MNN - Mother Nature Network

There is an old saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I would argue that blueberry muffin-love has no gender boundary and that these tasty little babies are just about as good as it gets. I like mine warm, just out of the oven, with milk. But these keep their moistness and flavor for days and make you glad you're a vegetarian.

 

The obvious attraction is fresh blueberries. Either raw or cooked in food, blueberries have a rare, rich, explosively delicious taste. And to seal the deal, blueberries not only inhibit cancer, they apparently can even cure cancer once it begins. Now that the blueberries are at peak season in the north country, it's time to take advantage of their incredible flavor and health benefits. We eat them raw like candy, but also never miss an opportunity to cook with them, too.

 

Recently, my wife, Donna, cooked up a batch of melt-in-your-mouth blueberry muffins without the trans-fats and extra sugar you would find in store-bought or bakery products. And you know what? But for the egg and yogurt, they are vegan and even more delicious! We buy our farm-fresh eggs from the happy chicken guy down the road, but I digress. This is how easy it is to make award-winning healthy blueberry muffins.

 

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

A dash of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg

1 large egg white

2/3 cup or less light brown sugar

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups blueberries

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or use muffing cup liners.

 

Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in large bowl.

 

Whisk egg, egg white, and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Add yogurt, orange juice, oil and vanilla. Whisk until blended.

 

Make a well in dry ingredients; add wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

 

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake until golden brown and tops spring back when touched lightly, about 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

 

This recipe is quick and easy; try it and let us know what you think!

 

(Glenn Fay writes about vegetarian cooking and whittles small figurines from twigs.)