Sunday, I had blueberries on my mind.
Up early on a very mild morning for the middle of March,
I headed out for a 6K walk and was back home and at work in the kitchen
before the hubby crawled out of bed.
I found this recipe for Rice Pudding in the newspaper the day before
and immediately knew I had to try it.
I'm not a big fan of rice pudding but the hubby loves it
and this one is so good even I can be converted.
What I like about this recipe is that it is sweetened with maple syrup instead of sugar,
though I would recommend that it be added at the end
as it seemed to loose some of its flavor during the cooking process.
1/2 c. arborio rice
3 c. 2% milk
3 T. pure maple syrup
1/4 c. dried cranberries, cherries or blueberries (or a mix...I used cranberries)
Grated zest of one orange
Ground cinnamon
In a large sauce pan bring milk and rice to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Stir in berries and orange zest, cover and simmer for another 5 to10 minutes until rice is soft and pudding is thickened. Stir in the maple syrup. The pudding will thicken considerably more as it cools. Serve hot, warm or cold, stirring in a little extra milk to thin it.
These muffins are one of our favorites.
They have a beautiful orange flavor, are easy to make and are loaded with fiber.
Plus, you don't have to peel the oranges or grate them to make orange zest
...just wash them, cut into quarters and throw them into the blender peel and all,
along with milk, eggs, sugar, baking soda and oil and press start.
I play around with my flours, but you can use pretty much any kind you want.
...just wash them, cut into quarters and throw them into the blender peel and all,
along with milk, eggs, sugar, baking soda and oil and press start.
I play around with my flours, but you can use pretty much any kind you want.
Orange Bran Flax Muffins
(Whole oranges give these muffins a wonderful flavour)
1 ½ cups (375 ml) oat bran (I used wheat bran)
1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 ml) ground flax seed
1 cup (250 ml) natural bran (I used a cup of All Bran cereal)
1 tbsp (15 ml) baking powder
½ tsp (2 ml) salt
2 whole oranges (peeled, quartered, seeded)
1 cup (250 ml) brown sugar
1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk (I used regular milk)
½ cup (125 ml ) canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
1 ½ cups (375 ml) raisins - optional
In a large bowl, combine oat bran, flour, flax seed, bran, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a blender or food processor, combine oranges, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs and baking soda. Blend well.
Pour orange mixture into dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. Stir in raisins.
Fill paper lined muffin tins almost to the top.
Bake in 190 C (375° F) oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.
Cool in tins 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.
Here is a recipe for the "best jam ever"
...great on toast, biscuits, or English muffins.
It's delicious!
...and I had time to prune by blueberry bushes, all two of them.
They usually provide us with enough fresh berries to enjoy
...for the freezer I pick from my daughters bushes.
I did a hard pruning so the four new bushes I planted
next to them
would not be over shaded
...so there may not be many this summer.
Happy Walking,
Marisa
