Glenn wrote: > When a recipe calls for buttermilk you can use yogurt or sour instead.

This reminds me of some health-food muffins I make that are really _very_ good, though they come out small and coarse, they're chewy like some candies (Cherry Mash comes to mind, though these are neither cherry nor chocolate) rather than crumby like the more usual muffin, and I like them like candy. If your system isn't used to bran, though (I normally eat high fiber, and have for years), you don't want to eat more than one in a day, and maybe only half of one-- you have to work up slowly on the bran scene! I use yogurt, which I do keep on hand, instead of the buttermilk called for, which I don't. To be plain about the oranges (I use navel, so no seeds to remove) you quarter them without peeling them, then remove the seeds: just slice off the stem end, and put them through the blender or food processor peel and all, so they go into the batter _with_ their "zest" flavoring and all their flavonoids. Another substitution normal for me is regular cheap raisins instead of the golden ones. I do plump them with boiling water before adding to the batter. Since I live alone, I freeze most of them, and they come out almost as good as fresh.

Flaxseed contains lignans, plant-based compounds known to shrink existing breast and colon cancer tumors and stop new ones from forming in test tube and animal studies. It also contains the plant version of omega-3 fats, alpha-linolenic acid, which is helpful on the cholesterol front in your body.

The recipe comes from Prevention magazine, who give credit to the Flax Council of Canada and Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission.

Health-food muffin
Printer version of this recipe

1+1/2 C oat bran
1 C all-purpose flour
1 c flaxseed, ground
1 c wheat bran
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 oranges, quartered and seeded
1 c brown sugar
1 c buttermilk
1/2 c canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1+1/2 C golden raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners, or coat the pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine oat bran, flour, flaxseed meal, wheat bran, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine oranges, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and baking soda. Blend well.

3. Pour orange mixture into dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. Stir in raisins.

4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Makes 24 muffins.

Per muffin: 186 cal, 4 g protein, 30 g carb, 8 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 18 mg chol, 3 g fiber, 140 mg sodium, 4 g. flaxseed

Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006
From: Sibyl Smirl
To: anglican@stsams.org