Almond Flour Blueberry Lemon Muffins
There’s a few things I find particularly satisfying. One is knowing I’m eating something fairly good for my body, made of ingredients I can pronounce. We live in a time where healthy food options are abundant. Plant-based, organic options are flourishing in our restaurant scenes. Not to mention the thousands of accounts and blogs dedication to delicious and nutritious meals and treats just a few scrolls and clicks away.
Another thing that makes me feel like I’m really doing my part as a human is avoiding food-waste as much as possible. I’ve been making my own nut-based “milks” for quite a few years now, but have only recently discovered the endless ways to re-purpose the pulp you’re left with after making the milks. While you can do this with oat milk and various other kinds, I’m going to be talking specifically about almond pulp. (To make your own almond meal out of almond pulp, jump to the end of this blog).
THE MUFFIN RECIPE
I found this recipe from The Lemon Bowl. It’s fairly easy to execute and made with healthy ingredients. These muffins are protein-packed, guilt free, with a moist and fluffy texture. I hope you enjoy them!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of almond flour or meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1/4 cup of honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest (I added a bit more)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries (or any type of berry)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 and line 12 muffin tins with baking cups.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda.
Blend or mix wet ingredients: eggs, honey, olive oil, lemon zest & juice, vanilla.
Slowly start to mix in the dry ingredients into the wet until fully blended.
Pour out the mixture back into a medium bowl.
Fold in berries.
Spoon in mixture to muffin tins, to make 12 even muffins.
Bake for 25 minutes, and allow to cool.
Option: top muffins with hemp seeds mid-bake.
EASY PULP TO ALMOND FLOUR DIRECTIONS
You've just made your almond milk, now you’re left with the mush. Set your oven to 200 degrees fahrenheit, or 93C. Squeeze out all remaining water from the pulp using a cheesecloth bag. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a rubber spatula, spread out the almond pulp into an even layer. Bake the almond pulp for 2-3 hours, checking to make sure it’s no longer damp. After you take it out of the oven, blend it in a blender or food processor until you get the “almond flour” texture you’re after. You can store it up to a week in the fridge, or longer in the freezer! Just make sure it’s in an airtight container. Now you can make baked goods with re-purposed almond flour and feel really on top of your eco-friendly game!
