Mango Chutney-Cranberry Muffins

I’ve become addicted to mango chutney ever since I bought it for South African Bobotie. Now you can always find a jar of chutney in my refrigerator and chutney in my muffins.

I’m also addicted to muffins and have used the same recipe for years, mixing things up by adding blueberries, chocolate chips, cranberries, craisins, nuts and numerous other special ingredients. There’s never been a ‘fail’ -- every addition is better than the one before.

At the time of my most recent craving for muffins, I was really at a loss--having only cranberries on hand yet wanting to kick the taste up a notch. That’s when I thought of the jar of mango chutney (mild version) in my refrigerator.

Combined with raw cranberries from the freezer, the mango chutney helped me to create a new all-time favorite. I’m a mild-heat sort of gal, but if you like it spicier and have that on hand, I say ‘go for it’!

My first tasting is always straight from the oven. Hot, yummy muffins! Let me tell you, hot (warm) chutney has quite a kick to it. After they cool, however, the spiciness of the chutney tones down to a perfect level of heat.




MANGO CHUTNEY-CRANBERRY MUFFINS
(makes 12)

Ingredients...

3/4-cup all-purpose (white) flour
3/4-cup whole wheat flour
3/4-cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4-tsp. salt
2/3-cup milk (I use skim)
1/4-cup vegetable oil
1 whole egg

1 cup whole raw cranberries
1/3-cup mild mango chutney


Directions...

1. Mix dry ingredients, using fingers if necessary

2. Combine liquid ingredients.

3. Stir dry and liquid ingredients together until all dry ingredients are wet. (Do not over-beat)

4. Fold in cranberries.

5. Pour into prepared muffin tin (oil/grease/butter).

6. Use back of a spoon to put a dip in the center top of each unbaked muffin, and then fill with heaping teaspoonful of chutney.

7. Bake in preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 25-35 minutes. (As a general rule, muffin baking time depends on what extra ingredients have been added.)


I'm already wondering what these same muffins would taste like with the cranberries replaced by fresh cut-up mangos!


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TV TRAY
As a single person, I sometimes (often?) take my meal to the living room and eat off a TV tray while watching a movie or documentary. TV tray meals are usually cobbled-together with whatever happens to be in the kitchen, no measurements recorded.



Whole wheat pasta ~ Oven-roasted green cabbage, tomatoes, carrots and celery (seasoned with EVOO, salt and pepper, basil and garlic powder).

Vegetable Pie Made with Colorful Homegrown Tomatoes

A lip-smacking veggie pie that even your meateaters will be crazy about!

Now that my tomatoes are starting to ripen and it’s become a race to use them before they over-do, Veggie Pie keeps popping into my mind! And BASIL. The original recipe calls for 1 tsp. (dried) basil. Since I have a gardenful (exaggerate!) of basil, I could use that (3 x dried amount). OMG, dried is nothing like fresh.

So, let’s get to it and start using up tomatoes and basil. If you have broccoli or onion in your garden, grab some of those, too.

The best part in making this pie is that the filling ingredients don’t need any mixing. Just layer them in the order they are listed.


VEGGIE PIE MADE WITH COLORFUL HOMEGROWN TOMATOES
(Vegetable Pie from Whole Foods for the Whole Family with my slight changes)

Ingredients...

Crust:
1/2 c. butter (cold!)
1-1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. plain yogurt (I used Oikos Greek Yogurt - my favorite)

Filling:
2 c. finely chopped broccoli (I’ve made it with fresh, but usually thaw a 10 oz. box of frozen chopped broccoli and use that)
1/3 c. diced onion (from my freezer)
1 c. grated cheese (my choice this time was 1/2 c. each shredded cheddar and mozzarella)
2 medium tomatoes, sliced (enough to cover the top)
1/3 c. mayonnaise (I used Light)
1 tsp. basil (I tore up 5-6 medium to large basil leaves)

Directions...

1. Cut butter into flour, baking powder and salt. (I mixed it in a food processor.)

2. Add yogurt and mix.

3. Grease or butter a 9- or 10-inch pie pan. (I greased a 9.5-inch deep-dish, glass pie pan).

4. Pat dough into pie pan.

5. Layer filling over crust in order given.

6. Bake at 450-degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, then at 350-degrees F for 30 minutes. (Because I used a glass pan, I baked it at 425 for 15 minutes, then lowered the temperature to 325 and baked it 35-40 minutes more.)

I first tested this recipe from La Lache League’s Whole Foods for the Whole Family in April 1990 and have made it numerous times since ‘cause I can’t stop lovin’ it!


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Also from Whole Foods for the Whole Family, another finger-licking good recipe I’ve made throughout the years ~ Fantastic Carob Fudge.