Try This Recipe for Banana Quinoa Mini Muffins

I love a muffin with all sorts of texture, including the crunch of nuts and seeds and the chew of raisins and dried fruit. Taking a bite of a muffin and surprising my taste buds each time makes for a very enjoyable eating experience.

This recipe for Banana Quinoa Mini Muffins combines all of my favorite textures into one muffin with a special ingredient that takes it one step further: quinoa. Quinoa is packed with protein and fiber as well as a number of vitamins and minerals (a one-cup serving of quinoa has 8 g of protein and 5 g of fiber), so these muffins are the best of both worlds: delicious and nutritious!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola (or vegetable) oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and blend well.
3. Coat mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray (or use paper liners) and divide batter among cups.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until muffins are cooked all the way through.
5. Allow to cool before serving.

Makes 30 mini muffins

Read Tina’s daily food and fitness blog, Carrots ‘N’ Cake.

Read more:

• 17 Healthy Muffin Recipes
• 5 Healthy Quinoa Recipes From Around the Web
• 26 Quick and Tasty Zucchini Recipes
• 6 Great Whole-Grain Recipes