Flax Seed Cranberry Muffin

I’ve been reading The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet by Dr. Bob Arnot, recommended by my friend Julie. It has reminded me to incorporate flax seeds in our diet. Flax seed is the richest known plant source of omega-3 fatty acids and the richest sources of weak estrogens – a real superfood.  The recommended amount of flax seed is 25 grams a day.  If the seeds aren’t ground, many of the nutrients can’t be absorbed, and Julie tells me that freshly ground is best.  The book points out that commercially prepared breads only have 5 grams at the most in one slice.

With that news, I started searching google for a flax seed muffin recipe.  Mine is adapted from a recipe on Me & Jorge, a blog chronicling the author’s diet progress.  It contains no flour, no sugar, and depending on the container used could more accurately be described as a flax seed and fruit souffle.  While this muffin is pleasant, filling, and good for you, it cannot compare to the joy of traditional bakery muffin (which is not so good for you).  It’s not a dish I would serve to guests unless I knew they were very health conscious and would appreciate that aspect.

Just one more stir and ready to zap

Sometimes, this cooks up higher than others

Blueberry

Banana, made in a large mug

Ingredients

3 tablespoons flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon dried cranberries (mine were sweetened)

Directions

• Add flax seeds and baking powder to a small food processor (mine is an attachment for my immersion blender), process until seeds are finely ground
• Transfer ground seeds to a coffee cup (no preparation of the cup is necessary)
• Add the egg, oil, and cranberries, and stir until well combined
• Microwave until done, about 1 minute and 10 seconds in our microwave
• Run a knife around the edge of the cup and the muffin will pop out when you turn the mug over
• I must confess that I put butter on these

Variations:
Fresh blueberries, rather than cranberries, I added 10 fresh blue berries and 1/2 a packet of stevia
Banana, rather than cranberries, I added 1/2 of a medium banana, mashed.  This required a longer cooking time, 2 minutes 50 seconds in our microwave; it was great with a little peanut butter

This is caloriecount.com’s analysis of the cranberry version:

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.