Vaalia Cold Fruit Crepes & Fruit n Oat Muffin

National Nutrition Week 2009 (11-17 October) is an annual campaign conducted by Nutrition Australia, aiming to raise the awareness of the importance of healthy eating to support optimal health within the community.

This years campaign highlights breakfast as one of the most important meals of the day, along with the need to incorporate healthy dairy foods such as low fat yoghurt into our meals and snacks.

To kick start your National Nutrition Week, we have some healthy and delicious breakfast ideas, including Cold Fruit Crepes and a Dried Fruit n Oat Muffin recipe using Vaalia Low Fat yoghurt. And of course a tub of Vaalia is great all on its own too!

Vaalia Yoghurt is the only yoghurt in Australia to contain the active culture LGG (the most researched probiotic in the world). LGG® is combined with other friendly bacteria Acidophilus and Bifidus in sufficient quantities to be effective in the digestive system. Many yoghurts don't tell you on the label how much of each good bacteria is provided in a serve but Vaalia yoghurt does, and we use sufficient quantities to survive transit through the digestive tract.

These appetising treats will provide you with an energising calcium boost, powering up the palate with a nutritional alternative that is sure to get you active in the morning.

Vaalia Cold Fruit Crepes (Low fat)

Ingredients:

150g (1 cup) plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
1 medium free-range egg (60g)
175ml of low fat milk
175gm Vaalia Low Fat Natural Yoghurt
sunflower oil to grease pan
Serve with fruit and Vaalia Low Fat Yoghurt
Makes approx. 12 thin crepes (serves 6)

Method:

1. Place egg, milk, Vaalia Low Fat Natural Yoghurt and salt in a bowl and whisk lightly. Gradually add in the sifted flour and whisk until you have a smooth pancake batter. If you can, allow batter to rest for about 30 minutes.

2. Heat a heavy-based crepe pan over a medium heat. When hot, brush the base of the pan lightly with a little sunflower oil, then pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Allow to cook until golden, then turn and cook the other side. Set aside cooked crepe.

3. Repeat until all the batter is used, adding more sunflower oil to pan as required. Stir the batter occasionally and add extra milk if consistency thickens.

4. Serve crepes with seasonal fresh berries e.g. strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or poached apple and sliced banana and a dollop or two of your favourite Vaalia Low Fat Yoghurt flavour!

Dried Fruit 'n Oat Muffin (Low fat)

Ingredients:

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
pinch of salt
110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 medium free range egg (60g)
125gm (1/2 cup) Vaalia Low Fat French Vanilla
Yoghurt 50g melted butter
30g of dried apricots (chopped)
30g of sultanas
30g of oats

Makes 6 large muffins

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. To make paper cases, cut 6 x 20cm square pieces of baking paper and line muffin pan.

2. Mix the flour, salt and caster sugar together. Add vanilla extract, egg, Vaalia Low Fat French Vanilla Yoghurt and butter, beat until smooth.

3. Add approximately ¾ of the diced apricots, sultanas and oats to the muffin mixture and fold through. Spoon the mix into the muffin paper cases and sprinkle remaining apricot, sultanas and oat mixture on top of each muffin. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until risen and golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

4. Serve muffins warm or cold with Vaalia Low Fat French Vanilla Yoghurt on the side. Muffin is cooked if skewer comes out clean or will bounce back when pressed lightly.


Did you know...

While the probiotics in Vaalia Yoghurt don't survive baking in the oven, adding Vaalia Yoghurt to this muffin base gives them a great light texture and keeps the total fat content below 10g per serve. Using Vaalia Yoghurt as a low fat cooking ingredient also provides all the other great nutritional benefits of dairy foods such as protein, B group vitamins and calcium.

Because probiotics are living organisms, they cannot survive the cooking process, but a side serve of Vaalia straight from the fridge will do the trick!