Recipe - Keto Fresh Orange Cranberry Muffin Recipe

After a VERY long break, we're back!  We're re-dedicating this blog to all mommy related things - minus the bra making track.  Bra making related makes now has its own dedicated blog.

We had an overabundance of fresh navel oranges and a need for breakfast items.  Remembering that I had once made some yummy Orange Cranberry muffins using a WHOLE orange (skin and all), I decided to pull it out again.  This recipe was particularly memorable not because it was delicious but incredibly scary!  An entire orange! WITH SKIN!

It had been quite a number of years since I've made this recipe but I decided to try to make this keto (as most of my breakfast items are these days).  Since I was already making adjustments, I went ahead and dialed back the sugar level and upped the protein.

KETO FRESH ORANGE CRANBERRY MUFFIN RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

 

• 1 LG navel orange, about 12 oz / 340 g, preferably organic
• ▢4 LG eggs
• ▢½ CUP Greek yogurt
• ▢
• ▢¼ CUP sugar (we like Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener)
• ▢1 TSP almond extract
• ▢6½ TBS coconut flour
• 5 TBS almond flour (a bit more if you like a denser muffin)
• 4 TBS Protein Powder (we like Standard Process Vanilla)
• ▢½ TBS baking powder
• ▢½ TSP baking soda
• ▢pinch of salt
• ▢½ cup dried cranberry, roughly chopped
• ▢4 TBSP coconut oil, melted

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C)
• Wash orange and trim of about 1⁄2 inch (1.2 cm) off two ends.
• Cut the orange into 8 pieces (remove any seeds) and put in the blender.
• Add eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, sugar and almond extract in the blender and blend until smooth.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a mixing bowl.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.  No need to baby it as there's no flour and no gluten to develop.
• Add dried cranberries (save a small handful for sprinkling on top) and melted butter in the mixing bowl and fold in with a spatula.
• Divide the batter into 24 mini muffin cups, top with cranberry (if desired) and bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Wait for 3 minutes and move the muffins to a cooling rack, let it cool for 10 minutes before eating.

This makes a very light and fluffy muffin with plenty of sweetness and orange flavor.  We make quite a few keto friendly baked goods and this was on where the kids asked for more.

Here is the original recipe: https://cookinginchinglish.com/orange-muffin/

Recipe - Sweet Rye Bread

In all the years I've owned our Vitamix blender, I've had a variety of uses for the multipurpose tool: muffins, pao de queijo,  blending soups, nut butters, Nutella, ice cream, apple sauce and powdered sugar.  While I've ground my fair share of almond meal for baking, I've never actually used it on grains for flour.  Its been in the back of my mind for some time - freshly milled grains for fresh baked bread. I've heard it also tastes much better as "wheat flour loses 40% of its vitamin content in the first 24 hours after milling and 85-90% after 2-3 more days" [source1] and [source2].  In essence, freshly milled grains taste better and are better for you.  Enough said.

After purchasing some Rye Berries on whim (it was on sale!) I decided on this recipe: Sweet Rye Bread based on the fact I had all the ingredients on hand.  I had to make some minor changes (molasses instead of sorghum syrup and store bought wheat flour) but delicious all the same.  

As for the milling itself - it was pretty simple.  I used the Vitamix dry container and dumped a cup in at a time.  I wasn't sure about the volume as how much you can pour into the container often depends on the oil and hardness of the ingredient (in general, less for nuts, more for grains and even more for sugar.) but one cup seemed to work well for the rye. Remember one cup of grains makes a little more than a cup of flour.  I did not sift and in hindsight, that may have been a good idea (perhaps I should have researched milling a bit more before jumping in!).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of oil (or melted butter)
• 1/2 cup sorghum syrup
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups rye flour
• 2 to 3 cups unbleached all purpose or wheat

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the water, yeast, and sweetener- give a quick stir and let sit until yeast becomes active, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in oil, sorghum, salt, and rye flour. Start bread with the dough hook.
3. Add 1/2 cup of all purpose flour and continue to slowly add flour (1-2 tablespoons at a time) until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Let run for 8-10 minutes. This will give you time to adjust flour and let the dough knead. Remember- you can always add flour but you can’t always take it away. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Cover with a damp towel and set aside to rise for 1to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Once the first rise is over, knead a couple of times into the form of a log. Place in an oiled bread pan, cover again and set aside for about 1 hour. With 30 minutes left, pre-heat your oven to 350˚ F.
5. Once the loaf has risen the second time, place in oven. (if you have a bottle of water, mist the bottom of your oven a couple of times to get some steam going.) Shut the oven door and let bake for 20 minutes. Cover with a brown paper bag and continue to bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread should have a golden crust and sound hollow when you tap on the bottom. Remove bread from pan and let cool before slicing.

by Erin Alderson

Momofuku Crack Pie Recipe

After a recent French Macaron Order, I was left with 10 (count them, TEN) egg yolks. [Get a glimpse of what I made here.]  I normally try to use them in in a delectable French Buttercream or delicious Japanese style pudding (aka Flan) but neither recipes would use up anywhere near 10 yolks (unless I made double or triple batches!!).  So after a quick Google search, I came upon the Momofuku Crack Pie.  Never having been to the Momofuku Milk Bar in which the pie originates but I've had a friends version one Thanksgiving - and remember going back for seconds.  Who are we kidding - it was thirds...  They don't call it Crack Pie for nothing!

LINK to recipe here.

Make no mistake, this is not quick bake by any means.  AND.... This is about as healthy as deep fried butter rolled in bacon bits and topped with Vanilla Ice Cream.  BUT oh man, is it delicious. The Momofuku Crack Pie seems to be on the same wavelength as Chess Pie - on crack.  [pun intended!]  So save yourself the $50 or so and spend a few hours making your own.

Look at that ooey gooey goodness on the inside!  An entire GIANT oatmeal cookie as the crust, lots of brown sugar and butter = total awesomeness.  Oh, did I mention the recipe makes TWO pies?  One to keep and one as gift - be the office hero.  They will be begging for more.  Promise.