Paleo Apricot Muffins

Because I’m obsessed with food, my digestive system, and more specifically how food affects my (usually pissed-off) digestive system, I’m always fooling around with a new diet. Could there be a way of eating that doesn’t leave me feeling (or looking) 18 weeks pregnant? (If being 18 weeks pregnant feels like a bloated stomach and heartburn without the pleasant anticipation of getting to open lots of presents at a baby shower, that is.)

Paleo, quite possibly the most restrictive diet on our planet, seems to be agreeing with me.

Dammit.

No gluten (check, already there), no dairy (RIP, Manchego cheese- one of the loves of my life besides The Husband and the fading memory of what Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting tastes like), no legumes, no grains (not even quinoa, which means that Protein Bar is No Longer Safe, friends), and other no’s I can’t remember right now.

You can do vegetables and meat, and nuts and seeds. (And maybe water, but I need to check on that.) Coconut oil replaces butter and actually works.

If you want to eat and not hurt afterwards, go Paleo. Or at least try this muffin recipe, which my friend Carole enlightened me to (through the delightful gift of “Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry” cookbook. That’s Elana Amsterdam, or as I see her, Elana Amsterdammit.) Good stuff. No baby belly :).

Elana Amsterdam’s recipe…

1/2 cup dried apricots

1/4 cup virgin coconut flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

4 eggs

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted over very low heat

1/8 teaspoon vanilla creme stevia
1. Preheat oven to 350º and line 8 muffin cups with liners; spray with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse apricots for 1 – 2 minutes until chopped into tiny pieces (or a formed ball). Pulse in coconut flour, baking soda, and salt, then pulse in eggs, coconut oil and stevia until well combined.
3. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.
4. Bake for 20 minutes (give or take a few)- until a cake tester comes out mostly clean of crumbs. Allow muffins to cool in pan on a cooling rack for an hour before serving.
Tips:
- The picture looks gross. Sorry.
- Stevia? I know, it’s annoying to have to go and get a special ingredient. I bought the little drops because I’m a stickler for accuracy (sometimes), but you could probably skip. Maybe replace with 3/4 teaspoons of vanilla, although that might be a Paleo crime, I don’t know.
- Want more Paleo meals in Chicago? Kitchfix has a home delivery service. Yummy and healthy and convenient (and they’re cool there).
- These freeze well. They don’t rise very high but they’re healthy, so whatever.
- Enjoy!
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May 21st, 2016 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Breads & Muffins, Fruit, Gluten-Free