After-Pesach Muffins

I'm a big muffin fan.

Muffins are an easy way to pack fruit, nuts and fiber into a few easy-to-make delicious bites. They make a quick snack and are perfect with fresh fruit and tea on Shabbat morning.

How did I end up with muffins after Passover this year? Normally we eat home-made granola for breakfast. But immediately after Pesach, that's a problem. I usually make granola in large quantities – enough to last a month or so, and who has time and energy to do that right after Passover?

So we bought a box of muesli to tide us over. Muesli is the unbaked version of granola, without sweetener and oil. Ours had rolled oats, wheat, bran and lots of raisins.  It was fine for a few days, until I was ready to make my own granola. Then I was left with almost a full box of muesli. Here's what I made:

Muesli Muffins (Dairy)

1¼ cups muesli

1¼ cups low-fat buttermilk

¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup canola oil

1 egg

1/3 cup brown sugar

Combine the muesli and buttermilk in a bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

After the muesli has softened in the buttermilk for 30 minutes, add the oil, egg, brown sugar and flour mixture and gently mix everything together. Don't over mix.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. These do not rise much.

Remove to a baking rack to cool.

Makes 12 muffins

Shabbat Morning

What do you serve when you get home from services on Shabbat morning? Some people enjoy a Kiddush at the synagogue. Then they come home to eat their main meal at around noon. Others, especially in Israel, are home by nine or ten in the morning, when it's just too early to eat a big meal.

We make Kiddush and then enjoy muffins, fruit and tea.

Why do I like muffins? They're quick and easy to make. They freeze well and they're healthy. With a little imagination, you can create endless varieties.

For instance, last Shabbat we had blueberry cornmeal muffins and fresh grapes. Why? Because I found a bag of blueberries in the back of the freezer, leftover from last year's crop. And because the grapes I found at the market – a large green seedless variety, were delicious.

What's on the menu for this coming Shabbat? With more hot weather this week, our bananas ripened faster than we could eat them. And I happened to have half a bag of chocolate chunks in the pantry. (Have you seen the Scharffen Berger Bittersweet Baking Chunks? Wow!) So it's banana-chocolate chip muffins and a fruit salad of fresh melon and new-season apricots.

Muffins "Any Which Way" (Dairy)

Create endless variations by starting with this basic muffin recipe. Use less flour if you're adding dryer ingredients (like dried fruit and nuts), and the full amount of flour if the ingredients are moist (like frozen berries). Use whole-wheat pastry or light whole-wheat flour if it's available. Otherwise you can substitute white for some of the wheat flour. When I use all whole-wheat flour, I use the lesser amount. Here are some ideas:

Blueberry: 1 ½ cups blueberries plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Raspberry: 1 ½ cup raspberries plus 2 teaspoons orange zest

Banana chocolate: 1 large banana, diced plus ½ cup chocolate chips

Date and Nut: 1 cup chopped dates plus 1 cup chopped walnuts

Apple Spice: 1 cup diced fresh apples plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Apricot Ginger: 1 cup diced dried apricot, ½ cup diced candied ginger and 2 teaspoons ground ginger

Corn: Substitute 1 cup cornmeal for 1 cup of flour and add 1 ½ cups corn kernels

2 ¼ - 2 ½ cups whole-wheat flour (see note above)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar (white or brown)

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-2 cups fruit or fruits and nuts (see above)

Line 12-18 muffin tins with paper liners.

Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

In a smaller bowl or a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.

Gently mix the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Just before it's all mixed, add in the fruit. Mix the batter just a little more to incorporate all of the ingredients. Don't over mix or the muffins will be tough.

Bake the muffins for 20-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

Makes 12-18

Breakfast Made Easy

It doesn't take much time to prepare a tasty and nutritious breakfast.

This formula makes it really easy:

Take one whole-grain carbohydrate.

Combine it with a low-fat protein.

Add a fruit or vegetable.

That's it!

Here are some ideas to help get you started:

Cheerios, low-fat milk and a banana

Toast, hard boiled egg and an orange

Whole wheat tortilla, low-fat cheese (melted or not) and sliced tomato

Half a whole-grain bagel with smoked salmon and cucumber slices

Whole-grain toaster waffle spread with peanut butter and topped with raisins

Whole-wheat pita half with humus and Israeli salad

Crackers, cheese cubes and apple slices

Whole-wheat muffin with ricotta cheese and dried apricots

Granola with low-fat yogurt and fresh seasonal fruit

The Gemara on Breakfast

You probably know all about the benefits of eating breakfast. (If not, find out now!)

It's the most important meal of the day.

Did you know that our Rabbis also believed in the importance of eating breakfast?

The Gemara (Bava Metzia 107a-b) states that you should eat something early in the day, to protect yourself from the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter.

Our rabbis also taught that a group of sixty men who didn't eat breakfast could not catch one man who did.

An explanation is given by Rabbah bar Mari based on the following passages in Shemot (Exodus) 23:25.

In the morning, first we pray: You shall worship Hashem, your God

Next we eat: and He shall bless your bread and your water

The end result is good health: and I shall remove illness from your midst

Thanks to the The Aleph Society's Steinsaltz Daf Yomi, August 10, 2009

Eggs for Breakfast

When was the last time you ate an egg for breakfast? We usually save omelets for a more leisurely meal later in the day. But eating an egg for breakfast may be a good idea, especially if you're trying to lose weight.

Protein at breakfast can help you get through the morning without snacking. That's because it blunts your hunger more than carbohydrates do. Protein foods also help make you feel full for a longer time.

A breakfast of eggs and whole-wheat toast may be one of the best ways to get that protein. A large egg contains 6 grams of high quality protein and only 75 calories.

An interesting study showed a weight loss advantage among women who ate eggs, rather than bagels, for breakfast. Even though both groups ate the same number of calories, egg eaters lost a lot more weight and reported higher energy levels than the bagel eaters. There was no difference in their blood cholesterol levels.

In another study, people who had eggs for breakfast ate fewer total calories during the day. Mainly because they just didn't feel so hungry.

A large egg has just over 200 mg of cholesterol. If you're diabetic or know that eating foods high in cholesterol raise your blood cholesterol levels, then eating eggs regularly isn't for you. But if you're healthy, one egg a day should be fine.

No time for cooking eggs? How about preparing a batch of hard-boiled eggs in advance? Keep them peeled in the refrigerator and they'll stay fresh for several days.

For years I wouldn't touch a hard-boiled egg. Hard, dry, rubbery and gray was not what I considered appealing. Then I learned how to cook them properly.

Here's what I do:

Put the eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring them to a gentle boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat, cover it and let it stand for 6 minutes. Eat them hot or put them into cold water so they'll cool quickly.

My favorite hard-boiled egg accompaniments:

A dab each of low-fat mayonnaise and coarse Dijon mustard

A pinch of flaky sea salt and strong, fruity extra-virgin olive oil

Cereal for Breakfast

Ready-made cereal makes a quick and nutritious breakfast. But only if it doesn't have as many calories as a candy bar or a doughnut. If you would never give your children a doughnut for breakfast, you don't want to buy cereal with the same amount of sugar.

How can you tell? Read nutrition labels carefully. Check that a serving size of cereal contains:

At least 2 or 3 grams of fiber

Less than 10 grams of sugar

200 mg or less of sodium

Among kid-friendly name brands that fit the bill are Cheerios, Kix, Life, Honey Nut and Multi-Grain Cheerios.

Health-food and organic brands may offer good choices as well. But not every cereal they make is good for you. There are plenty of organic cereals that are low in fiber and heavily sweetened with sugar, honey, maple syrup or another sweetener.

That's why it's important to read the label.

The same goes for granola. Many brands are loaded with sugar and fat. Even if it's a good fat, like canola oil, you may be getting more calories than you've bargained for.

Hot cereals are great for breakfast. Oatmeal is a favorite, but other whole-grains are good too. Try leftover brown rice, wheat berries, quinoa and polenta for a change. Add raisins or other fresh or dried fruit.

What should you eat with your cereal? Try low or non-fat milk, soy or rice milk or plain yogurt.

And fruit. Whole fruit is higher in fiber and lower in calories than its juiced counterpart. That makes a cut up banana, berries, melon, apple or orange a better choice than a full glass of fruit juice.

Next … Eggs for Breakfast

Breakfast Anyone?

Not hungry in the morning? No time to eat before getting the children to school and dashing off to work?

You're not alone.

In a study of consumer attitudes towards food and nutrition, 92% of respondents said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But less than half of them actually ate breakfast each morning!

Is breakfast really that important? Was your mother right when she insisted that you eat something before you left for school?

Absolutely. Breakfast is definitely good for you. For lots of reasons.

It gives you the energy boost you need to get through the day

It helps improve your concentration and performance

You'll have more strength and endurance

It can help improve your cholesterol levels

Your overall diet will be higher in important nutrients

And here's more good news:

Breakfast eaters – those who eat a healthy breakfast that is, tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.

What's a healthy breakfast? One that includes whole grains, low-fat dairy, good quality protein and fruits or vegetables. Like…

Cereal, low-fat milk and fruit

Leftover pizza or pasta

Israeli-style vegetable salad

Whole-wheat toast with cheese

Yogurt and fruit

Half a whole-grain bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon

A hard-boiled egg and a banana

Breakfast bar and yogurt

Oatmeal and raisins

An omelet filled with last night's leftover vegetables

In our house, breakfast is home-made granola (minimally sweetened and full of nuts, seeds and dried fruit), fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt and Japanese green tea. For Shabbat Kiddush it's whole-grain muffins, fruit salad and green tea.

Next … Cereal for Breakfast