Tuesday, July 21, 2009

What's Cooking Wednesday - Blueberry/Lemon/Cornmeal Muffins



It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a woman (or man) lounging about on a lazy summer afternoon must be in want of a good book, lovely sunshine and some fine refreshment.*



And so I found myself, back from vacation, ready to embrace the pleasures of Ann Arbor summer. I was also in "want" of returning to healthy eating, after a week of cruise ship cuisine (the less said about that, the better).

After about 10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking time, I was ready to move out to the porch with Shannon Hale's Austenland, my muffin and a cold glass of lemonade.

*apologies to Jane Austen

A2eatwrite's Blueberry/Lemon/Cornmeal Muffins



Ingredients:

2 cups blueberries, preferably fresh
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 cup ww pastry flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
zest from one small lemon
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon extract
lemon juice from half a small lemon
1 tsp granulated sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Spray a 12-muffin pan with cooking spray or an oil atomizer.

3. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients, through the lemon zest.

4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, then whisk in the buttermilk, the lemon juice and the lemon extract.

5. Blend the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, being careful not to over stir.

6. Stir in the washed blueberries.

7. Using a melon baller or other scoop, fill the muffin pan openings as completely as possible.

8. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown on top.

9. Cool in pan on wire rack for 3 or so minutes, then remove, loosening muffins with butter knife, and continue to cool on rack out of the pan.


Nutritional Info

* Servings Per Recipe: 12
* Amount Per Serving
* Calories: 102.2
* Total Fat: 1.5 g
* Cholesterol: 38.0 mg
* Sodium: 141.7 mg
* Total Carbs: 20.6 g
* Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
* Protein: 3.9 g

As always, nutrition info supplied by the recipe calculator function at Sparkrecipes.com.

Please go to The Fairy Blogmother for more What's Cooking Wednesday participants.

THE MISSING INK CONTEST WINNER!

THE MISSING INK contest winner was Momisodes, as selected by the Random.org. Momisodes, please drop me an e-mail at jenshaines at gmail dot com and send me your information so I can get this wonderful book to you!

27 comments:

Dingo said...

Have you seen Lost in Austen? It's the perfect thing to watch while eating these yummy muffins.

Jen said...

No, I haven't seen it, Dingo - it definitely sounds like something I'd like. I'm definitely an Austen fanatic.

Korie said...

Okay, maybe I'm stupid, but where's the cornmeal part?

Brian Miller said...

you had me at the first line...to be in the swing between the trees witha book and some lemonade...and ok i'll take a muffin too. smiles.

Jen said...

Ack - Lilac! So glad you caught that - I subbed 1/2 cup of cornmeal for a 1/2 cup of the oat bran. Fixing it now!

Brian - definitely what summer is made for.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What delicious looking and sounding muffins! I love anything cornmealy, lemony and with berries...

Cheers,

Rosa

anno said...

Mmmm... I love these muffins. Sounds like I might need to try out some of your reading material as well!

hotmamamia said...

I am so going to make this recipe---it has all of the things that I LOVE...first I need to lose my 50 pounds before I get into carbs again...but then again, I may make this after the first 10 just to reward myself! YUM ;-P

Jen said...

Rosa - me, too - I just love that combination.

Anno - yes, I think you'd enjoy the reading as well.

Hotmama - the great thing about these is that they really aren't high in calories and they're high in fiber and protein. There's not that much sugar - unless you're on a no carb diet. I make these BECAUSE I can have them and they're delicious.

Jeanie said...

BLueberries and lemon. I'm in love.

Jen said...

I feel the same way, Jeanie!

Thistlemoon said...

Those are certainly some yummy looking muffins, Jen! I love the combination of lemon and blueberries!

Unknown said...

These look wonderful. And thank you for the blog rec. FYI, all you magazine is only available at walmart (they got in touch with me and sent me copies. had never heard of them before).

And thank you for all your wonderful comments. I hope you had a great vacation!!

Acedog said...

I'll forward my address and you can send me a dozen! :)

Anonymous said...

Yummy sounding...I've just gotten some fresh Michigan blueberries too.

I just read The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen...that was a fun read!

Momisodes said...

THANK YOU so much! I'm so excited to chosen. I really look forward to reading this book.

As for the recipe. I'm a little bummed. I had a ton of blueberries this week and had to bake them before leaving for Chicago. I ended up making a crumble yesterday, and it fell short on flavor. I thought it could use some lemon.

I should have tried this! :)

Jen said...

Jenn - me, too - putting the lemon extract, zest and lemon juice together was just right.

City Girl - I did! I came back recharged and ready to go. Well, now I know why I haven't heard of it. Thanks for the info. ;-)

Go right ahead, Acedog - they might be soggy by the time they reached you, though.

Becca - what was that about? I'm just too much of a Jane Austen fan - I'm kind of pathetic that way.

Momisodes - blueberry season is for a few weeks yet. Maybe you can try when you get back? Have a fabulous time at Blogher!

Anonymous said...

Yum, Jennifer, I'll have to try these. I loved the P & P reference, especially since I'm re-reading it in preparation for September (which is coming, a little too quickly). I have to check out Lost in Austen, too, since I feel that I am right now. -Jennifer M in Livonia

Jen said...

Hey Jennifer! We need to get together, too. It's actually Austenland. There may be another Lost in Austen book, as well. There are many who've been inspired by Miss Jane. (And by Colin Firth, apparently).

Ivy said...

Wow, these look so good. Pity blueberries are hard to get in Athens.

glamah16 said...

Yeah I would be skeptical of those buffets and such on cruise ships.

Jen said...

Ivy - I wonder if you could substitute mulberries? What sorts of similar fruits do you have in Greece?

Glamah - no kidding. It was an interesting experience.

Anonymous said...

bookmarking! This was exactly the kind of muffins I was craving...all my fav ingredients! I esp love the bluberries and cornmeal in there!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

An excellent way to get back to healthy eating.

Jen said...

Thanks, Burpandslurp - I hope you enjoy them!

I agree, Val - I've decided that the more I make from scratch, the healthier my eating tends to be.

Goofball said...

muffins in hot weather? Not quite a combination I'd make (I'd go for juicy peaches or melon or so), even if it is a lemon type one. I'd link muffins with breakfast, late night snacks near the fireplace etc.

but then in general I am not a muffin/baking fan in general. Those are generally too sweet, too heavy and only make me thirsty.

So I am always interested in baking that contains lemon or other refreshing elements!

Jen said...

Goofball - these tend not to be very sweet - most of the sugar is in the blueberries. I agree with you about very sweet things and hot weather.