Bran Muffins with Dried Apricots

(12 standard muffins)

Usually bran muffins contain raisins. I didn't have any in the house and didn't feel like going out in this heat, so I chopped up some dried apricots instead.

I ended up making two batches of these, with a few tweaks the second time. (The first batch was a bit sweeter than I like.) This was fine because I only made half the recipe each time. The final batch was moist, not too sweet and very good imo.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp lemon zest, finely minced
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots, dried fruit or raisins
1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the muffin tins with paper or grease and set aside.

Combine the bran, flour, flaxseed, cinnamon, ginger, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and dried fruit in a bowl. Mix well.

In another bowl whisk together the agave nectar, molasses, applesauce, yogurt, oil and eggs. Pour this over the dry ingredients; stir until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, dividing the batter evenly between the 12 cups. The batter will come up right to the top.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Avocado, Shrimp and Tomato Salad

(2 servings)

We still have not really hit the triple digit temperatures, although it feels like it to me. It's just hot and I have no desire to leave the house unless it's absolutely necessary.

I made this delicious cool salad, and momentarily forgot about the heat.

1 medium avocado, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 1/2 - 2 cups cold cooked shrimp
1/4 cup Green Goddess Salad Dressing
*tsp of fresh lemon juice, optional

Divide the avocado, tomato and shrimp between two plates. Drizzle with the salad dressing and serve.

*If you are not serving this salad right away, sprinkle the lemon juice evenly over the avocado slices - this will keep them from changing colour.

Potato, Leek & Corn Chowder

(6-8 servings)

My car was about two months overdue for an oil change. I finally brought it in the other day, and it only took about 45 minutes. The mechanic told me afterwards the oil hadn't really discoloured all that much which made me feel a lot better.

While I waited for the car, I flipped though quite a few magazines. I came across a couple of good looking soup recipes, one was for a garlicky potato soup and another one was for corn chowder. On my way home I picked up some corn, leeks and potatoes, having decided I'd make a soup loosely based on memory, combining both of those soups which had looked quite tasty to me.

I don't remember the last time I cooked with leeks, because cleaning them always seemed intimidating to me; I usually end up using onions or shallots instead. The potato soup had used leeks, so I decided to bite the bullet and get some. When I got home, I googled "cleaning leeks", and quite a few helpful hints popped up. Soup Addict, suggested using a salad spinner, and this ended up working quite well for me.

I'm really pleased with how this soup turned out. I had a bowl for lunch and will have it again for dinner. I'm also taking some of it to a friend who isn't feeling well. I hope she likes it. :)

1/4 lb lean bacon, diced
4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (mine was orange)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 lbs red waxy potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice (you can leave the skin on if you like)
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp Better Than Bouillon, Chicken Base
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 - 4 cups fresh corn, shucked (about 4 large ears)
2/3 cup heavy cream
freshly ground black pepper
salt, to taste, if needed

Heat the bacon in a soup pot and cook until it gets crispy. Remove some of the rendered fat if there's too much. Add the garlic and fry for a minute, then add the leeks and peppers. Cook them for a few minutes until the leeks begin to soften.

Add the potatoes, chicken broth, wine, thyme, bouillon, paprika, and bay leaf. Lower the heat, and gently simmer for about 40 minutes.

Remove about 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and puree in a blender or food processor; return to the pot.

Add the corn, stir in the cream, and adjust the seasoning with the pepper and salt. Simmer gently for about another 5-10 minutes and serve.

Easy Homemade Granola

(about 7 cups)

Recently a friend was talking about how granola could either taste great or be close to revolting. I suggested she try making her own.

It's pretty easy to make, and there's a lot of flexibility in terms of what you can add or leave out. Don't limit yourself to what I have suggested; I just wrote down what came to mind and I know there's even more options out there.

Homemade granola is not only tasty, it's less expensive. I was looking at the ready made stuff for ideas (before heading off to the bulk food section to get the ingredients), and noticed 10-13 oz. bags were selling for $5-$8. Most of these appeared to have about 75-90% rolled oats, with a few nuts, seeds or dried fruit tossed in. Some even used brown sugar instead of honey or maple syrup.

dry portion

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups any combination of raw nuts, (almonds, cashews, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, shredded coconut, hazelnuts, pistachios)

1 cup any combination of seeds, (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flaxseed, hemp seed)

1/4 cup wheatgerm, (optional)

2 tsp ground cinnamon, (optional)

1/2 tsp salt, (optional)

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl.

liquid portion
1/2 -2/3 cup sweetener, to taste (maple syrup, honey, agave nectar)

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract, (I used a tbsp of concentrated raspberry sugar I wanted to try out from the bulk spice section at Whole Foods instead. )

Combine all of the liquid ingredients in a 2 cup measuring cup, adding the correct amounts as you go along, then stir until everything is well combined right in the cup.

dried fruit, to be added for the last 10 -15 minutes of baking

1 cup any combination of dried fruit, (currants, raisins, blueberries, cherries, chopped apricots, cranberries, chopped dried apples)

Drizzle half the liquid portion over the dry ingredients and toss, then drizzle the remaining portion and toss until everything is well combined.

Spread the mixture evenly over a nonstick jelly roll pan or lightly greased one.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about *40-75 minutes. Every 15 minutes or so, remove from oven and stir the mixture a bit; to help it brown evenly. When there's about 15 minutes baking time left, sprinkle the dried fruit evenly over the top and return to the oven.

The granola will be done when it's an even golden brown. Cool and store in a sealed container.

*I use my regular oven for storage and bake everything in a counter-top Breville convection oven; it's more fuel efficient and keeps my kitchen cooler in Texas. I use a smallish roasting pan when I make this and the granola layer is about 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick, thus the longer baking time.

If you are using a regular oven and a larger jelly roll pan, you will probably need to shorten the times and start checking the granola every 10 minutes or so, as the granola will brown more quickly.

**I would also like to note here, once the granola has completely cooled, I place half of it into a zip-lock bag and toss it into the freezer; it keeps very well there, until I'm ready to finish it.

Pear and Ginger Muffins

(12 standard muffins)

I picked up some gorgeous pears the other day and set aside a couple to make these muffins. A few months ago I had thought about making a steamed pear and ginger pudding for Daring Bakers, but made a steak and kidney pudding instead. When I looked at those pears, I thought about that combination once again.

(There you go Lisa, stuck it on a plate for you :p)

I have been on a bit of a muffin roll lately. These pear and ginger muffins hit the spot; they were moist, not too sweet, with good ginger flavour and a hint of lemon. I'm pleased I have been using whole wheat flour, bran and flax in my recent recipes without turning out heavy and dense muffins; in part that was always a fear of mine.

I did end up reducing the amount of applesauce and yogurt for these because two chopped pears provide a lot of moist fruit. There was a tad more batter than usual, but it was also a bit stiffer, so I just used all of it to fill the muffin tins resulting in small domes which rose almost 1/2" past the tops. Once baked, I had slightly larger muffins than usual.

Oh, and if you are wondering about the freshly ground black pepper. It's often added to German gingerbread, so I added some here. It provides a very subtle sharpness which works, I think.

Then there's the agave nectar, wonderful stuff! I've been using it to sweeten my coffee.

3/4 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon zest, minced
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1/4 - 1/3 cup agave nectar, honey or maple syrup, to taste
1/4 cup unsulfured blackstrap molasses
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup plain greek style yogurt
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
2 large eggs
2 firm ripe pears, cored and chopped (I used Bosc)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with baking papers or grease and flour. Set aside.

Mix the flours, flaxseed, bran, gingers, cinnamon, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and ground black pepper (if using) in a bowl.

Whisk together the agave nectar, molasses, applesauce, yogurt, oil and eggs in a bowl until well combined.

Pour the liquid portion over the dry ingredients, add the chopped pear and stir to combine until everything is just moistened.

Divide and spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins; it will probably go a bit past the top of the tin. I just spooned the extra batter in the centres creating little domes resulting in larger muffins than usual.

Bake for about 18-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Ham and Cheese Corn Pudding

(4 servings)

I intended to make a plain corn pudding side, but before I knew it, I had turned it into a meal. As is usually the case with me, I found a few things in my refrigerator I wanted to use up.

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup ham, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 1/2-3 cups shucked fresh corn (3 large ears)
1/2 green onion, green part sliced (optional, I wanted the colour)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3.5 oz)
3 tbsp unbleached flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs
hot sauce, to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish (2 qt), set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a non stick skillet. Add the garlic and fry for about 1 minute. Add the onion and saute over medium to low heat until it's a nice even golden brown; about 12 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool somewhat.

Meanwhile, combine the red pepper, ham, corn, cheese, and green onion in a bowl. Sprinkle the flour over this mixture, the salt and pepper and toss to combine well.

Whisk together the milk, sour cream, eggs and hot sauce (if using). Pour this over the ham, cheese and corn mixture, add the sauteed onions and toss to combine everything well.

Pour this into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean.

Serve warm with a green salad.

Healthier Blueberry Muffins

(12 standard muffins)


I decided to experiment a bit with my muffin recipe. I replaced some of the flour with whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed. It seems flaxseed is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as protein and fibre. It's also rich in lignan, which has antioxidant properties. What's not to love?

I replaced the sugar with a lesser amount of agave nectar. The bottle mentioned it's 25% sweeter than sugar, as well as having a low glycemic index which prevents spikes in blood sugar.

Lastly, I replaced the butter with olive oil, and reduced that amount by using some applesauce. These muffins turned out a lot better than I thought possible; I will most likely make them again.

1 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce*
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries, about 1 pint

*These are not overly sweet muffins, and I like them that way. If you prefer something sweeter, then you could use sweetened applesauce instead.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with papers, or grease and flour. Set aside.

Mix the flours, flaxseed, salt and baking powder in a bowl.

Combine the agave nectar, oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla extract in a large measuring cup, mix well with a fork and pour over the flour mixture, add the blueberries and stir until just combined.

Divide equally between the muffin tins; the batter will come almost to the top of each.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until done.

Green Goddess Salad Dressing

(1 cup)

This salad dressing is very quick and easy to make. I love it over sliced tomatoes.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4-6 anchovy fillets
small handful of fresh parsley
1 green onion, cut up
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp capers
freshly ground black pepper

Place everything into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth.

Spoon over salad or cut up vegetables.

Gombapörkölt; Hungarian Mushroom Stew

(about 4-6 servings)

My Hungarian grandmother used to make this stew. I wish I had paid more attention back then. She died about 15 years ago, and the last time I saw her was easily 3-4 years before that.

photo: www.traveladventures.org

She lived in Vienna in a small apartment, walking distance from Schönbrunn Palace. We often went there on the weekends for long walks on the beautiful grounds, (I started school in Vienna and lived with my grandparents during that time).

My version doesn't seem quite as good as the one my grandmother made. I'm never sure, if it's not enough salt or the brand of paprika, but I make it regardless, and think of her while I eat it. She had the softest skin, and always smelled of Lily of the Valley.

1 tbsp canola oil (my grandmother used lard)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 lbs mushrooms, sliced
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp Hungarian hot paprika
1/2 cup cold water
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Organic Mushroom Base
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
splash of wine, (optional; I just happened to have some)
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, then add the onion. Continue cooking until the onion  takes on an amber hue.

Add the mushrooms and red pepper. Stir and cook until the mushrooms begin to soften.

Combine the flour and paprika in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the cold water, tomato paste and mushroom base, and whisk until smooth.

Pour this over the mushroom mixture. Lower the heat and cover the saucepan. Allow to simmer gently for about 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Stir in the yogurt, sour cream, wine and parsley until well combined; heat through. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Can be served over cooked rice or egg noodles. I usually just have it on it's own, like soup or stew.

Garnish with additional sour cream and parsley if desired.

Broccoli Salad with Feta

(about 4 servings)

This is a very tasty salad, which keeps well for several days, refrigerated.  I was pretty excited to finally find some dried currants, here in Dallas.
 
3 cups of small broccoli florets
1/4 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dried currants, or chopped raisins, or chopped dried cranberries
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing
3 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tsp mustard
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place the broccoli, onion, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, currants  and cheese into a salad bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients: mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, and pepper. (Not sure you need salt in this as the feta is usually plenty salty.) Pour onto salad and toss.

Serve.

Guacamole

(about 1 1/2 cups)

We haven't really had the brutal sort of heat I've become accustomed to this time of year. It's rained quite a bit which is really nice, but that messes with the humidity and raises those levels. Regardless, it's never entirely comfortable outside for me, so I'm tucked away inside where it's air conditioned.

The heat and humidity usually slow me down to the point where I'm not really in the mood to cook much. Today is no exception. I tossed together this guacamole instead, which came together very quickly.

2 avocados, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/4 - 1/2 clove garlic, minced (optional)
juice from 1 - 2 small key limes
a few drops of hot sauce
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small plum tomato, chopped
1/2 green onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

corn chips

Place the avocado, garlic, lime juice, hot sauce and jalapeno pepper into a bowl. Mash together with a fork. Stir in the tomato, green onion, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with corn chips.

Olive Hummus

(about 3 cups)

Hummus has got to be one of the easiest things to make at home, and in my opinion it tastes much better than the ready made stuff. I usually intend to make a simple one with just a bit of garlic and lemon juice, but invariably I end up coming across something in my refrigerator or pantry and add that to the mix.

This time it was olives, and the hummus turned out great.

1 25 oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup olives, I used a combination of kalamata and spanish
1/4 cup water
3-5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
freshly ground black pepper
salt, if needed

Place everything, except the salt, into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. Check for seasoning. Add the salt if needed.

Serve with pita bread or crackers. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil if you wish.

No Knead Sourdough Cheese Bread, adapted from Jim Lahey's Recipe

(about a 1 lb loaf)

My curiosity got the better of me when I kept coming across images of no knead bread based on Jim Lahey's recipe. When I finally decided to give it a try, I understood why people were raving about this bread. This is possibly the best loaf of bread I have ever made at home. It had a wonderful crust, chewy texture, and this one had a nice sour tang to it because I extended the time, to over 48 hours.

It will be a while before I try anything else. I'd like to make this a few more times; with  kalamata olives... prosciutto and caramelized onions....  roasted garlic and rosemary....   I might swap out some of the water for olive oil, or yogurt.. lots of choices.

Adapted from Jim Lahey's Recipe
2 tbsp organic rye flour
2 3/4 - 3 1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/4 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups spring water

2/3 cup Swiss cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes

olive oil for coating


(Day 1, morning) Combine the rye flour, 2 3/4 cup unbleached flour, yeast and salt in a large glass bowl. Make a well in the centre and  add the water. Stir until well combined. Cover the top with a cheese cloth and set in a draft free place in a room with a temperature of about 70-75°F. for about 12-14 hours.

(Day 1, evening) The volume should have doubled and the dough should look bubbly. Stir the mixture down, cover with the cheese cloth and allow to sit another 9-12 hours or so.

(Day 2, , morning) Again the dough will have doubled and look quite bubbly.  Stir down and cover with the cheeseckoth and leave sit 9-12 hours or so.

(Day 2, evening) Stir down and stir in 1/4 cup of unbleached flour. (I did this at this point because the dough was beginning to look a bit soupy). Cover with the cheesecloth and allow to sit another 9-12 hours or so.

(Day 3) Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto a piece of baking parchment paper. Add the cheese cubes to the dough and stir down. The dough will probably have a pronounced sourdough smell at this point.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the dough. Flour your hands and place the dough onto the parchment paper. Shape the dough into a ball, tucking the ends underneath it. Cover it with the cheesecloth and allow to rise 2-3 hours, or until it looks like it's doubled in volume.

Brush the top lightly with olive oil.

Place a Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven (this seems to work best from what I've read) into your oven and turn on the heat to 450-500°F. (My Breville counter top convection oven will only allow me to go to 450°, but the bread turned out fine).

When the pot is good and hot, carefully pull it out and place the parchment paper with the dough into pot and cover with lid. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a nice brown OR turn on the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the top of the loaf is nicely browned; this is what I did. In all honesty, I was a bit worried baking it any longer than that because the loaf seemed done to me, and I was concerned about drying it out.

Allow the loaf to cool at least an hour before cutting into it.

Deviled Ham

(about 1 1/4 cups)

I decided to make some deviled ham with the last bit of ham I had left after all, and it was worth it. It turned out to be faster to make than the Croque-Madame.

1/2 lb ham, cut up
1/3 cup mayonnaise, (perhaps 1 tbsp more, check after you process)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp green onion, chopped

Place everything except the green onion into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Adjust for seasoning and add the extra mayonnaise if the mixture is too dry.

Add the green onion and pulse until it's just combined.

Zucchini, Portabella Mushroom and Bacon Fritata

(4-6 servings)

This is an easy brunch recipe. I don't always use bacon, but I had some I wanted to use up. The vegetables can be swapped out for whatever you have on hand as well; asparagus, peppers, cooked potatoes, spinach, cauliflower and broccoli work quite well.

The portabella mushroom was great in this dish. It had a nice meaty texture.

3 slices of lean thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 large onion, cut into thin slices
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 portabella mushroom cap, sliced (about 7 oz)
5 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded

Place the bacon into a cold non stick skillet and cook over medium heat until crispy. Place the bacon onto paper towels to drain. Clean the skillet reserving a teaspoon of fat.

Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes until they are golden brown. Add the mushrooms and zucchini and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until they are soft. Stir in the bacon.

Whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetable and bacon mixture. Sprinkle the top with cheese. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for about 12-15 minutes or until the eggs are set and the cheese has melted.

Green Bean Salad

(4 servings)

This salad keeps well, which is great for me.

1 lb green beans, cut into 1 1/2" lengths
1/4 cup red onion,  chopped
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp water
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp honey or sugar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Bring some salted water to boil and cook the beans until just tender, about 4-5 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse with cold water to stop further cooking.

Combine the onion, vinegar, lemon juice, water, mustard, salt, pepper, honey or sugar and olive oil in a salad bowl. Stir until the honey or sugar has dissolved. Add the beans and toss.

Let stand for an hour or two and serve.