Pineapple Oat Bran Muffins

Well, Ben is still overwhelmed with his new project that he is out of steam to start writing again. I will fill in until he is recharged.

For this South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors, Marian prepared four recipes as usual. However, three of the recipes are old recipes which I had blogged about some time ago.

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For starter, the seniors made a Hamburger Soup. This is a hearty soup with protein, grains and vegetables. It’s great as a brunch. The next item is also a good brunch item. It’s a Frittata with Spinach and Cheese. Marian also added some broccoli to this Frittata recipe. Instead of Parmesan cheese, Marian substituted with cottage cheese in this recipe. We encountered some difficulty in this kitchen when making the frittata because we could not find a right size frying pan. So, Stella was very creative in suggesting to bake the frittata in muffin tins as what you see above. It took about 15 to 20 minutes to bake in a 350F preheated oven.

For the side dish, the seniors made Roasted Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes is a great source of beta carotene and thus a great source of Vitamin A and antioxidant. It is important to have some fat in your sweet potato-containing meals if you want to enjoy the full beta-carotene benefits of this root vegetable. That’s why roasting with some oil is a good way to prepare sweet potatoes. However, studies also review boiling sweet potatoes gives better blood sugar effects (including the achievement of a lower glycemic index, or GI value).

The orange colored sweet potatoes are also known as yam here. I was a bit confused when I first came over because back in Malaysia, yam is what we call taro here. Anyway, I prefer the yellow colored sweet potatoes for it’s firmer texture and sweeter taste.

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For dessert and take home, Marian prepared a Pineapple Oat Bran Muffin recipe. We made the muffins in regular muffin tins and also the above mini loaf muffin pans. I like the mini loaf muffin pans as it looks so cute. This is a high fiber muffin that you can enjoy for breakfast or snack with coffee or tea without guilt.

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Oat bran is the outer casing of the oat. Oats contain soluble fiber which slow digestion and extend the sensation of fullness. Soluble fiber is believed to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and possibly to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups oat bran
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 540ml can crushed pineapple with juice
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 cup sliced almond

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Source: Marian

Yields 36 muffins

P/S: the granulated sugar should be brown sugar

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Banana Split with Pineapple and Maple Walnuts

The South Arm Community Kitchen completed the meal with a dessert. Minoo prepared a Banana Split recipe with a twist.

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This Banana Split with Pineapple and Maple Walnuts is just the right size and not as indulging as the version served at the stores. I like the portion size and the addition of the pineapples with a slight sourness to counter balance the sweetness of the ice-cream.

While we were enjoying our meal, Minoo shared with us some tips for a healthy lifestyle and a cleaner environment, starting from our own kitchen. Here is the link to the tips.

Ingredients

  • 1 x 15 ounce can crushed pineapple, in natural juice
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice, preferably freshly squeezed
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 ripe, firm bananas
  • 6 scoops vanilla light ice-cream or frozen yogurt, 1/4 cup each
  • 6 fresh mint leaves, for garnishing, optional
  • Maple Walnuts for toppings (refer Butternut Squash Soup with Maple Walnuts recipe)

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Source: unknown via Minoo

Serves 6

Oh!, I learned something new about banana from a NCIS: Los Angeles show and it is also mentioned in Wikipedia.

Bananas are naturally slightly radioactive, more so than most other fruits. Small amounts of the isotope is found in naturally occurring potassium.

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Pineapple with Lemon and Coconut

For dessert, Minoo made Pineapple with Lemon and Coconut at the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen. When pineapple is in season, they are sweet, juicy and cheap. Minoo also shared with us how to select a good pineapple. Always look for bright yellowish pineapple. Do not get those with dull brownish bottom.

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The Pineapple with Lemon and Coconut is refreshing and yet rich with the aromatic coconut.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 lemons (or limes), zested and juiced
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1-inch ginger root, peel and grated
  • 1 fresh pineapple
  • 1 kiwi, peel and slice

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Source: adapted from Food Network

Prep time: 30 minutes;  Serves 6

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Baked Chicken with Pineapple

Jean’s second dish is Baked Chicken with Pineapple. Chicken goes well with pineapple. The pineapple juice helps to tenderize the chicken.

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The chicken turned out to be slightly on the sweet side as Jean added a lot more candied ginger than stated in the recipe to the dish. Jean loves candied ginger, so do I. Check out the goodness of candied ginger here.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 to 4 lbs chicken parts or split breast, boneless and skinless
  • 10 to 12 green onions, chopped
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped candied ginger
  • 1 small can of sliced pineapples, halved

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Pineapple Fillings

Pineapple is native to Brazil and central America, but is now a favorite crop in tropical and subtropical climates. Pineapple is a good source of manganese, as well as containing significant amounts of Vitamin C and B1.

Pineapple makes an excellent marinade and tenderizer because it contains bromeline, an enzyme that digests protein. The enzyme also keeps gelatin from setting, so pineapple is not good for fruit jellies.

I love pineapple but I seldom buy a whole pineapple. This is because I’m intimidated by the task of cutting up a pineapple. There are lots of so called eyes on the pineapple which need to be removed.

I guessed the exporter of pineapples are aware of this and nowadays, you’ll find a little brochure attached with the pineapple illustrating how to cut up a pineapple.

First, you remove the top and bottom of the pineapple.

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Then, you stand the pineapple up on the flat bottom and cut the pineapple into quarters.

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Remove the core which is too fibrous to eat.

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Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

While Minoo was making the Clam Chowder, Jean was busy preparing her Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Both of them have to do their demonstration at the same time because the cake needed one hour to bake while the Clam Chowder needed time for simmering.

I had to run back and forth to both stations to take the photos of the processes. It was a quite a busy morning for me.

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The Pineapple Upside-Down Cake was very pretty when it was turned upside down onto a plate. It is certainly a great recipe for potluck.

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Ingredients

  • 1 398ml can sliced pineapple
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 7 maraschino cherries
  • 2/3 cup shortening
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups unbleached flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Click on the link below for the instructions.

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