love, truth, and lemon muffins

“Love and truth, in the long run, no force can prevail against them.”

This was Mahatma Gandhi’s answer when American journalist William Shirer asked Gandhi how he had managed to single-handedly rock the foundations of the British Empire and rouse one-third of a billion people into a non-violent revolution against foreign rule.

When Shirer pushed him for something more specific than just fighting for independence with love and truth – Gandhi replied…

“We are fighting with soul-force…. Soul-force. We call it Satyagraha.”

A third of a billion people fighting with soul-force. That’s a lot of love and truth and soul. And as history has shown us, it worked.

I love this. Love and truth and soul-force. I happened upon Shirer’s biography of Gandhi recently. It could not have come at a better time or been a better reminder of the power of love and truth and to just keep believing even when it feels as though I’ve been running uphill forever into a strong headwind. (I’m a lousy swimmer – can scarcely swim with the tide let alone against it…)

Gandhi believed that food was integral to consciousness and not just meant to satiate our hunger. He followed a very restricted vegetarian diet but was said to have loved ghee and sour fruits. So I’m going to use poetic licence and post these luscious, tangy, cream cheese lemon muffins. I don’t think Gandhi would mind.

Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins
(adapted from a recipe found at cooks.com)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
125 grams (4 oz) (1/2 cup) cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1 egg
1/3 cup sunflower or other light oil
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon rind (I used one lemon – reserve any extra rind for the glaze)

Set oven to 375 deg F and line muffin pans with paper liners.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Toss the cream cheese cubes into the flour mixture and stir so that the cream cheese is lightly coated.

In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, oil, lemon juice and lemon rind. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir lightly to combine. Spoon into muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and set on a baking rack to cool for a minute or two while you mix the glaze.

Glaze

Mix 2 tbsp sugar with 2 tbsp lemon juice and any remaining lemon rind. Spoon onto hot muffins and let cool.

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