Blueberry Oat Muffins

So, this past summer I really got caught up with all of the delicious and beautiful blueberries that were available around here, and for a great price. Well, fast forward to December where I still have like 4 large freezer bags full of frozen blueberries! Figuring that I should probably use them up soon (...and realizing that you go through blueberries only so fast from making blueberry pancakes once a week...), I decided to make these low-fat blueberry oat muffins I had bookmarked the recipe for months ago. They were delicious! Not only do they have wonderful flavour, but with lots of blueberries in them the sweetness comes from the blueberries and not from loads of sugar. Go on, try them. Use up all your frozen blueberries. Of course they would be wonderful with fresh berries too :)

Low-Fat Blueberry Oat Muffins
Source: My Own Sweet Thyme
Makes 12 muffins

1 cup old-fashioned oats, uncooked (I actually used quick oats and they turned out great)
1 cup 1% buttermilk
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 cup flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Preheat oven to 400F; Lightly spray 12 muffins cups with cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine the oats and the buttermilk, and let sit for 10 minutes. After it has sat for 10 minutes, mix in the egg whites, butter and lemon peel, stirring until well blended.

3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt), mixing well.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the oats mixture, stirring until just moistened.

5. Gently fold in the blueberries.

6. Fill the muffin cups until nearly full, and bake about 20-25 minutes or until they just start to turn golden brown.

7. Cool in tins for about 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Delicious served warm or cold! Enjoy.

Baking Powder Tea Biscuits

You know, for the reward you get from something so simple, it's a wonder that I don't make these every week. The only take about 20 minutes or so from start to fully cooked, and are SO GOOD when they are done. I've tried these tea biscuits plain and they were delicious at that (particularly when they're hot out of the oven), but they are even better when you add extras to them! I've tried quite a few variations, and so it's pretty fun to adapt them depending on your mood, or whatever you're having that day. The ones I have pictured here have raisins in them, which was a complete home run with grandma - these ones go absolutely perfect as an afternoon snack with tea or coffee. For my husband and I, our favorite is when I make them to go with chili - in that case, instead of raisins I use grated cheddar cheese instead.

I have to admit, I did have a bit of a disastrous experience when I tried to make these with frozen blueberries. Don't do it. If you aren't going to listen to me, and are going to attempt these with frozen blueberries (or any fruit for that matter), do NOT let the berries thaw first - that's where I went wrong - keep them frozen or else they burst and make the batter much much too moist. Picture me standing in the kitchen with a gloppy mess, and grandma walking in, looking at me and just saying "what are you making??" Despite the mess, I cooked them anyways. Definitely not as pretty looking as the others, but they taste good still. So there.

So, go ahead and try them - it can't go worse than what I experienced.

Baking Powder Tea Biscuits

Source: Unknown (I got this recipe off a girlfriend, but don't know where she got the recipe from)

Yields 10-18 biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 cup milk (I used 1%)

(Optional - whatever addition you want to add such as a handful of raisins, cheddar cheese, or gasp! frozen blueberries)

1. Preheat oven to 450F degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a fork until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. **If you are going to add any extras such as raisins like I've done, now is the time to add them.

3. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add the milk. Once added, stir vigorously until the mixture comes free from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly for a couple of minutes.

4. Roll the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick, and cut dough into biscuits with a 2" biscuit cutter (or simply an overturned glass like I've used).

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Around here, they definitely taste best hot served straight from the oven, though you could let them cool on a cooling rack if they last that long. Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

I learned this summer that when you are introducing "Zucchini Bread" to some new and unsuspecting 20-something, that it's best not to call it just that. I know it tastes delicious... you know it tastes delicious... but the response I heard back was a polite "No thank you - We can't see how some bread that tastes like zucchini will taste good". After an equally polite, well forcing him to try at least one piece, he now sees the light and realizes just how good it is. Maybe I should call it "Super Moist and Delicious with the perfect amount of Spice, Raisin and Walnuts Bread"... um, maybe a bit too long, but it would sure market better with the teens and 20-something's.

Well, I'm not kidding. It's delicious. We loved it. AND, it passed the hardest test of all around here (well in my mind)... Gram fell in love with it. She had me make her 4 loaves last week to store in her freezer. I always say that if Grandma likes it, it must be good! I always make this bread in loaves, but you could also do equally delicious muffins - how perfect would that be for having readily portioned sizes to take with you to work as a breakfast or mid-day snack?

Zucchini Bread
Source: Smitten Kitchen

Makes 2 loaves

3 eggs

1 cup olive or vegetable oil (I've tried both in this recipe, and both work equally good)

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts + a few more to sprinkle on top

1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350F; Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.

2. I like nice moist raisins in my zucchini loaf. To help achieve this, place them in a bowl of warm water for a couple of minutes to plump up (this can sit while you're preparing the rest); set aside. You will drain the water before you add the raisins to the mix later.

3. In a large bowl, wisk the eggs. Once beaten, mix in the oil and sugar. Mix again, then add in the grated zucchini and the vanilla.

4. Combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the walnuts and the (fully drained) raisins.

5. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined (don't overmix!).

6. Equally divide the batter into the 2 loaf pans. For something a little bit extra, I sometimes sprinkle some of the chopped walnuts on top just before putting into the oven.

7. Bake for approximately 60 minutes, or until the tester comes out clean. If you were to do the muffins, they would bake much more quickly - probably 20 minutes or so. Enjoy your Super Moist and Delicious with the perfect amount of Spice, Raisin and Walnuts Bread!