Blueberry Wheat Germ Muffins

Jack and I like to have nice, healthy Saturday morning brunches at home together before we work out.  He has been on the hunt for a Vitamix(!) for us to go crazy with, but in the meanwhile, I decided to make some muffins.

 Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (again, I use unbleached organic to help mitigate white-flour-guilt)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Dashes of cinnamon and ground ginger
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup plain fat free kefir
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. I like to spritz both the tin and the inside of the muffin cups with olive oil.  

1. In a bowl whisk together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ, baking powder, salt, spices, and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Make a well in center of bowl and add milk/kefir, melted coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Gently mix until just combined. Fold in blueberries.
   
   
2. Divide batter among muffin cups. Combine 2 Tbsp. toasted wheat germ, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, and rolled oats in a small bowl. Sprinkle over tops of muffins.
   
   Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Let sit in pan 10 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack to cool.
   
   
   We each ate 4...immediately.  Very tasty!
   
   
   You could honestly go with half of the crumb topping, but hey, why not be decadent with your crumb topping now and again?
   
   Adapted from a recipe in Whole Living magazine, which I love.  Martha, you've done it again!
   

Apples Galore

I bought a giant bag of granny smith's and I don't believe in wasting food.  In this chilly season of wassail and cloved oranges, I made these dishes with some extra spice-iness.

Very Spiced Apple Sauce
Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
8 Granny Smith apples, mostly peeled (I like a little peel in my life), cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses (hence the applesauce's rich, dark color)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1t freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 T Disaronno (or almond extract) (optional)

Directions:

In a saucepan, melt oil/butter and saute ginger for 1 minute. Add Disaronno and cook the alcohol out for a couple minutes.  Add apples, molasses, and spices.  Simmer uncovered until apples are very tender, about 45 minutes.

If desired put a stick blender in the bowl until a little smoother.  I do like to leave some chunks in, though.

I then used some as an ingredient in the Apple Bread recipe below and it was just perfect.

I saved the rest in glass jars.  My favorite trick is to put it in the jars while its still warm and then pop the closed jars in the fridge.  They will develop a canning-like suction and, presumably, stay fresh longer.

Emeril helped inspire this recipe.


SCRUMPTIOUS APPLE SPICE BREAD

Ingredients:
-2 c white whole wheat flour
-2t baking powder
-1/2t salt
-1t cinnamon
-1/2t freshly ground nutmeg
 -1/8t ground cloves
-1/8t ground allspice

-6T coconut oil
-1/4 c molasses (I use blackstrap for extra oomph)
-1/4c brown sugar
-2 eggs
-1 t vanilla extract
-1/4c applesauce (from the recipe above!)
-2 apples, chopped small

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and grease a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.
   
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
   
3. Use an electric mixer to beat together coconut oil and light brown sugar until somewhat fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add molasses; beat until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, plus vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
   
4. With the mixer on low, add half the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Beat in applesauce; add remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.
   
5. Peel and core apples. Cut apple into 1/4-inch cubes, and fold into the batter. Transfer to pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, let cool completely, slice.
   

Probably more of a fall recipe, but whatever.

The texture is really nice-- very smooth with the baked apple bits.

I kept noticing little pieces being taken away from the leftover slices I had wrapped in plastic wrap on the kitchen counter...  The whole loaf disappeared incredibly fast.  I know that Jack wanted the last piece, but he graciously said I could take it to work for lunch.  And that, my friends, is love.  ;)

Inspiration from Whole Living, yet again!

Extra Moist, Sky-High Sweet Cornbread

I was so incredibly happy with how this recipe turned out.  It comes out very tall and impressive.  The texture is superb.  Honestly, its better than eating cake- and that's saying something.

Ingredients

• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1 c. all-purpose flour (I used unbleached organic to help me feel better for using white flour)
• 2 c. white whole wheat flour
• 2/3 c. Splenda baking mix
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dashes of cayenne & cinnamon (to kick it up a [little] notch!)
• ⅔ cup coconut oil
• 5 Tablespoon melted butter
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 c liquid egg whites (or 3 egg whites)
• 2 cups whole milk (yes, I know, its bad-- but its the secret ingredient!)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with additional coconut oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, microwave the coconut oil & butter for a few seconds until melted
4. Use a spatula and pour into flour mixture
5. Add the honey, beaten egg, egg whites, and milk, and stir just until moistened.
6. Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and bake in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Watch the cornbread towards the end, you want it to be turning golden and starting to show some cracks.  

          It will be very moist, so don't think its not done cooking, just because it feels so dense and moist compared to most cornbreads.  Bake until a tester comes out clean.  It took mine nearly an hour before I was satisfied with its doneness.

        No joke, this recipe is a keeper.



Adapted (and changed significantly) from a recipe on the blog Daily Dish.

Lemon Poppyseed Soda Bread (& a salad)

So a while back I was at a bulk natural foods store, the kind where they just have the products in nondescript 1/2 pound and 1 pound clear plastic bags.  In the odds & ends section, where you never really know what they are gonna have bagged up, I found a whole big bag of chia seeds (one of my favorites!) for super cheap!  I couldn't believe my luck!  I hurried up and purchased them before the store could decide they had been priced so low by mistake-- those litter buggers are pricey!

 Then I got home I realized I'd just bought a pound of poppyseeds.

(sigh)

In the spirit of my Irishness and because today was a snow and I'm just looking for anything to celebrate at this point in the dreariness of winter, I decided to put a twist on good old Irish Soda Bread.  Secretly, this was all inspired by the lonely 3/4 cup of buttermilk I had in my fridge, just begging to be used.  I made pancakes for Sunday breakfast, and I hate to see good buttermilk (or anything, for that matter --poppyseeds included-- go to waste).

I based my clear-the-cupboards creation (very) loosely on Ina Garten's Soda Bread recipe--

Ingredients
 
~2 cups white whole wheat flour  (in retrospect, it would have tasted better if I used 1/2 regular white pastry dough.  Unfortunately, white flour is just not my style outside of my own birthday cake.)
~1/2 teaspoon baking soda  --> I've always thought something called "Soda Bread" really ought to have more baking soda than that!
~3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

 ~2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced into tiny pieces

~3/4 cups cold buttermilk, well-shaken
~1 egg white, lightly beaten
~Juice & grated orange zest from 2 lemons
~3 tablespoons honey

 
Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil & rub down the center with coconut oil.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in the bowl and whisk together. Add the butter and mix with a fork, pastry cutter, and/or your fingers until the butter is mixed into the flour in little split pea-sized pieces.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup.  Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture with a spatula. 

 My consistency was normal enough that I skipped the whole usual "roll out on floured board" situation.  I just plopped it right onto the prepared sheet.  You can gently make score marks on the top if you're feeling fancy.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. According to Ina, when you tap the loaf, it should have a hollow sound.  But I go for golden brownness myself to determine when to pull the plug.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature-- mine was good in a bowl drizzled with kefir and honey.
~~~~

Continuing with my impossible task of using a pound of poppy seeds before I die, I also made this nice little salad...

INGREDIENTS

-2 Granny Smith apples, cut into long, thin slices
-2 heads of radicchio,  roughly chopped
-2 T crumbled fat free feta cheese

-1 lemon, zested & juiced
-1 leftover jar of marinated artichoke hearts (all the hearts were gone, I was just using the jar for mixing and the residual marinade as a dressing base.  You can also just use from water, oil, and vinegar + mild spices of your choice)
-Splash of extra apple cider vinegar
-1-2 T Splenda making mix
-1-2 T poppy seeds
-Salt & pepper


DIRECTIONS 

The main ingredients--green apples, radicchio, lemon-- are all bitter.  So I made a nice sweet dressing to go over the top and temper it.  Shake together all the dressing ingredients in a jar, to taste.  It should be sweet.  Drizzle just enough on the salad and gently mix together.

I brought mine to work for lunch in a tupperware lined with parchment.  Even though it was pre-dressed, it held up very well.  Not wilty at all.  Yum!

Chilled Canteloupe Soup

I have always been suspicious of cold soups...just doesn't seem right...but during the heat wave of this July, I took a crack at a chilled soup, made with seasonal canteloupe and I was pretty impressed with myself!

It was so simple too!

Ingredients:
-1 medium, ripe canteloupe
-2 or 3 cups plain sparkling water
-8 thin slices of prosciutto
-cracked white pepper
-chopped basil to garnish (optional)

Directions:

-Cube the melon and put the cubes in a food processor in batches until smooth

-Pour the melon puree into a large tupperware or bowl, gently mix in the sparkling water

-Crisp the prosciutto in a pan and crumble over the soup in each bowl, right before serving

-Garnish with crushed white pepper to taste & perhaps a pinch of chopped basil


Serves 4, oh so refreshingly!

Slim Enchiladas

I had a lot of fun making these enchiladas, and they happily fed me all week-- LOTS of great flavor!

These are "regular" enough to smell/look/feel/taste like enchiladas, but they offer so much more- the pepperiness from the arugula, the heartiness from the occassional mushroom bit, the smokey kick from the chipotle, and the slow-roasted chicken all really came together to make for a great dish...if I do say so myself :)

The recipe is wordy, but its really not difficult.

-->

Slim Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde & Chipotle Sauce

INGREDIENTS

4 small sweet peppers, diced

½ red onion, diced

1 lime, chopped & wrapped in cheese cloth

½ c diced mushrooms (I like baby bellas best)

Generous handful of baby arugula, if desired, you can chop it up

1 can rinsed black beans (reduced sodium is best)

2 uncooked organic chicken breasts

1 small can diced green chiles

½ c water

½ c plain fat free Greek yogurt

1 tsp each cumin & salt & pepper

16 small corn tortillas

1 c (or more) salsa verde or green taco sauce (Wegman's roasted tomatillo sauce is the BEST!)

2T chipotle sauce

¼ c shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

Place the following in a Crock Pot & cook on HIGH for 3 hours

            4 small sweet peppers, diced

            ½ red onion, diced

            1 lime, chopped & wrapped in cheese cloth

            ½ c diced mushrooms

            Generous handful of baby arugula

            1 can rinsed black beans

            2 uncooked organic chicken breasts

            1 small can diced green chiles

            ½ c water (swish in empty chile can to get the rest of the goodness out)

Discard the lime.  Use 2 forks to shred the chicken and combine ingredients. 

Mix in the following:

            ½ c plain fat free Greek yogurt

            1 tsp each cumin & salt & pepper, to taste

Warm tortillas in batches of about 4 in the microwave for ~30 seconds, between damp paper towels.  You are warming them in batches so they won’t cool down by the time you get around to rolling them up, obviously.

            16 small corn tortillas, warmed in batches

I covered my pan with tin foil because I am averse to cleaning pots, but do whatever you want.

Use a ¼ c measuring cup to spoon ~ ¼ c filling into a warm tortilla, wrap it up, and place the seam-side of the tortilla down into the pan.  Be aware that there will probably be excess liquid in the chicken mixture, so try to be draining it as you scoop out each ¼ cup.  Fit the rolled tortillas tightly in the dish.  I squeezed in 16, using 2 pans of different sizes, but I think 16 would be about right for a standard 9x13 pan (5 rows of 3 + a bonus somewhere)

Cover with green salsa and spoon a little chipotle sauce over each tortilla roll.  Sprinkle with cheese.

            1 c (or more) salsa verde or green taco sauce

            2T chipotle sauce

            ¼ c shredded parmesan cheese

Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 for around 30 mins, until you see some bubbling juices & the cheese is melted completely.

Serve with fresh cilantro!

The beauty of this recipe is the unusual amount of veggies and the high amount of protein even though only 2 chicken breasts are used.  Supplementing the meat with beans & yogurt means less saturated fat and less animals dying (if you’re not too into that) and still getting 8 servings with a substantial amount of wholesome protein.  ¡Qué bueno!

Also, I'm a believer of only adding cheese ON TOP because it takes A LOT of cheese mixed inside of a dish for it to even be noticeable, so why waste cheese and why waste calories?  This is also my philosophy on omlettes.  Putting it on top makes it easier to taste while using less.  

NUTRITION INFORMATION

According to my calculations at Livestrong.com/myplate

For 2 enchiladas (recipe makes 16 enchiladas, ie, 8 servings total)

218 Calories

2.4g Total Fat

7g Fiber

14.5g Protein

That’s light enough to have 2 servings if you wanna!  If you do, that’s about 14 GRAMS OF FIBER & 29 GRAMS OF PROTEIN! Whoa!  Winner.

Sesame Street Fruit & Veggie Platters

I'm a big fan of healthy eating.

And I'm a REALLY big fan of engaging kids in healthy eating!

Which explains my love of this season's Biggest Loser (challenging America to fight childhood obesity), my support of Michelle Obama & her Let's Move! campaign for kids, AND my recent gift to my little baby niece on the way:

 Plush fruit & veggie baskets from IKEA- love!


 So when I saw these platters posted by the local schwanky health club in town that I am currently saving my pennies to become a member of...

 I had to share them.  No recipe required, I think the photo speaks for itself.

Cookie Monster:
     Blueberries, blackberries

Elmo:
     Strawberries, blackberries, clementine 

Oscar the Grouch:
     Broccoli, olives, bell pepper

Big Bird:
      Pineapple, mango, strawberry

     All with yogurt dip in shallow dishes + blueberries or blackberries for eyes.


Too cute!

Thanks to the Sporting Club at the Bellevue for the inspiration!