This exotic fusion of lychees, lime and coconut conjures up visions of the tropics - palm spangled coastlines, balmy air and lost lagoons. They're flavours of the Far East, of far-flung virgin isles and steamy, sun-soaked sanctuaries...
My loves, as we toil away at work in places less idyllic, let me say this:
While you may not be in paradise, you can turn it into a muffin!
This recipe is really sublime. In addition to heaps of shredded coconut, I like to add coconut milk to really intensify the nutty, tropical flavour and give the muffins a beautiful richness. Marry the coconut with sharp, zesty limes and the delicate sweetness of lychees and voila; the perfect escapist muffins. If you haven't attempted any Mademoiselle Muffins so far, let this recipe be your maiden voyage!
Health Benefits:
Green, sour and spritely, everything about limes sings detox!
Limes contain unique flavonoid compounds that have both antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Not only have these flavonoids been shown to stop cell division in many cancer cell lines, but have displayed potent antibiotic effects. In poverty-stricken parts of West Africa, the inclusion of lime juice in main meals has proven highly effective in fighting Cholera - a rampant bacterial disease.
Furthermore, compounds found in citrus fruits called limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.
Lychees. I've always thought of lychees as calorific saccharine bulbs - the nutritional equivalents of jelly snakes or gummy bears. The good news is that I'm completely wrong!Lychees are a fantastic source of Vitamin C. About 100 grams of the fruit - (say 8 or so lychees) -provides over 100% of your recommended daily intake of the vitamin, making them even more effective sources than oranges!
They're rich in essential minerals like copper, magnesium and phosphorus, low in sodium and high in potassium. Being almost entirely fat free, lychees are very low in calories too, averaging about 7 calories per lychee.
Coconut milk is packed with vital minerals - particularly iron, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium and selenium. This makes coconut milk a fantastic source of electrolytes and a potent way to restore all the important trace elements that our bodies lose with stress, sun and sweat.INGREDIENTS:
10 lychees (tinned) with 1/3 cup of syrup
2-3 limes (large)
1 cup desiccated coconut
2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
1 cup white sugar (3/4 for the mixture, 1/4 for the tops)
2/3 cup low fat natural greek yoghurt
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup sunflower or canola oil
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn bicarbonate of soda
Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees Celsius.
Dice lychees, then zest both the limes. It's best to use an actual zester for this process, but you could use a grater to take off all that wonderful fragrant rind. Halve and juice one whole lime. If you decide to do this by hand, you'll probably end up with slightly less juice than a juicer would provide. I suggest adding a dash of juice from another lime to make up the difference.
The third lime is for your garnish. Slice the lime into wafer thin slivers with a very sharp, serrated knife along its cross section. Halve each slice then set aside.
In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients (including the lime zest) and set that aside too.
In a separate dish, whisk eggs, lime juice, yoghurt, oil, lychee syrup and coconut milk.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then add diced lychees. Combine until JUST INCORPORATED, making sure not to overmix.
Divide mixture into patty-pans until it reaches the top of each. Dust with some extra white sugar, then place a lime sliver on top of each. I like to sprinkle a little more white sugar on top of the lime so that it cures and caramelises in the oven. It also takes the edge of the natural bitterness of the lime pith.
Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden and the muffins have a slight spring to the touch.
Absolutely delicious and hip shrinkingly nutritious! Indulge away!
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