These spicy-sweet Healthy Gluten Free Quinoa Muffins are packed with roasted cherries and apricots! They’re an easy breakfast or snack!
PIN Healthy Gluten Free Quinoa Muffins
This is a test.
The kind of test that will determines whether or not we remain on the level of internet-BFF status, OR if Mr.FFF should start a blog for you to read instead, because you are ACTUALLY kindred food-eaters with HIM.
WHAT? Let me ‘splain:
I wandered around the fruit department awhile back, looking for some INSPIRATION. You know, colorful, juicy fruit and crispy-fresh veggies just BRINGS it like nuthin’ else.
There I saw them: deep, dark ruby-red shiny CHERRIES. LIKE, the ones that taste really only waltz their jewel-toned beautiful selves around at the start of SUMMER. Sunshine, good times and all that jazz, ya know?
AS you may have picked up, there was some excitement that happened in my brain. I mean, we’ve had gluten free pancakes with cherries, grilled cherry crisp, and gluten free brownies with cherries. I <3 <3 <3 them.
How-EV-er, the excitement grew x12 when, just as luck would have it, the cherries in question were perfectly perched beside a basket of tiny, pale-orange apricots.
Inspiration came like a FREIGHT TRAIN. !!!
I maybe-probably-okay-I-did speeeeed home so that I could unpack the juicy, fresh yumminess and whip it into these healthy gluten free quinoa muffins that your eyeballs be peepin’. The kitchen was ALIVE with the yummy smell of spicy-sweet cardamom, honey-roasted fruits, roasty-toasty pistachios and creamy almond butter.
Everything was jammin’ together in a bowl of healthy, whole-grain summer B-L-I-S-S guys. You know when you’re just really FEELIN’ something? Making this recipe for quinoa muffins WAS THAT MOMENT.
Until. DUH DUH DUH…
IN WALKED THE HUBERONI.
He could feel AND smell the exciting things happening in the air. He wandered over to me, grabbed the jar of almond butter + spoon that I was about to shove into my face (I can’t be held accountable for the things that happen when Taylor + being left alone + almond butter happen) and asked me what kind of quinoa-centric-concoction my brain was whipping up.
I explained to him how the spicy cardamom would hit his tongue in this magical way as it mish-mashed together with sticky-sweet, juicy roasted apricots and cherries AND how a POW of smooth almond butter would BURST his taste buds wide open when it melded together with a crunch of toasty pistachios.
And he looked at me like I had 6 heads.
…. <– My thoughts.
He told me that it was the not-yummiest recipe idea that I had ever had and there was eleventy billion flavors too many happening at once in these leftover quinoa muffins Basically, he decided I was going to FAIL.
It was in nicer words than that. BUT…you understand.
Sometimes though, I am not the submissive wife that listens to her husband. So, well, I did not listen. The gluten free muffin moment continued allllll the way into the oven.
And then, into my muffin-munching-mouth.
AND THEN, (rather forcefully) into the general mouth space of the Huberoni.
TO WHICH, there was chewing…chewing…chewing (while I creepily stared him down waiting for the verdict on the healthy gluten free quinoa muffins. Usual stuff) and….SUCCESS.
Unlike last week’s zucchini noodles wrap, Mr. FFF’s recipe sense tinglies were WAY WAY WAY OFF.
The test. You’re wondering what ever happened to that, IFFFF you even passed it, and if we can continue on our path to world domination. Err…being internet BFF’s for the rest of time.
HOW TO KNOW YOU PASSED IN ONE EASY STEP:
There was no pre-judging of all the ingredients in the recipe. By now, you just KNOW that crazy things come out of my recipe-developing brain MOST of the time and you live in TRUST that I would not steer your taste buds in the direction of yucky-food.
If not, well…
More muffins for me.
Ingredients
- 2/3 Cup Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/3 Cup Quinoa uncooked
- 3/4 Cup Apricot cubed (about 2 large apricots or 125g)
- 1/2 Cup Lightly heaping cherries pitted and halved (90g)
- 3 1/2 Tbsp Honey divided
- 1 tsp Ground cardamom
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 Cup Natural almond butter + additional for drizzling optional
- 1/2 tsp Fresh ginger minced
- 2 Large eggs
- 2 Egg whites
- 3 Tbsp Pistachios minced
Instructions
- Bring the almond milk and vanilla extract to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, add in the quinoa, stir and cover. Turn the heat to low and cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid, about 25 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, heat your oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss together the apricots, cherries and 1/2 Tbsp of honey, reserving the rest for later, in a medium bowl. Spread out onto the pan and bake until the fruit releases all their juices and they begin to lightly brown, about 13-15 minutes.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, transfer it to a medium bowl, stir in the cardamom and a pinch of salt and then refrigerate until it cools down a little bit.
- Reduce your oven temperature to 425 degrees and GENEROUSLY (these muffins can stick!) spray a 12 cavity muffin tin with cooking spray.
- In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt the almond butter until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 3 Tbsp of honey and the fresh ginger. Finally, stir in the slightly cooled quinoa and mix until well combined.
- In a separate, medium bowl whisk together the eggs and egg whites. Pour into the quinoa mixture and stir until well combined. The mixture will be a little bit soupy.
- Divide the quinoa mixture between 11 of the muffin cavities, filling only half way. Then, evenly divide both the apricots and cherries between each cavity.* Sprinkle the tops with the minced pistachios.
- Bake until the muffins have risen and the tops are set, about 12-13 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and, using a sharp knife, immediately remove them from the muffin tin and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Drizzle with extra almond butter, if desired, and DEVOUR.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: SMARTPOINTS: 4 POINTS+: 3. OLD POINTS: 2
Want more healthy, gluten free muffins?
Vegan Protein Muffins with Chai and Vanilla
Egg Muffins with Savory Oatmeal Vegetable Crust
Protein Muffins with Quinoa, Prunes and Dates
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Jennifer Farley says
I love that there’s quinoa in these for extra protein!
Taylor Kiser says
Thanks!
Kristy Bernardo says
These look amazing! Such a great story, too!