Instructions: This far from ordinary oatmeal muffin incorporates an intriguing mix of tastes and textures-including orange juice and zest, lots of spices, zesty dried cranberries, and crunchy pecans. Be sure to use rolled oats, not the quick-cooking variety. The recipe is easily converted to mini muffins for the perfect midday snack in lieu of cookies. Simply pour the batter into a prepared 24-well mini muffin tin and bake for about 12 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 12-well muffin tin 3 times with the vegetable oil.

Put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and whisk until frothy. Whisk in the maple syrup, orange juice, and milk. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and orange zest. Whisk to blend. Stir in the oats, flour, and baking powder with a wooden spoon. Fold in the pecans and dried cranberries.

Fill the muffin tin with the batter (each cup should be approximately two-thirds full). Bake for about 20 minutes, until the muffins are firm in the center. minutes.

Makes 12 muffins. Fat per muffin = 2.5 grams. Calories per muffin = 128

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