CHICKEN MUFFINS

Such an easy recipe that is tasty hot or cold. Just be careful as these cakes are very moreish and you will end up eating 4-5 per person. Great for a snack at work or for kids for school lunches. Make sure you buy a nice chicken mince and feel free to add whatever herbs you like; chives work nicely as does parsley or basil. 

INGREDIENTS

• 500g chicken mince (preferably free-range)
• 1 large garlic clove or 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 cup baby spinach, washed & drained, roughly chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten (preferably free-range)
• 2 heaped tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
• 2 heaped tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
• a pinch of ground black pepper
• rice bran oil for greasing 

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-force oven to 180 degrees celsius. Prepare 10 muffin holes (1/2 cup /125ml deep) by lightly greasing with rice bran oil. 

2. Stir all ingredients until well combined. You can even use your hands to really mix the ingredients, just make sure that they are clean! Spoon mixture evenly into prepared muffin holes. 

3. Bake for 25 minutes or until mini cakes are golden and firm. Serve alongside a side salad. 

Makes / 10 / around 2 1/2 per person 

Total Preparation time / 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (GLUTEN, DAIRY & REFINED SUGAR FREE)

This delicious blueberry muffin recipe is adapted from one such similar recipe found on the Food Matters website, brought to my attention by my lovely sister-in-law. Food Matters is a film and a revolution, based on the belief that ‘your body is worthy of good care and that nobody is more suitably qualified to care for it than yourself’.

Food Matters began with an illness in a family. The sufferer experienced severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression and Anxiety that was treated with six different medications and left him feeling bedridden and worse than before he started taking the medicine. Family members could not convince the sufferer that the conventional medical approaches were not working, so they decided to try another medium; to make a film involving the world’s leading health and nutrition experts. These experts explained and proved to their unwell relative that ‘food is better medicine than drugs’ and within a mere three months the sufferer was off his medication, 50 pounds lighter and in excellent health.

This independently funded film has one very clear message: Food Matters. Go to http://www.foodmatters.tv/ to find out more about this powerful film. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup / honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract / powder
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, plus extra to grease
• 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup oat / rice  / almond milk
• 1 heaped cup fresh / frozen blueberries (thawed if frozen) 

Baking 

1. Preheat a fan force oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin with coconut oil. 

2. In a large bowl combine the almond meal, coconut flour, salt, baking soda and ground cinnamon and stir to mix. Add the syrup / honey, vanilla, oil, eggs and milk and stir well to combine. Carefully fold in the blueberries. 

3. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each muffin hole. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or longer if you want a firmer muffin. Leave the tray to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then remove the muffins from the tin and leave to cool completely. 

Makes / 12 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Oven time / 30-35 minutes for a soft, moist muffin / longer for a firmer muffin 

x Emily 

LOW CARB BANANA CHOC MUFFINS

These muffins were adapted from a recipe a client gave me. You can add 2 scoops of protein powder to the batter if you desire. I prefer to add an overripe banana. These dairy muffins are very easy to make and require no flour whatsoever. I made these on Friday and again today and have tweaked the recipe somewhat. The batter will appear quite runny before the muffins are cooked, however it is meant to look like this. I used dairy-free Lindt 70% dark chocolate for this recipe, however you can use whatever dark chocolate you have on hand or replace the chocolate with nuts. I chose this recipe for today as it is WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY! Celebrate with a small, delicious piece of dark chocolate or by baking with this delicious ingredient, as I did.

Ingredients

• coconut oil, in liquid form 
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup LSA (ground linseed, sunflower & almond)
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons white chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons flaxseeds 
• 1 small ripe banana, mashed well
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3/4 cup non-dairy milk, such as oat, rice or almond milk.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract/essence
• 50g Lindt dark chocolate (4 squares), cut into small pieces
• 4 free-range eggs, whisked 

Baking 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

2. Lightly grease a 12 slot muffin tin with coconut oil. 

3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine the dry and wet ingredients. 

4. Spoon around 2 1/2 heaped tablespoons of batter into each prepared muffin slot. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer or knife is inserted into the middle of a muffin and comes out clean. 

5. Leave the muffins to cool in their slots for 15 minutes, then remove onto a wire rack or tray and leave to cool completely. 

Makes / 12

From bowl to muffin / 35-40 minutes (plus cooling time)

x Emily 

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

I have occasional days where I get an intense, overwhelming need to bake. And not bake casseroles or savoury dishes, I’m talking about baking sweet treats, whether that be cakes, tarts, slices and/or muffins. Today was a lovely public holiday in Brisbane and after a hectic Monday & Tuesday, I needed some relaxing time. So I created these super simple blueberry muffins that looked so dainty sitting on my blue afternoon tea plate. Luckily I had a date at the park with some friends; therefore I was not faced with the opportunity of eating the 12 muffins myself.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (liquid form), plus extra, to grease 
• 1 egg, beaten 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 170 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin tin with coconut oil. 

2. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre of the bowl, pushing the flour to the sides. Pour in the egg, milk, maple syrup and oil and stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries very gently (particularly gently if you are using frozen berries, as these tend to run more than fresh). 

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin holes evenly. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until muffins are slightly golden and just firm. 

Makes / 12 muffins

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 20 minutes 

x E