carrot ginger muffins!

i made these a few days ago (and am going to try to remember the recipe as best i can), but they were delicious (if i do say so myself)!  lots of big, warm, spicy fresh ginger flavor, and i loved the sort of background sweetness the carrots provided.  definitely not overly sweet, which is just the way i like it.  and full of protein etc from the oatmeal and whole wheat flour.  so let's see if i can remember this...

1 1/2 medium carrots, grated

1 in. or so of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c oatmeal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c honey

2 tbsp butter (plus extra to grease pan, if you so choose)

1/2 c milk

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp dry powdered ginger

1/8 tsp allspice (you could use 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of these last three)

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1 bag each of black and green tea leaves

opt: 1/2 c raisins or nuts

preheat oven to 350

cut butter into small cubes and let soften

in lrg bowl, combine flour & baking powder with butter.  add sugar/honey, ginger, carrot, milk, egg, vanilla, & spices, and mix thoroughly.

bake 25 minutes in oiled/buttered/lined muffin pan, let cool, enjoy!

this should make about a dozen smaller muffins, or probably 4 bigger ones.  or one loaf.  just remember, the bigger the muffin/loaf, the longer it will need to bake.

so simply, incredibly delicious!  carrots for vit. a, k, & c (plus a host of other vitamins/minerals), ginger is calming for the stomach and possibly anti-inflammitory (and warmyly delicious!), the whole wheat flour and oatmeal provide fiber, protein, and magnesium, as well as having cholesterol-lowering properties.  also, whole grains stabilize blood sugar levels and provide more prolonged, slower-burning energy/fuel for your body!

and as you'll see, i always choose butter over margarine.  as woman-of-many-trades and nutrition expert joan gussow said:

"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists."