Gingerbread Pumpkin Muffins

I wanted to share this recipe despite my crummy picture on a gloomy day. These muffins were extremely satisfying yet very healthy. The lack of butter was made up for by pumpkin, lots of spices, molasses and dried fruit. I added in some pecans for a nutty crunch, and subbed some wholemeal flour for a healthier profile.

As you may see, there is an unusual off white countertop, yes, I've finally moved into the new house, and the kitchen is truly wonderful. It deserves its own post soon, once I have it shipshape, suffice to say, I'm delighted!

These muffins perfectly fit the fall drizzle and gloomy weather we've been having lately, and the ginger will give a kick to remind you of the tropics. You could even serve with a cider and caramel sauce or a bit of custard to serve as dessert. If you cant be bothered with measuring all those spices, 3 tsp of pumpkin pie spice could be substituted for most of them, add pepper and ginger though!

Ginger Pumpkin Muffins (recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine).
Makes 18 muffins
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pitted dates
3 tbsps chopped candied ginger (adjust to taste)
2 tablespoons (or a litle more!) dark rum

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground pepper

1 cup canned pumpkin
2/3 cup low fat buttermilk
4 tablespoons/2 oz butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350f or 325 convection

Combine the dried fruit and rum and soak for at least 30 minutes

Whisk together the eggs, sugar and molasses, keep whisking for a few minutes. Meanwhile, sieve together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Combine the pumpkin, buttermilk and melted butter. Add the flour and the buttermilk mixture in portions, alternating between the two, mix just until combined. Stir in the pecans and the soak fruit. Scoop into cupcake cases and bake for around 18-22 minutes(5 mins less for convection). Check with a toothpick after 15 minutes and if it comes out clean they are done!

Serve warm with caramel sauce or custard as dessert or eat for breakfast with a cup of tea!

10 in 10 and a healthy recipe!

Thanks so much to Recipe Girl for kickstarting hundreds of us into getting healthy this new year!I've recently had a very indulgent time, with family staying in September, a trip to the UK in October, our wonderful vacation in Hawaii in November, holiday indulgences, as well as some fatigue and general malais which has left me feeling pretty exhausted and bloated. Whether its a medical issue or not, the facts are plain, I have some weight to lose, so here I am, admitting it to the world!

I've got a horrible feeing I'll need to document everything I eat. This seems to be the only way to keep myself honest, as otherwise I'll be nibbling things left right and center. I'll also need to follow recipe girls lead and get a giant packet of chewing gum and chew gum if I'm making cakes or treats so that I'm not nibbling on things the whole time.

I'll be back next Friday with an update on the weight loss, and every Friday for the next 10 weeks. I'll be participating in a century bike ride in solvang in March, so the added health benefits will also transfer to a much more fun bike ride! This nicely ties in to the 10 week challenge, as its actually the last week!

Here are my goals:

• Lose 20lb


• Get back into my nice clothes comfortably


• Get faster on the bike
• As I tidied up all my crap that was all over the place, I came across a recipe for katsu curry, which I really loved eating at wagamama, so I thought this would be an excellent sauce that I could have with boring veggies and tofu to spruce them up. It was delicious, it even made my nasty tofurkey from christmas taste palatable!!

This sauce is usually paired with breaded and fried chicken, although I think it will be great with all manner of veggies/meat etc.

Apologies for the ugly photo, this is pretty ugly but tasty, which seems to be a theme for some of the healthier fare!

Katsu Curry Sauce adapted from urban drivel/wagamama

1 tbsp Butter
small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 apples, cored and chopped (leave skin on for healthy fiber)
16oz water
2 tsp better than bouillon not chicken stock
2 bananas, chopped
2 tbsp honey (taste before adding, add to taste, I found the sauce a little on the sweet side)
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1/2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp ground pepper

Sautee the onions in the butter for a few minutes, add the garlic, then the apples and cook a little more, then add the other ingredients and simmer for around 15 minutes until soft. Blend the sauce with a hand blender. If it seems thin, add a tablespoon of cornstarch in some water and heat until thickened.

Daring cooks make masala dosa!

What an interesting challenge this month! The dish is of Southern Indian origin. When I travelled in India I didnt really enjoy masala dosa, but that may have been that they are traditionally served for breakfast, which just didnt appeal!

These were delicious. It was fantastic and rich and totally vegan, we really didnt miss the animal products here. My husband doesnt usually enjoy my curries, but the dosas mopped up the sauce and he was very impressed, so this may be added to my rotation. I think in the future I'll make big batches of everything and then it will be just a case of reheating the dish. I followed the recipe almost exactly, I got a bucketload of the coconut sauce, it will last for weeks!

Please visit Debyia for the recipe and her approach to the dish.