool.
3. Take lentils and blend in a food processor.
4. Make your chia or flax eggs and allow to sit 5-10 minutes to gel.
5. Mix lentils and “eggs” with other wet ingredients.
6. In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients.
7. Combine ingredients, mix well, and fold in nuts.
8. Bake for 20-30 minutes[/box]

What’s the craziest ingredient you’ve ever baked with?

Tagged as: fiber, fibre, gluten-free, legume, lentil, lentil muffins, lentils, protein, vegan