I've had a long hiatus from blogging. But I’m back, as a certified gastronome.
That just means I know a lot more about food than I did a
year ago. My palate has adapted if not evolved, I've come to like and even appreciate
flavours that I once despised.
Growing up, not having the desired 20/20 vision, my mother
always insisted that I eat my carrots. I needed my extra dose of Vitamin A.
Seldom would I eat them without complaining; pushing them to the furthest part
of my dinner plate, secretly hoping they would they fall off, land on the floor
and be deemed inedible. I found them to be bitter, apparently over cooked, bland.
I used to completely agree with Fran Lebowitz:
Large, naked, raw carrots are acceptable as food only to those who live in hutches eagerly awaiting Easter. -Metropolitan Life 1978
So you can imagine the slight surprise that my mother had
when she found me happily munching away to raw carrot sticks. They weren't so
bad considering that they were accompanied by a chickpea hummus.
Now I know that they are more flavourful when in season, and I've discovered more flavourful ways of getting my vitamin A and incorporating
them into everything. My newest discovery
are these carrot-orange muffins.
I’m looking forward to making these beta-carotene filled treats this winter season.
Carrot-Orange Muffins
Yield: 12 large muffins
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon zest of orange
¼ cup fresh orange juice
3 Tablespoons plain yogurt
½ cup milk, mixed with vinegar
1 teaspoon vinegar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups finely grated carrots
(approximately 3 carrots)
Handful of pumpkin seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F/ 180C . Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin and line with 12 squares
of baking paper. Push the squares down into each hole so that the paper sticks
up. .
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl, leaving 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar.
In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold the
ingredients together, but be careful not to over-work the mixture. If batter is too dry slowly add in a bit more milk
3. Spoon the batter into muffin tin. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds
and remaining brown sugar over muffins.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes, or
until the muffins are well risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out
clean.
5. Cool a few minutes
Enjoy.
