Healthy muffins won’t leave you hungry

by Millie Bentley

Greetings! Here is a recipe for Light Morning Sunshine Muffins. These are packed with flavor and have only about 200 calories and six grams of fat. If you want to freeze what you’re not going to eat, wrap them up in plastic wrap while they’re still warm and place in freezer. This procedure will help retain moisture.

Light Morning Sunshine Muffins

4 cups grated carrots, about four large

1 finely diced green apple

1 cup raisins, soaked in hot water

½ cup walnuts, lightly toasted

1 cup frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed

½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup liquid egg substitute (or egg white)

4 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon coconut extract

2 ½ cups unbleached flour

½ cup oat bran

1 cup wheat bran

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place raisins in small saucepan, barely cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off heat and let sit, covered. Using a food release agent (such as Pam), spray your muffin tins well (don’t use paper muffin cups here) – enough for 24 muffins. In a large bowl, combine carrots, apple, raisins and nuts. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine thawed pineapple juice concentrate, brown sugar, butter, egg substitute (or enough egg whites to make one cup), vanilla and coconut extract.

In a third bowl combine flour, oat bran, wheat bran, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to carrot, apple mixture and mix well. (Note: Once oat bran has come into contact with liquid ingredients it begins to get pasty. Don’t stop from here on until muffins are in the oven – unless, of course, you’re going to use the centers for library paste. Don’t even answer the phone.) Next, pour liquid ingredients into the flour-carrot mixture; stir only until moistened. Spoon batter into previously prepared muffin tins and bake at 350˚F for 25-30 minutes. These are really good, yumm! Until next week, dear friends, vaya con Dios.