An Cooking

Its still Rhubarb Central here! This time Im bringing you some Spiced Rhubarb and Lemon Muffins.  This is a classic combination with the spices including cinnamon and little pieces of crystallised ginger.  I decided to make these when I saw the Recipes for Life Challenge at Vanesthers Bangers and Mash blog. The rules of the Recipes for Life call for a trio of ingredients, and this month they are rhubarb with lemon and spice. A monthly winner  will be picked and the best of the recipes will be included in a new charity cookbook to be published by SWALLOW later this year.

 

Spice Rhubarb and Lemon Muffins
150g light brown sugar
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon extract (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
100ml milk
100g finely diced rhubarb
175g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
pinch salt
50g chopped ccrystallised ginger
grated zest of half a lemon

1.  Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Line you muffin tin with paper cases.
3. Place 125g of the sugar, oil, egg cinnamon extract and milk.  Mix together and add the rhubarb.   

  

Wet ingredients

4. Sift your dry ingredients into the bowl, add the wet ingredients and stir until combined but dont over mix or your muffins will be heavy.

Dry ingredients

5. Spoon the mixture into the cases, filling about 3/4 full. 
6. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the remaining sugar (I forgot to do this!)
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
8. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Cakey, fruity gingeryness!

What I really liked about these muffins was that they were really moist, the acidity of the rhubarb and the lemon took the edge off the sweetness and the combination of ginger and cinnamon worked really well with the fruit.  Best of all were the little nuggets of intense crystallised ginger.

Wake up with a warm and lovely carrot muffin.

Happy First Friday of the New Year. Like any first of any season this auspicious occasion makes yours truly want to bake. And with snow on the ground, it has to be muffins- like these tender little bundles of gluten-free joy. So cute and sunny. I love the carroty color. The subtly fragrant texture of coconut flour and quinoa flakes. A hint of cinnamon and ginger. A bite of raisin.

Seriously chai worthy.

And more fiber rich than say, a powdered donut. Or your average gluten-free bagel which is nothing but starch (not that I have anything against starch these days; I am embracing my personal Doris since the news about weight and a longer life). This a treat you can eat without a heavy helping of self-imposed guilt.

Truth is I don't count calories or worry about dieting.

At my age (or any age?) I think worrying can make you gain weight.

Focusing on all the food you can't have. Thinking about how many bites is too much. Cutting back so drastically on caloric intake or carbs that your blood sugar plunges faster than a carnival ride. You don't want to be around me if I'm on a diet- or a low-carb regimen. I am one wildly cranky be-atch. I lose brain cells. I see flashing lights. I tip over. I claw through the refrigerator overwhelmed with the sensation of deprivation.

Until I find the long lost bag of gluten-free pretzels.

Then I'm done.

And done in.

So I don't bother with the details when I need to lose make friends with my yearly winter weight gain. And I may as well confess- ! I don't go sugar-free any more. I eat a cookie. There I said it. Or a muffin. Yup.

Then I go for a walk (if it isn't zero degrees). I try to keep moving. Because the reason I gain a pie roll this time of year has less to do with carbs and fat grams than you think. It's not the morning muffin that gives me my muffin top. It's the hibernation. The paucity of exercise. The bump on the log that I become once the sun sets- at 4:42 PM.

It's hard to burn calories watching reruns of Downton Abbey.

Unless you're on a treadmill.

Which, like cousin Violet, I am most decidedly not.


Read more + get the recipe >>

I love these muffins! We love oats in our family and these are a great way to eat them. Every time I make these Jeremy just mmms and aahs and devours them. I try to find excuses to make them as often as I can. :) Tonight I paired them with this white chili and it was a great combination! They call for white flour but if you want to make them a little healthier you can use whole wheat, (although I prefer the flavor with white). These are super easy too, which is always a plus. Give them a try!



Oatmeal Muffins

1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. butter, melted
1 c. flour
1 c. rolled oats
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine everything in a large bowl and stir with a spoon, spatula, whisk, (whatever) until flour is moist. It will be slightly lumpy. Scoop into a greased muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes (my recipe says 20-25, but they always seem to be done early), until lightly browned. Makes 12 muffins.

Source: My mom