Orange Bran Flax Muffins

Well, that was a delicious month of Advent brunches, cookie exchanges, and holiday feasts! But now it's time to return to healthy and moderate eating. Today, I made Orange Bran Flax Muffins, a recipe from the Flax Council of Canada. Flaxseed is rich in alpha-linolenic acid, the plant version of Omega-3. It also delivers fiber, B vitamins, and phytochemicals such as lignans. For the best nutrition, flaxseed should be ground. I like how this recipe also gets pureed oranges into Will, along with two kinds of bran.

Orange Bran Flax Muffins

1 1/2 cups oat bran
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup flaxseed, ground (I do this in our coffee grinder)
1 cup wheat bran
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 oranges, quartered and seeded
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk (or just add a little lemon juice or plain vinegar to milk and let sit for 5-10 min.) You could probably just add plain milk if you wanted.
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cup golden raisins (I omitted these).

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two 12 cup muffin pans with paper liners, or coat the pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine oat bran, flour, wheat bran, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine oranges, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and baking soda. Blend well.

3. Pour orange mixture into dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. Stir in raisins if desired.

4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Makes 24 muffins

Per muffin: 186 cal., 4 g. protein, 30 g. carb, 8 g. fat, 1 g. sat. fat, 18 mg. chol, 3 g. fiber, 140 mg. sodium, 4 g. flaxseed.