Carrot Quinoa Muffins

Ingredients

Muffins

1 c cooked quinoa

1/2 c organic dark brown sugar

3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 c spelt flour

1/4 c kamut flour

(** Note: the original recipe calls for 3/4 c almond flour instead of the 1/2 c spelt & 1/4 c kamut combo I used)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted, but not hot (** or 1/2 c butter)

1/2 c Chobani pineapple greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 c loosely packed grated carrots (pulsed in the food processor until they were finely grated)

1/4 c unsweetened coconut, toasted

1/2 c walnuts, chopped & toasted

Coconut Whip

1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

1-2 tbsp powdered cane sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preparation

Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease or line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix quinoa, sugar, flours, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.

In a smaller bowl, mix coconut oil, greek yogurt, vanilla, and eggs.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients .. then gently fold in the carrots, coconut, and walnuts .. until just mixed.

Divide the batter evenly such that none of the muffin tins is filled more than 3/4 full (ish 16 standard size muffins)

Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.[br]

Coconut Whip

Open the can of coconut milk and scoop the top layer of white, fatty goodness into a decent sized mixing bowl (discard the coconut water or save it for smoothies). Blend the chunks of coconut milk with a hand mixer on high speed for 15-20 seconds, just until the mixture turns to liquid. Sift in the powdered sugar (amount depends on how sweet you like it) and mix until combined. Add the vanilla extract and blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes, until light and creamy. Whipped cream is best served immideately, but can be stored in an air tight container for up to three days. It will harden in the fridge, so when ready to serve, simply blend with a hand mixer on high speed until creamy again.