When the weather (finally) starts to turn cooler, I get in the mood for baking. It’s hard to get inspired to make cookies, muffins and bread when its 100 degrees out!

This shift in my attitude makes my boys very happy.  Although they have been enjoying this cinnamon swirl bread recipe, today I decided to mix things up with these quinoa muffins.

Do forgive me if they look a little, um, blue. My 5 year old gets a little overzealous when he mixes especially when its a batter that smells as good as this one. And it did smell. Oh. So. Good.

I’ll have to say that this recipe really inspired me to do more baking with quinoa flour and I think that quinoa flour muffins are a really good introduction for anyone who hasn’t given quinoa flour a try!  Although quinoa flour smells a bit like your high school gym when it needed to be aired out, lucky this wonderful aroma goes away when it is cooked.  In its place is a slightly nutty flavor that works very well in these muffins!

What about you? What does cooler weather inspire you to do? Am I the only one with a secret fantasy to move somewhere cold and cook the winter away?

Recipe Inspired by Vegan Family Meals, which is one of NINE new cookbooks I got for my birthday.    It’s a very beautiful book and though I haven’t cooked enough from it to give it the full thumbs up, I’m extremely impressed so far!