Chocolate Yogourt Muffins with Walnuts :: Food and Nutrition :: Recipes

Chocolate Yogourt Muffins with Walnuts

These muffins combine the best of all worlds: rich chocolate flavour, yet low in saturated fats and high in fibre. They utilize the convenience of spelt flour - still a whole grain, but much lighter than whole wheat flour. The usual unhealthy refined fats found in most muffins are replaced by grape-seed oil, which has antioxidant properties; and fat free vanilla yogourt reduces saturated fat content while it replaces the eggs. You still get plenty of calcium from using an enriched milk substitute, as these are fortified with calcium, B vitamins, and vitamins A and D - nutrients that are important for cancer prevention.

The muffin’ rich flavour is provided by the rich cocoa powder - buy the best you can afford. Cocoa contains flavanoids that have heart health benefits and may protect against disease. The dark chocolate chips provide more cocoa mass, and the addition of fresh walnuts provides some omega-3 fatty acids that help support the immune system and lower blood pressure. With ingredients like these, you’ll love to have more than one!

1 1/2 cups (385 mL) spelt flour
1/3 cup (85 mL) ground flaxseed
1/2 cup (125 mL) organic cocoa
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
3/4 cup (175 mL) natural sugar
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) salt
1 cup (250 mL) fat free organic vanilla yogourt
1/2 cup (125 mL) enriched soy or rice milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) unrefined grape-seed oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup (60 ml) yogourt-covered raisins

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or oil the muffin pan lightly.

In a large bowl, blend the flour, flaxseed, cocoa, baking powder, sugar, and salt together. In another bowl, blend yogourt, milk, and oil. Add walnuts and chocolate chips to dry ingredients and pour in liquid, stirring lightly until just blended.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 C) for 18 to 20 minutes or until done.

Once cool, add a yogourt-covered raisin for decoration. Serves 12.

Note: To make mini-muffins, use 4 pans of 12 mini-muffins each. The recipe will make 48 mini-muffins. Baking time is 8 to 10 minutes.

Source: alive #273, July 2005

Go Wheat-Free
Grains are an integral part of our daily fare. In the West, the word "meal" literally means "ground grain." Similarly, "meal" is synonymous with the predominant grain of the East, rice.

Spiced Rye Bread

Breakfast Muffins

Barley Bread

Pumpernickel Bread

Sunflower Seed Loaf
This loaf is great served fresh or reheated. It is excellent for lunches and picnics or sliced to go on a sandwich with trimmings.

Kamut Pita Bread

Festive Easter Braid

Black Currant Buttermilk Biscuits
Served warm, these delectable biscuits make an exceptional afternoon tea or accompaniment to any meal. Makes about 12 biscuits.

Tortillas
Adding different herbs and spices to your tortilla dough gives it more flavour. Cumin, for example, is a popular favourite. Experiment with organic flours like kamut, hemp or spelt for variety. Makes 12 to 16 tortillas.

Rye Sourdough Starter
If you are lucky, you may get your first sourdough starter from a friend, otherwise follow this recipe from Healthy Breads with the Breadmaker by Silke Alles and Sieglinde Janzen (alive Natural Health Guide #13).

Sourdough Bread
Sourdough is the healthiest bread because of the natural yeast fermentation. Dense, with a nice texture and taste, a slice of sourdough with a bit of butter or natural spread makes an enjoyable treat and of course is an indispensable accompaniment to soup on any occasion.

Millet Bread
Millet is a basic food staple in Africa and Central Asia. It's rich in iron and high in protein. Use millet instead of white rice in most recipes--it's much more flavourful and nutritious.

Holiday Honey Loaf
A holiday favourite in the former Czechoslovakia, this moist and delectable loaf is sweetened with the natural goodness of honey and filled with wholesome nuts and fruit. Makes one cake.

Carrot Nut Loaf with Garlic Sauce

Delectable Carrot-Date Muffins
Carrot muffins have been around for a long time and everyone loves them. Adding dates-rich, sweet and perfect for baking-gives you a muffin the kids will come home to for years.

Raspberry Muffins
Muffins are a treat in school lunch boxes. If your child is allergic to wheat, try using spelt flour instead of whole wheat. You may replace raspberries with blueberries, blackberries or raisins.

Popcorn Bread
The unique taste of this wonderful bread usually evokes the memory of summer afternoons at the movies or the fairgrounds.

Delicious Nut Loaf

Tofu Loaf

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Longevi-Tea
What if there was a magic potion that could lower the risk of a heart attack and stroke, reduce the rate of your arteries becoming clogged, lower your cholesterol, protect against several cancers, and potentially increase bone density? Well, there is! Tea f.

Lentil Pita Pockets
Pita pockets with lentils are a meal rich in fibre and complex carbohydrates, exactly what people should be looking for when choosing a low-carb diet. Lentils have a wide spectrum of essential amino acids and are a good protein source.

Wholewheat Sandwich Rolls

Healthy Digestion Muffins

Apricot Earl Grey Tea Bread

Garlic Toast with Fresh Herbs

Cornbread Stuffing
For the vegetarians in your gathering, make a stuffing that is protein rich by adding a meat substitute such as seitan strips (a wheat-based meat substitute available in health food stores).

Moist Flaxseed Muffins

Whole Grains
There's nothing like a bowl of steaming hot cereal drizzled with maple syrup to knock the chill out of a wintry morning, but whole grain cereals are more than a traditional breakfast food. They're also the perfect, high fibre addition to muffins, pancakes, breads and rolls.

Strata
Prepping the night before makes this the perfect brunch recipe for Christmas morning. Immune-enhancing oregano may help ward off colds.

Creamy Morel Soup
Morels are as delicious as they are dear in price, so you might want to start by experimenting with other mushroom varieties. The exotic varieties are common enough in Canada and carry both good nutrition and a broad range of flavours and textures.

Scuffins
I wanted to create a delicious high-fibre, colon-loving muffin. What I ended up with is a cross between a scone and a muffin. I'm calling my new reation "scuffins. These portable snacks, or breakfast food, are fibre rich with both soluble and insoluble fibres.

Muffuletta
Muffulettas are stuffed pressed sandwiches that are the signature of New Orleans and a perfect make-the-night-before picnic entre. To ensure that the fillings dont fall out you need to cut the buns so that the base is deep enough to stuff.

Pumpkin Bread
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients, except walnuts, and mix well. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in walnuts.