Grain-free Muffins made with almond flour and navy bean flour – a Wheat Belly-friendly recipe! more
I think Paleo should make an exception for these gluten free muffins. They’re grain free, and the Wheat Belly guy would love them.
Here’s what I’m for: YOU.
Here’s what I’m against: Anything that makes you feel like a failure when you’re just trying your best.
Wheat Belly Bread didn’t really do it for me (that could have something to do with the fact that I’m writing a new Cookbook called, um, Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread & it’s real bread just minus the gluten). But for my money that doesn’t mean just ditching the grain-free, Wheat-Belly-friendly, Paleo-friendly (which I like to call Schmaleo) thing altogether. It means exploring! Like Sacagawea, but just in the kitchen instead of with Lewis & Clark on their way to the Pacific Coast.
Even though I bet they catch a whole lotta heat from the extreme-sport-style Wheat Belly-ists and Paleo-ists, the 80/20 Paleo Rule peeps (100% Paleo for 80% of their meals) are making it work, in their own way. See – my son the celiac is on the 100% Gluten-Free Diet so he can live and be well and grow and be healthy. But the rest of it? It’s a true choice. But you can’t make a true choice unless you see what’s out there. (Don’t worry, btw – this blog will never turn into Schmaleo or Wheat Belly or anything else dogmatic.)
So I started to experiment (don’t worry – I’m not sending you off to “play” since you have your hands full and anyway that’s my job). And I came up with a recipe for these grain-free, refined-sugar-free Wheat-Belly-ish muffins, and seriously? They’re so good. Moist, flavorful and lightly sweet, they’re truly satisfying for even your most discriminating eaters (believe me – everybody in my house is a critic).
Oh, and a note about bean flour: The Wheat Belly guy uses garbanzo bean flour. I … cannot abide garbanzo bean flour. Now, beans are verboten on the Paleo diet, but Wheat Belly makes an exception for garbanzo bean flour since it’s high in protein, and low in “net” carbs (carbs minus dietary fiber). Guess what? So is navy bean flour (which I buy here)! And it doesn’t stink like old forgotten peas in the far corner of your kitchen! It’s a nice complement to the almond flour, as it absorbs some of the fat in the almonds and makes for a lighter-tasting muffin. BOOM!
So are these Paleo? No. Are they 100% Wheat-Belly? No (instead of sugar alcohols like Xylitol I used honey since it’s an unrefined sugar and there is little of it in here). Are they good, and are they grain free – yet guaranteed not to make you mental? Oh yeah.
2 cups (224 g) blanched almond flour
6 tablespoons (54 g) navy bean flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 extra-large eggs (120 g outside shell) at room temperature, beaten
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled (you could substitute an equal amount virgin coconut oil)
5 tablespoons (105 g) honey
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
In a large bowl, place the almond flour, navy bean flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk to combine well, working out any lumps in the almond flour. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, place the eggs, butter, honey, cream and vanilla, and beat to combine well. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix to combine well. The batter will come together and be thick but relatively fluffy.
Fill the prepared wells of the muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full, and smooth the tops with wet fingers. Place the muffin tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (16 to 18 minutes). Be careful not to overbake or the bottoms will burn. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, or until cool to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining muffin batter.
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. Any leftovers may be tightly wrapped in freezer-safe wrap and frozen.
Love,
Me
P.S. Don't forget your copy of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Quick & Easy! I can't keep the blog going without your support, but with you - it can go on forever!
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