Muffins with the Main

A common misconception: muffins are only eaten for dessert. If I may, I would like to suggest an alternative. Muffins do not have to be sweet, and they do not have to have cups and cups of sugar. Personally, I find it to be an interesting and fun twist to the main course. So this week, I opted for cranberry orange muffins to complement the prune chicken, mushrooms-greenbeans, and white rice.

First and foremost, I implore you to use FRESH orange juice. It's so simple, and so much less artificial. And trust me, you can taste it in the final product. When you can, you should ALWAYS use fresh ingredients, be it vegetables, fruits, or juice.

But back to the recipe...

2 C gluten-free flour (I used brown rice flour), 1/2 C almond flour (delicious with the cranberries, as you can imagine), only half a cup of sugar, 1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder, 2.5 tsp baking powder, 1 C orange juice, 2 eggs, 1/4 C oil, 1 C cranberries (recipe calls for dried cranberries, I used fresh... it's up to you).

When you see a recipe like this, you feel immediately that something rings right. There are no enormous quantities, no bizarre ingredients, no ridiculous amount of sugar... It looks reasonable, and the ingredients feel right. The fun of this recipe is that you need not get too busy with it: simply mix the dry ingredients together, and then toss in the wet ones. At the end, throw in the cranberries, and there you go!

Bake them in the 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or so, until the top is golden-brown. For those who like it to be a bit more sweet (since the cranberries are definitely a sour touch), you can make a glaze. Simply boil some sugar with water or juice, let it thicken a bit, and pour over the muffins.

This recipe made 24 scrumptious cupcakes.

Muffins are fun. They're pretty. And they're delicious!

Happy eatings!