Blueberry Almond "Good For You" Muffins

I know that "Good for You" is not exactly synonymous with muffins. This recipe however is loaded with protein, antioxidants, and tastes like happy - so hopefully it will make you think twice about the supposedly evil little muffin.

Longing to bake something in my new apartment last weekend with little more than some flour, eggs, and frozen blueberries at my disposal I whipped up (quite literally) these little guys. Substituting almond meal and protein powder for some of the flour in this recipe actually adds to the texture without compromising the flavor.
I used brown instead of refined sugar, but if you like your muffins on the sweeter side you may wish to use white sugar instead (I won't tell). Beating the egg whites may seem like a chore, but it helps make these muffins light and airy rather than tough and chewy. Plain yogurt instead of milk adds a subtle tartness as well as helps to hold the batter together.



Protein Packed Blueberry Awesome Almond Power Muffins
10 minutes prep time. Bake 18 min. Oven at 400 degrees
Yields 12 muffins.


Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup almond meal (available at Trader Joes and most health food stores)
1/4 cup protein powder (I used Designer Whey Vanilla protein powder)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup cooking oil (use safflower, grapeseed, or vegetable oil - not olive oil)
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds (for topping)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp brown sugar (or 1 1/2 Tbsp refined sugar)

Method
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, almond meal, salt, cinnamon, protein powder, baking powder, and sugar. Stir or sift until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, cooking oil, and egg yolks - reserving egg whites.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form - approx 6 min.

4. Stir yogurt/oil/yolk mixture into dry ingredients until well combined.

5. Fold in frozen blueberries.

6. Gently fold in egg whites until combined - you will still see areas of egg white, this is a good thing.

7. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups until two thirds full. (You may wish to lightly spray the cups beforehand with nonstick spray). Sprinkle sliced almonds on tops of each muffin cup.

8. Bake 18 - 20 min in a 400 degree oven.