Cranberry-Orange Wild Rice Muffins

These tart-sweet muffins are low in sugar and rich in whole grains, which makes them a perfect grab-and-go option for busy weekday mornings. (Bonus: They are equally delicious alongside holiday roasts!)

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 3 teaspoons orange zest, divided
• 2 tablespoons coarse white deocrating sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup cooked wild rice*
• Ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Lightly coat 6 (3 1/2-inch) jumbo muffin cups or 9 to 10 regular (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a small bowl combine chopped cranberries and 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar; set aside. For topping: In another small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of the orange zest, the coarse sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the baking powder, coriander, the remaining 1 teaspoon orange zest, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and the salt. Make a well in the flour mixture; set aside.

4. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the orange juice with enough buttermilk to make 1/2 cup liquid. Add the beaten eggs and melted butter; whisk with a fork. Add orange juice mixture all at once to the to dry mixture; stir until combined. Gently fold in the cooked wild rice and reserved cranberry-sugar mixture.

5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with topping and additional nutmeg. Bake in a 400 degrees oven for 21 to 24 minutes for jumbo muffin cups (or 15 to 18 minutes for regular muffin cups) or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean and the tops of the muffins are golden.

6. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups. Serve warm or cooled.

Tip:

• *For rice: In a small saucepan bring 1 cup water to boiling; add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Slowly add 1/4 cup uncooked, rinsed wild rice and return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 40 minutes or until most of the water is absorbed. Drain, if necessary; set aside to cool.

Source: recipe.com

Orange Cranberry Sauce

We first made this to top slices of pound cake for a Thanksgiving dessert we were testing a few years ago. It was such a hit with our whole team that we often make a batch to top other desserts all year round.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

2 tablespoons triple sec or other orange-flavored liqueur (optional)

 

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine cranberries, orange juice, sugar, and orange peel. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
    
2. Carefully pour into a blender and process until smooth. Pour into a bowl and stir in liqueur, if desired. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes:

This sauce dresses up vanilla ice cream beautifully - both in looks and taste!

Source:  mrfood.com

Whole Wheat Cranberry-Orange Muffins

Ward off mid-morning snack attacks with these filling, vitamin-rich muffins.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp trans-free margarine or butter, melted
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 c whole wheat flour or whole grain pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c granulated sugar
3 Tbsp grated orange zest
1 c orange juice
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 c fresh cranberries, chopped
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. COMBINE the margarine or butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
3. COMBINE the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and orange zest in a large bowl. In another large bowl, mix the orange juice, applesauce, eggs, cranberries, and nuts, if desired. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with the sugar-cinnamon mixture.
4. BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before serving.

NUTRITION (per serving) 207 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 20 g sugar, 4 g fiber, 303 mg sodium


Source: prevention.com

Double Citrus Tart

This orange and lemon tart combines the bright citrus flavor of lemon and orange in a crisp gingersnap crust. You can make the orange and lemon tart up to 1 month ahead, so it’s perfect for a party. Just omit the whipped cream and garnish, and chill as directed. Remove the metal rim of the tart pan; cover with plastic wrap, and freeze in a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and add the whipped cream and garnish up to 4 hours before serving.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Garnishes: fresh mint leaves, lemon and orange slices

Directions:

1. Stir together first 4 ingredients. Press mixture evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; set aside.
2. Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, and egg yolks until blended.
3. Beat egg whites at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; fold into condensed milk mixture. Pour into prepared crust.
4. Bake at 325° for 20 to 25 minutes or just until filling is set. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Remove tart from pan, and place on a serving dish.
5. Beat whipping cream and granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Dollop around edges of tart; garnish, if desired.

Source: Mary Ann Lee, Marco Island, Florida, Southern Living
MARCH 2005

Orange Cremesicle Cake

Ingredients:

1   Box of White Cake Mix
1   12 oz. Orange Soda
1   Tub of Vanilla Icing

Directions:

Whisk together cake mix and orange soda until batter is peachy in color and has few lumps.
IMPORTANT: Use just the cake mix powder! Do not add the ingredients that the box calls for.

Then pour batter into a greased pan (I used a 9x13 pan).
Bake according to cake mix box.
I did discover that my cake was thoroughly baked 5 minutes sooner than the recommended time from the box, so be sure to check on it a few minutes early.

Allow to cool. Frost with vanilla (or cream cheese) icing.