Gluten-Free Orange Cranberry Muffins

Lately, I've been experimenting with cooking more organically, using less fillers and trying to get back to whole, natural foods. While I don't have Celiac disease, I do notice feeling lethargic, bloated and weighed down when eating a diet full of wheat-based foods like breads, pastas, and pizzas. In doing some research, I found that gluten is in almost everything that we eat - including soy sauce, soups and salad dressing. So, I decided to take a swing at baking some classic cranberry orange nut muffins, the gluten-free way. In place of traditional flour, I used Almond Meal (or almond flour) which provides tons of protein, vitamins and minerals. In general, one cup of almond flour is said to be the equivalent of eating 90 almonds! Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups almond meal
4 eggs
6 tablespoons raw honey or agave
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
juice from 2 fresh oranges
zest of one organic orange
1 splash of vanilla extract
sprinkle of baking soda
1/2 cup dried cranberries 
1/3 cup chopped mixed nuts
(I used a mix of brazilian nuts, pecans and cashews)  



Directions
- Preheat oven to 350
- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly, then add in the orange juice, vanilla extract, honey, and coconut oil.
- Gradually fold the almond meal into the mix
-  Zest orange peel into mix 
Note: I wasn't totally sure how to do this correctly, so I found this website that explains it well.

- Fold cranberries into mixture
- Line muffin tray with cupcake liners and fill until 3/4 full
Note: very important to use cupcake liners, otherwise the mixture will stick to the bottom, almond meal is very sticky!
- Sprinkle chopped nuts over top the mixture
- Set timer for 20 minutes. My muffins were ready at 18 minutes, so keep a close eye and be careful not to burn them!
- These measurements will produce 12 muffins. 

Enjoy as part of a breakfast spread or as quick on-the-go snacks any time of the day!