Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

I thought I'd share this great recipe, loaded with flavour, nutrients and energy. Great as a breakfast or a healthy snack!


Carrot Oatmeal Muffins
Yield: 12

Start the day off right with these muffins loaded with oatmeal, whole wheat flour, carrot and low in fat - all the stuff that’s good for you and they taste amazing!
Ingredients:

Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, sifted (425 ml)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (250 ml)
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (5 ml)
• 2 1/2 tsp baking soda (12 ml)
• 1 tsp salt (5 ml)
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (250 ml)
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (150 ml)
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped (60 ml)
• 1 cup grated carrots (250 ml)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup peach nectar (125 ml)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (175 ml)
• 1 cup apple juice (250 ml)
• 2 tsp vanilla (10 ml)
• 2 tbsp grapeseed oil (30 ml)
• Apple butter, for serving (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare a medium muffin tin by lining with muffin papper or brushing/spraying with oil.
Sift together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Add the brown sugar, apricots and carrots. Stir to combine.
Add the egg, peach nectar, buttermilk, apple juice, vanilla and oil to a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Some of the flour may still remain visible. Do not over mix or the muffins will be tough.
Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin tins. Put in the middle rack of oven. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Makes 12 medium sized muffins.

Chef Michael Smith's Peanut Butter Cups

Click the photo for the link to the original recipe.

These homemade peanut butter cups are amazing! I recently watched an episode of Chef at Home, and immediately began to make these as soon as I realised I had all of the ingredients. They're unbelievably easy to make, and really satisfy your peanut butter and chocolate craving. I would like to try substituting peanut butter for almond butter in this recipe!

Anyways, here's the recipe.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of 70% bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces


• 1/2 cup peanut butter


• 1/2 cup cream cheese


• 1 tbsp confectioners sugar


• 1 tbsp vanilla


• 4 x paper or foil muffin cup liners

Method:

1. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a small pot of simmering water.
2. Using a pastry brush or new paintbrush paint chocolate onto the inside of the muffin cups.
3. Place them in a muffin tin for easier handling.
4. Paint a thick layer and then refrigerate until it has set hard.
5. Puree the peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a food processor until smooth.
6. Spoon or pipe into the hardened chocolate cups and then pour a thick layer of the remaining melted chocolate over the top making sure the edges are sealed.
7. Put back in fridge until the tops have set.
8. Peel liners off before serving.

Note: You don't need to puree the peanut butter and cream cheese, I simply mashed them together with a spoon. You can also use an electric mixer. I also changed the recipe so that the sugar is actually confectioner's sugar as opposed to granulated. It gives the texture a less gritty feeling, and sets the mixture up nicely.

Lemon Loaf

I have been thinking about baking a lemon loaf for a while now, but I haven't found a recipe I was happy with, or had the time to bake! I found this recipe today, and it looks amazing! I haven't decided if I want to frost the loaf completley, or pour a syrup glaze over it.

Anyway, here is the recipe for the lemon loaf with frosting from : http://www.taste.com.au/

Lemon Loaf

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 125g butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 lemon, rind finely grated
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup Greek-style yoghurt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
  

Lemon icing

• 2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
• 1 lemon, rind finely grated, juiced
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line base and sides of a 7cm-deep, 10.5cm x 20.5cm (base) loaf pan with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.
Using electric beaters, cream butter, sugar and lemon rind on high speed until pale and creamy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine yoghurt and milk in a jug. Fold flour, almond meal and yoghurt mixture, 1 at a time, into butter mixture.
Using electric beaters, beat eggwhites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Stir one-quarter of the eggwhites into batter. Gently fold in remaining eggwhites. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Reduce oven to 160°C and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make lemon icing: Combine icing sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and butter in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Drizzle lemon icing over loaf. Sprinkle with lemon rind and serve.

Bored with Breakfast?

Impossible! With so many great ideas, whether they are for a simple, quick breakfast, or a get-together breakfast, these ideas can help you with getting the most out of the most important meal of the day!

There's a book called "Retro Breakfast" and I don't have it on my shelf? I love breakfast, and it's probably one of my favourite meals of the day, seeing as it is so veristile; breakfasts can be sweet (pancakes), savoury (eggs) or a combination of both (eggs, sausage with pancakes)! Certain beakfasts can also be unhealthy, so the question comes to mind; what is a healthy breakfast option?

A healthy breakfast option includes all food groups: grains, fruit & vegetables, milk and meat/alternatives! Opting for a breakfast that can fill you up throughout the day is important, especially if you are busy each morning/afternoon. Having a breakfast such as oatmeal with nuts and fresh fruit can help to fill you up until lunch time. Although eggs and bacon on a daily basis could do some coronary artery blockage, having eggs and bacon for breakfast once in a while can be okay, just use grapeseed oil instead of butter for the eggs, and always drain your bacon. Adding some fruit or vegetables on the side could help too! A grapefruit? Maybe some green peppers with those eggs?

The options are limitless, and if a healthy breakfast is something that you feel you cannot achieve because you are busy in the morning, try preparing some homemade granola one night, and eat it for breakfast with fresh fruit and milk for the rest of the week. A much healthier breakfast than a sugary donut at Tim Hortons, or no breakfast at all!

For more breakfast ideas, click the "breakfast" tag under this post, I will continue to update and add more recipes/ideas as I go along!

Banana Loaf

This banana loaf, which is essentially more like a banana cake, is one of my favourite quick breads! This recipe differs from other conventional banana bread recipes because this loaf is a lot more moist and rich! It's great as a breakfast, but also wonderful as a dessert!



Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 large, very ripe bananas (brown), mashed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup toasted nuts such as pecans, walnuts, almonds (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (or chunks)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, chocolate and nuts (if using)

Combine mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture, gently. Do not overmix the batter.

Bake immediately for 60-70 minutes, using a skewer to test if done. The loaf should be a little moist on the inside.