Recently I had the good fortune to be introduced to the wonders of Chia seeds. It is a member of the mint family and the small oval seeds of the chia plant are a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids. The seeds may be eaten whole, ground or crushed. Personally, I love their crunchy texture, especially in muffins! I knew I had was on a winner when I noticed that Veggie Mama had Banana Chia Muffin recipe on her blog, and I wasn’t wrong. This is my variation on her original recipe. It is full of win and must be tried!
[ Makes: 14 muffins | TIME: 1 hour | COST: <$5 ]
Ingredients
1 cup wholemeal flour
½ cup self raising flour
3 mashed ripe bananas
¾ cup raw sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 egg
2 tablespoons baking powder
1½ tablespoons chia seeds
1½ tablespoons flax seed
Method
- Preheat oven to 220°C
- Add the beaten egg and melted butter to the mashed banana and mix well.
- Add all the dry ingredients and stir briskly until well incorporated.
- Fill the muffin tray until about ¾ full. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until brown.
Observations
- These were a delicious hot treat with a cuppa tea for my lunch guest today. They were particularly “more’ish” and would do well served cold with a banana icing.
- My variations on this recipe make a heavier, heartier, moist muffin. The muffins don’t rise much because of the wholemeal flour. If you want a lighter fluffier muffin, use all self raising flour and less seeds.
- Diabetic Note: This isn’t very diabetic friendly at all. I have to admit, I didn’t test my BGL’s after this afternoon’s tea. I suspect they would be quite high, given the ingredients. I did cut back on the sugar and butter requirements from the original recipe, but my BGL’s always react quite poorly to bananas so I can only imagine……………
- Ethical Note: Although a native of Mexico, Australia is the largest producer of chia in the world. Please look for an Australian brand when purchasing your seeds.
