Berry Banana 'Bran' Muffins

Overall, eating gluten-free is a non-issue for me. I feel so much better avoiding wheat, barley, and rye, that I rarely feel like I'm "missing" anything. However, my mom's bran muffins are one thing I really miss. I tried to re-create it using flax seed meal. This muffin tastes nothing like a bran muffin, but it's pretty darn good, so I had to share. (P.S. There's no added sugar. That's not an error. The banana and berries are sweet enough!)

 
Berry Banana 'Bran' Muffins (gluten-free, Paleo, dairy-free)

heaping 1/2 cup cashews
2 Tbs oil (I use 1 Tbs coconut and 1 Tbs. olive)
1 banana
1/4 cup frozen berries
2 eggs

3/4 cup flax meal (golden flax tastes better and has a better Omega-3 profile, FYI)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Pour the cashews into a food processor and blend until they form a moist crumb. Add the oil and process until smooth. Then add the banana and berries (I used frozen blueberries in this batch). At this point you will have a super delicious mixture. Try not to eat it all.

Next, add the eggs, baking powder, flax, and salt, and pulse until incorporated.

Allow the batter to sit for several minutes and thicken. Then distribute into a prepared muffin pan. Pour 2 Tbs batter per muffin and top with additional berries if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes.