Bran Flax Muffins

Expectation: That the recipe on the bag wouldn't be anything to write home about.

Winning Recipe: Bran Flax Muffins

This recipe is an old favorite. Years ago, my mom and I bought some flaxseed meal because we had heard about it's health benefits, and wanted to see what we could do with it. So, we tried the recipe on the Bob's Red Mill bag, and were blown away! These muffins are fantastic. They are full of great things: two whole grains (including healthy flaxseed), carrots, apples, raisins and nuts! And they are a perfect on-the-go breakfast, as they are quite filling.

I can't take any credit for these, but I just had to post them. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white flour
3/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
2 apples, peeled and shredded (any consistency from chunks to applesauce will work)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup nuts, chopped (I use walnuts)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparations:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease muffin tins or line with paper baking cups; set aside. Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Yields 15 medium muffins.

Nutrition facts for one muffin:
178 calories
2.4g fat
37g carbohydrate
4g fiber
GI 90
GL 33

About the grains:

Flaxseed is a great source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The grain has a tough outer coating that must be crushed or ground in order to unlock the nutritional benefits, including large amounts of fiber as well as natural antioxidants. Flaxseed Meal is ground up flaxseed. It can be used in most recipes as a substitute for white flour, eggs (1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal plus three tablespoons of water = 1 egg), and oil or butter (3 tablespoons = 1 tablespoon of butter, margarine or oil). 

Oat Bran is the outer coating of oats, which contains the bulk of the soluble fiber and other nutrients. Oat bran is a good source of iron, potassium and thiamin. The carbohydrate content of oat bran is even lower than that of whole oats. It is a safe bet to substitute 1/3 of white or all-purpose flour with oat bran in many recipes. It can be found at most supermarkets, and it has a GI value of 55. 

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones

Expectation: To test a variety of different scone recipes with whole grain ingredients and find the best one!

Winner: Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones

I decided to begin with scones, so I found a recipe on Epicurius.com that looked like it might work well with some adjustments, and I was looking for a way to use some Meyer lemons that came in our veggie box. These scones were the winner because of their great lemon flavor and light texture. My dad said they were the best scones he had ever had (I think he's a little biased), and they were enjoyed by everyone who got to sample them.

I made these scones three different ways. The first time exactly as written (without whole grains), the second time with whole grain ingredient substitutions, and the third time with whole grain substitutions and possibly regular lemons (it turns out Meyer lemons are hard to find in grocery stores). We actually ended up grabbing a lemon that had fallen off our neighbors tree which we suspected might be a Meyer, because of it's orange-y smell and smoother skin, but I can't say for sure.

I chose oat bran over whole wheat flour because I was hoping to steer clear of the "whole wheat taste", and in fact - it worked! I also added some flaxseed meal for good measure. The only difference between the whole grain version and the regular was a slight texture, which I thought made them even more tasty.

I did a bunch of calculations and this is my best estimate of the nutrition facts for one scone:

153 calories
8g fat
18g carbohydrate
2g fiber
GI 56
GL 9

About the grains:

Oat Bran is the outer coating of oats, which contains the bulk of the soluble fiber and other nutrients. Oat bran is a good source of iron, potassium and thiamin.

The carbohydrate content of oat bran is even lower than that of whole oats. It has a GI value of 55.

It is a safe bet to substitute 1/3 of white or all-purpose flour with oat bran in recipes. It can be found at most supermarkets.

Flaxseed Meal is ground up flaxseed, which is a great source of omega-3s. Whole flaxseed has a tough outer coating, which makes it hard to digest the important nutrients. By grinding it into meal, you can digest the large amounts of fiber, as well as the natural antioxidants (called Lignans - two tablespoons of flaxseed has as much as 30 cups of fresh broccoli), and Alpha-linolenic Acid (the plant version of omega-3s).

I was unable to find the GI or GL value of flaxseed, but all the information out there points to a low one.

Flaxseed meal can be used in most recipes as a substitute for white flour (as I did above), eggs (1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal plus three tablespoons of water = 1 egg), and oil or butter (3 tablespoons = 1 tablespoon of butter, margarine or oil). I also like to sprinkle it on top of cereal, oatmeal and granola.