Healthy Hempseed Muffins

I've been reading the The Hemp Nut Cookbook by Brigitte Mars, Richard Rose and also been browsing through the information on the Manitoba Harvest website with respect to the same. I've decided it's time to start focusing on some healthier foods and hempseed has really got my attention. My younger sister has been adding hemp powder to her diet for about 3 months now and she feels she is seeing a slow but steady improvement in her overall health. We women need all the help we can get when it comes to hormonal balance and after reading the following from the Manitoba Harvest Website I'm going to be looking for creative ways to incorporate this into my diet. I just realized this is going to be easier than I thought -- I just checked their website again and they have an amazing array of recipes for you to peruse http://www.manitobaharvest.com/recipes/ Enjoy!

Balance with Hemp:
"Great improvements in hormonal balance have been noted by the addition of Hemp to the diet. Hemp contains the perfect balance of EFA's, and is one of the only plants to contain GLA so the body does not have to rely on converting it. Adding (1-2) Tablespoons of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Oil, or (3-5) Tablespoons of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Seed a day, is a delicious, easy way to assist in achieving natural hormone balance and vibrant, health." To read the full length article go to: http://www.manitobaharvest.com/nutrition/index.asp?itemID=257

I couldn't find anything that was really fitting into my criteria to combine flax plus hempseed in one healthy little package so I experimented a bit and came up with the following which I think is surprisingly good. It really doesn't taste low fat or low sugar (due to fairly large amount of raisins and the banana which is being used in this recipe as sub for 1 egg) so I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. This is a small recipe -- it only makes 10 muffins and considering there is 4 tablespoons of hempseed and 4 tablespoons of flax in it you're getting a fairly healthy dose in each muffin. Next time I'm going to try to up it slightly to 5 tablespoons of each and see if it still retains a nice taste and texture. I'll keep you posted.

Recipe
1-1/4 cup all purpose organic flour
1/4 cup flaxseed
1/4 cup hempseed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy milk
1 ripe banana
2 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 cup organic raisins

Step #1 -- Put first seven dry ingredients into a large bowl. Stir together well to make sure baking soda and baking powder are evenly distributed.
Step #2 -- Put orange juice, soy milk, banana and oil into blender and whirl until light and frothy.
Step #3 -- Incorporate the wet into the dry ingredient along with the raisins using as few strokes as possible but make sure it's all nicely blended.
Step #4 -- Using 1/3 cup measure divide evenly amongst 10 muffin tins (I used the If You Care Unbleached liners).
Step #5 -- Bake in 375F oven for about 18-23 minutes (mine took full 23 minutes).

That's it. Really simple and really tasty. If you're a fan of zesting you could add organic orange zest to this recipe along with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. I used frozen orange juice so didn't have the zest but perhaps next time! Also, if you're looking to cut calories (which I should be considering for sure) the 1/2 cup raisins could easily be replaced with one fresh organic apple diced very finely.