This muffin contains everything you would expect it to have: wheat bran and raisins. But it has a little something extra -- canola oil, which is high in monounsaturated fat and plant-derived omega-3s, and it has some soy flour. If you don't want to use soy flour, you can add 3/4 cup of ground flaxseeds instead, or increase the white flour to 1 cup. You might enjoy these muffins with a little spoon of Cinna-Soy-Butter.
Makes 12 muffins
1-1/2 cups wheat bran 1-1/8 cup low-fat buttermilk 3 tablespoons canola oil 3 tablespoons honey 1 large egg (a high-omega-3 egg, if available) 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup unbleached white flour 1/4 cup soy flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil muffin liners.
Place wheat bran and buttermilk in a mixing bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.
Add oil, honey, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla to bran mixture and beat on low to blend well. Scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through mixing.
Place flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium-size bowl and blend well with whisk or fork. Add the flour mixture to the wheat-bran mixture all at once and beat on low to blend together, scraping sides of bowl halfway through mixing.
Fold in raisins and spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Every little bit helps, and this is yet another way to work a little soy into your breakfast. Use this lightly spiced soy butter on almost anything: toast, pancakes, waffles, breakfast rolls, muffins. If you don't want to make quite this much, just cut the recipe in half and use an electric mixer instead of a mini food processor.
Makes 16 tablespoons
1/2 cup no- or low-trans-fat margarine (for example Land O' Lakes Fresh Buttery Taste Spread, or Smart Balance) or butter, softened 1/2 cup soft or silken tofu (lite or regular) 3 tablespoons powdered sugar 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Dash ground nutmeg (optional)
Add margarine or butter, tofu, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a mini food processor and pulse until light and creamy. If you don't have a mini food processor, you can use an electric mixer and beat in small bowl on HIGH for 1-2 minutes.
Add to a custard cup, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator until needed. (The Cinna-Soy-Butter will keep for several days.)
This popular dessert has three of the five aphrodisiac characteristics; it's smooth, rich, and creamy. Restaurant-quality chocolate mousse can weigh you down because it is soooo rich and dense with calories and fat. With this recipe, we've lightened the mousse, and it's a whole lot easier to whip up than those restaurant recipes. The microwave is used to melt the chocolate; it can also be melted gently in a double boiler.
Makes 6 servings
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 6 ounces) 3 tablespoons egg substitute, at room temperature* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup prepared French vanilla pudding (you can use instant pudding made with lowfat milk) 2 cups light Cool Whip or light whipping cream
Add chocolate chips to a 2-cup glass measure and microwave on low for 2-4 minutes until completely melted when stirred with a spoon. Stir in the egg substitute and vanilla, and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Add prepared pudding and Cool Whip to a medium mixing bowl and stir with spoon. Add in the chocolate mixture, using a plastic scraper to remove it from the measuring cup. Stir until smooth.
Spoon the mixture evenly into about 6 small dessert cups and place in refrigerator for about an hour. Enjoy!
*Any risk of salmonella from using raw eggs is eliminated because we are using a pasteurized egg substitute made from egg whites, as is the case with Egg Beaters.
Recipes from THE CHANGE OF LIFE DIET & COOKBOOK by Elaine Magee, MPH, R.D. (Avery; July 2004; $16.95/trade paperback)
