Strawberry-Banana Oat Bran Muffins (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I found a really nice basic bran muffin recipe, and I decided to modify it.  I was very satisfied with the subtly sweet and banana-ish end product, but others may like stronger flavors.  For these people, I recommend adding more strawberry jam and bananas to replace the water.  Feel free to play around with it.

STRAWBERRY BANANA OAT BRAN MUFFINS

Yield-12 Muffins

-1 1/2 cups oat bran
-1 1/4 cups water or soy milk
-1/3 cup organic strawberry jam (agave nectar or pure maple syrup could also be used)
-1 medium banana, mashed
-1 cup whole grain flour (I mixed 1/2 cup millet flour and 1/2 cup brown rice flour)
-1 Tablespoon baking powder
-1 heaping teaspoon ground flax
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-about 1/4 cup oats for topping, optional


Preheat oven to 400 F, and prepare muffin tins (line with paper liners or lightly grease with oil).

In a large bowl, stir together mashed banana, water, jam, flax, and oat bran.  Let mixture sit for about 5 minutes.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a smaller separate bowl.  Once the oat bran mixture has noticeably thickened, stir in the flour mixture all at once, being careful not to over-mix.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, and sprinkle with oats.  Bake for 22 minutes, or until muffins spring back when touched and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Serve with almond butter, additional jam, or a drizzle of agave nectar.  These muffins can be frozen and eaten at a later date.