Tess Ward's pumpkin, feta and honey muffin recipe

Muffins don’t have to be unhealthy. Try this nutritious, savoury alternative from chef and healthy food blogger Tess Ward  and put your pumpkins to good use...

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons garlic oil

300g cubed pumpkin (or butternut squash)

Salt and pepper to taste

50g freshly grated Parmesan

100g crumbled feta

2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard

1 heaped tsp honey

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

180 ml whole Milk

2 cups white Spelt Flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Parsley pesto (for dolloping)

Method

1) Preheat oven to 180C

2) Use the butter to grease a 12-hole muffin pan and set aside.

3) Drizzle the garlic oil and some salt and pepper over the pumpkin. Toss well and turn onto a baking sheet or roasting pan. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 15 - 25 minutes or until cooked through entirely. Set aside to cool.

4) Transfer two-thirds of the pumpkin to a large mixing bowl along with the honey, parmesan, two-thirds of the feta, and all of the mustard. Gently fold together. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and milk together and add to the squash mix. Sift the flour and baking powder onto the pumpkin mix, top with the salt and a generous dose of freshly ground black pepper and fold together just until the batter comes together, be careful not to over mix.

4) Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, filling each hole 3/4 full, top each muffin with a bit of the remaining pumpkin and feta (see photo up above). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops and sides of the muffins are golden, and the muffins have set up completely. Let cool for a couple minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Makes 12 (regular sized) muffins

Tess Ward's cook book 'The Naked Diet' is available on  Amazon

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