Saskatoon Buckwheat Muffins

If you’re not from the Prairies you do not know what a good saskatoon tastes like. They are the BEST berries to snack on and in pancakes or muffins. Now that I live on the west side of Canada, saskatoons are something I have to rely on friends and family to bring out and my mom has sacrificed lots of her carry on space for frozen saskatoons, God bless her. On special occasions I ration out some saskatoons to bake with to take me back to the prairie life and bring back memories of summer days picking tiny berries for hours with my mom.

A bonus is that these are packed with nutrition and phytonutrients. Saskatoons are a deep blue/ purple berry that taste similar to blueberries but are more compact in size and flavour. They hold up better in baking since they are a little more sturdy and do not turn to mush like blueberries do.

Lets check out the nutrition specks:

Polyphenols - potent antioxidant also containing anthocyanins to protect agains free radical stresses on the body. These chemials protect against cancers, wrinkles and cardiovascular deterioration.

Calcium - needed for strong bones, muscle contraction and nervous signalling (so pretty much everything)

Fibre - helps balance blood sugar levels and excrete toxins, including excess estrogen and cholesterol

Iron - for energy as it is needed for oxygen transport in the body in red blood cells. Iron requirements increase in menstruating women, athletes and vegetarians/ vegans.

Manganese - contributes to bone production, skin integrity and blood sugar control

Magnesium - needed all over the body to help relax the mind and muscles, bone production, nervous control and energy production

Phytosterols - very important to detox and cardiovascular function

Vitamin E - a potent antioxidant that protects against oxidation of the lipid bilayer surrounding every cell in our body

You definitely want to get your paws on some of these tasty little berries and it might be at least ONE reason to stop in the flat prairies during a road trip ;)

Saskatoon Buckwheat Muffins

Ingredients

1/3 cup coconut oil - softened

3 eggs

2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup almond flour

2 tbsp coconut sugar

2 1/2 tbsp arrowroot powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger - optional

1 cup saskatoons - fresh or frozen (can sub blueberries)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Whisk together coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract and eggs

3. Add in buckwheat flour, almond flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon

4. Stir to combine. Fold in saskatoons

5. Portion into a lined muffin tin to make 10-12 muffins and bake for ~25 minutes or until muffin top rises back to place when gentle pushed on

6. Let cool and enjoy!