Confessions of a Food Junkie

It's spring, and that means rhubarb.  I had a bag of strawberries in the freezer to use up, so I bought two stalks of rhubarb.  I hate having to buy it, because my in-laws grow it, but I keep forgetting to ask them if theirs is ready.  So I bought it.  Shhh, it'll be our secret.  I did some internet searching for a different sort of strawberry rhubarb recipe.  I mean, we all love a good strawberry rhubarb pie, but, one) I didn't want to make a pie, and two) I'm out of brown sugar so any kind of bar recipe was out.  I found a recipe for strawberry rhubarb muffins, and changed it to make it my own (and in my opinion, tastier).  These are pee-your-pants good, and easy to make.  Enjoy!

1 c whole wheat flour (can use white flour if you don't have wheat)
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c chunky applesauce
1 tsp canola oil
1/2 c milk
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c strawberries, chopped
1/2 c rhubarb, chopped
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling*

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with papers.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine the applesauce, oil, milk, egg and vanilla.  Add to dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined (overmixing will make the muffins chewy instead of soft).  Gently fold in the strawberries and rhubarb--you don't want pink batter from mushing the strawberries.

Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups.  Sprinkle tops generously with turbinado sugar.  Bake 18-21 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

*Turbinado sugar is large grains of sugar, not granulated.  It is easily found in the baking aisle of your local grocery store.