Wednesday 20 December 2017

Marmalade Breakfast Muffins - Gluten Free


We make a lot of home made jam and marmalade at my place. 

The next best thing to my gluten free muesli is my Marmalade Breakfast Muffins.

As I have said before my husband is a marmalade addict. Can't tell you how many dozen jars of it we have in the cupboard. This recipe was developed so we could use some of the marmalade we made and give me something new to eat for breakfast. Since going gluten free a month or so ago, I am really feeling the difference. But, eating muesli every morning, plus the odd egg or two is pretty tedious so these muffins are a real godsend.

I have made a few muffins for breakfast before but they always seem a little dry (sorry Jamie Oliver) This time I have incorporate two different fruits to try and keep them as moist as possible. Try them out and let me know what you think. You can certainly add some extra butter, margarine, jam or marmalade to them or eat them as the are with even more fruit. Haven't tried to toast them yet, but I am sure my husband will - but that's another story.




GLUTEN FREE MARMALADE BREAKFAST MUFFINS

Ingredients

200g gluten free plain flour
1½ teaspoons gluten free baking powder
few teaspoons of your favourite marmalade
1½ teaspoons baking soda
110g apple sauce or 2 green apples peeled, cored, cooked and mashed
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
60g oats
2 eggs
1 banana mashed
150 ml plain yoghurt/coconut yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons mixed seeds flax, pepitas, sunflower
50ml oil, sunflower, grapeseed oil
butter or margarine to grease muffin pan or use paper cases


Pre heat your oven 180º/160º FF/325F

Put flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and oats into a big bowl and mix thoroughly.

Now in another bowl beat two eggs, add mashed banana, yoghurt, vanilla, honey, rice malt syrup, oil, apple sauce. Mix thoroughly. Now add all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until you have completely incorporated one into the other.

If you use paper cases, place them into your muffin pan. You will need 10 -12, or grease the pan to make it easier to tip out the finished muffins. 

When you have done this, make a small hole in the top of each muffin using the end of a wooden spoon. Using a teaspoon fill the holes with marmalade.

Sprinkle the top with seeds and bake in a preheated oven 180º/160ºfan forced/325F for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the tin and cool on a rack.

Can be eaten straight away or frozen for a couple of weeks.

These muffins are deliciously moist and the marmalade really adds a lovely twist.



This is my last post before the Christmas break. Here is wishing you a very Happy Christmas and a safe, healthy and adventurous New Year. Thanks for all your kind comments and welcomed suggestions - see you on the other side.

If you do not celebrate Christmas then I hope you have a wonderful few days with your family and friends.



Tuesday 12 December 2017

Gluten Free Breakfasts - Muesli





So what's the worst thing about being 'gluten free'? Breakfast!

I've only been wheat free for a few weeks and I think it is the way my body needs to go in the future.

So I am having to re learn things about cooking with gluten free stuff. It will take a while to readjust. The biggest problem I need to overcome is breakfast. I have been using Jamie Oliver's Buck Wheat Pancake recipewhich I really like. I do try to use a variety of fruit and my favourites are pear and blueberry.

Other days it's porridge and a smoothie. But I really like Muesli on hot days, so I have to make my own because I want to save some money as well as know exactly what I am eating. I headed into my local shop The Source Bulk Foods at Mitcham Shopping Centre and found some wonderful produce for my muesli.

I've tried mashing a ripe banana with 2 beaten eggs. Added a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg and use this to make pancakes. I add a little coconut oil into my non stick pan and cook them for a minute or two on each side. I load them up with strawberries and blueberries and a dollop of plain yoghurt. Simple and nourishing with few calories.

Every blogger writes "this is the best (whatever) you can find". But honestly in this case the ingredients I have chosen for my Muesli taste amazing together.  I have not had to add any sweetener, except for a few sulphur free figs and a little dried fruit. (in the recipe)

This has turned out to be a  mixture of hard and soft, crunchy and smooth, fruity and nutty. I've played around with lots of ingredients to make the recipe work because  I am sure, like me you don't want to eat a mouthful of 'sawdust' for breakfast.



MY GLUTEN FREE MUESLI

Ingredients

1 cup puffed amaranth
2 cups puffed buckwheat
1 cup quinoa flakes
1 cup coconut flakes
2 tablespoons hemp seeds (Australian hemp)
2 tablespoons linseeds (flax seeds) 
4 sulphur free dried figs, chopped
1/2 cup sultanas
2 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pepitas
2 cups rolled oats
pinch cinnamon

Mix everything together and place in an air tight container. Serve with milk of your choice, fruit or yoghurt or all of these. You can change the ingredients as much or as little as you fancy. But try and keep the proportions of dried fruit  the same. Remember to give everything a good shake before you tip into a bowl so you get the full range of ingredients.

I hope you enjoy it.


Call back later I am going to road test some Breakfast Muffins.



Apologies for the lack of posts for the last few weeks - one day I will tell you the story of why!