Blueberry Corn-Bran Muffins ~ The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure Cookbook

This morning, I was looking at a copy of ~ The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure Cookbook.  I came across a recipe that sounded good and that would use some of the fresh blueberries I still had sitting in my fridge.  (they where on sale last week, and I bought A LOT!)   So, into the kitchen I went to start my day off baking.  As the muffins were going into the oven, our neighbors (Bill & Cheryl) stopped by, so we invited them in.  What a great way to start our day ~ warm muffins just out of the oven, a fresh brewed pot of coffee and a little chit-chat with good friends!

For being a food that claims to help reduce your cholesterol, I think these muffins are pretty good.  They have just a hint of sweetness, the blueberries are a nice surprise, and the cornmeal adds to the overall texture.  They have just a little oil, so they are really pretty low in fat, too.  If you are a fan of corn muffins, I think you might like this one.  I tinkered around with the recipe just a bit, I couldn't help myself! :)  I checked out the cookbook from our library, and I like it so much, I'm going to buy a copy of my own.  Real-time baking in my kitchen today ~ Enjoy!

Blueberry Corn-Bran Muffins
makes 12 muffins
Recipe adapted from ~ The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups oat bran (I used Trader Joe's Toasted Oat Bran)
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar (I used brown)
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 2 Tbsp oil (I used Smart Balance)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen)
• 3 egg whites

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place first 5 ingredients (oat bran - cinnamon) in a food processor and pulse for a minute or two, until dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed together and are more 'flour-like', then put into a large bowl.  Combine milk, oil and vanilla, in a small bowl, then add to dry mix.  Stir together, then add the blueberries and stir again.  In a separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff and then fold them into the batter.  Spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan (either greased or with muffin liners).  Bake for 20 minutes.  Best served warm.