Butternut Squash and Oats Muffin

I am being too lazy to post recipe these days...and i thought i will not make any new recipes until i finish all my drafts.. but even that did not motivate me to write... i kept on delaying.. then the sorry look of a cute butternut squash made me make these wonderful muffins and voila guess what i am so happy with the result.. i am posting it immediately :D
I get bored so quickly with all kinds of breakfast cereals... i like one type one day and dont like that other time. though i am not a big fan of idlis and upma... i crave for them now. Nazeer loves idlis, no doubt about that but he loves loves his cereal. Even when i make idli, he first eats his bowl of cereal and then idli.. isnt that strange? So i am in constant search of healthy breakfast ideas and he is happy with his cereal :)
I recently liked bagels but to keep it a bit more healthy i got whole wheat bagels.. guess what they were horrible.. waa... what to do.. breakfast is the most important of the day.. we should, i say should, not miss it anyhow. So i found this healthy butternut squash muffin recipe from Simple Daily Recipes and oh boy is this healthy and beautiful or what?
The muffins are so soft, moist, healthy, tasty, filling, list goes on and on...

Lets get to the recipe then. If u dont have a muffin pan, you can totally use a loaf pan and make a bread. Eat a single slice or a muffin and i bet it will keep you going thru lunch :)
And you know what there is no fat in this entire muffin except for a egg yolk and a few drops of oil for roasting squash and they stay fresh for 4 days at room temperature. Isn't that great? enough rambling lets see the recipe :

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 tablespoon canola oil

• Preheat the oven to 400 F. Quarter the butternut squash and place it in a wax paper lined baking sheet.
• Add oil and bake for 35-40 min. Mine took 45 min. Let it cool  and the skin will come off easily. The squash will be so soft and like pulp. You can just mash with hands. If not use ur blender to make a paste and keep it aside.  You can store the remaining squash in the refrigerator when its cool.

For the muffin:
this makes 12 muffins. i made 7 muffins using half of the recipe.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats, coarsely ground
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup old fashioned oats, left whole
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cup butternut squash puree
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup applesauce or canola oil ( i made chunky apple sauce, recipe follows)
1/4 cup orange juice

For the chunky applesauce:
1 apple peeled and chopped finely
juice of half lemon
2 tablespoon orange juice
2 tablespoon water
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons sugar

• In a saucepan, add all the above mentioned items under the apple sauce section and let it cook until the apple is soft and mashable. U can puree it or keep it chunky as it is. Keep it aside.
• Add warm water to cranberries and raisins and microwave high for a minute, drain the water and keep aside.
• In a bowl add whole wheat flour, ground oats, whole oats, salt, baking soda, garam masala, brown sugar, cranberries, raisins, walnuts, orange peel and mix well.
• In another bowl, add butternut squash puree, apple sauce, orange juice and eggs and mix well.
• Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold it gently till the flour is just wet. Dont mix it too much :)
• Line a muffin pan with paper cup liners or grease it and fill the muffin pan to the top.
• Heat the oven to 350 F and bake for 20-25 min.

Here's a view of nutty and fruity goodness of the muffin:

I know the recipe looks so long but its so easy to put together... :) Sending this to Priya's CWF- Oats event started by kiran  and to Hearth and Soul - Hop volume 33