Saturday, January 1, 2011

Blueberry Muffins√

For New Year's Eve Brunch Shirley, Mary and Karen came to tank up before we all went for a 5 mile walk. I threw together a Spanish omelet made with a mixture of greens from the garden, orange juice from a mixture of oranges and tangerines from our friends gardens - and some divine wheat-free muffins.

They take 15 minutes to throw together and 10-15 minutes to cook.

Set the oven to 425 degrees then ...

Mix the dry stuff
:
  • 3 cups flours (1 cup chick pea flour, 1 cup fine rice flour, 1 cup ground almonds)
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. soda
  • ½ cup soft brown sugar
  • zest from one large orange
Mix the wet stuff:
  • ½ cup light vegetable oil (grapeseed or sunflower are perfect)
  • 1 ¼ cups yogurt (low fat is good)
  • Juice of one large orange (1 cup)
  • 3 eggs
Mix the wet stuff into the dry stuff and add:
  • 2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen - they don't need thawing)
Bake in muffin top tins at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or muffin tins for 15-20 minutes. Muffin tops are brilliant - you get nice, light, thin muffins packed with berries ... I also have heart-shaped silicon 'tins' that make pretty muffins for special guests!!!
The muffins are done when nicely risen and golden brown.
Cool for a few minutes then devour as is or slathered with butter and blueberry jelly!
Notes:
  • The chickpea and almond flours add protein and minerals.
  • The rice flour adds lightness.
  • The original recipe that this one is based on uses vanilla essence but I think it's overkill.
  • The original recipe also used 1 cup of sugar - too sweet for me
  • The original recipe used way more baking soda (3 tsp.) and less eggs - I hated the metallic taste and kept experimenting until I got a light muffin with a great taste!