Good Monday morning my friends!
I’m always in the kitchen experimenting with food! Each morning I enjoy my morning juice and then head to the kitchen to work on some new food idea. I’ve been thinking about sugar alternatives lately. We all know the unhealthy effects due to eating processed sugars but many of us love to eat sweet breads, cookies, cakes and pies on special occasions!
So what to do?
I focus on using natural organic sweeteners i.e. maple syrup and occasionally honey, fruits and fruit juices. But! The high glucose levels present in sweeteners isn’t good for us. In fact for some it can be deadly! As a result I have been experimenting with plant based sugars (i.e. Stevia and Xylitol) but I’m not pleased with the results.
Recently I read about a new fruit which many of you may be familiar with.
Monk Fruit
Photo thanks to Pixabay
This bright green fruit is native to China and Thailand. The monk Fruit has been used for centuries to treat sore throats and coughs. Some believe Monk Fruit can promote a longer healthy life! The fruit ferments very quickly so unless you live in the areas where the fruit grows finding it in your local market probably won’t happen. Typically it’s available in liquid or powder form. Just exchange the Monk Fruit sugar in recipes 1:1 ratio. Monk Fruit contains zero Glucose and zero carbs! I was intrigued and though why not try it!
Monday Morning Pecan Muffins!
I used
- Shredded Carrots or Juice Pulp (1 ½ cup)
- Almond Milk (1/2 cup)
- Coconut Oil (1/3 cup)
- Lemon Zest (1 tbsp.)
- Lemon Juice (1 ½ tbsp.)
- Gluten Free Flour (2 cups)
- Chia Seeds (1 1/2 tsp)
- Baking Powder (1 tsp)
- Baking Soda (½ tsp)
- Sea Salt (1/14 tsp)
- Monk fruit in the Raw (1/2 cup)
- Pecans (chopped) 1/3 cup)
Quick Tip...
When I know I am going to have an early morning I often mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl, wet in another and then just mix the two first thing in the morning and pop them into the oven. It’s really that quick! So if you find its tough to do it all in the morning, prep the night before! You'll love it!
Carrots…
Grab the shredded carrots! It just so happens I made fresh juice this morning so I had plenty of carrots, lemon juice and zest! If you’re going to use the juice pulp leave the lemon pulp out! It will add a bitter taste to your muffins. Believe me I found out….the hard way. Combine the chia seeds with 5 tbsp. of the almond milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes
Mix dry and wet
Combine the dry ingredients into a bowl and then add the wet. Don’t forget the Chia seeds! Stir well
Chop, chop…
Those pecans! Add them to your mixture. Oh and leave a few for garnish! Now taste, you may want a bit more Monk fruit, depends on your sweet tooth!
To the Tin…
I spooned the mixture into the muffin tin lined with papers and garnished these sweet little gems with chopped pecans. You don’t have to use muffin papers…I just thought they were a nice touch. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let them sit for about 5 minutes before you dive in!
Happy Monday! I hope you love these Morning Muffins
Let me know what you think about using Monk Fruit. I would love to hear your thoughts. For those of you who cannot have sugars this just might satisfy that sweet tooth craving. I haven’t baked a lot with it but I plant to experiment more. I’ll share with you as I go!
Thanks for stopping by the Bird nest today!
And as always blessings to you all