SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

With citrus at it’s prime, I  couldn’t resist making these gluten free, sugar free breakfast muffins. Oranges are one of the the few produce items being grown in Texas right now.  My favorite grocery store, Central Market, is celebrating with Citrus Fest.

My decision to eat seasonal and local when I can has been eye opening. I didn’t know that the clementines I love so much are mainly flown in from Spain.  I still bought them en masse and have enjoyed every sweet bite.  Joe enjoyed them in his lunch, even requesting that I add a few more for a snack.  We still have a handful rolling around in our bottom refrigerator drawer.  I made one test batch of these muffins with clementine juice and zest – they were scrumptious.

The Taste

Quinoa has become one of my favorite gluten-free flours to work with. It behaves well in nearly everything and lends a subtle, earthy, almost nutty taste.  I wanted a muffin I could enjoy without being too heavy or sweet, so I decided to top the muffins with currants instead of mixing them into the batter.  The natural sugars caramelize in the oven which makes them sweet and little crunchy, a nice contrast to the moist crumb. Feel free to add nuts or other dried fruits to the batter to suit your tastes.

A Little Stevia Goes a Long Way

One of my goals for this year is to use a variety of sugar alternatives.  In this recipe, I used 1/4 cup agave and 1 teaspoon of clear, liquid stevia.  The muffins were perfectly sweet for Joe.  He didn’t even know I did anything different.

Storing for a Quick Breakfast

Wrapped individually, frozen, then, as needed my orange quinoa muffins go into the microwave for 30 seconds and are spread with a little nut butter.  Along with a green smoothie, this has kept me going all morning long.

How have you been enjoying your citrus fruits?

Printer-friendly recipe

Orange Quinoa Muffins with Currants
makes 10 muffins

1 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of ground cloves
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup agave nectar (I use Wholesome Sweeteners)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 large free-range egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon liquid stevia
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup currants

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare a standard muffin tin with baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together quinoa flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, xanthan gum, salt, and cloves until thoroughly combined.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, agave, orange juice, grapeseed oil, sour cream, egg, vanilla, lemon juice, stevia, and orange zest until smooth.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until combined.  Using a spring release ice cream scoop, put one scoop of muffin mix in each tin.  Top each scoop of muffin mix with one teaspoon of currants.  Use wet fingers to lightly press currants into the top of the mix.

Bake for 16 – 18 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean and muffins are light golden brown.  Allow to cool in pans for 5 minutes and then move to a paper towel lined wire cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container or wrap and freeze for later.

Enjoy!

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