Back-to-school healthy snacks.  These Lemon Chickpea Protein Muffins from PowHERhouse are full goodness and great taste.  They are perfect to keep your metabolism rev’ed, your digestion happy (read: fibre) and your taste buds smiling.  What’s best?  The kids will love them too!

Preheat oven to 325 – 350 F, depending on how hot your oven is.

1-3/4 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained well

Zest from 1 large lemon

Zest from 1 medium orange

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp orange juice

1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 c brown sugar Splenda (or your choice of Stevia or Xylosweet product)

2 egg whites

Puree chickpeas and then add all other ingredients and puree until smooth.  Use your Kitchen Ninja or your food processor of choice.  We love our Ninja!

In a separate bowl, sift the following ingredients:

1/2 cup garbanzo fava flour (or your choice of hearty flour)

1/8 cup ground flax seed

1 heaping scoop whey isolate protein protein (or your preferred protein powder of choice)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 – 1/2 cup ground almonds (2 tbsp for topping)

Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture, mixing well along the way.  Add a bit of water as and if you need it to keep muffin batter consistency.

Scoop into well oiled muffin tins.  Use a 1/3 cup measuring scoop to do this but use a generous scoop.  Once you have loaded up your tins, sprinkle (generously) with the following topping:

2 tbsp ground almonds (left over from above)

1-1/2 tbsp fine unsweetened coconut

1/2 tsp+ cinnamon

1 tsp brown sugar Splenda (or other sweetener)

Bake on middle rack for 15 minutes.  Check the muffins.  You will likely need an additional 15 minutes, depending on how large your muffin tins are.  Use a toothpick to check.  Broil for 2 minutes.  They taste like yummy coffee cake!

This recipe has been powHERfully modified.  Original recipe by Culinary Institute of America Chef, Scott Samuel.  Source:  IDEA Fitness Journal Nov-Dec 2013.