Hola!  The Growing Foodie is going South of the Border this week to Mexico!  John and I both love Tex-Mex and Mexican food; in fact, I estimate we probably eat it almost once a week.  When I think about all the new recipes I've made in the last three weeks of being in my apartment, Mexican food is a substantial amount of them.

Our recent Mexican kick fell in line perfectly with Cinco de Mayo on Saturday, one of my favorite holidays (you know I love my margaritas!).  In the spirit of the holiday, I couldn't wait to put together some of my favorite Mexican-style treats for you.  Plus, I hope giving these to you over the next few days allows you the time to go shopping for your own fabulous fiesta this weekend!

What better way to get started than with breakfast right?  Don't worry, I am long past the days where alcohol was a good way to start the day!  No, these are just the perfect muffins to start a fiesta-themed weekend though!  They have that lime zing that I immediately associated with cinco de mayo!  Even if your family doesn't love mexican food, I think these lime muffins will still be a smash hit!

The Cooking Light May issue had a lot of really interesting muffin recipes.  I love how this one uses ricotta which makes the muffins extremely light and fluffy.  They will be a very light color even when completely baked so this recipe is definitely a good one to have a toothpick tester.    

Tuscan Lime Muffins (adapted from Cooking Light - May Issue)
Serves:  12 (12 large muffins)
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 lime
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Into another bowl, zest the lime (2 tablespoons) and then juice (1/4 cup).  Combine the zest and juice with ricotta, water, extra virgin olive oil, and egg in another bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.  Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened and combined.  Spoon batter into greased muffin tin until about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake about 15-18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Store in an airtight container for up to three days.

I found that the muffins were best in the first three days, so they are the perfect make-ahead brunch treat!  Especially to celebrate cinco de mayo!

Until the next time my oven is on..