Dessert-Turned-Breakfast: Pumpkin Chia Muffins
These muffins are delicious, easy to make and great for you. Enjoy them hot out of the oven and keep extra for lunchtime snacks for the kids (or you) during the week. Pumpkin is loaded with an important antioxidant, beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids converted to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health. Current studies link diets rich in foods with beta-carotene to reducing the risk of certain types of cancer and protection against heart disease. Chia seeds can be found at most health food stores.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds , ground (use a coffee or spice grinder)
- 1 cup whole wheat or whole grain flour
- 1/2 cup white unbleached flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 can (16 oz) organic pumpkin (make sure only pumpkin is in the ingredients)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup agave nectar (or 1 cup maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans , optional
Pre-heat oven to 350°.
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients.
Fold the wet ingredients (fold in nuts now if you are using them) into the dry ingredients and spoon into paper-lined muffin or greased muffin tins.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
Store completely cooled muffins in sealable plastic bags in the freezer.
For more information, visit Domenica's Web site at www.bemomamlicious.com
Buy the book on Amazon: Mom-a-licious: Fresh, Fast, Family Food for the Hot Mama in You!
About Domenica Catelli:
Domenica Catelli was selected as the national spokesperson for the Organic Trade Association's 2008 national campaign, "Go Organic! for Earth Day." She is a recurring judge on Iron Chef America, a guest on "Oprah and Friends," with Dr. Oz on XM radio, and has been featured in Vegetarian Times, Kiwi Magazine, and Oprah.com. She is a featured chef on Fox News in Houston for the "Fox Grill," where she educates viewers with her ingenuity and humor. She is among a select few accomplished chefs entrusted to cook for celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Thandie Newton, and George and Barbara Bush.
Her first cookbook, "Mom-a-licious: Fresh, fast, family food for the hot mama in you!" published in Fall 2007, was an instant hit across the nation. More than a cookbook, "Mom-a-licious" captures the heart of healthy eating for families and a "stick with it" mentality that leads to less fussy eating for children.
Domenica Catelli has positively influenced the way millions of families eat and prepare food across the United States with her tasty, easy, and healthy approach to cooking. Her claim to fame is getting children to eat rare vegetables like Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard and cauliflower, without hiding the ingredients!
