The Taste Traveller

Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins

It's blueberry season at the moment and I can't get enough of them - grabbing the odd handful, throwing some in with my muesli, and into this great muffin recipe. I got the original recipe from my mother-in-law, and currently it's my favourite muffin recipe. I've only played around with it slightly (I can't help myself). I've substituted some whole wheat flour for all-purpose, chopped apple for some of the banana, tried it with sugar and without, and added cinnamon. It's absolutely loaded with fruit and great tasting with or without the sugar. I also have used the whole egg so mine were likely a bit heavier than if I'd just used the whites. Next time I'm going to try it with just the egg whites. I always feel like I'm wasting the egg when I only use the egg whites! But, I now have a baby that can only eat the yolks at this stage, so this will work out perfectly! She gets some healthy protein and I get egg whites for my muffins. I would also think you could substitute vegetable oil for the margarine or butter. 

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 ml) oats (not quick cooking)
1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated sugar (optional)
1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
1/4 cup (50 ml) wheat germ
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
2 egg whites
2 cups (500 ml) of mashed bananas (5-6)
1/4 cup (50 ml) butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon (optional)
1 cup (250 ml) blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed)

Instructions:

Spray 12 large muffin cups with non stick cooking spray or line with paper cups.

Combine first seven dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Beat egg whites, banana, and melted butter/margarine together until smooth. Add banana mixture to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

Try these without the sugar and also substituting some of either the blueberries or bananas with chopped apple.

Fill muffins cups almost full. Bake at 375⁰ (190⁰ C, gas mark 5)  for 20-25 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Remove from muffin tin and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes.

 

Enjoy plain or slice in half and enjoy with just a smidgen of butter or honey. 

chickpea salad goes moroccan

It seems like a good week to focus on a salad recipe with the heat wave we are experiencing here in Vancouver right now. There's a whole world of salads to explore, so where to start? I decided to continue with the chickpea focus. This is one versatile bean! It's really an all season ingredient too, working as well in a salad as it does in a chilly-day stew. So, back to the salad.

I basically threw this together - working with limited time and ingredients I just happened to have in the fridge this week. First, the tin of chickpeas. I do have dried chickpeas and it really is quite easy to prepare these - soaking overnight, draining, rinsing thoroughly and boiling - but I often end up pulling out a tin of chickpeas as it's just so easy. I wanted the chickpeas to be the dominant ingredient in this salad, but with some added crunch, colour and zest. Out came the red bell pepper, cucumber, green onions and fresh lemon. In keeping with the Moroccan theme here I had a small bunch of fresh mint. It actually wasn't the best bunch of mint I've purchased but I got enough out of it to make the salad work. In retrospect I would chop this up more finely then I did - but the flavour and smell were on mark. We usually have fresh parsley, so out came a handful of this to be chopped up. A little white vinegar, half a lemon squeezed over it all, a few glugs of olive oil, salt and pepper - and it was almost ready.

I felt like it needed a little something extra so I put a bit of yoghurt into a small bowl and added some ground cumin for a simple yoghurt dressing. You could skip this part, as with the fresh lemon, oil and a touch of vinegar it really is nice, light and tangy. You could add different herbs to alter the theme - an Italian mixture, or some paprika lightly sprinkled over the salad. The next day I added chopped tomatoes and this worked well. I think chopped or whole kalamata olives and chopped or crumbled feta mixed in would work well - and fresh squeezed lime would also be good alternative to the lemon. 

Here is a rough idea of what I included in this salad:

One 19 oz. tin or 2 cups (500 ml) of chickpeas, rinsed

3 or 4 chopped green onions

1/2 chopped red bell pepper (you could easily chop the whole pepper to include, I did half as I just wanted a touch of crunch and colour)

Handful of chopped, fresh mint

Handful of chopped, fresh parsley

About half a cucumber, chopped (I used an English cucumber). I peeled the cucumber, but it would be just fine unpeeled for this type of cucumber

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional Ingredients:

Chopped tomatoes or a handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)

Crumbled or chopped feta, about two or three tablespoons (30 to 45 ml)

Kalamata olives, chopped or whole

Dressing:

Drizzle olive oil over the salad (about one tablespoon, 15 ml)

Squeeze half a lemon (or lime) over the top

Add a tablespoon (15 ml) of white vinegar (optional)

Toss and serve.