With Rooibos and Oat Bran
Ingredients:
250ml Ideal milk
2 Belinzona Organic Rooibos tea bags
4 Large eggs, room temperature
250ml Brown sugar
200ml Canola oil
2ml Vanilla extract
300ml Cake flour
200ml Oat Bran
5ml Baking soda
10ml Baking powder
10ml Ground cinnamon
2.5ml Ground ginger
1ml Salt
4 Cups finely grated peeled sweet potatoes
125ml Coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
Icing:
230g Plain smooth low fat cottage cheese
50ml Icing Snow
Method
- Bring Ideal milk to boil. Add 2 Belinzona Organic Rooibos teabags to Ideal milk and simmer for a few minutes while allowing the Ideal milk to extract the flavours from the tea bags. Let the Ideal milk cool down while the Rooibos flavour and taste enhances.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Grease two 12-18 (depending on the size of cups) cup muffin pans or line with paper cups.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla until well blended.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, spices and salt; gradually beat into egg mixture. Stir in sweet potatoes and walnuts.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling almost to the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, ±20-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Icing:
- Mix Cream Cheese with Icing Snow to form a smooth paste.
- Spread over cooled muffins.
Decorate with grated Pecan Nuts.
Dietitian Notes:
- These muffins can be used as an alternative to bread in a lunch box.
- By adding sweet potato, it increases fibre content in the muffin and it lowers the glycaemic index which is better for blood glucose control in diabetics and insulin resistance. Sweet potato is a healthy starch/energy giving food.
- Oat bran is a soluble fibre which reduces blood sugar levels, decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol and is good for digestion.
- Cinnamon is well known for its blood glucose lowering effects and it gives great flavour to the recipe.
- Ginger is good for digestion and is a popular remedy for treating/preventing nausea.
- Walnuts is a good source of B vitamins which is good for the nervous system and brain function. Walnuts are high in essential fatty acids that have been shown to reduce high cholesterol and lower the risk of heart disease. With nuts we need to be careful and must apply correct portion control, because it is very high in energy and has a high fat content. But nuts are very healthy if we manage to use it wisely and in the guidelines of good portion control.
- The Icing snow can be replaced by sweetener if you wish to reduce sugar intake further.
- Belinzona Organic Rooibos tea adds valuable antioxidants and unique flavour to this recipe due to its 100% pure and superior naturally sweet taste.
Dianda Snyman
Registered dietician RD(SA)
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