Oh man. These are the bomb. I was eager to bake something all week long and just didn't have the time with my work and school schedule. I had a container of strawberries that was going to go bad real soon, and rather than throwing them away (I absolutely hate wasting food,) I wanted to incorporate them into something. But plain old strawberry muffins are a little boring. So here we have Strawberry & Orange Ricotta Muffins! They're low fat and full of vitamin C.

Ricotta cheese is so versatile, low fat and high in calcium and protein. Why don't I eat it more? The flavor is really mild and gives these muffins some extra density and richness. The ricotta goes perfectly with the fruitiness of the orange and strawberries. Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/3  cup organic turbinado sugar* + 2 tsp (for topping)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 3 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup fresh chopped strawberries
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim ricotta
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup water

Directions: 

• Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees
• Add flour, sugar and baking powder in a medium bowl and mix together
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, ricotta, butter and orange juice until consistency is smooth
• Add the wet ingredients (except the water) and the orange zest to the flour mixture and mix well
• Add in water and mix
• Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and fill each one 3/4 way full
• Sprinkle remaining sugar on top of batter
• Bake for 25 minutes

These muffins have the perfect amount of sweetness. They're dense, yet super refreshing. Give 'em a try!

Rach