Thursday, March 31, 2011

Banana-Pecan Oatbran Muffins (GF)


Dry Ingredients
1 cup oatbran
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
2 tablespoons golden ground flaxseed
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
2/3 cup soy milk
1/3 cup apple juice + 3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ripe banana cut in little chunks
50 gms chopped pecans (22)

Topping:
an extra pecan (not toasted)  and
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
for each muffin mixed with
a little cinnamon if desired

Line muffin tin with 11 paper liners or oil - whichever method you prefer. I prefer "If You Care Muffin Liners" myself over anything else. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toast your pecans at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes - watch carefully -- they burn easily.  Chop roughly. No need to toast the pecans for the topping - in fact better that you don't.  It will toast whilst baking.

Mix together all the dry ingredients and sift - there will be oatbran leftover - just toss back into the dry and mix through.  I like to sift the dry ingredients as that ensures that the flaxseed, tapioca starch, salt and baking powder are evenly distributed throughout the main  flour mixture.

Mix the liquid ingredients (soy milk, juice, agave, oil & vanilla) into a 2 cup liquid measure cup - total liquids needs to equal 1-1/2 cup.  Add any of the liquid ingredients (I prefer to add extra apple juice) to ensure you get to that 1-1/2 cup.

Dice your banana into little chunky size pieces (you want them big enough so they don't disappear into the baked product as they are delicious when they stay bite size pieces once baked) - add through the dry ingredients - tossing around to distribute them evenly.  Pour in your liquid ingredients - mix together.  Let stand a minute or two to thicken.  Then using 1/4 cup measure distribute batter evenly between the 11 muffin liners.  Add leftover using teaspoon -- will be about 2 teaspoons per muffin to use up.  Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar and top with one pecan half.  Bake for 16-18 minutes at 375.  Cool.  Enjoy as many as you like the first day - freeze leftovers. Reheat for a few minutes in toaster oven or microwave if desired.

Calorie Count
Did an approximate calorie count on these:  they are 131 calories each without any pecans whatsoever.  They are 148 calories each if you put one pecan on each muffin and they are 180 calories each if you add 50 gms of pecans (that equals 22 pecans) to the batter and one pecan on top of each muffin. Also for those on ww they are 4 points plus each approximately for the 180 calorie version.

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