“And the world is made of energy
and the world is possibility
and the world is made of energy
and there’s a light inside of you
and there’s a light inside of me.”
— “Energy” by the Apples in Stereo, from their 2007 LP New Magnetic Wonder

http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf

THE DISH
Apple-nut-quinoa muffins

THE INSPIRATION
The Apples in Stereo’s perfect spring anthem “Energy” is guaranteed to make you feel great, and these muffins might make you feel even better. They are delicious (I wanted to eat spoonfuls of the batter), but you don’t have to feel bad about eating them because they’re packed with high-energy, high-protein ingredients like quinoa and walnuts, and the sweetness comes mostly from shredded apples, plus raisins, coconut, cinnamon and just a little bit of raw sugar. (Yep, they are vegan.)
The Apples in Stereo on MySpace

THE RECIPE
Inspired by Anja’s Food 4 Thought
Makes 10 muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

1 large apple, cored and coarsely grated
1 c cooked red quinoa (1/3 cup uncooked quinoa)
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c raisins
3 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1/4 c oats
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey*
1 tsp ground cinnamon

* I didn’t use honey with these, but the topping was too crumbly so I think that might help hold it together.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin.

• In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

• In a smaller bowl, mix the apple, cooked quinoa, oil, vanilla, walnuts, 2 tablespoons coconut flakes and raisins.

• Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. It won’t be a typical goopy muffin batter, just mash it all together until it doesn’t crumble. [Next time I might add a splash of coconut milk to wet it down a little bit.]

• Scoop batter into the muffin tins. They don’t really rise, so you can fill almost all the way; just leave a little bit of room for the topping.

• Combine all topping ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top and lightly press down with a spoon so the oats and coconut don’t crumble right off after baking.

• Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges are firm.