I don’t remember if I ever mentioned that my father is a pilot. It does somewhat relate to this banana pecan quinoa muffins, jaja, stick with me.
Retired airline pilot is his official title, though that was just a job for him, he’s passionate about flying as I am about baking – you get the idea – so he decided to buy a plane to fly around the country for the last few years he has before some observation (vision, hearing, whatever) is made while renewing his licence and he’s not allowed to fly anymore – he’s 73 and that day is fast approaching according to him.
Now, if you had a vision of me in dark sunglasses, hair flowing as I step out of a car right in the middle of the runway, hopping into a jet with my very cool carry on, I will point you to this picture. And will be here when you come back, laughing, or snorting even. I understand, it caught you by surprise.
What about the recipe, right? The thing is I had these muffins cooling off this past Sunday morning – a mix of bananas, quinoa flour, pecans and chocolate, intended for the Chocolate Party – when my father called and said ‘how about we go flying to see (insert his friend’s name here), and come back tomorrow? You have to leave right away or we won’t be able to make it on time’.
Being as I told you before, not a list maker which is a reflection of a lack of planning and innate organization skills, I answered yes, said goodbye to these banana muffins and their photography session, took a quick shower, grabbed something to wear the next day, my multifocal contact lenses (my most precious possession from now on), my camera and was on my way to my father’s house – a one hour ride – from where we drove another hour to the airfield, fueled up and in about one more hour we were up in the air, in this little excuse of a plane who scares most people I know. Me? I’m as happy in it as I am in the kitchen.
So all of this preamble is to tell you that I flew almost on my own for the first time!
Such a phenomenal feeling. I didn’t land on my own of course, my father is not so unconscious – he was in the plane with me after all – but really navigating an airplane is completely different from the hundred other times I hopped into a small plane and simply enjoyed looking out the window. This time I had to keep my eye on all the instruments, keeping the altitude, the course, the horizon aligned, all the while reading the chart in front of me to know what town or lake we were flying over to know exactly where we were. I was able to fly and take pictures of my grandmother’s ranch where I spent many summers and christmases growing up.
Flying a small plane is very visual, literally. You have to see where you are, the climate that surrounds you, if there’s another plane near you. A jet is a complete different feeling, not so hands-on, pretty much like making bread in a bread machine and kneading it from scratch. And the feeling is incomparable.
The muffins were waiting when I came back, screaming breakfast from every crumb, with an unexpected aftertaste from the quinoa flour, and the sweet crunch of pecans and dark chocolate pieces. After a few days they were still perfect. And gluten free too.
Today’s 5 related recipes worth looking at:
- SAVORY QUINOA MUFFINS from Rachel Cooks
- CHOCOLATE BUCKWHEAT BANANA NUT MUFFINS from The Bojon Gourmet
- DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS from Gluten Free Canteen
- BLUEBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP QUINOA PANCAKES from Ambitious Kitchen
- QUINOA CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES from Cake on the Brain
- 1.5 oz 40g pecans, toasted
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup 100g organic sugar
- 8 Tbs 115g unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup buckwheat flour
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- ½ cup ground pecans
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 4 oz 115g dark chocolate, chopped with a kitchen knife
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Preheat oven to 350ºF /180ºC. Line a 12 muffin mold pan with paper liners.
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Coarsely chop pecans.
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In a large bowl beat eggs and sugar for 2 or 3 minutes. Add butter, yogurt and vanilla and
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mix.
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In a bowl, mix buckwheat and quinoa flours, ground pecans, salt, baking powder and soda, and add to the wet ingredients. Give it a few stirs, but leave some dry spots.
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Add bananas, pecans and chopped chocolate and mix just until combined.
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Fill muffin liners, dividing evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a tester comes out clean.
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Let cool on a wire rack.
barely adapted from La Tartine Gourmande, by Beatrice Peltre
Hola, Paula.
Me gusta la idea de la quinoa en estos muffins. No tadaré en hacerlo. Saludos.
Mmmm, banana and chocolate! One of life's more excellent combinations.
Wishing I had one of these muffins for breakfast this morning! Looks delicious.
What an exciting weekend! I would agree that muffins can wait if a flying session is involved! Although I certainly would like to try one (or two) of the fabulous Quinoa Muffins with my morning coffee!
Wow! Great story. And I'm going to make these muffins for a gluten-free work colleague.
What a phenomenal experience for you! I bet these muffins were phenomenal, too 🙂
darling, you should have had champagne, not quinoa, after that momentous occassion! fabulous!
haaaaaaaaaaa, you made me laugh e!
Delicious muffins, banana and chocolate is classic 😀
Cheers
CCU
Wow, what a great story! I used to fly for a living…while serving coffees and teas. Great muffins too, my favorite combo! And chunky chocolate is so much better than chips. Happy day!
Dame unos minutos que me acomode la boca en su lugar, y es que la abrí tanto cuando leí que habías piloteado que fue difícil volverla a su sitio…ja,ja,ja..qué experiencia más maravillosa, siempre me apasionó lo de los aviones, varias veces he volado en cabina y es una experiencia increíble e imagino que en los aviones pequeños la sensación debe ser mucho más.
Me hacés reir mucho Nydia, y me encanta encontrar tus mensajitos en castellano acá! Ahora estoy con ganas de aprender enserio!
My manservant has always wanted to learn to fly. I think you best learn while you can and maybe one day that little plane will be yours. What fun, flying with your dad, though! And I love spur of the moment things! They keep the excitement in life. And you even had breakfast when you got home!
Brave girl! That's a serious bucket list item to check off…and these muffins! They look absolutely delicious.
Flying with your father sounds incredible! I'd much rather fly in a little plane like that with people I trust than in a big commercial plane. Now that is truly scary. The muffins seem like a wonderful breakfast for sure!
these look amazing — and perfect for my gluten-free son! 🙂 (I love the paper cups, too — so pretty!)
Thanks for sharing such a great post! Great looking muffins, too!
Love this post–it was so much fun to read. I can imagine that it must be an incredible feeling to actually fly an airplane yourself. I've only been in ONE tiny, tiny airplane in my life (and that was for skydiving–not exactly the same experience, haha), but its definitely a different feeling when you're not in a massive commercial jet.
Now..onto the muffins! WOW! They look so scrumptious. Love how they use quinoa flour too. Thanks so much for sharing! I'm definitely going to make these.
I need to start baking with quinoa!
Love this idea.
Great post!
Have a great weekend!
My dad was a pilot too. He had a Cessna 172 which looked a lot like your dad's plane. I remember all those plane rides and when he let me handle the controls when we were in the air. Your post brought back so many wonderful memories and tears in my eyes because I miss my dad so much.
Wow Renee, I had no idea about your dad! This is a 182. I'll fly you around if you ever come to Argentina (with my dad on board of course, jaja!)!
wow You flew for the first time…well, I can't even drive.
Buckwheat and quinoa…these banana muffins sound and look wholesome, Paula.
How very cool! A few years back, my son took flying lessons, and we got to see his first solo landing. My husband is a retired Air Traffic Controller, so we were in the control tower to watch. My heart was in my throat. The most exciting part was that my husband was able to give him his landing instructions. My son was so surprised to hear his fathers voice…a thrilling day for both of them!
Quinoa is a new favorite grain for me. These muffins sound healthy and delicious! Have a great weekend, Paula!
Paula!
Love these!!! and love that you added quinoa and buckwheat flour to make them GF! I still have brown rice flour and something else that King Arthur sent me (GF), so I am definitely going to bake these! and HOW exciting!! to go flying!!! oh my goodness, how awesome is that?! and if you cut your photography session short to go flying, you can't tell at all. These photos, as always, are beautiful!
Flying on your own! Wow! That must be amazing – as are these muffins. They look fab!
Wow! Flying on your own! How cool! I loved learning a bit more about your dad too. His passion so evidently influenced your life. Thank you for sharing your story…and these muffins. They look delicious!
I love the idea of putting quinoa in a sweet treat! These look great!
How fun to fly! I've never piloted a plane, but in her youth Mrs K R took quite a few lessons. Anyway, great muffins – thanks for these.
Oh Paula…I love your sense of adventure! What an awesome day that must have been for you and your dad. Flying…baking….your sense of adventure in the kitchen now makes sense, too! These muffins are beautiful and were worth the wait! Looking forward to trying quinoa flour!
Fabulous! How fantastic to have flown yourself, so exciting. You thoroughly deserved these delicious looking muffins when you got back, and more!
How exciting! I would have put the muffins on hold too for an opportunity like that. These muffins look great perfect for breakfast!
I can’t resist it. This looks fabulous
How fun to go flying (and being the pilot) with your father! Such a memorable experience to add to your virtual scrapbook… The muffins sound really interesting – such a wonderful combo of flavors! ~ David
Exciting. The muffins sound delicious to me.
Hi Paula! I'm wondering..is there a pilot's license in your future???
Sounds like a wonderful getaway and experience..baking and flying..I like the sound of that 😉
Your gluten free muffins are just the breakfast treat I should make but first have to find those gluten free flours 😉
Yes! There is! I'm quite excited about it, and I can learn with my father or a friend of his, both instructors.
hmmm, these muffins looks so fluffy and delightful! Love it! 😉
I'm so impressed! I must admit that I'm one of those people who is nervous in a small plane. I had no idea you were so talented!
not usually a huge gluten free kinda gall, but these look like they are worth a try. I'm in! I love the simplicity of your site, it really highlights your photos
Thank you!
So rustic! So vintage! Talking about the inviting photos 🙂 So healthy and carefully composed! Talking about the recipe 🙂
I love every inch of this muffin-post of yours, darling 🙂
Thanks for your sweet thought, Paula. I must say, it's a delight to be back at your blog seeing all the amazing creations you've churned out the past several months, and these muffins are no exception. What a clever and delicious way to use quinoa! Healthy and decadent at the same time..doesn't get better than that!
I'm intrigued by the quinoa flour in these muffins! I haven't seen quinoa flour around. I'll have to keep my eyes out for it. Banana and chocolate is a favorite of mine in baked goods. These look fantastic!
Oh WOW!
They look amazing! my flatmate is gluten intolerant so I will definitely make these for her!
{ Teffys Perks Blog } X
YUM. I am a bit obsessed with quinoa at the moment, I've only just started using the flakes and flour (as opposed to the whole grains) and they're awesome for baking. These muffins look divine. Oh, and very cool that your dad was a pilot (mine's an accountant, not nearly as interesting!). I can't believe that you've flown a plane! Argh. I don't think that I'd have the courage! xx
These muffins look tasty. I recently bought coconut flour and want to try it soon. I have not used buckwheat or quinoa flour, but have seen it at Whole Foods. I would love to try them.
Your pilot story brought back memories of a plane ride I took awhile back in a small plane. 🙂
Totally agree with you, obviously everybody likes muffins. And your tips really helpful for muffins . Nice Post very informative!
wow! looks excellent! I’ll definitely have to try this… thanks for the recipe.. I’m adding it to my reading list.