I receive a lot of messages asking "how can one receive enough protein on a plant-based diet?" As I mentioned in my eBook, A Dancer's Guide To Plant-Based Eating, "Your daily protein intake is not life threatening, but because of a dancer's high activity levels we need to consume more than the average person. A higher protein diet is recommended for athletes to help preserve/ build muscle and to maintain high energy and endurance levels." With that being said, this is why I like to integrate various additional protein sources within my diet. I boost my intake by adding a protein powder to my morning smoothie or in a sweet treat I've created. Protein Powder In Baked Goods Adding protein powder to something raw like a smoothie or these Cookie Dough Protein Balls is rather easy, with you merely adjusting the flavours so it's not too sweet. When protein powder is added to a baked good, often it changes the texture and unpleasantly results in a bake that's rubbery and commonly raw, despite the cooking time. I treat protein powder like coconut flour, which is quick to absorb liquid and hence why I pair it with more robust flours like buckwheat, spelt or wholemeal flour. In the recipe below, I've chosen to use buckwheat as it too contains a higher protein percentage in comparison to other grains. (Please note, buckwheat is actually a seed and not a grain. This also means that it's gluten free.) Besides this, almond meal is also added to the mix, again for protein and to give the muffins lightness. The Muffins With all this talk about protein & protein powder, I've realised I haven't introduced you to the recipe! 'Lemon & Poppy Seed Protein Muffins,' a recipe that was developed in collaboration with Vega One Nutritional Powder. If you've read my eBook then you'll know I'm a huge fan of Vega and I'm rather stoked to be working with them. I like to enjoy these muffins as a snack or as a breakfast option when paired with fresh pear and dairy free yoghurt. Delicious! The Batter This recipe yields six muffins, and like most of my other recipes can be doubled or tripled. The cooled muffins are also ideal for freezing, so I recommend making a double batch. ~ One the flip side, let's just talk about the raw batter! OMG if you love eating cake batter from the bowl, then this one is epic!! Why not make the recipe just for the batter? I would suggest the batter serves 2-4 people. Enjoy! Love Alex, Ballerina Bites. xx PS: Be sure to tag me @ballerina_bites on Instagram so I can see your wonderful recreations! Ingredients Dry 1 cup (155g) buckwheat flour 1/2 cup (45g) Vega vanilla protein powder 1/2 cup (55g) almond meal 2 tbsp (20g) poppy seeds 2 tbsp (10g) ground flaxseeds 1/2 tsp bi-carb soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp salt Wet Zest of 1 medium lemon 1 cup plant-based mylk of choice 1/3 cup brown rice syrup or honey Juice of 1/2 medium a lemon 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Syrup Glaze 1 tbsp brown rice syrup or honey 1/2 tbsp hot water Flaked almonds & extra lemon zest Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a standard muffin tray with six liners. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients, before stirring in the wet. Scoop two heaping tablespoons of the batter into each muffin case. Bake muffins for 15- 20mins, until golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Allow to cool. To make the glaze, in a small bowl add the brown rice syrup and hot water. Stir until combined, before brushing each muffin with the glaze. Top with a sprinkle of flaked almonds & lemon zest. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer to be enjoyed at a later date. Makes 6 Muffins
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