Spinach and feta muffins

I am a fan of a savory breakfast. I think its my English roots which means you are hard wired to love a Fry Up (click on link to Wikipedia page for those not in the know, you are missing out). Oh! I do miss a Full English (yup another colloquialism).

These savory muffins are quick and easy to knock up and keep well in the freezer so can be defrosted on demand for those busy week day mornings.  Bonus: they are grain free and gluten free.

Spinach and Feta Muffins

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

Salt & pepper to taste

ground nutmeg

1 shallot finely chopped (or onion)

4 tbs defrosted frozen spinach

100g feta

Preheat the oven to 395F. Grease a 12 hole muffin pan.

Mix all the ingredients together except the spinach & feta until you have a smooth batter.  Make sure you squeeze all the water out of the spinach then fold into the batter with the crumbled feta.  Spoon the mixture into the tin. Fill each muffin hole to about 3/4 full, they will rise a little.

Bake for 15-20 mins (mine took nearer 20 mins) until brown on top and a skewer comes out clean.  Cool in the tin for 5 mins then turn out onto a wire rack to completely cool. Store in the fridge.

Magic in a mug

I hosted girls poker last night and I may have had half a glass of wine more than I needed. Consequently breakfast this morning needed a little magical power to get me going.  This recipe is a take on the cake in mug theme (loads of versions out there on Pinterest &  the web). I have ever so slightly adapted it from Delighted Momma.  She follows a paleo diet so has a lot of recipes that are low or no starch.

 Blueberry & maple syrup Muffin in a Mug

3 tbs of ground almonds (almond meal)

1/2 tbs maple syrup

1/2 tbs honey

2 tbs unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

2 tbs fresh blueberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp baking soda

Put all the ingredients together in a microwaveable mug or small bowl & mix.

Zap in the microwave for approximately 2 minutes and then tuck in, remembering that food comes out of the microwave hotter than the surface of the Sun...

Cinnamon and coconut muffins (starch free)

My diet has resulted in me spending more time browsing Pinterest for recipes. I use it like a search engine & have found it to have better results than 

Google (in this instance).  I came across this great blog, Slim Palate which has many delicious recipes which happen to be low or no starch. They are well written and have beautiful photos - but get this - he is a 17 year old boy!! Wow! Very impressed; note to self must improve my photography skills...

Cinnamon Coconut muffins

This recipe is adapted from Joshua's at Slim Palate, the original is here

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 tbsp almond meal (ground almonds)

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs

1/2 - 3/4 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp coconut milk

dash of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 345F and grease a muffin pan. This recipe makes 6 muffins.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients then add to the dry. Give them a good mix. Spoon into a muffin tin (with or without cases) and bake for 15-20 mins until a skewer comes out clean. NB: mine took nearer 15 mins. 

These little beauties are fantastic! I am so excited that my first coconut flour experience is a positive one; they are light and fluffy, a similar texture to using regular flour.  Ohhh the possibilities..........

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Buttermilk, blueberry breakfast cake

Yup, I'm still alive!  Laptop in pieces (literally) for months and camera out of action (dropped down a cliff whilst climbing, him not me) = no blogging. My clever husband fixed the mentioned laptop, sadly not so successful with the camera.  So apologies for bad iPhone pictures from now on!

During the radio silence I have been busy making, DIY, sewing, thrifting and enjoying the summer we are still having in Southern California.  So there are a zillions-ish blog posts whirring around in my head; I shall endevour to catch up on them now I have a functioning computer. Meanwhile on with the breakfast 'cake'.

I saw the recipe on Pinterest and knowing I had a box of rather sour blueberries that needed eating in the fridge knew I would be making it sometime soon.  The recipe is from Alexandra's Kitchen, a great blog with loads of yummy recipes.  I have adapted her recipe slightly by using wholewheat flour & brown sugar, thus kidding myself its slightly healthy.

Buttermilk, blueberry breakfast cake

1/2 cup of unsalted butter (1 stick)

zest of a lemon

3/4 brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups of wholewheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 cups of fresh blueberries tossed in a little of the flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup of buttermilk (I sloshed in a bit more)

Oven at 350F.  Cream butter & sugar with the lemon zest until pale and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.  Add flour, baking powder & salt to the mixture a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.  Once all combined fold in the blueberries.  Line a tin (mine was 10"x7") with greaseproof paper and spread in the batter.  Bake in the oven for 35-45mins, its done when browned on top and a skewer comes out clean.

It is a lovely and light and fluffy (even using wholewheat flour) and no need to wait to breakfast, I haven't.

Muesli

I had a moan in a previous post about the lack of decent breakfast cereals sans sugar which prompted me to start making granola again.  The girls have tired of the 500 chews-a-bowl granola so we have moved onto muesli.  Muesli doesn't seem to feature here in the USA as much, not like the ubiquitous Alpen which dominated the muesli market in the UK for decades (its Swiss ergo it must be good was the thought of housewives in the 70's!).
Its a bit of swiz to call this a recipe as the formula changes each time I make it but I do try to keep the ratio of ingredients the same.  I have found Stater Bros are the cheapest for organic cereals.  Organic ones tend to use different types of grains & are less processed, do read the labels as they still throw in plenty of sugar to many of them.  I get the nuts & dried fruits from Trader Joe's.

Muesli

2 cups of quick cook rolled oats (ie. not jumbo ones)

1 cup of unsweetened puffed rice/wheat 

1 cup of flakes - current mix has flax flakes
1 cup of unsweetened dessicated coconut
1 cup of raisins/sultanas/dried apricots 
1 cup of almond slivers or whole nuts 
1 cup of other - fruit,nuts or seeds that you've got kicking about

Now comes the really tricky bit, mix them all together and there you have it! Store in an air tight container and watch it disappear. This quantity barely lasts a week in our house.  You could improve it by toasting the oats and the coconut, adding in more glamorous fruit &/or nuts or even chocolate chips for real luxury...

Blueberry & flaxseed muffins

Friends from the UK are coming to stay this weekend - yay! I have got my menu's planned - BBQ tonight & Mexican the next.  I think that covers the American cuisine.  These breakfast (or brunch) muffins are easy to knock up, healthy and tasty. Hopefully they will soak up any hangover we may have...

The recipe is mildly adapted from the Bill's book. Those Aussies really do know how to do a good breakfast.

Blueberry & flaxseed muffins

30g butter

3/4 cup honey &/or agave

1/2 milk

1/2 vegetable oil

3 eggs

3 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

cinnamon

2 mashed bananas

1 grated apple

250g blueberries

halved strawberries & brown sugar to top

Heat oven to 180C(350F). Melt butter & agave (or honey).

Whisk together milk, oil & eggs in a seperate bowl.

Mix together flour, baking powder, flaxseed meal & generous dose of cinnamon in other bowl.

Stir in grated apple, mashed banana & blueberries to flour mixture. Add in the milk mixture and combine.  Lastly mix in agave & butter mixture. Bill says to fold it in, but I always have to give a good beat to prevent lumps of flour remaining.

Fill muffin cases to 3/4 and top with half a strawberry & sprinkle of brown sugar.

Bake for 30/40mins until skewer comes out clean.  They don't seem to brown too much (although the sugar helps).

Cool slightly in tin before putting onto wire rack.  Makes 15.