No-Oil Cranberry Nut Beet Muffins with Orange Glaze

Prepare the beets in advance: cut off the leaves about 3” from the beets, put the beets in a pot and fill it with cool water, bring the water to a boil and cook for about 45 minutes or until they are tender.
Make sure to replenish the water as they boil so that the beets are always covered with water. Under cold running water, remove the skin of the beets with a knife, slice the beets, and chop them into 1” chunks. You can wear gloves to keep your hands from turning pink when handling the beets. Set the beet chunks aside.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease muffin pans, including tops.
Sift dry ingredients together: oat flour, spelt flour, flax-seed meal, cane sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
Put 1½ cups of pecans in a food processor until they’re the consistency of rough flour. Add to the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, milk, yogurt and extract.
Purée the beets in a food processor. Add the orange juice, zest and syrup until a smooth consistency. Add to the wet ingredients (it should be about 1 cup of purée).
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients. Don’t over mix.
Fold in the cranberries and ½ cup of pecans smashed into chunks.
Fill each hole in the muffin pan ¾ full. Bake for 16 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean).
Cool on a wire rack.
Serve plain or with Orange Glaze and crushed pecans on top.