Pomegranate Muffins & Give-away 3 Winner

First, let me congratulate myself, because this is my 100th post, and I hit a pretty big (for me) milestone in my blog analytics this week! Woo hoo!

Next, I'll congratulate Biz of Biggest Diabetic Loser because she is the winner of Give-away 3, with her guess of 99!!! The correct answer was 101 Froot Loops. There were a few really close guesses, but she was the closest without going over, so the prize is hers! E-mail me at christina at dinneratchristinas dot com with your mailing information and I'll get your prize out to you, Biz! Remember, Dinner at Christina's give-aways are going to be held monthly, on the 23rd, so check back next month for another chance!

Now, onto the recipe! I've been experimenting ysterday and today with a pomegranate muffin, and I think I nailed it. I plan on using these this week for quick breakfasts to grab for work.

Ingredients:

1 cup POM juice
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425°. Grease muffin cups (I tried lining with paper first, but they stuck really badly). In a medium bowl, combine juice and oats; let soak for 15 minutes. Stir remaining ingredients into oat mixture and stir until well combined. Spoon batter into muffin wells until they are about 1/2 full. Bake for 20 minutes.

These are really easy to whip up, and you can taste the sweetness of the fruit. The oats disappear, kind of how bread disappears when you make bread pudding. This was kind of shocking to me, because I thought it would be more like a bran muffin, or oatmeal cookie. You could easily disguise the healthy-ness and give them to your kids, without them ever suspecting it has oats in it!

I was going to test a batch substituting the oil for yogurt or applesauce, but have neither on hand currently. The first batch I substituted with the juice, but it was a bit dry, so I think it needs something more moist.

I baked this batch for 22 minutes, and the edges were a bit burned (but still tasted great!), so I'd suggest baking a few minutes less.