Cooking with my Air Fryer | Lemon Yogurt Muffins.

After my successful experiment with apples, I decided to try another fruit with my muffins. This time, I used lemons in this recipe because you know what they say... when life gives you lemons, make muffins with it. Haha!

If you've been reading or have tried any of my muffin recipes, you might have noticed that I always use milk for baking. For this recipe, I switched to yogurt instead. Yogurt, as it turns out, makes baked goods taste better. Its tanginess adds an interesting, non-cloying taste to your muffins (or cakes, for that matter), while its creaminess helps make your baked goods soft and moist. In addition, it gives muffins a good rise as its acidity activates baking soda, which I also used in this recipe. Looks like I'll be using yogurt for baking more often from now on. 

Now enough of this chit-chat and let's move on to the recipe. :)

Lemon Yogurt Muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose-flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)

1/4 cup butter, melted

zest and juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup juice and 1 tablespoon zest)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Lemon Drizzle Topping:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Just some muffins cooling down and waiting to be eaten... :)

Procedure:

1.Preheat air fryer to 170° Celsius.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mix in the lemon zest.

3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs together with the butter, yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla extract.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  

5. Pour the batter into paper-lined muffin cups. (This mixture yields about 12 regular-sized muffins.) 

6. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and at 170°C for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. Optional: Switch to Convection Broil for 2-3 minutes if you want the muffin tops to look more brown. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're cooking with a conventional oven.)

8. To make the drizzle, sift the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir until the sugar has melted enough and the drizzle can be poured. 

9. When the muffins have cooled down, pour the drizzle on the muffin tops.

Spotlight | Human Heart Nature Scented Cleansing Bar.

Hooray for lazy, no-school Mondays! Thanks to the Teachers' Seminar happening right now at my son's school, we don't have classes and I have the luxury of waking up late, not having to prepare breakfast in a rush, and the chance to finish some of my long overdue product reviews.

And so today, I'll be featuring these Scented Cleansing Bars from Human Heart Nature. I've had them in my stash for more than a month already, and only had the chance to try them last week. There are just way too many bath and body products here that I have to roadtest, and I don't know which one to use first. Not complaining, though. :)

100% Natural Scented Cleansing Bar.

Here's the product description from the Human Heart Nature website:

When was the last time you burst into song in the shower? Let our cleansing bars’ cheery symphony of scents give you a new reason to belt your heart out! 
If you’re looking for just the right kick of citrus to invigorate your mind and stimulate your senses, then suds up with our Lemon Zest Cleansing Bar. 

Lemon Zest Cleansing Bar.

Check the label! :)

Craving a fresh, clean scent to get all that good energy flowing? Our Aloe Fresh Cleansing Bar is your perfect match. 

Aloe Fresh Cleansing Bar.

Check the label! :)

Whichever you choose, you can be assured that our cleansing bars are perfectly gentle on your skin. They’re cold-processed to retain their natural glycerin, which helps keep your skin soft and supple. Here’s a bonus: cold-processing consumes less energy and produces less waste – so each cleansing bar is not only skin-friendly, but Earth-friendly as well.

No harmful chemicals.

Tue enough, both soaps were mild and gentle, and did a good job moisturizing my skin. Not surprising, since they're made with all-natural ingredients. As in coconut oil, lye, sugarcane-derived sodium lactate and sodium gluconate (removes dirt and grime), plus plant-derived decyl glucoside (for the foamy lather).

Both variants smell lovely, with a scent that's neither mild nor overpowering. However, I find the scent of the Lemon Zest soap more refreshing than the other. And I believe it's because of the citrus peel extract incorporated in it. You see, while the other soap is called Aloe Fresh, and it does smell like aloe vera, there's no aloe vera as per the list of ingredients.

Earth-friendly packaging. :)

What I love:

- Cute, earth-friendly packaging.

- Made with all-natural ingredients.

- No harmful chemicals.

- Not tested on animals.

- Proudly Philippine-made.

- Moisturizes the skin.

- Mild and gentle; safe for sensitive skin.

- The invigorating scent of the Lemon Zest variant.

- Affordable price.

What you might not like:

- It dissolves faster than commercially-available, hot-processed soaps, but that's normal since this one is cold-processed. I suggest you keep this soap in a separate soap dish/rack that gives proper drainage. That way, the soap bar stays fresh and will last longer. 

Have you tried these soaps before? They sell for Php 69.75 each, and are available online, at local Human Heart Nature branches, or through registered dealers. They're sold at Beauty Bar outlets and Robinson's, Rustan's, and Shopwise supermarkets in the Metro, too!

Foodie Goodie | Adobo with Lemon Zest and Peanut Butter.

Posted this photo on my Instagram last weekend, and since then I've been receiving requests for the recipe. Now for my foreign friends who may not be familiar with the name 'adobo', it's a popular Filipino dish cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic.

There are many different ways to cook adobo. Some use pork, others prefer to use chicken, or a combination of both. And then there are some who like their adobo with chicken gizzard and liver. (I don't, though. Haha!) There's a version of adobo that uses annatto, there's one that uses yellow ginger, and yet another that uses coconut milk.

My version, however, uses lemon zest (instead of the usual vinegar) and peanut butter. And because you asked for it, here it is - my very own version of adobo, with a twist. :)

Adobo with Lemon Zest and Peanut Butter.

Ingredients:
500 grams chicken breast (or pork cubes), cut into pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 pcs dried bay leaves
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp lemon zest
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Procedure:
1. Marinate chicken in soy sauce, lemon juice, bay leaves, and garlic for thirty minutes. Drain the meat, and set the marinade aside.
2. Add the oil in a large frying pan. Saute the chicken until the sides turn brown.
3. Add the marinade, lemon zest and peppercorns.
4. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add water if necessary.
5. Add the peanut butter, mix it well. Simmer for another five minutes.
6. Remove from heat, and serve with rice.

Tip:
Zest the lemon using a grater.

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.