A Pineapple Dance

I baked a batch of pineapple muffins to bring into work today for a breakfast potluck. The breakfast is in honor of a fellow employee who is retiring tomorrow after 30+ years of hard work! This recipe is adapted from one that came from the cookbook, Vegetarian Nights by Bonnie Mandoe. Though this is the first time I'm actually posting from it, I've used quite a few recipes from this cookbook which is a compilation of both savory and sweet recipes from the author's native Hawaii. As you can see from the ingredients, the Hawaiian "touch" in these muffins would be the use of both pineapple and macadamia nuts. It also uses relatively little oil, and lots of whole grains like wheat germ, bran and rolled oats. Pretty healthy, yes, but what about the taste? Sorry to say that I'll have to find out later on today after our breakfast event to tell you that answer. Congratulations, Mike!

Pineapple Muffins (adapted from Vegetarian Nights): yields 14 standard size muffins

ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can also use 1/2 cup AP and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry)

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 tablespoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup canola oil (or try coconut oil)

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup minus 1 tablespoon milk (I used non-fat)

3/4 cup chopped, sweet pineapple (can use fresh or canned--make sure it's well-drained)

1/2 cup golden raisins

Macadamia nuts for garnishing

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F; combine the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

2. In another bowl (medium size), whisk together the wet ingredients, then fold in the pineapple and the raisins.

3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only to moisten the batter thoroughly.

4. Distribute the batter evenly into a standard size cupcake pan (can use paper liners also). Place 1 macadamia nut in the center of each muffin.

5. Bake the muffins in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes--do not overbake! (do the toothpick test--insert into the center of a muffin--if it comes out clean, it's ready).

addendum:

okay, it's well into lunch time now and I've taken a few bites of these muffins and...I like them a lot! They are sweet without being too sweet, and they're light; sort of reminds me of a chiffon or sponge cake. Hard to believe there's all that good-for-you fiber inside of them. If you give the recipe a try, do let me know what you think!