Blueberry Almond Streusel Muffins That You'd Never Guess Were Gluten-Free... and Vegan! (Guest Post)

Last week marked the end of an incredible stretch of cool weather, and the beginning of true summer heat. There are a lot of things I like about summer, but when it gets to the point where I can't turn on the oven, I start to object. Possible solutions include: getting AC, buying a grill or other outdoor cookware, or drinking lots and lots of smoothies. For the moment, I'm sticking with option number three. Every year there are a couple weeks where I hunker down under a fan to wait it out, and I seem to have managed so far... so far.

Fortunately, before the heat wave came and made enemies between my kitchen and I, I managed to bake up some seriously delicious muffins. As many of you know, I am neither vegan nor gluten intolerant, but that doesn't stop me from experimenting with recipes and variations suitable for everyone. My goal whenever making something gluten-free or vegan is to do it without sacrificing on flavor, and one of my favorite things ever is to share something I've made and have no one realize it is anything but delicious.

I feel like some people hear the words "vegan" or "gluten-free", and they think... well, what is it, then? Like if it isn't made with wheat (or meat), it must be a mystery food, or perhaps not even food at all. When really, that isn't the case at all. I always aim to use whole foods, real ingredients, natural ingredients, no matter what I'm making... and these muffins are no exception. In fact, they are so nutritious you might be tempted to call them healthy. But beware, my friend, that is a slippery slope. Next thing you know you'll have eaten half the batch -- I know from experience.

I'd been thinking about these muffins for weeks before making them, and when my friend Wendy over at Cooking Quinoa asked if I'd be willing to do a guest post for her (would I?!), I finally had an excuse. I have always wanted to play around with quinoa in baking -- it seems like everywhere I look there's a recipe for quinoa bread, or quinoa cake -- and as you may have guessed, it proved a huge success. These muffins are sweet (but not to sweet), moist (but not too moist), and tender with just a bit of chew.

If you're a little unsure about quinoa in muffins, don't be afraid. They taste of oats, and almonds, and cinnamon brown sugar topping. One bite and you'll be won over, I promise.

Make them for breakfast... make them for dessert... just make them. Trust me.

You can find my guest post, and the recipe for these muffins, here:  Blueberry Almond Streusel Muffins

Be sure to click around and check out Wendy's blog while you're there. If you're a fan of quinoa, you will love her recipes. I'm not sure anyone knows quinoa better than her!

Happy baking!

-Willow