136 sweet healthy Recipes

muffin pans, a special metal baking pan , sometimes referred to as a muffin tin, with 6 or 12 cup-shaped depressions. most often this pan is made from aluminum., muffin cups are, standard muffin cup is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter., giant or texas-size muffin cup is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 5/8 cup batter., muffin cup is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and holds 1/8 cup or 2 tbsp batter., muffin-top cup is about 4 inches in diameter but are only 1/2 inch deep ., substituting a different size muffin cup, substitute another size muffin cup for original size listed in recipe. if substituting a larger size muffin cup the recipe will yield fewer muffins and if using smaller size muffin cup the recipe will yield more muffins. the bake time will be changed also. bake a larger muffin longer than the original time and smaller muffins a shorter time., tips on baking muffins, grease muffin cups by spraying each cup with no stick cooking spray or using a paper towel dipped in shortening to grease each cup., use paper liners in muffin cups for easy clean-up., if muffin cups are filled more than 3/4 full the muffins will have flat, flying saucer tops. if sufficient room is not allowed for muffins to expand before reaching the top of the cup the muffin will flatten on top., if some muffin cups will remain empty during baking , put 2 to 3 tbsp water in the unused muffin cups to keep the pan from warping., if baked muffins stick to the bottom of the muffin cup, place hot muffin pan on a wet towel for about two minutes., source : land o lakes, all about muffins, are you eating muffins or cupcakes, hot breads are always a hit and muffins are 1 of the easiest to make. they are more quickly and easily made than biscuits and no kneading, rolling or cutting is required. they can be a savory, last minute dinner muffin or a sweet delicious breakfast muffin. made using whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, bran, honey, fruits and nuts they can be very nutritious. but like the healthy granola craze which turned into candy bars, muffins also can quickly turn into cupcakes. eating cupcakes for breakfast is your choice, but don tsp tell yourself you are eating healthy breakfast muffins. a recent magazine article revealed some muffins available in new york delicatessens were claimed to be low fat, but actually contained up to 23 g of fat. that s more fat than two egg mcmuffins., what is the difference between muffins and cupcakes, some say cupcakes have frosting. a basic formula for muffins is 2 cups flour, 2-4 tbsp sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cup oil, shortening or butter, 1 cup milk. when the fat, sugar and egg ratio in a recipe reaches double or more than this, you have reached the cake level., other technical difference between muffins and cupcakes, method of cooking is different for muffins and cupcakes. the muffin method is by far the fastest and easiest. flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (all the dry ingredients) are mixed together. this is where the leavening can be uniformly dispersed into the flour. sugar is mixed with the flour to prevent the flour from lumping when combined with the wet ingredients., making and baking muffins, in a large bowl, oil (or melted butter) and egg are beaten together to form an emulsion to disperse the fat more uniformly. then the milk is stirred in. this much mixing can be done ahead and held. the two are combined just before baking., combine, cut and fold liquid into the dry ingredients. mix only to combine. batter will be lumpy but no pockets of dry ingredients should remain. the general rule is only 12 strokes., bake as soon as it s mixed. when filling cups, do not mix batter between scoops. excessive mixing causes loss of leavening., cake method for making muffins, sometimes muffins are made using the cake method , i.e. cream the fat and sugar, add eggs, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately. this is more time consuming but produces a lighter, more tender, cake-like muffin., perfect muffin, perfect muffin has a thin brown crust , a slightly rounded top with a pebbled appearance and a moist, even interior. there should be no peaks, no tunnels which are usually caused by excessive mixing and too much liquid (muffin batter should not be fluid)., more leavening is not better, just because a recipe is in print does not mean that it is in balance. a guide for leavening 2 cups of flour in a recipe is either 2 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder, or 4 tsp fast acting baking powder, or 1/2 tsp soda plus 1 cup buttermilk (for the acid) and 1 1/4 tsp baking powder. excess baking powder and soda taste bitter., here are a few tips for altering muffin recipes, substitute 2 egg whites for 1 egg in the recipe. if these are stiffly beaten and folded in at the end it will produce a lighter muffin with less fat., use non-fat milk instead of whole milk ., use salad oil in place of butter. in place of the fat in the recipe , use 1-fourth of the oil and replace the other three-fourths with fruit puree such as applesauce. jars of baby food fruits provide a quick choice of purees other than apple. adding non-gluten grain products (bran, germ, oatmeal, corn meal) for part of the flour makes a more tender muffin., create your own taste sensations, begin with the basic formula and change 1/2 cup of the flour to corn meal, bran, wheat germ, rye, oatmeal or leftover cooked cereal. add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped apple, dates, prunes, raisins, apricots, figs, blueberries, cranberries, cheese, nuts., make your favorite muffin mixes by measuring the dry ingredients twice (or more ) into two separate bowls. use 1 and package 1 with the list of wet ingredients to be added when mixing at a later date.

butter , melted gently in the microwave, vegetable oil (canola, corn, whatever. even light olive oil works well & is very healthy), brown sugar (packed), real vanilla extract, milk, egg, white whole wheat flour (such as king arthur-this makes for a much better cookie than just plain whole wheat flour), all-purpose white flour, salt, baking soda, semi-sweet chocolate chips (i use ghirardelli, they taste richer), oats (old-fashioned or quick, or 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or if you wish for neither add more chocola)

vegetable oil cooking spray, sweet potato (peeled and cubed ), onion (chopped ), red bell pepper (chopped ), garlic clove (minced ), jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced ), cooked chicken breast, chopped, salsa, ground cumin, chicken broth, healthy choice low-fat low-sodium chicken and rice soup (undiluted), black beans (drained ), peanut butter

butter, softened, brown sugar , packed, egg, orange zest, orange juice, buttermilk baking mix (i use healthy heart bisquick), walnuts, chopped, semi-sweet chocolate chips

skim milk, egg, tblsp margarine, carrots, grated, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, brown sugar, flour

corn, black beans, plain nonfat yogurt, chicken breasts, peach pineapple chipotle salsa, a bunch cilantro, brown rice

nasoya extra firm tofu, red bell peppers , roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped (1 cup), garlic clove, minced, lemon juice, olive oil, white pepper, basil

italian plums (damsons), cream cheese (light is fine ), blue grapes (not too big ), sunflower seeds, green pumpkin seeds, toothpick

garbanzo beans, kidney beans, tomato sauce, plain, tomato paste, vegetarian broth or 4 cups stock, onion (minced ), red pepper (chopped ), yellow pepper (chopped ), green pepper (chopped ), jalapeno peppers (minced ), cumin powder, chipotle pepper seasoning, garlic powder, minced garlic, fennel seed, green onion (finely chopped ), honey, canola oil, chili powder

olive oil, sweet onions, diced, garlic, minced, stalks celery, diced, carrots , sliced into thin coins or half moons, sweet potato, peeled and diced, dry white wine, diced tomatoes in juice (or 1-2 large fresh diced tomatoes), low-sodium vegetable broth, bay leaf, dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, dried rosemary, ancho chili powder, chopped fresh green beans (about 2 cups), black soybeans, drained and rinsed (or black beans, also very high in anthocyanins), fresh baby spinach, catelli healthy harvest flax omega-3 rotini (or your favourite multigrain or gluten free rotini), zest of 1/2 lemon, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste

cubed peeled sweet potato, chopped onion, diced red bell pepper, garlic cloves, minced, jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, chopped cooked chicken breast (about 8 oz), bottled salsa, ground cumin, fat-free , less-sodium chicken broth, healthy choice chicken with rice soup or any less-sodium chicken-and-rice soup, undiluted, black beans, drained, creamy peanut butter

lemon juice, garlic cloves, minced, ground cumin, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper (a healthy pinch!), salt, extra virgin olive oil, minced fresh cilantro

evoo, smoky bacon, finely chopped, ground beef chuck (fattier) or sirloin (leaner), worcestershire sauce , eyeball it, ancho chile powder or chili powder blend, a couple of palmfuls, unsweetened cocoa powder, smoked sweet paprika , a palmful, dried oregano , lightly crushed in palm, about 1/2 a palmful, allspice , 1/3 palmful, ground cinnamon , eyeball the amount in your palm, garlic, finely chopped, jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped, onion, finely chopped, healthy pinch ground cloves, tomato paste, beef stock, plus extra for reheat, fire roasted crushed or diced tomatoes, red kidney beans, drained, tomato sauce, salt, bucatini or spaghetti, finley chopped raw white, red or green onions, shredded cheddar, grated parmigiano-reggiano, pickled jalapeno slices, chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

salad, cooked, diced chicken (or turkey if you prefer), melon (with orange flesh, scooped into balls with a baller), seedless green or red grapes (cut in half ), red apple (unpeeled , core and seeds removed and cut into small cubes), walnuts (finely chopped ), celery (finely chopped ), scallions (finely chopped ), red pepper (finely chopped ), vinaigrette, miracle whip salad dressing (regular or light version), yogurt (white or nature style), fresh lemon juice, powdered yellow curry, salt, pepper to taste.