Perfect Pumpkin Muffins October 29, 2009

My vegan brother John forwarded this recipe to me from the VegNews Recipe Club (http://www.vegnews.com). ‘Tis the season for pumpkin so I thought I would give these a whirl. There are no animal products in these tasty muffins whatsoever so you don’t even have to wonder if it is safe to lick the spoon! The texture is a little bit denser than a typical muffin but I still think they are YUMMY!

Perfect Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 muffins (Note: I had way more mix than just 12 muffins, so I made 24 more additional mini-muffins to take with me to work!)

What You Need:

1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup firm tofu, mashed
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup dried cranberries

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin purée, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, and tofu. In a separate bowl, sift all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and cloves. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in dried cranberries.

3. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cranberry Pecan Muesli April 29, 2009

At the start of this week I was bored with my puffed rice cereal by itself so I put together the following. It is so simple to make and will save you on both money and calories (vs. a pre-packaged  muesli). You can add many other grain cereals, dried fruits and nuts but the following is what I had on hand. 

 

2 cups puffed brown rice (I found an organic version like Rice Krispies at Whole Foods) 

2 cups amaranth flakes 

1 cup rolled oats 

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/4 toasted and chopped pecans 

Yields 2-3 servings

Serve with rice milk or over yogurt and Ta-Dah! You’ve got a quick and healthy breakfast!  :)

Cranberry-Walnut Power Bars April 9, 2009

I have been holding onto the following recipe from Food & Wine for over 2 years now. I figured it was time to give them a go! These bars are nutrient packed but be mindful of the serving size ( because of calorie & fat content). They are in line calorically with most granola bars but the biggest benefit here is that you are not getting all the preservatives and processed sugars as you do in store bought brands; not to mention these bars are way more cost effective. I could not find brown rice syrup anywhere (even at Whole Foods! Ugh!) so I substituted all natural maple syrup which I’m sure changed the recipe some. Next time I plan to use brown rice syrup per the recipe ; I just need to order it online. Still they were quite tasty! Healthy, gingery and nutty goodness!  

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cranberry-walnut-power-bars

(If the link does not work, just copy and paste into your browser)

Erin’s McLessMuffin October 30, 2008

The following is less of a recipe and more of a suggested assembly of products as there is scant cooking actually involved.

 

What is it about those calorie and cholesterol packed breakfast sandwiches served at the golden arches? I have never been a real fan of other things served there but I will be honest and admit that there have been times that what my sister refers to as a “meaty cheesy yum-yum” has been a lifesaver the morning after imbibing too much.

 

There is no reason that you can’t make a healthier version of the famous breakfast sandwich at home and that’s what I did this morning.

- I toasted a whole wheat english muffin

- I followed the heating instructions on my favorite veggie sausage patty (Morningstar http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/product_detail.aspx?family=934&id=355 )

- I brushed some of my favorite vegan margarine on the toasted muffin (Earth Balance http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/#/products/original/ )

- I assembled the veggie pattie and a slice of “Swiss” soy cheese (Veggie Slices http://www.galaxyfoods.com/ourbrands/usa/veggie.asp )

- I put the sandwich open faced under my broiler until the cheese melted (you could also use a toaster oven).

- Serve!

 

You’ll notice that I didn’t have any egg on my sandwich which is because I never really ate the egg  product served on those famous muffins anyway. There is no reason that you couldn’t add an actual cooked egg (or egg whites) if you eat them or use an egg substitute and add it to your sandwich assembly. Even if you use non-soy products like a turkey sausage patty and real cheese on your homemade muffin sandwich it will still be a million times better for you than the fast food version without skimping on taste.

Sweet Potato & Zucchini Bread (Muffins) September 18, 2008

After I blogged about those sneaky spinach brownies that weren’t to my particular liking a few weeks ago my best buddy Chelsea sent me a recipe that she had she revised for the following nutrient packed veggie bread. She actually turns the recipe into muffins which when topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting makes them more like cupcakes. Omigosh! These little tasty treats were sooooo… good.

 

Her revisions to the recipe are as follows (I followed her revisions exactly)

- Whole wheat flour instead of white flour

- 1 cup of sugar in lieu of 2 cups

- 1/2 cup apple sauce and 1/4 cup oil in lieu of 3/4 cup oil

- 1 tsp. baking powder in lieu of 1/4 tsp. baking powder

When cooked as muffins, cook for 22-26 minutes.

 

Chelsea usually serves these muffins with breakfast but she suggested that homemade cream cheese frosting would make them more “treat-like”. My frosting was made up of 1 cup fat free whipped cream cheese, 2 tbsp. honey, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. lemon juice. All ingredients were mixed with a handmixer. After I frosted the muffins I topped them with an  equal mixture of brown sugar and chopped walnuts.  

 

Recipe Rating: 4.5 out 5 stars! I loved them!

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/SWEET-POTATO-AND-ZUCCHINI-BREAD-2674

Acuna Frittata!! July 22, 2008

This is a NO WORRIES meal! Don’t be misled, although I tagged this recipe as a breakfast item I actually served it for lunch with a simple garden salad. Frittatas can be a low fat and cost effective meal that is both filling and full of nutrition.  I used a recipe from one of my FAVORITE vegetarian cookbooks “The Enchanted Broccoli Forest” by Mollie Katzen. I tagged this as a vegetarian option as there are a variety of egg subsitutes available and the cheese is optional. The beauty of the frittata is also the ability to improvise with whatever vegetables you have in your refrigerator. Just be mindful of quantities and the egg to veggie mix ratio.

Acuna Frittata! – From The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen – “Frittata” page 178

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1/ 2cup minced onion

3/4 tsp. salt (I used kosher)

A pinch of dried oregano

A pinch of dried thyme

8 to 10 mushrooms sliced

1 cup diced zucchini and/ or summer squash

1/2 cup minced bell pepper (I used red)

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 handfuls chopped spinach and/ or arugula (I used arugula since I had some left over from last week’s menu)

Freshly ground pepper

A few fresh basil leaves (if available)

4 or 5 eggs (ok to delete a yolk or two – I deleted 1 of 5 yolks) or equal amount of Egg subsitute

(Optional)1/4 lb. Fontina Cheese, grated or sliced (fontina cheese was just too darned expensive for my budget of late so I opted for nonfat mozzarella. In hindsight a better flavor substitution would be Gruyere.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Heat the oil on the stovetop in a 9 or 10-inch cast iron (or oven proof) skillet. Add the onion and half the salt, and saute’ over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

3. Add dried herbs, mushrooms, zucchini or squash, bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring over medium high heat for another 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

4. Turn the heat up and add the spinach and/ or arugula with the remaining salt and black pepper to taste. Stir and cook for just a minute or two – until some of the liquid evaporates. Stir in the basil.

5. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then pour them into the vegetables. Sprinkle in some cheese if desired (which I did). Place the pan in the preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the frittata is solid when you shake the pan. (If you so desire, you can add some extra cheese to the top midway through the baking… Which I did and I would recommend)  

6. Serve and cut into wedges – hot, warm or at room temp (I served it warm).

Recipe rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Easy, easy and nutritious

To Print, Click this link to a PDF of the Recipe  acuna-fritata

There are Waffles on my Plate! July 1, 2008

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right?. We have all heard this before and know that there are numerous benefits to this first and very important meal. Why then, do we often neglect such an vital step to start our day? I am sure there are lots of excuses but I know that for me it is usually because I am rushed for time. A few months ago my sister introduced me to a real breakfast lifesaver. Quick, healthy and it is portable if you need it to be.  Vans Organic Wheat Free Waffles. The plain is good but the blueberry are Sooooo Good! They taste like they should be bad for you but they aren’t.  You can find them at most regular grocery stores and Trader Joe’s (I found them at Fresh & Easy also) http://vansintl.com/wheatfree.php  I like them plain (who needs syrup?) or with some natural peanut butter for protein (almond butter would be good too!) So THAT is what is on my plate this morning!