Prickly Pear Mesquite Mini Muffins - Gluten Free

aka "Desert Mini Muffins"

This past week my computer had to make the trek to the Dell Depot to be repaired. I planned ahead and got all the information I needed for the week, but still some things didn't quite work as I had intended. I'm not the best at working from a paper calender anymore and I found myself double checking all my appointments. I had challenges with email addresses, files and pictures.

Yesterday, my computer returned from it's solitary trek, riding up in the vibrant yellow and red truck of DHL. There was an immediate sigh of relief from everyone in the house. The kids were delighted it was back so they could battle virtual bad guys side by side. My husband was relieved as it was a computer lamb returning to his technology fold. As for me, I was thrilled my life could return to normal. I could put away the paper and say good bye to all my crumpled to-do lists.

While in my semi-lost state this past week, I wanted to create a muffin that would celebrate all the desert products I have in my pantry. I decided on creating Prickly Pear Mesquite Mini Muffins. Filled with prickly pear nectar, agave syrup, mesquite flour, pine nuts and chia seeds, the muffins are fragrant with a delicate sweetness and the tender crunch of pine nuts.

I discovered the first time I tested my recipe, that something was going on with my ingredient list that I hadn't known. The muffins baked up beautiful on the outside, but the insides were another story. They had an airy yet firm gelatinous texture. As it turns out, prickly pears have quite a bit of natural pectin in their skin and flesh. Interestingly prickly pears are good for lowering cholesterol, blood glucose levels, and has a future as a cancer chemopreventative food. Prickly pear fruit has fiber, calcium, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6 and potassium.

So, the chia seeds I had used as my binder weren't needed to hold the muffins together, the prickly pear nectar had enough pectin to do the job alone. However, I did want to use the chia seeds for the extra nutrition they would add to the muffins, although I had to be careful when I added them to the recipe to keep them from creating a binding gel. To keep the chia seeds from gelling much I added them to the recipe last. Then quickly poured the batter into the muffin cups and baked the mini muffins.

Recipe

2/3 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup sweet rice flour
2/3 cup arrowroot starch
3 Tb mesquite flour*
1 Tb baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup prickly pear nectar*
1/4 cup gluten free oat milk**
1/4 cup melted vegetable shortening
1/4 cup agave syrup*
1 tsp chia seed, saved till last*

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and place out 36 mini muffin papers on a cookie sheet. Do not raise the temperature to cook the muffins faster, as the mesquite flour cooks quickly and can over cook causing a slightly burnt caramel flavor.

2. In a medium bowl, dump in the first seven dry ingredients and stir together.

3. In a medium bowl, dump in the egg, water, prickly pear nectar oat milk, melted shortening, and agave nectar. Stir together.

4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and quickly blend together. Sprinkle the chia seeds over the top and fold the seeds into the mixture.

5. Spoon the muffin batter into the muffin cups and cook for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before removing them from the muffin cups.

What did my family think of my prickly pear mesquite mini muffins? They were a hit with all of us. Although my husband and I liked them most when served warm. This one is a keeper.

* I purchased my prickly pear nectar from Native Seeds/SEARCH, but you can also find it at the Arizona Cactus Ranch. I purchased my chia seeds, agave nectar and mesquite flour from Native Seeds/SEARCH. My pine nuts came from Trader Joe's.

** To make oat milk: 1/2 cup of cooked gluten free oatmeal (rolled gluten free oats, water, salt) and 2 cups water, 2 Tb agave nectar placed into a food processor. Process until blended and refrigerate.

Chia Seed Milk

With all the nutritional properties of chia seeds, I thought it had the potential to make a nice seed milk. After researching various seed milks, I found an interesting recipe for Chia Milk by Frank Rohe of the National Health Yellow Pages. Epicurean Table had a number of recipes for nut and seed milks, plus some great variations. Now I was off to make my batch of gluten free chia seed milk.

First, I started to work on the basic recipe, using a combination of my sources and a pinch from me. While this recipe whips up in around thirty minutes, you will need to let it sit for a few hours or over night in the refrigerator for the best consistency. The chia seeds need a little more time to thicken all the milk.

Recipe

2 Tb Chia Seeds*
1 Tb Chopped Walnuts or Almonds
1 Tb Sesame Tahini
1 Tb Agave Syrup
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon or to taste
2 1/2 cups Water

Pour 1 cup of water, chia seeds and nuts into your blender or food processor then whip it together. Plop in the tahini, agave syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. Whip these ingredients together, then add the rest of the water. Whip until blended. Pour into a pitcher. Allow it to sit in the refrigerator for at least several hours although it is better if left over night, before serving.

How did it taste? My sister-in-law was visiting when I made a version without cinnamon. She gave it a try and said it was chunky milk, but it did taste better than if it had been made with broccoli. I thought it had an interesting texture from the seeds and had a slight bitterness from the tahini. I made another batch, but added some cinnamon to the milk. This one was pretty good as the cinnamon cuts the bitterness of the tahini. I had some for breakfast with my granola and the flavors complemented each other nicely. As a drinking beverage, it was filled with texture which wasn't unexpected just interesting. I thought it had the potential to make a great breakfast drink. Whip up some banana or pumpkin with the Chia seed milk and have a frothy shake to start the day.

Why are there only two comments? Well...my lovely family wouldn't go near my chunky milk, especially not after their sister/aunt said it was better than broccoli.

*I purchased my Chia Seeds from Native Seeds/SEARCH.

Chia Seeds & Chia Seed Gel

I used Chia Seeds, which are naturally gluten free, to make the gelling agent in my Lemon Chia Seed Bread (see the previous post). The bread held together beautifully. Being a very curious person by nature, I had to see exactly how much the chia seeds would gel.

So, I ran a small experiment with to see exactly how well they gelled. I used 1 tsp of chia seeds and 4 tsp of water. Then I let the seeds sit for 30 minutes. The seeds produced a nice gel that holds together when you try to tilt it off the spoon.

I let it sit for about an hour in the refrigerator to see if it would harden, but it didn't. It remained a nice soft gel.

Ohhh...the possibilities...

Lemon Chia Seed Bread - Gluten Free

Early in the morning having a slice of a flavorful quick bread and a hot cup of coffee is like a warm hug. I find quick breads to be wonderful comfort foods as they bring back memories of happy times. Lately my husband and I have really enjoyed having a quick bread for breakfast, but we've been wanting a little more variety. I also wanted to use some of my other ingredients to see how they would work out. This is where the idea for Gluten Free Lemon Chia Seed Bread was born.

The ingredients that I wanted to use from my pantry were chia seeds and agave syrup. I have a bag of Chia Seed that I bought from Native Seeds/SEARCH. Chia Seeds are versatile in that they can provide gelling, fiber and Omega-3 oils. I wanted to see if I could substitute chia seed for another binding agent (kudzu powder, agar agar, xanthan gum). Agave syrup can replace sugar in a recipe, plus it is low on the Glycemic Index. It has the added benefit of being metabolized slower by the body. Agave syrup can replace sugar at 3/4 cup to 1 cup of sugar.

I started with my recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Bread. Then I made my modifications and started my baking tests. The results were beautiful and the aroma...heavenly.

Recipe

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup oat flour (Cream Hill Estates)
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup milk
2 Tb lemon juice
2 Tb chia seed
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup agave syrup
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp grated lemon peel

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, place the milk, lemon juice and chia seed. Allow the mixture to sit as this will give the chia seed a chance to begin gelling.

3. In a medium sized bowl, place the first six (dry) ingredients and blend.

3. In a mixing bowl put in your softened butter, agave syrup and blend. Add the eggs and grated lemon peel and blend again. Next add the chia seed mixture and blend. Then slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until just blended taking care not to over mix.

4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. Then remove the bread and cover with aluminum foil. Return the loaf to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until a pick comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

What did my family think of Lemon Chia Seed Bread? My son, who is not a fan of lemons, didn't care for the bread at all. My daughter thought it was okay, but she'd rather eat a slice of fresh lemon than eat lemon bread. My husband and I thought it was wonderful. It was moist, flavorful and healthy too. The chia seed gel held the bread together beautifully and it wasn't crumbly. The agave syrup gave the bread a more complex fruity flavor. We thoroughly enjoyed it. This one is a keeper.

What about my test results for substituting chia seeds for another binding agent? Yes, you can use chia seed gel to replace another binder, such as kudzu powder or xanthan gum. The Lemon Chia Seed Bread has a nice texture and stays together when you hold it.