Best of 2011
It feels like just yesterday I was ringing in the New Year with Gavin, my brother and Katie…and here we are about to do it all over again! This year was FULL of wonderful adventures, great times with friends and family, lots of travel and tons of yummy food! So, in honor of this lovely year ending (and to stick with the theme of every stinkin’ TV show, website and blog) here are my favorite recipes from 2011.
Baked Eggs in Ham Cups
Braised Brussel Sprouts
Family Recipe Tomato Sauce
Toasted Zucchini Israeli CousCous
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Chili Verde
Butternut Squash Soup
Lemony Blueberry Muffins
Oatmeal Carrot Cupcakes
Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes
“Fried” Green Tomatoes
Carrot Ginger Dressing
Pumpkin Apple Stew
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pablano Corn Chowder
Pumpkin Cheesecake Torte
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Fancified Deviled Eggs
Apple Crumble Muffins
This is the last of the muffin recipes for a little while, I promise! Next week will be full of fun, easy week night dinners and yummy, healthy smoothie ideas (I GOT A VITAMIX FOR CHRISTMAS AND I AM OVERLY EXCITED ABOUT IT!!). I promise, I will resist the urge to post only drinkable meals…there will be solid foods next week…but also some great Vitamix creations.
But, lets focus on the muffins for just a second- these muffins deserve our undivided attention- they are a staple in my house and such a yummy treat, I think they will be a staple in your house too! They are perfect for company- perfect for taking to work- and perfect for just about any occasion because they are moist, perfectly apple-y, decadent tasting AND best of all- healthy, full of whole grains and protein and enough apple to be sure to keep the doctor away!
Apple Crumble Muffins
1 medium apple, cut into small cubes
1/4 C water
1 C whole wheat flour
1 C oat flour (whole oats ground in the blender)
1/2 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/3 C + 2 T brown sugar
1 egg and 1 egg white
1/2 C 0% plain greek yogurt
1/3 C unsweetened almond milk (or any other milk you would like)
Crumble Topping
1/4 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C whole oats
1/8 C brown sugar
1/2 t salt
2 T smart balance light +omegas, cold
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small pan over medium heat cook apples, 2 T brown sugar and 1/4 C water until slightly translucent.
In a large bowl combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl combine the sugar, eggs, greek yogurt and almond milk. Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Now, fold in the apples.
In another bowl, make the crumble topping. Combine the flour, oats, sugar and salt. Now, pinch in the cold smart balance until a crumble forms.
Fill a cooking spray coated muffin tin 3/4 full with the apple mixture. Now, sprinkle even amounts of crumble topping on each muffin.
Bake for 15-18 minutes- until the crumble is golden.
Coconut Muffins with Cashew Crumble
With Christmas right around the corner and family coming in town, I think it is a great idea to make some yummy baked goods to have around the house. Everybody loves a baked treat around Christmas time and these muffins are delicious, super easy, and really fancy looking! They are a perfect make-ahead treat that can be enjoyed for breakfast, as a snack, or served with cranberry sorbet for dessert :)
Coconut Muffins with Cashew Crumble
makes 12
Coconut Muffins
1 C oat flour
1 C white wheat flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 C shredded coconut
1/4 C light corn syrup
1/4 C sugar
1 egg
2 T smart balance light, melted
2 T 0% plain greek yogurt
2 T coconut oil, melted
1/2 C milk (I used unsweetened almond milk*)
1/4 C water
Cashew Crumble
1/2 C finely chopped salted, roasted cashews
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C shredded coconut
2 T coconut oil, solid, not melted!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl combine the oat flour, white flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and shredded coconut.
In a separate bowl combine the corn syrup, sugar, egg, butter, yogurt, oil, milk and water. Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Pour the mixture into prepared muffin tin, filling each one 3/4 full.
Now, make the crumble. In a medium bowl, combine the cashews, sugar, coconut and oil. Using your fingers, pinch the oil into the mixture until all clumps are gone and a crumble forms.
Now, sprinkle even amounts of crumble on each muffin.
Bake for 15-18 minutes (until the top is firm and the crumble is crispy)!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Scones
This is a really bad excuse- I know…but I have been cooking up a storm in the past few weeks (you should see my “kitchen” right now- there is a haze of oat flour that still hasn’t settled) but I have been TERRIBLE at remembering to take pictures and write down measurements as I make things! I have an iPhone full of the steps of making quiche, soups, pastas, muffins…and no pictures of the final product, or recollection of how I made them!
SO, today is a new day-full of baking- and I am turning a new leaf! I have a cute little journal for my recipes and an iPhone ready to take pictures.
Today, I experimented with scones. It sounds a little crazy to try to make a healthy scone…I mean, they are basically butter, flour an half and half. But, after a few failures and lots of tasting, I think I’ve got something pretty close!
On the Upper West Side of New York, there is this tiny little bakery (like 8×10) called Levains. If you have ever been there, you know what I means when I say that you will never look at cookies and scones the same way again. Their confections are SO good that it kind of ruins you…no other cookie will ever live up the the perfection that is Levain…and basically no other food item on earth will ever be as unbelievably comforting and delicious as their oatmeal golden raisin scone.
Until I met this scone, I thought that I didn’t like them. I thought that they were dry and hard and boring…but this scone changed all of that- and since I found myself craving them every day, I decided to try to make a version that tasted great, and I could feel great about eating. So, here is what I came up with (I added chocolate to mine because chocolate makes everything better!)…and I think they are pretty good!
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 Cups rolled oats
2 T baking powder
1/4 Cup sugar (I use Trader Joe’s raw sugar)
1 t sea salt
6 T Smart Balance Light
6 T 0% plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 C shaved chocolate (you can use mini chips but I like the way that the shaved chocolate flavors the entire scone. I get a bar and use a knife to shave it)
1 C skim milk
1/2 C fat free butter milk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Next, add the very cold smart balance and greek yogurt. Using your fingers, pinch the smart balance/yogurt into the dry ingredients until a crumbly texture forms. Now, add the chocolate. Gently toss it in.
Now, pour in the COLD milk and butter milk and mix until everything is combined…but be careful not to over mix!!
The dough will be pretty wet, so make sure to flour your counter well. Pour out the dough and flour the top of it. Pat it down until it is about 3/4-1 inch thick all over.
You can make the scones any shape you like. I like to make them round (2-3 inches) because they are round at Levain and it feels more like the real thing!
Place them, the way that you cut them, on a greased and floured baking sheet about 3 inches apart, and bake for 15-18 minutes…until they start to become golden. Serve them straight out of the oven with a big cup of coffee…or store them in the fridge and microwave them for about 10 seconds to get the same effect!