Lemon chia seed muffins (paleo)

This one is on the weekly baking menu and loved by kids and adults! They freeze really well and if you make them in mini muffin moulds like we do, they make perfect and travel-friendly snacks for in between meals and when on the run. They contain healthy omega 3’s, protein & choline needed for brain health and development and are a sweet treat that won’t cause your blood glucose levels to go out of whack.

Credit to ‘Paleo Desserts for Dummies’ where I originally found the recipe - back when I used to go to the library weekly!

Paleo, gluten free, dairy free

Ingredients:

1/3 cup coconut flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

1/8 teaspoon bicarbonate soda (or baking soda as it’s referred to in the USA)

1 tbs chia seeds (I use the black ones so they kind of look like lemon poppyseed muffins but the white are fine too)

Pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

½ cup full fat canned coconut milk

3 eggs

2 tablespoons maple syrup or raw honey (I find 2 tbs is sweet enough but the original recipes called for three)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons of lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

Method

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix all wet ingredients in another bowl. Pour wet into dry and use a spatula to gently mix until ingredients are combined (make sure not to over mix). Spoon into silicon muffin moulds and cook on 180deg for 15-20 minutes depending on their size – a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean and a light brown crust will be seen, When I make mini muffins, 15 minutes in a preheated oven does the trick. Makes approximately 18 - 20 depending on if your kids eat the batter like mine does :P

 Nourishing Notes: Best tip for baking ‘paleo’ is to bring everything to room temperature first - so get eggs out of the fridge a few hours before. Otherwise when you add the oil it all solidifies again. I would also err on the side of undercooking vs overcooking - I usually set for 10 minutes less and check with a skewer. It can really dry out and tastes way better when slightly gooey. (for those that don’t know what paleo means, it’s a style of eating that eliminates processed foods, gluten and grains, legumes, dairy and refined sugars and emphasises food that our ancestors would have eaten)

Vegan version: Simply swap the eggs for 3 aquafaba ‘eggs’ – this is simply the juice from a can of chickpeas which acts as a vegan binder. 3 tbs is equivalent to 1 whole egg (so you would need 9 tbs for this recipe, about what you’d get from a one can). I’ve done this recipe completely vegan and with 2 eggs + 1 aquafaba egg. Because getting a big rise isn’t important for this recipe, I use it without whipping it (you can even use it to make meringues). The vegan version won’t be as golden and fluffy as using all eggs but still taste great!

Variations: You can add grated dark chocolate (approx 4-5 tbs) for an extra choc hit or make these in normal sized muffin tins - you’ll just need to increase the baking time and the recipes will only make about 5 or 6 muffins.

Quality of ingredients: As I make this for my toddler, I always use the highest quality ingredients I can – which means biodynamic organic eggs (conventional and even free-range eggs are higher in inflammatory omega-6’s vs those from eggs whose hens are truly able to roam free and get access to insects and grubs instead of just grains), look for coconut cream in BPA-free tins and of course organic lemons. Local farmers markets (I love the Kawana Farmers Markets) are your cheapest option while also supporting your local industry and environment and bulk food stores like Kunara, The Source or Flannery’s will stock things like coconut flour and bicarb without the plastic! For those that haven’t used coconut oil before - the extra virgin cold pressed versions have a much stronger coconut taste than the refined version so it really depends on what you prefer.