Di-licious

From time to time I lose track of what's in the fruit bowl or vegetable crisper. Oranges go soft, beans sweat and grow fuzzy.... I feel guilty when I tos them into the compost. This morning I spied four forlorn apples languishing at the bottom of the bowl. Determined not to relegate them to the worms, I decided to turn them into muffins. There are a thousand or more muffin recipes out there and for me I prefer ones that use oil instead of butter. A dry muffin is a sad affair so you want to add moistness. In this case, yoghurt comes to the rescue. I also like my fruit to be soft in the muffin once its cooked so I actually pre-cook it in the microwave first. Just peel, dice, pop into a microwave safe container and cover with a lid or a folded piece of paper towel. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes until tender. You'll be amazed how much apple-ier they taste than had you used raw apple pieces. You could substitute the apple for chopped up plums or pears. RECIPE: Apple and...

"So what do you put in Olive's lunchbox?" my girlfriend asked me yesterday. It's something I get asked a lot. Generally its a small bread roll with vegemite or jam, a piece of fruit, maybe a cheese stick and something baked. Muffins make a regular appearance.  They're just so easy to whip up using whatever's lying around in the fruit bowl, pantry or freezer. Today's flavour combination came about from having some leftover almond meal from making Kransekake last week, the last of the bag of frozen berries and a container of cooked apple in the fridge. I've been cooking up apple a lot lately since Olive's teeth have gone wobbly. (The tooth fairy will be visiting again tonight.) Cooking it in the microwave is a breeze and means you have apple pieces as opposed to apple mush. Pop it in a container and throw in a spoon and your lunchbox is apple friendly again. Once the muffins are cool, wrap them up  in small freezer bags and toss the...

I'm not really a fan of quinoa. Like a lot of you, I jumped on the superfood bandwagon to see what all the fuss was about but when it came to the taste, I just went meh. I think it smells too, but maybe that's just me. Unsurprisingly I have quinoa flakes languishing in my pantry. Finding something I could 'hide' them in became a mission. Hello PQR (pear, quinoa & raspberry) muffins. Muffins are not only easy to make, they're also the perfect lunchbox treat because they are completely freezable. I've made a big batch these school holidays ready for the next school term. I prefer to make my muffins with wholemeal flour. That way there is absolutely no confusion with cupcakes (which to my mind a lot of those cafe bought-in muffins seem to be masquerading as). Teamed up with quinoa flakes and oats, they have real texture. Pear chunks, raspberries and a modest amount of brown sugar make them just sweet enough. And while they might sound healthy (and...

The pirate party is over and we're finally into the swing of the Xmas season here at Di-licious HQ. On Monday, Olive had her Kinder Xmas concert.  Fifty-five children dressed up in festive colours belted out the special songs they'd been secretly rehearsing in their bedrooms for past five weeks. Olive off to the kinder Xmas concert with a plate of little Di-licious Gingerbread men. This week I thought I'd offer up a suggestion to take along to a Xmas themed morning tea.  I'm on playgroup duty tomorrow with my darling friend Lisa and we've planned some gorgeous xmas crafts.  The duty roster also means we're in charge of morning tea so today I'm keeping it simple by baking up Nigella's Christmas Morning Muffins. Orange and cranberries scented with fresh nutmeg are a fabulous flavour combination that just shout Xmas. Muffins are quick to whip up (important at this time of year) and if you measure out the dry ingredients on Xmas eve, you could...

Dear Muffin, Oh how you must hate me for neglecting you so! I admit I was distracted by the winsome charms of the seductive cupcake and had almost forgotten all about you. Almost. If it were not for  Bill Granger's  cheeky smile leaping out at me from the pages of his Holiday cookbook, I might never have tasted your beautiful pear chunks and crunchy pecan crumble topping. Can you ever forgive me? Di x Recipe: Crunchy-Top Pear Muffins Recipe by Bill Granger, Holiday (2007) Makes 6 large or 12+ regular muffins Ingredients 1 cup plain flour 1/2 cup wholemeal plain flour 3 tsp baking powder 2 tsp cinnamon 1 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 1 cup low fat plain/greek yoghurt 1/2 cup grapeseed oil 1 pear, peeled and diced Crumble 40g pecan nuts, finely chopped 1/4 cup brown sugar Method Preheat oven to 180C.  Line muffin tray with paper cases. Sift the flours, baking powder and cinnamon into a la...