Salmon and Goats Cheese Muffins

I know sweet muffins are popular. Blueberries, or a white chocolate with raspberries always tend to hit the spot. There are times though, that I do prefer savoury muffins.

You may recall that my husband wakes up early for work. He sacrifices sleep so that he can spend time with us. Well, actually more with Asher as I usually pop to the gym for an hour (including travel time). This was one of my freezer/fridge friendly recipes as he could warm it up in the microwave as he prepares to go to work.

I do like the combination of Salmon and goats cheese. That many amount of eggs means I know my husband is getting enough protein. Goats cheese lifts this muffins up for sure. I like adding some goats cheese to freshly roasted vegetables and in salads. They are pretty expensive though and lucky for us, a little goes a long way.

For me, knowing that my husband is nourished and have a good start to the day makes me happy.

Salmon and Goats Cheese Muffins (mades around 10)
1/2 cup of almond flour
1/3 cup of coconut flour
1 carrot shredded
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder

6 eggs
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

60 grams of smoked salmon
30 grams of goats cheese crumbed

Prepare muffin cups and tray. Preheat oven to 180C.

In a bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. In a jug, mix wet ingredients. Pour wet to dry and fold through. Fold salmon and goats cheese through. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

OMGPaleo's Berries and Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting

I'm so excited! I'm hosting a baby shower for a dear friend and I'm in charge of... FOOD! The best thing is, she loves clean eating and wants me to create a menu of paleo/clean eating food for herself and guests.

Cooking for a party of 20+ people means I have to cater to different dietary requirements. But I think the most nerve wrecking thing is whether or not people will keep an open mind when they see the food. Savoury- I'm not too concerned.  Sweets however, the texture and taste is different from normal bakes. Especially because my tastebuds has changed and I'm used to very little sugar if not none now.

I tried these blueberry lemon mini cakes and YUP! They are going on the menu. I did a few changes but I really believe they are out of these world. The frosting especially is so easy to make and just provide a richness to the cakes.

Also, don't you think they look pretty?

OMGPaleo's Berries and Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting (I made 14)
1/2 cup coconut flour
5 eggs
1/3 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoon of raw honey
2 tsp vanilla paste
2 lemons- juice and zest
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of frozen berries
pinch of salt

Frosting
1/2 cup of coconut butter
2 tablespoon of water
juice of another lemon
1 tablespoon of honey

Line muffin tins with paper or if you are like me, just use little cupcake wrappers on a cookie baking tray.

Preheat Oven at 180C. Whisk dry ingredients together. Then in a jug, combine eggs, milk, honey vanilla, baking soda and salt. Pour wet to dry folding in berries last. Spoon into baking cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool.

To make the frosting- melt the coconut butter. Whisk it with water, lemon juice and honey. Dollop it on cool cakes.

Bacon and Banana Muffins- Elvis Muffins

So recently, I found out that Elvis was a fan of peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches. In fact, it sounded like what I would like to have when I was pregnant! I was reading Make Ahead Paleo and this recipe really appeals to me. Savoury and sweet together.

It's one of those things that you will either like it or you don't. For us, this is a clear winner. The bacon really isn't that strong- it's just a topping, but the salt does brings the sweetness from the bananas a notch.

One thing I am happy with this recipe is the ratio between almond flour, coconut flour and arrowroot starch. I can almost see this as a base for other muffins and cakes. I increased the baking soda to 1tsp from 3/4 and it gave it a beautiful rise which is what I love. I usually find paleo bakes too dense for my liking but the baking soda helped makes it lighter.

Bacon and Banana Muffins (made 10 for us)
3/4 cup almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoon arrowroot starch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt

4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla paste
2 tablespoon of maple syrup
2 bananas mashed
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil

3 strips of bacon- fried and cut in small strips or cubes.

Preheat Oven to 180C. Whisk dry ingredients together and wet ones separately. Then fold wet to dry. Spoon into muffin tins and top it with the chopped bacon. Bake for 20 minutes till brown!

Paleo Lemon Chai Muffins and My Trip Away

Oops! It's the month of March already? I promised I would blog more but I was away for a good reason. We took our first plane trip as a family back to KL and SG to celebrate CNY. Alas, I had to stay a few weeks more to look after my grandmother who was in hospital.

Family portrait before granny was admitted. I love this shot of my family and us!

It was a very traumatic few weeks as we had to call an ambulance and witness my beloved grandmother being in ICU and intubated. She is a strong lady and gradually responded to the treatment. I was so pleased that she is home, that I could barely let her off my sight and monitored all her food and vitals closely.

This episode also taught me family love. Relatives from Hong Kong flew back to be beside her. Grandmother's sister stayed with us for a few days to care and cook for her. Through her, I learned more home cooked cantonese dishes which I'm keen to replicate at home. My mother learned how to make soups and I learned a few more slow cooked Chinese soups (you can literally hear the glee in my husband's voice here). I get to spend more time with my family including my parents. Of course, it means that Asher gets to meet heaps of his uncles and aunties, grand uncles and grand aunties, cuddles from many relatives that he wouldn't be able to meet or greet otherwise.

Hubby and I were also apart for a few weeks as he had to fly back to work. It was a tough few weeks as I learned how to juggle

All these though, brought us closer as a family unit. I can't wait to see my parents and grandmother again. I have learned to appreciate time- and be in the moment even more. 

I'm back sharing this recipe by Slim Palate. I have only recently discovered Joshua (who is 18 by the way and cooking fabulous food) and his blog. Browsing through his story makes me ashamed of how basic and simple my cooking is compared to his! He comes up with amazing real food recipes and this one caught my eye.  I love how he used chia seeds as "poppy" and use of apple cider vinegar to give it a tang.

I have been experimenting more with coconut flour and is growing to LOVE it. The dense nature of this flour means more liquid has to be added. But once the right ratio is achieved, it provides unlimited experimentation of different cakes and treats. I increased the baking soda in this recipe as I find it gives it more of a lift and a lighter feel to the muffins.  Since I love my lemons, I added more zest and juice as well. I think I can make further improvements- it's still a little more dense for my liking so I might add some other raising agent. Certainly more lemons will be better as well. There is always a next time!

Paleo Lemon Chia Muffins (makes around 8 for me)
1/2 cup of coconut flour
2 tablespoon of chia seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
zest from 2.5 lemons
4 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of almond milk
1 tsp of honey
4 eggs
1/4 coconut oil

Preheat Oven to 180C. Line liners into muffin trays.

Whisk dry ingredients (coconut flour, chia seeds, baking soda, and salt) together. In a separate jug, whisk all wet ingredients such as the juice, vinegar, almond milk, honey, eggs, oil and zest. Pour wet to dry and fold.  Bake for 25 minutes. Cool and eat.

Flourless Banana Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Muffins

So a friend came to visit from Singapore recently. A childhood friend to be exact. My mother and grandmother made a request if they could forward a package to me via him. That turned out to be a 5 kg box of clothes, happy call pan (yay!), sponges (?) and ceramic knives.

Blessed my mum and grandma!

So as a huge thank you to our friend. I made him and his family a batch of my chocolate brownies and these pretty muffins. They are quite addictive I have to say. It's flour less but honestly, I think they are better. This was actually a loaf made into muffins.  I left the banana chunky which is the way I like it, and the blueberries are just a nice added touch.

Flourless Banana Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Muffins (around 10 muffins)
1.5 cups of Almond Meal
4 eggs
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of organic coconut sugar (or use 2 tablespoon of honey)
3 medium bananas roughly mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup of dark choc chunks

Preheat Oven 180C.
Mash banana, olive oil, eggs, sugar, extract together. Mix almond meal, cinnamon, baking powder, salt together. Fold wet to dry and add blueberries and chocolate chunks. Spoon into muffin trays and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Snickers and Peanut Butter Muffins- my 1000th post!

Amazing.

This is my 1000th  post.

Who would have thought? When I first started blogging, I was heart broken and desperately trying to finish my honours thesis. I was overweight and love my instant noodles.

Over the years, I have learned so much through food. I know how to budget our food allowance on a weekly basis. I learned how to create a better relationship with food and nutrition. I appreciate food and learned how to enjoy it rather than to feel guilty about it.

Which brings me back to my 1000 post. One cannot celebrate it without some form of cake isn't it?

I like to go all out. A candy bar and peanut butter in one muffin. How cool is that? Yes, it burns your calories but we have to live a little sometimes :p This is one of Nigella Lawson's- and from the "baking for children" section too.

But I think we as adults should enjoy it too.

Happy 1000th Post!

Snickers and Peanut Butter Muffins (Makes 12)
250 grams plain flour
6 tablespoon of brown sugar
1.5 tablespoon of baking powder
pinch salt
160 grams or 6 tablespoon of peanut butter
60 grams of melted butter
1 large egg
175 ml of milk (I used almond milk)
3 x 65 grams of snickers bars-chopped

Preheat Oven to 200C.  Line muffin tray. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add peanut butter and mix till it resembles bread crumbs.

In a jug, mix melter butter, egg and milk. Pour to dry mixture and fold through. Add snickers and spoon into muffin case.

Bake for 25 mins. Cool and eat and say... Happy 1000th  post!.

Bourke Street: Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins

The bourke street bakery cookbook was on my bookshelves for a few months before I pry it open and made something out from it. It's one of those cookbooks that looks absolutely gorgeous, no shortcuts but you know each recipe is gonna be good. It's one that I read and read but could not for the life of me pick something to try. I want to make everything!

I picked this recipe because I know of a few bloggers who recently made these, but also, they are one of the simplest recipe in the whole book. In time, I know I will have a chance to slowly digest all the material and pick a tart recipe to get my hands dirty, but for now, it's quick and easy to the max.

Now be warned, it's not what you think of a muffin-where it is often light and fluff. This is rich and good. It's dense more cake like but oh so desirable. It's also a big batch of muffins, but you won't regret making the full batch.. all your friends will love you for it. I brought a batch to a friend's gathering, turned around and it was all gone but one. Lucky I saved a few at home for my cheat day!

I think though, that it is the raspberries that does it. I mean, how often do we taste real big bites of raspberries in muffins these days? Usually, the are sparse, if not artificial. Real good ingredients is what make these muffins perfect the way it should be.

Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins (made around 30 muffins for me!)
400 grams plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
250 grams castor sugar
480 ml buttermilk.
3 eggs
225grams dark chocolate
225 grams raspberries
55 grams raw sugar
icing sugar

Preheat Oven to 190C. Line muffin tins with cases. Sift flour and baking powder. Add sugar.
Melt butter. Remove heat and stir in buttermilk. Using a whisk, stir in eggs to combine. Pour over dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Fold chocolate and raspberries through. Spoon into tins. Sprinkle raw sugar on top. Bake for 20-25 mins. Cool, then dust with icing sugar.

Walnut Cinnamon Muffins

Were you ever invited to a morning tea event? One that you have to bring something?

I usually start of being excited and having grand plans on what to make and bring. Maybe sausage rolls or a nice baked cake with caramel icing? Or perhaps a nonya kueh?

Often, my "grand plans" have to be mellowed down when I realised that I have to bake/cook at 9pm to bring it to work next day. Then, I decided that simple is good.

So Nigella Lawson calls this Baklava muffins. Upon making them though, I think they resemble more like walnut and cinnamon muffins! The special thing about these muffins is that it has a layer of gorgeous chopped walnut/cinnamon sugar in it. With the drizzle of warm honey on the top when you serve it.

I prefer serving it warm because the walnuts and sugar turned all gooey and sticky which is lovely. Once cold however, I found these muffins a tad dry for me. ;)

Nevertheless, I love how it looks when the wrapper comes off! Look at the layers!

Walnut Cinnamon Muffins (Nigella Lawson)

Filling and topping
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
2-3 tablespoon of Demerara sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoon butter melted

Muffins
1 1/3 cup of plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 castor sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup yogurt and 1/3 milk/soy or plain


Topping
warm honey- around 2 tablespoon

Preheat oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with wrappers-around 10. In a small bowl mix the filling/topping ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder baking soda and sugar.

Meanwhile whisk egg, melted butter and yogurt/milk mixture. Make a well in dry ingredients and fold wet through dry.

Spoon batter in pan first, topped with some filling and batter again. Repeat for the rest of the muffins. Sprinkle remaining topping on muffins when done. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

When ready to serve, warm muffins up and honey. Drizzle honey over muffins.

Christmas Cinnamon Cranberries and Walnut Muffins

How time has flown by and we are onto Christmas already!! Are you ready for it yet? I don't feel that I am!

I find these muffins a real easy treat to make. It's good to bring to last minute gatherings that you have been invited for this festive season. I love experimenting with olive oil and this recipe uses just that. It gave my kitchen a very festive feel when it is out from the oven.

The best thing about these? I really like the sprinkle of brown sugar and walnuts as a topping. It makes them just a tad more special.

Oh my, I still have so many treats that I want to make! Looks like these posts would have to be for after Christmas (or maybe a New Year treat?).

Nevertheless, I'm hoping that you are having a fantastic Christmas this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas Cinnamon Cranberries and Walnut Muffins (Makes 12)
200 grams cranberries
300 grams self raising flour
100 grams brown sugar
80 grams walnuts or half a cup
2 tsp ground ginger
1 giant tablespoon of ground cinnamon
185 ml butter milk
80 ml of olive oil
1 egg

1 tablespoon of brown sugar
2-3 handful of crushed walnuts

Preheat oven to 180C. Place wrappers on tray or muffin tin.

Combine flour, cranberries, all spices and walnuts in a bowl. Whisk oil, egg and buttermilk together. Pour into well of dry ingredients. Fold through. Spoon into wrappers/muffin tray.

Combine remaining brown sugar and walnuts. Sprinkle some on each muffin. bake for 20 minutes.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Dear Chocolate,

You and I... we tend to have a love hate relationship. I love you, but you loved my hips even more. That of course, grew into me hating you instead.

Over time, I learned that you are innocent. It is the way I view you that is at fault. I heard a saying that goes like this, "the first spoonful tastes the same as the last." It means that good food does not always mean we have to eat it all. On the contrary, savoring the first bite as it is the last is just as good.

So I learned to savour. To have a bite and not bite myself for it. Telling myself that guilt will only make myself enjoy this less.

But then, I come across these beautiful cupcakes from Joanne's Eat Well with Others.  It has NO butter, and uses cocoa powder instead of melted dark chocolate (*shudder with delight complete with goosebumps*). I could have a whole cupcake without guilt! Rejoice!!

Oops-buttercream contains calories too. So chocolate, I endeavor to conquer you. So badly that I decided to whip up some cream cheese instead. I combined the "extra light" and "Light" varieties, whipping it with some icing sugar to have a stiffer consistency. Then I piped it onto the mint chocolate delights.

Wait, surely a piece of caramel stuck in the middle of the cupcake will provide more oomph?

Maybe next time. For today, I can enjoy my cupcake. Claiming it ALL MINE without the need to share it with anyone else....

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Joanne who adapted it from Martha Stewart)
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup  cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp pure peppermint extract
3/4 cup warm water
Cream Cheese

Preheat oven to 180C.  Line muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, extract and the water. Turn on the electric whisk and mix everything, scrapping and mixing till it is well combined.

Spoon mixture into each lined muffin cups.  Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes.  Turn out cupcakes onto racks to cool completely.

To finish, fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip with cream cheese  and pipe onto cupcakes.  Once frosted, cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature or 3 days in the fridge.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cream Cheese Frosting 

1 tub of philadephia cream cheese extra light 220 grams
1 tub of philadephia cream cheese light 250 grams 
1 cup of icing sugar

Whisk by hand till mixture thickens. Spoon into pipping bag with a large tip and pipe into cupcakes. 

Blueberry Dark and White Choc Muffins

I made these babies for work earlier in the month. The beautiful thing about summer in Australia is the abundance of fresh gorgeous fruits. Blueberries are in season again and I couldn't resist getting a few punnets to munch on. These muffins contains yogurt which makes it a healthier option than butter. The only catch is that I did put in heaps of dark and white chocolate (to satisfy both dark and white chocolate lovers in the office).

I nearly forgot these muffin cups that I bought in Singapore a few years ago. I had to dust it and make sure they are clean before using them again. I like how small they were, which makes you feel good eating ...just... one...more.. Certainly a recipe to keep and play with.

Blueberry Dark and White Choc Muffins (I made 18 small ones)

2 1/2 cups of self raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup white choc bits and 1/2 cup dark choc bits
1 punnet of blueberries
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup greek yogurt with vanilla bean (Or use plain greek yogurt) 
3/4 cup soy milk


Preheat Oven 180. Place muffin cups on baking tray.

Mix flour, sugar and chocolate in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, yogurt and milk together. Fold wet ingredients to dry till combined. Fold in berries. Spoon mixture in muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 mins till it turned golden brown.