Ingredients
- 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup quinoa uncooked
- 3/4 cup apricot (125g) cubed
- 1/2 cup cherries (90g) pitted and halved, lightly heaping
- 3 1/2 tablespoons honey divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1/4 cup natural almond butter plus additional for drizzling
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- 2 large eggs
- Egg whites from 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons pistachios minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a small pot on high heat, bring the almond milk and vanilla extract to a boil, then add quinoa. Stir well, turn down heat to low, and cover with a lid. Simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all of the liquid, about 25 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the apricots, cherries and 1/2 tablespoon of honey. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet and bake until the fruits release all their juices and they begin to lightly brown, about 13 to 15 minutes.
- Once the quinoa is cooked, transfer it to a medium bowl, stir in the cardamom and a pinch of salt, then refrigerate until it cools down.
- Lower oven temperature to 425℉ and generously spray a 12-cavity muffin tin with cooking spray. These muffins will stick, so spray liberally!
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the almond butter until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons 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 them 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 the fruits between each cavity. Sprinkle the tops with the minced pistachios.
- Bake until the muffins have risen and the tops are set, about 12 to 14 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 enjoy.