I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen again. I can’t help it. When I find new things, I like to test them out in different ways. Recently I was sent this tigernut flour from Healthy Planet, and wasn’t sure what to do with it… until inspiration struck! I’ve been looking for a reason to revamp my Nut & Seed Loaf into muffins, so this gave me the perfect opportunity! The tigernut flour’s nutty flavour lends itself well to this recipe, making delicious and nutritious paleo breakfast muffins!
What is a tigernut?
Here’s the low-down: a tigernut isn’t a nut at all, but a small tuber. When ground up into a flour, it can be used in baking, or even added to smoothies or oatmeal. Here’s why I’ve fallen in love with these ground tigernuts from EcoIdeas:
- They have a nice, nutty flavour that complements hearty baked goods – like loafs, muffins, and breakfast cookies.
- They are naturally sweet, which means you don’t need to add as much (or any!) sweetener when you’re baking with tigernuts.
- These are filled with fibre. In my recipe below, each muffin has about 3.5g of fibre just from the tigernut seeds, not including the added flax seeds! Remember, fibre is important to balance blood sugar, keep you feeling full, feed that microbiome and keep your digestive system happy!
- It’s a source of plant-based iron. Getting enough iron can be a struggle for vegans and vegetarians if they’re not conscious of their diet and iron intake.
Where can I find ground tigernut flour?
There are a few different brands of ground tigernut flour, but I really like this one from EcoIdeas. I got it from Healthy Planet, a Toronto-based health food store that ships product across Canada (free if you spend over $60) and to the USA. I love ordering product online and having it shipped to me – it means I don’t need to leave the house and can be a hermit while still getting all my health foods and supplements ;). I am an ambassador for Healthy Planet, even though I’m not in Toronto!
If online shopping isn’t really your thing, and you can’t get to a Healthy Planet location, check your health food store! If they don’t carry it, you can always ask them to bring it in. Oftentimes they like getting customer feedback and enjoy carrying new, unique items.
Let’s get down to business: Paleo Breakfast Muffins
And because I don’t like long recipe posts, I’m going to cut this off right here and say you should give this recipe a shot. It’s dense, nutritious, and hearty – exactly what you want in a breakfast muffin! Combine one or two of these with your breakfast smoothie, eggs, or even sautéed veggies for a super nutrition boost!
They’re paleo, which means they’re grain-free and gluten-free. They’re also sugar-free because you’ll see no added sweeteners or sugars, except the natural sugars in the ingredients. They’re filled with healthy fats from nuts and seeds, as well as healthy fibre from the flax seeds and ground tigernuts. This makes them a perfect breakfast muffin because they’re filling!
Paleo Breakfast Muffins
Yields: 12 muffins
A delicious, grain-free, gluten-free, sugar-free breakfast muffin that satisfies your cravings for something baked, while remaining nutritious and delicious! Filled with healthy fats and fibre, these nutty paleo breakfast muffins are a perfect snack and can accompany any meal.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups walnuts
1 cup ground tigernuts (I like EcoIdeas from Healthy Planet)
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds (I like Manitoba Harvest)
1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup nut milk (I used homemade hazelnut milk but almond or coconut milk should also work)
2 tbsp arrowroot flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seed + 6 tbsp water)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Note: If you like your muffins a little sweeter, try adding some natural honey. Personally, I kept these unsweetened because I wanted something hearty, filling and blood sugar balancing.
Instructions
- Set your oven at 350 degrees Celsius.
- Create your flax eggs by combining ground flax seed with water. Set aside to gel.
- Combine walnuts, flax seeds and hemp seeds in a food processor and pulse/blend until it resembles a coarse flour. Don’t over-process or it can become like a butter.
- Add ground tigernuts, blend again to combine. Now the texture should become a little fluffier.
- Add baking soda, arrowroot flour and coconut flour. Blend until combined
- In a separate bowl, combine coconut oil, nut milk, flax egg and apple cider vinegar. Stir. Add to the food processor and process until it’s fully mixed.
- Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes and prepare your muffin tray. Either use coconut oil to grease the pan, or use silicon muffin holders (this is what I did).
- Spoon the mixture into each muffin well. The muffins will rise a bit but not a ton, so you can almost fill them up.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. They’re done when a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool on a baking tray, and enjoy!
This post was sponsored by Healthy Planet Canada. Thank you for continuously supporting this website and my mission to share holistic nutrition tips and tricks to optimize your health.
