Nourish the Budding Lotus

Apple Ginger Squash Muffins – Gluten-Free

Happy Halloween!

That’s it though…that is about as far as my Halloween celebration goes.  You see, I am not big on Halloween.  I am not big on costumes, candy and things that are scary.  Costumes for me involve dressing up and feeling fancy…so basically I would just like to go out to a nice dinner or special event every so often.  Candy…I am seriously sensitive to sugar, so I really have to make my own in order to indulge in the sweets I love…and I don’t think many people are going to be giving away agave sweetened candy this Halloween.  And scary?  I don’t like being scared, and can no longer even watch scary movies.  I watched the pilot to the tv show Grimm the other night, and that was even a little too scary for me.  I will stick to Once Upon a Time and GLEE.

It might be my 5 years living as an ex-patriot in Florence, Italy that desensitize me to the American holiday excitement.  Halloween, 4th of July, Memorial Day…not really big on my radar.  So while other food bloggers are busy creating Halloween themed posts this week, I am just devouring my Apple Ginger Squash muffins and enjoying the seasonal bounty of local produce. 

These muffins are delicious.  They are a variation on my Pumpkin Tangerine Spice Cake which is also amazing.  But these muffins feel more hearty and fall-like (if there is such a thing).  I worked in some buckwheat and ginger to give the muffins more of a warmth.  The squash gives the muffins a moist, fluffy consistency and the apples are the perfect addition to give the muffins a little texture.

What season ingredients are you delighting in?

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Apple Ginger Squash Muffins

makes 12 muffins

1/2 c buckwheat flour
1/2 c amaranth flour
1/2 c oat flour, gluten-free
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/5 t ground ginger
pinch of salt
1/4 c agave
2 eggs
1/4 c coconut oil (warmed to a liquid)
2/3 c pureed acorn squash
1/3 c almond milk
1 medium apple, peeled and diced
1/4 c crystalized ginger, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Prepare your muffin tin with muffin cups.

Combine the eggs and agave together in a medium bowl until completely mixed. Next add the pureed pumpkin and almond milk and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients: buckwheat flour, amaranth flour, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger and salt.

Next add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined. Lastly add the coconut oil stirring until the batter is smooth and consistent.

Pour the batter into the individual muffin cups and cook in the oven for about 25 – 30 minutes. Test with a knife in the center of one of the muffins to see if it is done. The muffins will be moist, but knife should be mostly clean when it comes out.

Cool the muffins on a rack.

Enjoy!

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