It can sometimes be tough when you’re vegan and you’re baking for your gluten-free friends, especially in a place like Panama where GF flour is expensive and difficult to come by. Such was my predicament last night when I promised some friends that I’d make the muffins, only to remember that one no longer eats gluten. Well, damn.

Thankfully, I ran across some super helpful recipes online (this recipe is the one that inspired my recipe here) that gave me a great idea of how to make GF muffins without any fancy flours. In fact, there are no flours at all in this recipe!

This is so easy to whip up that you’ll think you’ve missed something out, but no–it’s just that easy. And delicious, did I mention delicious?

These muffins are great for breakfast, with no refined sugars, no flour, no dairy and a good dose of omega 3s. Oh, and some awesome spices to keep your immune system up! A healthy, tasty breakfast treat if ever I saw one.

You’ll need:
(Makes 6 muffins)
1 cup peanut butter
2 medium bananas
2 tablespoons ground flax + 1/4 cup ground flax
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
pinch of salt

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius and grease a muffin pan
Stir together the 2 tablespoons ground flax, water and coconut oil in a cup until the mixture is gloopy
Place this mixture, plus all other ingredients, into a food processor and blend until smooth
Divide the mixture between the muffin moulds and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out smooth
[Optional: Make a simple ginger sauce out of coconut milk and ground ginger over a medium heat, top with the sauce and shaved coconut and enjoy!]

I love these with the simple gingery sauce and a good helping of shaved coconut, but they’re also great on-the-go and make a fantastic mid morning snack. Add them to your breakfast repertoire!