Cherries! Who doesn’t love cherries ? These seasonal fruits just made their appearance a few weeks ago. Each 12 cherries count as one portion of fruits! They are a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Potassium, Magnesium, Boron (a mineral that plays an important role in bone health), Iron, Folate and Fiber. They contain anthocyanin the antioxidant that gives cherries their sexy color!

Many studies have shown that a regular consumption of cherries over period of time could decrease inflammations in the blood.

Quinoa is a gluten-free delicious grain that started being cultivated around 5000 years ago in the South of America where the Incas referred to it as Chisaya Mama meaning mother of all grains since it is a complete source of protein, rich in fiber, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper and zinc and most importantly magnesium that’s essential for the good control of glucose and insulin in our body.

It is the fastest cooking grain and requires less time than rice to be cooked!Quinoa is also low in the glycemic index which means it will not spike your blood sugar too fast. Quinoa will cause blood sugar to be released at a lower pace into the blood. This feature helps lose weight and a better control of blood glucose.

I thought about combining quinoa to cherries in a muffin and came up with this delicious and healthylicious recipe! I highly encourage you to try as soon as you have some time to spend at the kitchen!

Ingredients (Makes around 24 muffins)

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup fat free yogurt

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

24 chopped cherries

Method of preparation:

1-Mix quinoa, flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs combine the yogurt, water and sugar.

2-Add egg mixture all at once to quinoa mixture. Then add the rest of the ingredients and stir just until moistened.

3-Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full.

4-Bake in a 400 degrees oven for 20 minutes.

Each muffin has around 120 calories!

~*Dietitian Nicole Maftoum