hulk muffins

We've been in very dire straits over here in Picky Eater Land.  You know, that stage where the bub is clearly sick of his or her favorites, but still staunchly refuses to try anything new, so... they're really not eating much of anything at all.  Breakfast is all "peh-cake! PEH-CAKE!" and "WAFFAH WAFFAH WAFFAH", and I'm growing tired of consenting to him starting the day with a meal covered in maple syrup.  So that leaves muffins, because my child believes cereal is a snack, not a meal, and he also believes bread is not fit for human consumption.

He ate two of these yesterday, and if I were still limber enough to do cartwheels, I would've done them all over the house.   Of course, the laws of toddlerdom say he will reject them when offered again today, but at least they went down once. And I will be quite happy to enjoy the leftovers myself, because they are absolutely delicious.  Light in sweetness, delicately flavored, and a fluffy, springy texture--there's nothing not to like.  And with the inclusion of protein, fiber and vitamins, it really is a complete meal.

I feel I must clarify that I personally do not subscribe to the Jessica Seinfeld method of feeding children; in my opinion, scamming my child into consuming obscured vegetables now won't help me teach him how to proactively choose them later, when he's making his own food choices (however, I acknowledge many parents swear by it, so, please, do not ambush me with angry pro-Jessica Seinfeld comments).  But I do think these muffins are an exception; the vivid green color makes quite clear the fact that these are not ordinary breakfast fare, doctored up in stealth; you're definitely going to have some 'splainin' to do at mealtime, which presents a great opportunity to show that spinach doesn't always have to be awful.

Spinach Quinoa Muffins

(Makes 32 mini muffins; adapted from Dandy Sugar & The Chic Life)

Ingredients:

3/4 c all purpose flour

3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Enough fresh baby spinach to yield 1 c. pureed (I used around 3-5 cups)

3-4 tbsp water

1 medium overripe banana, thawed if frozen

1 egg

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of 1 lemon or 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

1/2 cup cooked quinoa (any color, I used a mix here)

chopped walnuts or almonds (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease & flour muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whisk flours, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and baking soda, set aside.

In a food processor, blender, or mini blender (I used a Magic Bullet), start processing your spinach, adding a little bit of water at a time as needed to get the puree going.  When you get one cup pureed, return the puree to the blender, add banana, sugar, oil, extracts & flaxseed, and blend some more until everything is uniform.  

Add the wet mix to the dry mix in batches, stirring gently just until evenly distributed.  Fold in the quinoa.  Spoon into muffin tin, sprinkle tops with nuts, if using.  Bake 10-13 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

**Vegan version: Substitute an additional tablespoon of ground flaxseed blended with 3 tablespoons lukewarm water for the egg.  The sugar may also be replaced by a roughly equal amount of agave nectar.