Orange Date Muffins

We usually have muffins and Complete shakes on Sunday mornings. I can prepare the muffins the night before and the shakes hold us all over until we get home from church and can eat lunch. I tried a new recipe this morning based on the ingredients I had on hand (and freshly milled wheat from a dear neighbor friend). The original recipe was in a cookbook by Doris Streiff- good 'ol Wisconsin farm kind of cooking. I doubled the recipe and made 28 large and 24 mini muffins.

Orange Date Muffins:

1 orange
1/2 milk (I used kefir)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup oil (or butter or applesauce)
1 cup chopped dates
2 cups flour
3/4 cup of sugar (Sucanat)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts)

1. Grate entire rind of orange. Peel off white pith and puree the rest of the orange.
2. Combine milk (kefir), pureed orange, and orange rind in a bowl. Add dates to soak. Add beaten egg and oil.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and make a well in the center.
4. Add wet to dry and stir in nuts. (If it seems too dry, add a few tablespoons of milk.)
5. Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick in center of muffin comes out clean.