Sunday, October 16, 2011

Grateful for Food

Today's one of those "two-fer" dates that happens every so often each year. Not only is it the UN's FAO International Food Day, but it's also Zorra's 6th World Bread Day event! I can't believe that I pretty much forgot about either of these (I'm a little self- / work-absorbed right now!) but I'm glad I popped onto the Yeastspotting pages and found out!

Sadly, the current eating patterns of my prime bread-eater (AKA Mom) mean that bread is pretty much not eaten (or if it is, it's usually on a special occasion). For her, the breads were a snack food temptation that she couldn't keep herself from, and since she still can't resist the yeasty goodness of a homemade loaf a la moi she prefers to not have it available at all, ergo my loaf pans have been empty in recent months (sigh). In the spirit of Zorra's event though, I do want to share a bread of some type - one that also packs in a wealth of nutrition to bring the message of the need for accessible, proper nutrition worldwide (World Food Day's credo) home. I realize that many of the ingredients in these miniature quick breads are not overly common, but like with all good things in the kitchen, anything you have on hand will work! I used only ingredients that I had in my kitchen and pantry, figuring that was a bit closer to the spirit of the WFD message, and the nutrient density of the finished product is pretty impressive!

Here are a few of the numbers:
Vitamin A 17.6 %
Vitamin B-6 7.1 %
Vitamin C 10.3 %
Calcium 6.6 %
Copper 9.1 %
Folate 4.1 %
Iron 6.4 %
Magnesium 6.7 %
Manganese 36.0 %
Thiamin 6.8 %
Zinc 6.0 %

These refined sugar-, egg- , wheat- and nut-free muffins are not yeasted, but they are still in a class of "breads" and I hope Zorra will let me sneak in on this fabulous event that I love. Enjoy them and appreciate the bounty you have to choose from in your kitchen!

Crucifery Crazy Muffins
Makes 15
1 ½ cups (150 g) Cookin’ Greens Kale (or frozen, chopped kale or other dark greens)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 packets stevia (or 1 tbsp sugar), optional
½ cup low-fat milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp orange extract
1 large, over-ripe banana
½ cup wheat germ
1 tbsp whole teff
1 1/4 cups spelt flour
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup shredded carrots (about 1)
1 apple, skin on and minced
½ cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp cacao nibs
8 dried apricot halves, slivered
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
  1. Preheat oven to 350’F, grease or line a muffin tin.
  2. Cook kale (in the microwave or in a steamer) until tender.
  3. Transfer to a blender or food processor and add oil, yogurt, honey, maple syrup, stevia (if using), milk, extracts and banana. Puree smooth and transfer to a large bowl.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together wheat germ, teff, flour, flaxseed, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  5. Stir the dry mixture into the pureed mixture until just moistened, then fold in the carrots, apple, cranberries, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, apricots, goji berries and sesame seeds.
  6. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  7. Cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 197.3
Total Fat: 7.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.5 mg
Sodium: 23.3 mg
Total Carbs: 30.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.7 g
Protein: 5.1 g

2 comments :

  1. I am glad you found out about WBD. Well Muffins aren't really bread, but as they are so healthy it's okay. ;-)


    Thank you for participating in World Bread Day 2011.

    ReplyDelete
  2. merci pour ce merveilleux pain plein de bonnes choses pour la santé!!

    ReplyDelete

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