Union Square Revisited

I went into the city on Saturday for the first time since moving (three months ago). I had fun doing my old routine -- swimming at the Y on 14th Street, getting sushi at Whole Foods Union Square, trekking down to Chinatown for won ton soup, and walking through the Union Square Greenmarket. I realize now I really took the greenmarket for granted. Living in the land of indoor markets, it'll be late spring before the vendors venture outside again. So I grabbed shallots and fingerling potatoes and about 8 lbs. of apples to haul back with me (after first taking them on a trip downtown through Soho and Chinatown. My left shoulder may never be the same). Since I got a mix of eating apples and cooking apples (at $3 a 4 lb. bag, I was willing to take my chances with the "slightly imperfect" ones), I settled on making apple sauce muffins with half the haul. The recipe, which is based on one in the Moosewood Low-fat Favorites cookbook, combines apple sauce with fresh whole cranberries and walnuts for a tart-sweet breakfast treat. With a mix of white and whole wheat flour, and only two tablespoons of oil, this muffin beats the low fat options at your favorite coffee shop hands down. And helps justify buying a grande mocha latte to wash it down.

Apple Cranberry Muffins

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites

Ingredients

1 C. White Flour

1 C. Whole Wheat Flour

1 T. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 t. Cinnamon

1/4 t. Nutmeg

1 Egg

1 Egg White

1 C. Applesauce (Homemade or commercial)

1/3 C. Brown Sugar

Zest of one Lemon

2 T. Canola Oil

2 T. Skim Milk

1/2 C. Walnuts, Toasted and Chopped

1 C. Cranberries (Whole or Chopped)

Method

Preheat oven to 400; spray or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

Sift together dry ingredients.

In another bowl, beat egg and egg white until frothy; add applesauce, brown sugar, lemon zest, oil and milk and beat until well incorporated.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mixed until just combined; fold in walnuts and cranberries.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin tins to just below the rim.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.