Carrot and Pineapple Breakfast Muffins or Carrot Cake

This is a relative of the Morning Glory Muffin, its lower sugar cousin.

Ingredients:
1/2 a cup of Splenda and 1/4 of a cup of sugar - or 3/4 of a cup of sugar.
1 cup of wholewheat flour
1 cup of plain flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
A pinch of salt
1/2 a cup of shredded coconut
3/4 of a cup of raisins, make sure they are not in clumps
1 cup of drained crushed pineapple { unsweetened for less sugar }
2 cups of grated carrots
1/2 a cup of coarsely chopped walnuts
3 eggs
1 cup of vegetable or canola oil or similar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence.
Sunflower seeds to sprinkle.

Heat oven to 350F or 180C.
Spray 12 muffin pan tray with Spray and Cook or a little oil or butter.

1. Put sugars, sifted flours {tip in the bran too} baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl

Add the coconut, raisins, pineapple, carrots and nuts - stir to mix

 2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, oil and vanilla
 3. Add this to the large bowl, quickly mix with a knife until all just dampened.
 4. Spoon mix into muffin tray to  the top of each compartment. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
 5. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.
 6. Dust with icing sugar when cool, if you can wait that long.

Great for breakfast on the run or with a cup of tea or coffee. These freeze well.

 You can also make this mixture into a delicious cake.
Ring tin on fan bake 150 for 35-40 minutes. Test by pressing  lightly.  If it springs back it is cooked. Ice with cream cheese icing   or an orange glace icing as below. Moist. Healthy.

Vacherin { or Concave Meringues }

Meringues that are topped with yoghurt and berries.  Makes 6.

These are  so easy to make it's almost a crime..

Vacherin:
2 egg whites
100g castor sugar.

1. Preheat oven to 130C
2. Put whites in a bowl
3. Whisk until peaks form
4. Whisk in sugar, 1 spoon a time - continue until all incorporated and stiff.
5. Spoon mix in 6 mounds onto baking paper- covered oven sheet.
6. With the back of the spoon press hollows into the meringues and swirl to make them roundish
7. Put tray into  the middle of the oven and reduce the temperature to 120C
8. Bake 50 minutes

Turn heat off and let them cool in the oven. However, these can be eaten while warm, topped with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a dollop of whipped cream {optional} and then topped with the warm berry sauce. Or they can be eaten cold as a summer dessert with a similar topping or fresh macerated fruit, strawberries and their juice for example.

Berry Sauce:

100g frozen berries, [ raspberries/ loganberries/ boysenberries ]

2 tablespoons water mixed with 2 teaspoons of cornflour

3 teaspoons of sugar or sweetener equivalent like Splenda or Stevia.

1. Simmer berries until they become pulped.
2. Add sweetener
3. Add water and cornflour mix
4. Simmer 2 minutes.

Use to top vacherin, ice cream, pancakes and so on.

P.S. The berry sauce should be tart and the yoghurt unsweetened to contrast nicely with the sweet vacherin.

Toasted Muesli/Granola - Much Better Than Bought

Home-made Muesli:  Half the price, not so sweet, very nutritious.

1. 3 Tablespoons oil - Canola/Sunflower/ Rice -bran - your choice. Warm this slightly to spread over the bottom of a roasting pan or dish Approx 35cm x 23cm or 9 by 12 inches.
2. Add 4 cups of wholegrain oats
3. 1 Tablespoon molasses
4. 1 Tablespoon of honey or you could add 2 of either one
5. 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
6. 3/4 cup shredded, not desiccated, coconut
7. 3/4 cup raw slivered almonds, not flaked as these are too thin. You could add any chopped nuts to your liking - but not already toasted or too finely chopped.
8. Stir to mix very well. Stir twice during baking.
9. Bake in a 160C oven /325F for 15 minutes. Then add pumpkin seeds or sesame or linseeds if you like. Stir.
10. Bake a further 10 minutes.
11. Remove when everything is golden.
12. Leave to cool COMPLETELY.

Add 1 cup of dried fruit for e.g. scissor chopped apricots/prunes/dates. Or sultanas or raisins. Not currants as they are too small . If you add the fruit before the mix is cold the fruit dries and becomes very hard and husbands won't eat it! Don't cut the fruit too small for the same reason.

This granola can be bulked out by adding crushed wholewheat breakfast bars like weetbix.

Top with fresh  or stewed  fruit and plain yoghurt. Sprinkle with cinnamon if you like or add it to the granola mix for extra health benefits. Fit for royalty like you.