Good morning.. Time for healthy cooking!

This new addiction can be fatal.. yes, baking and cooking can be fatal! Especially to others as I like to see other people to eat. At the moment, the whole family.. brother, sister, SIL, BIL and even my mom are trying to adapt "healthy lifestyle". Running obesity clinic gives me more motivation to comply to it. So, everytime I say I want to bake something.. my SIL will say, "Oh, no! We will fat!"

My SIL and I were successful in turning down (oh, acutally we couldn't resist taking 1 spoon) chocolate lava from Chef & Brew. It's our favourite desert and so yummy.. we decided to just see the kids enjoying it until I had to stop feeding my niece... Afraid of taking the spoon and feed myself than her!

So, don't worry SIL.. I baked something healthy today.. Pumpkin Muffin. I took this recipe from Kitchen Stewardship. The motto of this website is good and logical - Balancing God's Gift.. Some people would say.. "We live only once.. why think so much of the calorie, fat etc.. Not good to waste.. Now that we are healthy we should enjoy the food.. Nikmat yang Allah berikan etc... When we are sick, we will not be able to enjoy it" BUT STOP! THE THING IS.. Food is not the only nikmat/goodness that Allah gives us. How about health and strength? So, be careful when you want to use religion to defend your action. Look at it this way.. WE EAT TO LIVE AND NOT LIVE TO EAT. Practise how out Prophet ate. Remember to enjoy all the nikmat given to us.. food, sleep, health, strength, wealth, love... lists will just go to infernity..

Coming back to the recipe.. very simple!

Ingredients:

Mix together and allow to rest (soak) overnight at room temperature:

• 1 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 c. pureed pumpkin
• 3/4 c. water + 2 Tbs buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. melted butter

Do make sure your butter is cooled a bit before mixing in, and pour while mixing so the colder ingredients don’t harden up the butter.

When ready to bake, add:

• 1 cup sugar or natural granular alternative
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Method: Pour into muffin cups and bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees F.  They’ll be a bit more moist than you’re used to with the “toothpick test”.  Do not overbake!  Allow to rest 5 minutes in the tins, then tip out to cool on racks.

Have a good time enjoying it!