olive oil cranberry bundt cake

harvesting cranberries | photo: jkb

I love the tasty tartness of cranberries and every year I look forward to the fresh ones available in the grocery store.  I confess to being somewhat jealous of my brother and sister-in-law who live in Massachusetts near a cranberry bog.  Not only is it picturesque, it produces loads of these lovely berries, one of the few native fruits we have in this country.

Most people tend to eat cranberries either as canned jelly or as craisins.  But they're so much more versatile than that.  During the holiday season I make my own cranberry orange relish and love a dollop of it in my morning oatmeal in the winter.  Even more than that I love it in this bundt cake.  I've lost the original source for this recipe over the years but I remember learning about olive oil bundt cakes years ago and being amazed at the thought of olive oil in a cake.  When I discovered how moist the cake was, even days later, I was hooked.  Tinkering with the recipe over the years this is the final version that I came up with.  It's a tasty recipe and I always look forward to making it when fresh cranberries are in season.*

Olive Oil Cranberry Bundt Cake

6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups evaporated cane juice crystals
3/4 cup extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup organic buttermilk
2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Butter a 9 inch bundt pan and dust with flour
In a bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff
Beat in the cane juice crystals until fluffy
Mix in the olive oil
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg
Alternately mix the egg white mixture and the buttermilk into the flour mixture until smooth
Fold in the cranberries and orange zest
Transfer the mixture to the prepared Bundt pan
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the cake comes out clean

Note:  this cake can also be made with blueberries instead of cranberries, simply omit the cinnamon 
          and nutmeg.

If desired make a simple orange juice glaze:

1 cup evaporated cane juice crystals
1/4 cup orange juice

blend the cane juice crystals in a blender until finer and more powdery
whisk together with orange juice


*don't forget to buy extra bags of cranberries, they freeze very well

colorfree

When I work with people I sometimes recommend they take certain supplements.  If they have a vitamin or mineral deficiency, shown through testing, or if they have digestive issues, there are supplements that can help with that.  When I suggest supplements I almost always suggest professional grade because they are a more pure product and do not have all of the chemicals and most of the fillers that come in over-the-counter supplements.  This is especially important for those who need to follow a nutritional plan that requires them to avoid dairy, wheat, gluten, soy, or corn.

Recently one of my clients asked why all of the supplements I suggest have no colors.  She pointed out that it is easier for her to know which is which when they are colored.

While the colors may make identification easier it actually makes the supplements less healthy for you.  There are a number of studies that show a negative effect from artificial colors on children with ADHD, autism, and other neurobiological illnesses.  According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) there is also evidence showing that many people have food sensitivities to artificial color and that these artificial colors are carcinogenic in animal studies.

When I advise people to take artificial colors out of their diet the object is to remove all artificial colors.  This includes those substances that are not food but which are ingested in some way such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and, yes, even supplements.

The supplements can be identified by the label, and it's a healthier choice.  I say choose the healthier option.

gluten free lemon muffins

lemons | photo: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos

I needed to make something to bring to an event that I was attending recently.  Knowing that the hostess was sensitive to gluten and dairy I wanted to make sure that I made something that fit her nutritional plan.  Casting around for ideas I spied a pile of fresh lemons that I had recently purchased (they were on sale) in the fruit bowl.

I love lemon muffins, they are so tasty and yet,  I'm not sure why,  they don't often make an appearance.  I wanted my muffins to have a little crunch to them so I decided to add some millet which would give a slight pop when eaten.  I started with coconut oil and sucanat (no dairy means no butter), added a couple of eggs and the zest of one lemon.  While I was at it I juiced the lemon, strained the juice, put it in a measuring cup and then added almond milk (again no dairy) so that it would curdle and thicken a little.  I then began to add the dry ingredients.  After adding the curdled milk I tasted the mixture and decided it needed just a pinch more sweetener.

I made this in mini-muffin tins and got three dozen.  They were well received at the event, all of them were eaten and I even got requests for the recipe.

I often play with a recipe multiple times before it's ready for prime time, but this one seemed to come together really well so I'm sharing it as is.  Enjoy.

Lemon Millet Muffins

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup sucanat
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice crystals
1 lemon
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk, approximately
1 cup gluten free flour mix (I used oat, rice, buckwheat, tapioca)
1/4 cup fresh ground flax seeds
1/4 cup (heaping) millet seeds
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 F
Grease three mini-muffin pans (or one regular muffin pan)
Zest the lemon
Juice the lemon and put juice into a measuring cup
Add almond milk until there is 2/3 cup liquid
Beat together coconut oil and sugars until fully combined
Add eggs, one at a time until well mixed
Add lemon zest, baking soda, and the salt
Alternate adding flour and curdled milk, making sure they are well mixed
Spoon by tablespoonfuls into muffin cups
Bake 15 minutes
Let cool 2 minutes in the pan
Finish cooling on a wire rack