Eggless and Sugar-Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins

It's that time of the year that supermarkets are filled with fresh and seasonal dates for the fasting month which is just around the corner.  Besides enjoying the wonderful sweetness these dates offer, I stumbled on a blueberry muffin recipe by cHowDivine that which is gluten-free, egg-free and sugar-free. After glancing through the recipe, my heart started humming a song of joy as this is a super easy, guilt-free recipe.  

I had a quick check at my pantry and kitchen to source for the ingredients which fortunately I had all of them, except the fresh blueberries.  Instead of rushing to the fruit stall to get them, I turned to the frozen blueberries which have been silently sitting in the freezer.

Words can't really describe how easy it is to make this.  All in all, it took me less than 30 minutes to pull things together.  The only thing that may be technical is that you need to use a blender or food processor to make an apple-date puree to replace the sugar in this recipe. The puree tastes so good that you can even spread it on a slice of toast and it's heavenly!

To up the level of wholesomeness, I used whole wheat flour instead of white.  It's definitely more dense but if you make them in small batches and consume them within 2 days, they don't dry up as much.  However, feel free to use regular flour, as you wish.  

Personally, the biggest challenge is to resist the temptation of eating the muffins before they are completely cooled.  It tastes even better on the next day for breakfast and the bonus for me is that my son loves to eat it warmed with butter.  He called it "cake", too cute!  

Here's the recipe, enjoy baking and bon appétit!

Eggless and Sugar-Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Makes 6 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup        flour (I used whole wheat flour)
½ tsp        baking soda
1 tsp         baking powder
¼ tsp        salt
8               dates, de-seeded

½              apple (use the sweet variety like NZ rose or 马蹄苹果), peeled and chopped

1/3 cup     virgin coconut oil
½ cup       milk
1½  tbsps flax seeds, roughly grounded

1 tbsp       lemon juice & 

1-2 tsp      lemon zest
½  cup      fresh/frozen blueberries
¼  cup      sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

1.    Preheat the oven at 200°C, line the muffin pan with cupcake/muffin cups. In a blender or food processor, pulse the dates, chopped apple and virgin coconut oil until they become runny smooth puree (like watery porridge), set aside.

2.    In a mixing bowl, add milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and flax seeds to mix well.

3.    In a different bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients--flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in step 2 and mix until the ingredients are just combined (do not overmix it).

4.    Add the blueberries and almond slices, stir gently. Using a spoon or ice-cream or batter scoop, divide the batter into 6 muffins cups/liners. If you prefer, sprinkle some raw almond slices on top.

Bake at the center rack for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the muffin pan midway to ensure even baking. Remove from oven and allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tin for about 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack and allow the muffins to cool completely.

  

To store the muffins, keep them in air-tight containers outside within 24 hours, after that the muffins must be stored in the refrigerator and steam or bake just before serving.  I wouldn't keep them for more than 3 days.  

Hakka Thunder Tea Rice
serves 4

I tried this exquisite Hakka dish many many years ago and have been addicted to its distinctive taste since.

When I was in KL, it was difficult to come by a really good an authentic Hakka thunder tea rice but now that I am in Johor Bahru, I can get really decent thunder tea rice at almost any food stall.  And I am very fortunate to be able to get my fix from a local vegetarian restaurant on weekly basis.   One of the many blessings of living in JB.

The key to a very good thunder tea rice is the soup.  To make the soup paste, one needs a special mortar and a guava-tree stick, otherwise a blender or food processor will do all the work.

Bon appétit!

 
Ingredients (for soup paste)

4 bundles of fresh basil (available at wet market)
2 bundles of peppermint leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 cup lightly roasted sesame seeds
2 cups lightly roasted peanuts
 salt

Accompanied with
garlic stir-fry with:
pucuk manis, de-stalked
long beans, finely chopped
cabbage, finely shredded 
fried firm tofu (tau-kua)
fried peanuts
preserved radish (chai poh)


Method:
1. To make the paste, grind all ingredients in a blender until all mixed thoroughly, add some water if the paste is too dry or thick.
2. Season with salt.
3. Add hot water to the paste make it into soup.
4. Serve with stir-fry veggies, tofu, peanuts, preserved radish and hot rice (brown rice preferred).

Ahhh... another satisfying Hakka meal!

Sour Cream, Chive & Cheddar Cheese Bread

To say I love cheese is an understatement. I don't know since when I've fallen in love with formage and this relationship is definitely not going anywhere but getting stronger.

I often have eyebrow-raising facial expression whenever I come across a good, wholesome recipe that uses generous amount of cheese in bread, like this one.

I've modified the recipe to satisfy the palatte of cheesemania such as myself. So I quickly shop for the finest and freshest ingredients I can get on hands to bake this sour cream, chive abd cheddar cheese bread. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 packet (11 g) dry yeast
2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup hot water
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic wholemeal bread flour
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1 cup or 200g premium cheddar cheese (I love Cracker Barrel or Emborg), cubed
2 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup permasen cheese, grated (to coat the crust)


Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven at 170 degree Celsius.
2. In a heat-proof glass, stir in the the honey with hot water, then mix the dry yeast. Let stand for 2 minutes to foam.
3. In a mixing bowl, add sour cream, eggs, salt and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and beat until combined.
4. Stir in the remaining flour (both wholemeal and all purpose flours) and slowly mix until the dough comes to a moist and sticky consistency.
5. Add the cheese cubes and fresh chives into the dough until they are evenly mixed. Then, stir in the pepper.
6. Slowly pour the dough into a greased 10-inch round bread pan and let the it rise till it doubles in size (about one hour).
7. Use beaten egg or melted butter to coat the top with permasen shreds.
8. Bake for 25 ~ 30 minutes or until the crust turns golden in colour.
9. Cool for 15 minutes before removing the bread from the pan to the rack.


One of the greatest perks of baking is that the aroma always permeates the room... this one will linger for hours.

I love using fresh and premium quality ingredients to cook. Yes, they can hike up the costs by a landslide, but the end result worths every single penny you pay.
Love the permasen coated crust, it's so sinfully good!!!

After taking the photos of this bread, I just couldn't wait to sample the first bite of this freshly-baked babe. I tell you... it was a WOW moment!After taking the photos of the full loaf, I can't wait to showcase the "inner beauty" of this bread. Did you see the mouth-watering cheddar cheese pockets? Hmmm... there are no words.


This is one of those super delicious and cheesy bread specially designed for cheese lovers. Did I mention that this is a super easy no-knead bread?

Ultra-Moist Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins

I always feel that my weekend is not complete without any form of baking. And fortunately, I found this unique pumpkin zucchini bread recipe which I modified and turned into a wholesome muffin recipe.

They are perfect breakfast muffins to feast the hungry tummy in the morning. It yields 18 medium size ultra-moist muffins! This is also a perfect way of sneaking veggies into the diet of picky-eating toddlers and adults.


Ingredients:
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup organic pumpkin, mashed
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups self-rising flour, sifted
1/2 cup bran
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup dried black currants
1 cup fresh zucchini, shredded
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven at 170 degrees C.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar.
3. Add pumpkin, butter and vanilla extract.
4. Combine dry ingredients and spices, then add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
5. Fold in zucchini, dried black currants and nuts.
6. Fill the batter into souffle cups and bake for 25-30 minutes or until test done.
7. Let cool and remove the muffins to a wire rack.


When you try this recipe, be sure to sit back and enjoy the tantalizing aroma of the freshly-baked muffins. Frankly, it's quite addictive!

I baked these muffins yesterday, and 2/3 of them are already GONE...

Guacamole (Mexican Avocado Dip)

This is my all-time favorite Mexican dip that I make from time to time (or whenever I can buy good Haas avocados). It is a perfect complement to chips and quesadilla (qua-se-dia). Since Australian avocados are in season now and I got four for RM10 at the night market so I decided to make guacamole.

Key ingredients for the dip--Haas avocados, lime, garlic, shallot and green chilli. I cannot get serano or jalepeno chillies in Malaysia, I decided to substitute with green chillies.

Did I mention how super easy it is to make this dip?

Ingredients:

2 riped Haas avocados (cubed)

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 minced shallot

1 jalapeno or green chili (de-seeded and chopped finely)

1 tbsp lime juice

some salt

½ tsp lime zest (for the extra kick)

some coriander leaves (chopped finely)

1. Mix the garlic, shallot, chili, lime juice and lime rind together in a bowl.

2. Stir in the avocado cubes and mix well

3. Season with salt and toss the coriander leaves

Refreshing Summer Salad

Beat the heat of summer with this salad... a truly refreshing treat. For sinful indulgence, toss in avocado cubes or chopped pecans.


Ingredients
2 heads baby romaine lettuce (torn into pieces)
8 cherry tomatoes (cut into halves)
1 oranges (cut into wedges)
1/4 cup craisin or dried cranberry

Cranberry orange vinaigrette
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp balsamaic vinegar
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp cranberry jam
1 tsp orange juice
1 tsp orange rind (for the extra kick)

1. Toss the first four ingredients in a large salad bowl

2. The vinaigrette can be prepared one day ahead, just whisk together the Dijon mustard, vinegar, cranberry jam and orange juice until blended. Slowly drizzle in oil and mix until emulsified and add in the orange rind just before serving.

This recipes yields 4 servings