Strawberry Greek Yogurt Balsamic Muffins

These are not your typical morning muffins. Yes, you would think that these ingredients do not really go together, but they do! Balsamic vinegar highlights the flavor of strawberries. Some chefs actually say that strawberries are interchangeable with tomatoes because they share many flavor components. No wonder strawberries work great in salads. And what about all those strawberry vinaigrettes? Now I originally had made the strawberries with the balsamic and sugar to be consumed as is, but my kids were not that interested and I was worried that all these nice strawberries would go to waste. So I made these cupcakes.

I of course, used olive oil as the fat in these muffins. Olive oil and strawberries couple well together and considering that this muffin had very little added fat, it did not affect the taste but it resulted in a very moist muffin. I basically took a classic muffin recipe made with butter and used olive oil instead. The Greek yogurt really made these lighter. I also used whole grain flour, not only to add some more fiber but also to give them a more rustic feel.

The result? A nice light muffin (but filling) with less fat than regular muffins, less sugar and with about 160 calories per muffin and 2 grams of fiber. Not bad. Plus most of the fat is the good fat coming from the olive oil.

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Strawberry Greek Yogurt Balsamic Muffins

Servings: 18 muffins

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Author: Elena Paravantes, MS, RD

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup regular flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup low fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup + 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

For the strawberries:

• 1 1/2 cup diced strawberries don't cut them too small
• 1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

• First prepare the strawberries. Place them in a bowl add the vinegar and sugar and blend, let it sit for an hour. Sprinkle with black pepper, it gives it a little kick.
• Preheat oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius).
• Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• In a large bowl mix the brown sugar with the olive oil making sure it is blended well and it's smooth. Add the eggs mixing well after adding each egg. And then add the yogurt, vanilla and almond extracts, mixing well after adding each ingredients. I used a large spoon to do the mixing.
• Add the flour mixture to the olive oil mixture and blend with the spoon, do not over mix, the dough will be vary thick.
• Finally add the strawberries carefully making sure they are spread everywhere.
• Line a muffin pan with paper liners and fill each one with the dough.
• Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if they are done (toothpick should come out clean).

Photo by Elena Paravantes