In recent months muffins have become a bit of a staple in our house. Reubs often starts work very, very early and I like to have muffins on hand so that he can grab one for breakfast on his way out the door. Along with my Roasted Pumpkin and Parmesan Muffins, these Raspberry, Coconut and Chia muffins have become a fast favourite.

Makes approx. 12 muffins

1 Cup Wholemeal Self Raising Flour
1 Cup Desicated Coconut
1/2 Cup Almond Meal
1/2 Cup Raw Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 Cup Coconut Cream
1 Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
At Least 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Raspberries (I use about 2 cups!)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line muffin tray with paper muffin cases.
2. Combine all dry ingedients together in a large bowl.
3. Mix in egg and coconut cream and stir until well combined.
4. Stir in raspberries. (Use lots. The more raspberries the better, I think!)
5. Divide mixture into muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes or until firm and slightly golden.

These are especially delicious eaten when still warm. Go on!

Katie x

Some time ago, when we were still living in Sydney, I shared my version of the 2 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake that has been floating around the internet. Unfortunately, all that butter, sugar and flour means those little cakes aren’t terribly healthy, and though I’m not at all opposed to a treat, recently I’ve been making a real effort to eat well and cook using more whole, healthy, nutritious ingredients. So I’ve been working on giving some of my favourite unhealthy recipes a little makeoever, and last week I was absolutely thrilled when my attempt to make a more nutritious version of the 2 minute chocolate mug cake worked out brilliantly! My new and improved version is low GI, gluten free, refined sugar free, high in protein, and could probably even be made vegan (with an egg supstitute). But what’s most miraculous of all, is the fact that I think the healthier version is equally as yummy, if not more so, than the original. It’s sounds impossible but it’s true! Here’s the recipe:

3 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Tbsp Almond Meal
1-2 Tbsp Honey (I use one but some might prefer it a little sweeter)
1.5 Tbsp Coconut Cream (or regular thickened cream)
1 Egg

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large mug, until well combined. Don’t fret about little lumps.
2. Microwave for 2 minutes. (I actually found that the cake is done and is slightly moister if I take it out at 1 minute and 40 seconds, but this will vary from microwave to microwave. If you find the cake dry after 2 full minutes, next time try cooking it for 10 seconds less.)
3. That’s all folks! Enjoy!

Katie x

Update: A few people have asked whether or not this recipe could be baked in the oven, rather than microwaved, so I’ve given it a go and the answer is yes! It can! I baked the mug cake at 180ºC for about 20 minutes, and the result was slightly different from the microwave version but still good. The only thing I would suggest is, if you are going to bake it, mix the ingredients in a small bowl then transfer the mixture into a greased mug before popping it into the oven. I mixed and baked mine in the same mug and as a result the edges were really baked onto the mug.

Recently I’ve been on a bit of a muffin kick. I’ve been trying to cut back on refined sugar and have been making lots of fruity, sugar-less muffins to keep my sweet tooth cravings at bay. And it’s been working a treat!

But this week I diverted from my quest for the perfect, healthy, banana muffin recipe, to make something savoury. Something cheesy. I often make pumpkin and feta muffins but the day I made these I didn’t have any feta on hand, so improvised with parmesan, and was delighted by the result! I’ve made two batches of pumpkin and parmesan muffins now and both have turned out wonderfully. Reubs actually ate five of them for breakfast yesterday. Yes, five! He has declared these his favourite muffins of all time. I’m not sure about that, but they are very moreish.

Makes approx. 14 muffins

1 Cup Wholemeal (AKA Whole-Wheat) Flour
1 Cup Oatmeal
1 Tsp Bicarb Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 Cup Parmesan
1/2 Cup Grated Tasty Cheese
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
3/4 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp Butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1 Onion Diced
2 Cups Roasted Pumpkin*

1. Saute onion and butter in a frying pan or skillet until slightly golden, then remove from heat.
2. Sift flour, bicarb soda and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add oatmeal, thyme, tasty cheese and parmesan and combine with a wooden spoon.
3. Mix in egg, milk and olive oil.
4. Add cooked onion and roasted pumpkin and stir it all together until well combined. The pumpkin will get a bit smooshed and broken up – that’s ok!
5. Spoon the mixture into a greased muffin pan, so muffin cups are about 3/4 full, then bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes, or until firm and golden.

These are great served warm and I suspect they would be even more delicious spread with a little homemade tomato relish. Mmm…

*To get two cups of roasted pumpkin I put approximately three cups of raw pumpkin (chopped into small chunks) into a baking tray, drizzled it with a little olive oil and popped it into the oven at 200°C for about 45 minutes.

Katie x