Bend Bran Muffins

When I was visiting Bend, OR, for my boyfriend's family reunion, his sister-in-law kept us all fueled up with these amazing bran muffins. Vivi is a radiology tech and the recipe for "Orange Bran Flax Muffins" came from one of her patients. It was published by the Flax Council of Canada and the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission under the attention-grabbing headline, "Can This Melt-in-Your-Mouth Muffin Defeat Cancer?". I don't feel qualified to answer that one, but having eaten about 20 of these things, I can confidently say that they are a delicious way to get your roughage.


Bend Bran Muffins

1 1/2c oat bran

1c all-purpose flour

1c ground flaxseed

1c wheat bran

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 oranges, peeled, quartered, seeded

1c brown sugar

1c buttermilk

1/2c canola oil

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2c combination of golden raisins / dried cranberries / walnuts / etc

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease up either 2 12-cup muffin tins or a 9x14" baking dish. Stir together the brans, flour, flaxseed, baking powder, and salt. IN a blender or food processor, blend oranges, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and baking soda and blend until smooth. Stir the wet mix into the dry and mix well. Stir in dried fruit and/or nuts. Divide batter among muffin cups or pour into pan. Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes or pan for 30-35 minutes. Muffins are done with a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Makes 24 servings
Per serving: 186 calories, 4g protein, 30g carbohydrates, 8g fat, 1g saturated fat, 18mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 140mg sodium

The recipe also notes that while these muffins hardly qualify as "low-fat", about half of their fat is healthy alpha-linolenic acid, "the plant version of omega-3". A hand-written notation suggests that if you are doubling the recipe, replace one cup of the bran with 1/2 c gluten flour and 1/2 c almond meal.