The Yums: Blueberry Magic Muffins!

Muffin batter: 
1/2 Cup butter, softened
3/4 Cup turbinado sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 Cups unbleached AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Cup almond milk
2-3 Cups blueberries (the more the merrier, right?)

•  
• Struesel: 
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 2 TBSP turbinado sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 TBSP butter, chilled

In a large mixing bowl, mix together sugar, flour, baking powder & sea salt. In another bowl, cream together butter, eggs, vanilla & almond milk. Add wet mixture to dry and stir until smooth. Gently fold fat blueberries into your mixture and set aside. In a clean bowl, add struesel ingredients and mash together until well mixed. Grease muffin tins with butter and fill with muffin batter. Pull struesel apart into tiny bits and sprinkle across the top of each uncooked muffin. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. These beauties are very crumbly when warm and soft, but stable when cool. Enjoy with butter, honey or as is! Honestly, these are sweet enough for skipping the honey. Also, the above photo does not do these babies justice. They are truly scrumptious! 

The Yums: Bright Blessings Lemonade!

Over the last few days I have hashed out this recipe and tweaked it into what I believe to be lemony-perfection. Make a batch and do tell what you think! :) 

-6 large lemons or 1 3/4 Cups lemon juice

1 Cup turbinado/pure, unbleached cane sugar

4.5 Cups sparkling water (that's one 33.8 fl oz container of Pellegrino!!) 

1 TBSP orange blossom water

Juice lemons. Add sugar and lemon juice in saucepan and stir over med-high heat until sugar is fully dissolved (about 5 minutes). Pour lemon/sugar mixture into a large container (I used glass) and add pellegrino. Finish off with 1 TBSP orange flower water. Mix well and enjoy! May you be filled with the light of the season and allow yourself to S H I N E!

*I'm thinking of substituting the orange blossom water with rose flower water in the summer... perhaps lavender? Yum!

The Yums: The Sweet Life muffins!

3/4 Cup soy milk

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 Cups applesauce

2 TBSP sugar

3/4 Cup whole wheat flour

3/4 Cup AP flour

1/4 Cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 Cup raisins

1/4 Cup cranberry raisins (I used orange juice sweetened craisins)

1/4 Cup dried blueberries

*Optional: nuts!

Mix soy milk & apple cider vinegar and let sit a couple of minutes. Add applesauce, soy milk & vanilla to this mixture. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients until clumps have dissipated. Gently fold liquid mixture into dry and stir until fully mixed. Bake at 350 degrees for 26-30 minutes. Enjoy & share with a friend!

The Yums: Sunshine Rice!

splash of olive oil

2 Cups cooked brown rice

1/2 Cup yellow onion, chopped

2 Cups cauliflower

1 orange bell pepper (or red)

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

2 tsp curry powder

*1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 Cup fresh parsley, chopped

juice of 1 meyer lemon

1 (15 oz can) garbanzo beans

1 TBSP ghee

sea salt to taste

Cook rice (in rice cooker) and set aside. Sautee onions in olive oil. Add cauliflower and enough water to steam while covered. When cauliflower is tender, add bell pepper, tomatoes, curry, turmeric, cumin, parsley & lemon juice. Mix well and let cook on med-high until a gentle boil is reached. Add rice and ghee (stir until ghee covers rice) and let simmer about 3 minutes. Top off with garbanzos and let simmer another 3-5 minutes. Salt to taste and enjoy!

This would be simply divine with the addition of pineapple or craisins (Sweet Sunshine Rice, perhaps?). Cashews, too! Yum.

*Personally, I prefer more turmeric - but I had just 1/4 tsp left in my spice cabinet! For shame. Next time I will most definitely use about 1/2 tsp.

The Yums: Nuts About You Granola!

Over the holiday break my rad ma-in-law, Myrna, opened my eyes to the simplicity of granola making. The basic recipe comes from the trusty Tassajara Bread Book (on page 140 of the ancient edition) and is simple to remember: for every 10 cups of dry ingredients (oats, nuts, seeds) you add 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of sweetener. After roasting in the oven you add whatever dried fruits you like. Here is how I made my first batch:

To 5 cups of oats I added:

-1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut (I like the big chunky kind)

-1/4 cup almonds

-3/4 cup cashews

-1 cup pecans

-1/2 cup pistachios

-1/2 cup sunflower seeds

-1/2 cup walnuts

-1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

Next, stirred in 1/2 cup of canola oil (may use another oil next time... sunflower?), 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup agave nectar. I then split the mixture between 2 baking sheets and roasted at 250 degrees for 1 hour (stirring every 10 minutes). I cannot tell you nice it was to have baking sheets with sides... saved much mess (thanks, Myrna!!!).

It came out of the oven nice and golden. I put the dry ingredients back into a big bowl and added:

-1 cup chopped dates

-1/2 cup orange flavored cranberries

-1/2 cup dried blueberries

-1/4 cup dried cherries

-1/2 cup dried mango, chopped

I stirred it up well and then couldn't wait to test it out. My fave way to eat granola is to drench it in coconut milk and mix in 1 tsp of chia seeds. This is what a 1/2 cup of granola looks like...

Of course, I shared it with Sebastian who then demanded "more!" when the granola had dried and was put into containers. Guess he will have to wait until tomorrow!

Be creative with your granola making and enjoy! It does the mind and heart well to know exactly what has gone into your mixture. Don't forget to add a heaping dose of love and preferably mix it up while you dance to your fave tunes!

The Yums: Autumn Rejuvenation Ration!

This is straight from a book that I believe everyone should own, The Detox Diet by Elson M. Haas, M.D. Haas credits this particular recipe to his business partner, Bethany ArgIsle.

Autumn Rejuvenation Ration:

3 Cups spring water

1 TBSP chopped ginger root

1-2 TBSP miso paste (do not boil!)

1-2 stalks chopped green onion

chopped cilantro to taste*

1-2 pinches cayenne pepper

2 tsp olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

Boil water. Add ginger root. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in miso paste to taste. Turn off burner. Add green onions, cilantro, cayenne, olive oil & lemon juice. Remove from burner and cover to steep 10 minutes. May vary ingredient portions to satisfy flavors. Enjoy!

*I reeeeeeeeally dislike cilantro. A LOT... so I substituted it with parsley.

Also, I tripled the recipe since I plan to be drinking this broth all day for a few days. I opted for 4 TBSP ginger, 5 TBSP miso paste, 6 stalks green onion & 5 pinched cayenne. All other ingredients were just tripled.

The Yums: Autumn Abundance Muffins!

I'm still in baking mode. Blame it on Fall. This here is my own silly experiment. A first (of hopefully many) original muffin recipe(s).

Autumn Abundance Muffins:

2 Cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*

1 tsp. salt

1 stick of salted butter (8 TBsp.)

1 Cup raw/turbinado sugar

1 Cup light brown sugar

4 eggs

1 Cup applesauce

1 Cup pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 Cup orange-pinapple juice

3/4 Cup golden raisins

3/4 Cup craisins

3/4 Cup walnuts

*1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice is: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. cloves, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg.

Cover raisins and craisins with boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes. Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix all wet ingredients together. Drain raisins/craisins and fold into mixture along with walnuts. Grease muffin tins (I use butter) and fill with mixture. Bake at 350 degrees. 24 mini muffins bake for 18 minutes. 12 regular muffins bake for about 30 minutes. Freeze extras. So far they do thaw well (and I think they taste better after being frozen - Of course it is hard to beat hot out of the oven with butter and a tad bit of honey). This mixture is fluffy and rises well. Dense/hearty muffins. Could do with less sugar, but are tasty as is if you like a sweet treat. Tastes like Autumn! If you try this recipe out, please let me know what you think (or if you make any changes). I think that some chopped candied ginger added in at just after the walnuts might just perfect this muffin. Enjoy!

The Yums: Lemon-Ginger Muffins!

Original recipe from Molly Katzen's 'The Enchanted Broccoli Forest' pg. 113 Lemon-Yogurt Muffins.

6 TBSP honey

4 TBSP butter

1 Cup plain yogurt (or lemon or vanilla yogurt)

1 large egg

juice of 2 lemons

zest of one lemon

1 Cup unbleached white flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger powder

2 inches fresh ginger, finely chopped

Mix wet ingredients well. Mix dry ingredients until all lumps disappear. Gently fold wet & dry ingredients together. Bake 25 minutes @ 375. Makes 12 big muffins or roughly 18 smaller muffins. Nuts are optional... I think craisins would zest these little guys up nicely, but I haven't tried that yet. They aren't too sweet, but the perfect backdrop for honey. Ben said they needed more salt (I used unsalted butter). He tends to oversalt, so I suppose it depends on your preference. I think they could have used even more ginger... for a real sweet treat, diced candied ginger. OoooOoh yum.

The Yums: Fatty Triple Berry Muffins!

The basic recipe hails from Mollie Katzen's Enchanted Broccoli Forest (pg. 116 Blueberry muffins). As usual, I have amended it to my own tastes.

2 Cups berries (I used raspberries, blueberries & blackberries)

1-1/2 Cups unbleached flour (or 3/4 Cups unbleached + 3/4 Cups whole wheat)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

freshly grated zest of 2 lemons (I used one meyer & one plain old lemon)

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup milk (I used soy)

1 large egg

Juice of one lemon

1-1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 TBSP vanilla

Mix wet ingredients well in a bowl. Mix dry ingredients well in another bowl. Fold wet into dry bowl. Add berries. Stir well. (I like my berry muffins purple. If you don't, just fold the berries in gently. The more you stir, the more color your batter will take on.). Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake 30-35 minutes @350 or until slightly golden on top. I did add an extra splash of soy milk in just before filling muffin cups as the consistency wasn't quite right to my eye. Seemed to do the trick because they were super yummy. Not too sweet; just right. Enjoy!

The Yums: Tongue Happy Hummus.

In case any of you are interested in testing out the hummus recipe (& really giving your tongue a treat), You'll need:

1 16 oz. can of garbanzo beans (or 16oz. of home cooked grabanzos)

1/4 cup liquid from the can (or garbanzo water from home cooking)

1-1/2 TBSP tahini

the juice of a whole lemon (I use meyer)

3 large cloves crushed garlic

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 TBSP olive oil

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix well in a food processor or VitaMix. Choose your own consistency. I like mine a tad lumpy. It will last about 3 days in the refrigerator and a few weeks if you freeze it. Between the 3 of us, I have no doubt that this batch will be gone in 3 days. Enjoy it on bread, tortillas, pita, or rice (tasty!).

The Yums: Rainbow Veggie Chili & Sweet Fire in the Hole Corn Muffins.

Because I am a little A.D.D. when it comes to creating in the kitchen, I usually take the skeleton of a recipe and completely work it into my own concoction. The following recipes are 2 examples of my reworking that, thankfully, have a happy ending. Because these recipes don't much look like the originals, I'm just including my versions.

Rainbow Veggie Chili

3 TBSP olive oil

1 green zucchini

1 yellow zucchini

2 bell peppers of any color (I used a yellow and an orange)

5-7 cloves garlic (I used 5, but would have liked it a bit garlickier).

1 onion

1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes w/liquid

1 (6oz) can tomato paste

1 (15oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 (30oz) can chili beans with sauce

1 ear of corn

1 TBSP chili powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground black pepper (more to taste)

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 Cup water

Heat oil over medium high heat in large pot. Dice & stir in zukes, peppers, garlic & onion (add jalapeno, if you desire a swift kick).

Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, tomato paste, beans & corn and bring to a boil. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, black & cayenne peppers & water. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Let cool slightly, garnish with shredded cheese & sour cream and enjoy! (green onions might be good, too!)

But don't forget the corn muffins!!! What's a good chili without corn muffins? Seriously. I am thinking it a very lonely chili.

Sweet Fire in the Hole Corn Muffins

1 1/2 cups yellow corn meal

1 cup unbleached flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup raw/turbinado sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup soy milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup shredded cheese (more if you like 'em super cheesy)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. lightly oil muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside. Mix wet ingredients. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until blended. Add a few tsp of soy milk and another TBSP oil to reach your desired muffin consistency. Let mixture sit a few minutes and then spoon batter into muffin tins (3/4 full). Bake 15 minutes or until muffin tops are golden brown. Remove from pan and serve immediately or cool on racks. Enjoy with butter and/or honey. Yields 12 muffins (or 24 mini muffins). Again, jalapenos or green onions are optional.

I kept both recipes relatively friendly to sensitive tummies. If you like it super hot, add more cayenne and throw in a jalapeno or 2. My tummy is fairly sensitive... and I'd hate to overload Sebastian's... But, look at that! Positively deeee-lish. Extra yummy with a beer, of course. :)