food to glow

I saw a recent post from Green Kitchen Stories for their Turmeric Breakfast Muffins and realized I make something not dissimilar, but savoury rather than sweet. We both use oats with our flour, although theirs has almonds too. In fact my Courgette, Lemon and Elderflower muffins from a few years back are probably more similar – and very, very good. But today’s muffins are filled with other spring goodies, and turmeric too.

Even if you don’t trust me, trust the Swedish lifestyle gurus at GSK. Homemade breakfast muffins are the bomb. Bake some, eat some, freeze some. Perfect also for lunch boxes, picnics (when we get the weather!), as a savoury nibble at ‘Elevenses’ and in lieu of bread with soup. Or straight out of the tin. Just saying.

Dry Ingredients:

200g (1 & 2/3 cups) sifted spelt flour or AP/plain flour (or cut with some wholemeal flour)

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda/ bicarbonate of soda

¾  tbsp turmeric

½ tsp dry mustard

½ tsp black pepper

90g (1 cup) oats (not jumbo oats)

¼ tsp nigella seeds/kalonji seeds/black onion seeds – plus extra

½ tsp fine salt

100g strong cheese of choice – vintage Cheddar, vegetarian Parmesan, smoked Dunlop (latter is what I used) OR 100g toasted chopped nuts/seeds + 3 tbsp nutritional yeast/Brewer’s yeast

Vegetables/Cheese:

75g (about 3 packed cups) baby spinach

1 medium carrot

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh chives or wild garlic leaves (I used 3)

Wet Ingredients:

150ml (2/3 cup) buttermilk OR plant/dairy yogurt OR dairy/plant milk with ½ tsp lemon juice added to sour it (I used buttermilk)

75ml (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten OR 3 tbsp chia or flax seeds soaked in 9 tbsp of water for 15 minutes (to make it gel-like)

To garnish: asparagus tips, pumpkin seeds and/or nigella seeds

1. Oil a 12-hole muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F.

2. First of all blanch the spinach. Place damp spinach in a steamer and cook until wilted. When cool, squeeze the spinach in your hand to remove most of the liquid. For the carrots, carrot them and squeeze them in a clean tea towel. Set aside.

3. Sift the first five ingredients into a large mixing bowl; add in the remaining dry ingredients – I use a whisk, and fork through the cheese. Use a fork to mix in the cooked spinach, grated carrots and the chives.

4. In a jug, whisk/beat together the buttermilk, oil and eggs. Pour this over the dry ingredients and use a metal spoon to gently fold until no flour shows. But only just until this happens – any longer and the muffins will be tough. Unlike bread-making, where you want to work the gluten, for muffins you want to barely introduce the wet and dry ingredients so as not to work the gluten.

5. Use a 1/3 cup measure or large ice cream scoop to fill the prepared tin. The recipe makes about 12 muffins for a standard British muffin tin but yours may be larger so will need more batter in each. Fill to about three-quarters up.

6. Lay on the asparagus tips, if using, as well as any seeds. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and the sides are just pulling away from the tin. Leave to cool for about 10 minute before loosening with a knife and cooling a bit more on a wire rack. Or, eat them straight away!

These muffins will freeze well but are best allowed to defrost then gently reheated for 5 minutes in a 180C/160C fan/350F oven.

Other Options to Consider: goats cheese, shredded raw beetroot and carrot (squeezed in a towel) lemon thyme; tiny diced roasted aubergine and peppers with mi-cuit style tomatoes, oregano and rosemary; grated squash, lovage, chives, feta or olives; baby peas, mint, parsley, feta and walnuts.