Friday 30 October 2015

Healthy Cinnamon, Apple, Sultana and Walnut Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½  Cup of Wholegrain Plain Spelt Flour
  • 1 ½ Cup of Wholegrain Plain Rye Flour
  • 6 level Teaspoons of Baking Powder
  • 1 slightly heaped Teaspoon of Bi-Carb Soda
  • 1 ½  Teaspoon of Cinnamon
  • ½ Cup of Oat Bran
  • ¾ Cup of Rice Bran Oil or other good quality cooking oil
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • ¾ Cup of Stevia
  • Approx. 1 Cup of Low Fat Lactose Free Milk
  • 1 Cup of Sultanas.
  • 1 Cup of Walnuts, chopped.
  • 400g of Pie Apples mixed with the Sultanas about an hour prior to cooking or overnight in the fridge.

Method:

  1. Triple sift the Flours with the Baking Powder, Bi-Carb and Cinnamon. Fine ground flours from the Health Shop sift quite well with only a small amount of the bran left in the sifter. I just tip that back in each time.
  2. Soak the Oat Bran in ½ Cup of the Milk.
  3. Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray – makes 24 Muffins.
  4. Cream Oil, Eggs and Stevia until well blended.
  5. Add sifted Flour mix gradually, adding more milk as needed. You want stiff dough, almost as dry as biscuit dough to compensate for the moisture from the apples.
  6. Add the chopped Walnuts.
  7. Lastly fold in the Apple/Sultana mix. Be careful to keep the Apple chunky.
  8. Fill your Muffin trays – it will make 24 nicely.
  9. Bake in a Fan Forced Oven on 160 C until cooked.  Keep checking them with a wooden skewer and when it comes out clean they are done.
  10. Cool on racks, eat some and freeze some for later.

NOTES: Try to get ingredients that have no Sulphites and other additives where possible. The idea is to have control over the quality of your ingredients to make them as natural as possible.

Saturday 10 October 2015

A Healthy Take on Chocolate, Walnut and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:
  • 1 Cup of Wholegrain Plain Spelt Flour
  • 1 Cup of Wholegrain Plain Rye Flour
  • ¾ Cup of Cocoa Powder
  • 4 level Teaspoons of Baking Powder
  • 1 level Teaspoon of Bi-Carb Soda
  • ½ Cup of Oat Bran
  • ½ Cup of Rice Bran Oil or other good quality cooking oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • ¾ Cup of Stevia
  • 1 ½ - 2 Cups of Low Fat Lactose Free Milk
  • 1 Packet of Dark Chocolate Chips/Buds
  • 1 heaped Cup of Walnuts, chopped and mixed with the Chocolate Chips

Method:
  1. Triple sift the Flours and Cocoa with the Baking Powder and Bi-Carb. Fine ground flours from the Health Shop sift quite well with only a small amount of the bran left in the sifter. I just tip that back in each time.
  2. Soak the Oat Bran in ½ Cup of the Milk.
  3. Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray – makes 18 Muffins.
  4. Cream Oil, Eggs and Stevia until well blended.
  5. Add sifted Flour mix gradually, adding more milk as needed. You want a moist mix but not too wet. I have had to experiment so I know what the consistency looks like now. If it is not moist enough the Muffins will be a bit dry, too moist and they will be a bit doughy in the middle.
  6. Lastly add the Walnut and Chocolate Chips mixture and mix till well blended.
  7. Fill your Muffin trays – it will make 18 nicely.
  8. Bake in a Fan Forced Oven on 160 C for approximately 20 – 25 minutes.  Keep checking them with a wooden skewer and when it comes out clean they are done.
  9. Cool on racks, eat some and freeze some for later.


NOTES: Chopped Dates are good to add to the mixture or replace the Chocolate Chips or Walnuts. Try to get ingredients that have no Sulphites and other additives where possible. The idea is to have control over the quality of your ingredients to make them as natural as possible.

Some people would say that I should have used Cacao instead of Cocoa Powder but it is simply too expensive to use in the amounts I like to use for Chocolate cakes. From what I have read humble Cocoa Powder is still full of goodness. It is made from roasted Cocoa beans while Cacao is from the raw beans. If you want to be really strictly healthy leave out the Chocolate Chips. I look at it this way. If eating something like this muffin satisfies the chocolate and cake/biscuit cravings then I am ahead in the health battle.

A Healthy Take on Date and Walnut Muffins


Ingredients:
  • 1 Cup of Wholegrain Plain Spelt Flour
  • 1 Cup of Wholegrain Plain Rye Flour
  • 4 level Teaspoons of Baking Powder
  • 1 level Teaspoon of Bi-Carb Soda
  • 1 Teaspoon of Natural Vanilla Essence
  • ½ Cup of Oat Bran
  • ½ Cup of Rice Bran Oil or other good quality cooking oil
  • 2 Eggs
  • ¾ Cup of Stevia
  • 1 - 1 ½ Cups of Low Fat Lactose Free Milk
  • 1 heaped Cup of Dates, chopped.
  • 1 heaped Cup of Walnuts, chopped and mixed with the Chopped Dates

Method:
  1. Triple sift the Flours with the Baking Powder and Bi-Carb. Fine ground flours from the Health Shop sift quite well with only a small amount of the bran left in the sifter. I just tip that back in each time.
  2. Soak the Oat Bran in ½ Cup of the Milk.
  3. Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray – makes 18 Muffins.
  4. Cream Oil, Eggs, Vanilla and Stevia until well blended.
  5. Add sifted Flour mix gradually, adding more milk as needed. You want a moist mix but not too wet. I have had to experiment so I know what the consistency looks like now. If it is not moist enough the Muffins will be a bit dry, too moist and they will be a bit doughy in the middle.
  6. Lastly add the Walnut and Date mixture and mix till well blended.
  7. Fill your Muffin trays – it will make 18 nicely.
  8. Bake in a Fan Forced Oven on 160 C for approximately 20 – 25 minutes.  Keep checking them with a wooden skewer and when it comes out clean they are done.
  9. Cool on racks, eat some and freeze some for later.

NOTES: A third of a Cup of Raw Carob Powder added to the Flour Mix makes a nice favoured Muffin.  Try to get ingredients that have no Sulphites and other additives where possible. The idea is to have control over the quality of your ingredients to make them as natural as possible.

This is one of my own recipes that I created when I got serious about cleaning up my diet. I was having a lot of trouble with Gastritis and I had gained a lot of weight. By eating less and making a big effort with the kind of food I put in my mouth my stomach troubles reduced dramaticly over several months. As a by product of this I also lost weight.