I am on the quest for a healthy, satisfying, low cal breakfast muffin recipe to replace the Zen Bakery bran muffins I am addicted to. Mostly, I've been playing with various recipes and replacing some of the higher cal ingredients with lower cal substitutes. This morning I took a recipe from my favorite restaurant in New York, Angelica Kitchen, and cut down the amount of currants (and used raisins instead), sunflower seeds, replaced half the oil with unsweetened apple sauce, and half the maple syrup with apple juice concentrate. I also used regular whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour, which is finer, and therefore packs more per cup and therefore more calories.The result: a nice tasting muffin that's less sweet and slightly more dense than the original. But, at 265cals per muffin, they're much lower cal than the original, but one is not satisfying enough for breakfast. Even with a side of fruit, I need at least one and a half to feel full, which is way more in calories than the Zen Bakery muffins. What is their trick?? The quest continues. In the meantime, here is the recipe I used:
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup rolled oats
4tsp. baking powder
4tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1tsp. seasalt
2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup apple juice concentrate
1/3 cup canola oil (the original recipe calls for olive but the last time I used the one we have it
was too overpowering)
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
Whisk dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ingredients in separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry bowl once mixed, and don't over stir. Bake at 350F for about 35 minutes. Yields 14 muffins at 265 calories each.
Added bonus - sunflower seeds are a super health food!
