Here’s the kicker about labeling the way you eat to align with a certain dietary prescription… at some point it could very likely stop making sense. All of a sudden, your label needs these little asides and qualifiers. And when you don’t eat something that fits neatly into the equation, then there’s the whole mental piece. And there’s a social piece. And of course, the physical piece. My context is this: I am currently egg-free, nut-free and (for the most part. Ah, there go the qualifiers again!) dairy-free. For a few weeks I was coffee-free and chocolate-free. What a blissful period! And then came my life, in full swing. I think I’m currently grooving on dietary individuality and the liberation from claiming… anything. And this isn’t to kick any method of eating to the ground, oh no. I think growth and knowledge both stem from identifying the foods you eat, negative, neutral and positive. I could go down the rabbit hole of thoughts and feelings on exclusion and inclusion, long-term and short-term regarding food choices. I’ll save that for anyone willing to listen.
Anyway! For all ye looking for a baking project that is dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free (though not technically grain-free), soy-free and nut-free, this is for you. It can be vegan, and definitely vegetarian. It’s not really paleo (hello, oats). It’s almost primal (hello, oats?). It’s really quite tasty.
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup potato starch not potato flour
- 1 cup ground oats certified gluten-free if you need
- 1 tablespoon psyllium seed husks find in the spice and bulk at your local co-op
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup. Feel free to lower the amount of sweetener if you prefer
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or fat of your choice; butter also works!
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips of any sort; if you're truly dairy-free, then a brand that respects that. Also, these are optional. Also, you could put in a 1/2 cup of whatever floats your boat! Chopped nuts, seeds, berries...
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375. Grease your muffin tray (or line with muffin cups).
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Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
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In a smaller bowl, mix all wet ingredients.
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Pour wet into the dry and gently stir until just combined. Add chocolate chips if using.
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Allow to sit for a few minutes to let the psyllium seed husk do it's thang (read: it's like, pure fiber, so it's sucking up all the wet ingredients! Also, keep this in mind when you decide to eat more than just a few!)
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Dollop muffin batter into your prepared muffin tin, then bake for 18 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.