Apricot Orange Quinoa Muffins

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and wheat germ.

In the stand mixer bowl, combine the mashed banana with the brown sugar. Mix in the milk, egg, vanilla and orange zest. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet until just combined. Add the cooked and cooled quinoa and the chopped apricots and continue mixing until equally distributed.

Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray (we use canola oil). Spoon enough batter into each hole so that they are almost full. These don’t expand very much. Sprinkle each one with a pinch of turbinado sugar.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, checking them with a toothpick to be sure that they are cooked through the middle.

Let them cool slightly, before removing them from the pan. They should pop right out, but if they feel a little stuck, use a smaller knife to help coax them out.

Note: You can use a regular muffin tin, and increase the baking time by about 10 minutes, still checking doneness with a toothpick. This option will make about 12-16 regular-sized muffins.