I love muffins. They're easy to whip up, easy to play with different flavors, and it's easy for even the littlest of helpers to "help" (as long as you don't mind losing some of your dry ingredients...I have to remind myself to relax when this happens). Today I was thinking that it was high time for me to whip up a batch, but I was out of my "usual suspects" ingredients like overripe banana and pumpkin puree. Something with applesauce perhaps? A plain old muffin? What to do? Then I checked Facebook and a friend of mine posted a link to her blog and the muffins I never knew that I wanted. It's a nice-looking blog with some great recipes, so check it out when you've got a chance.
Here is a link to her original post:
http://perkinsgoodeats.blogspot.com/2009/09/whole-wheat-apple-muffins.html?spref=fb
And here is my version of the recipe because it would be highly out of character for me to follow a recipe precisely.
Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup oat flour (the original recipe calls for all-purpose, but oat adds a lovely flavor)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (use regular whole wheat flour if you don't have pastry, I did)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ground flax meal (optional)
Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup buttermilk or soured milk (1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make a cup)
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 unsweetened apple sauce
2 egg whites or 1 whole egg
2 tbsp canola oil
Add-ins:
1 cup finely chopped and peeled apple
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and mix the wet ingredients in another. Pour wet into dry and and fold in gently, just until evenly moistened. Don't over mix. Add 1 cup finely chopped and peeled apple and sliced almonds and fold in. Pour into 12 regular sized muffin tins that have been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Put on wire rack to cool.
Rosemary
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Salmon, Dill and Cheddar Frittata
This is probably one of my favorite things that I've cooked lately. The flavor combination of the salmon, dill and cheddar in this frittata made me extra happy.
It all started when I roasted a salmon fillet with lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper for dinner last night. Trouble was, it was too frozen and didn't finish in time for dinner. Then I overcooked it. But at the end of it, I had some lovely lemony salmon ready to flake up and use in a multitude of other applications, like this frittata.
Now, for some background here, let's define a frittata. It's kind of like an omelet, crustless quiche or Spanish tortilla. Like a quiche, it is a great way to use up leftovers and eggs. But I think it's even better because you don't have all the work (or added saturated fat and calories) of a pie crust. You have a nice egg base, usually some kind of cooked protein item (ham, chicken, fish), cooked veggies (leftovers are lovely), starch (leftover pasta, rice, potatoes...), and some cheese to top it off (I've used cheddar, ricotta, parmesan, etc alone and in combinations). Throw in seasonings of your choice, bake it (or cook it stove top until the bottom is set and then finish it under a broiler), and you've got your meal!
The only problem with this particular frittata was that I forgot my starch. So even though it was cooked, it was a bit liquidy. What can I say? I forgot. But, flawed or not, here's an approximate recipe, just to give you an idea of what you can do with a frittata. But I don't usually measure, so take it all with a grain of salt.
Salmon, Dill and Cheddar Frittata
6 eggs (feel free to substitute all or part of this with egg whites according to your taste and needs)
1/3 to 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/3 cup or so milk
salt and pepper
1 tsp or so dried dill weed (fresh would be grand, just use a bit more)
Whisk together all of these ingredients for your egg base and set aside.
8 oz cooked salmon, flaked (again, mine was roasted with lemons, which added to the flavor a lot. If you're using canned or unseasoned, throw in some lemon juice or squeeze lemon juice on to your frittata after you plate it)
1-2 cups diced roasted zucchini
1 roasted red pepper, diced
I forgot to add a starch, but you should probably add at least a cup of one, just make sure the total filling doesn't make you overflow your pan.
Toss all of these together and throw in the bottom of an oven-safe 10" skillet that you've sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or so until a knife comes out of the center clean.
1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Top with cheese during the last 5 minutes or so of cooking or put it on at the end of cooking and just let it melt.
Rosemary
It all started when I roasted a salmon fillet with lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper for dinner last night. Trouble was, it was too frozen and didn't finish in time for dinner. Then I overcooked it. But at the end of it, I had some lovely lemony salmon ready to flake up and use in a multitude of other applications, like this frittata.
Now, for some background here, let's define a frittata. It's kind of like an omelet, crustless quiche or Spanish tortilla. Like a quiche, it is a great way to use up leftovers and eggs. But I think it's even better because you don't have all the work (or added saturated fat and calories) of a pie crust. You have a nice egg base, usually some kind of cooked protein item (ham, chicken, fish), cooked veggies (leftovers are lovely), starch (leftover pasta, rice, potatoes...), and some cheese to top it off (I've used cheddar, ricotta, parmesan, etc alone and in combinations). Throw in seasonings of your choice, bake it (or cook it stove top until the bottom is set and then finish it under a broiler), and you've got your meal!
The only problem with this particular frittata was that I forgot my starch. So even though it was cooked, it was a bit liquidy. What can I say? I forgot. But, flawed or not, here's an approximate recipe, just to give you an idea of what you can do with a frittata. But I don't usually measure, so take it all with a grain of salt.
Salmon, Dill and Cheddar Frittata
6 eggs (feel free to substitute all or part of this with egg whites according to your taste and needs)
1/3 to 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/3 cup or so milk
salt and pepper
1 tsp or so dried dill weed (fresh would be grand, just use a bit more)
Whisk together all of these ingredients for your egg base and set aside.
8 oz cooked salmon, flaked (again, mine was roasted with lemons, which added to the flavor a lot. If you're using canned or unseasoned, throw in some lemon juice or squeeze lemon juice on to your frittata after you plate it)
1-2 cups diced roasted zucchini
1 roasted red pepper, diced
I forgot to add a starch, but you should probably add at least a cup of one, just make sure the total filling doesn't make you overflow your pan.
Toss all of these together and throw in the bottom of an oven-safe 10" skillet that you've sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes or so until a knife comes out of the center clean.
1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Top with cheese during the last 5 minutes or so of cooking or put it on at the end of cooking and just let it melt.
Rosemary
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Cream of asparagus soup
We've started getting our new CSA already and while I'm still scouting for more beet recipes and our dehydrator has already had some mushrooms go through it, I dusted off this recipe I found a couple of years ago for the first asparagus we got last week.
1 lb asparagus (ends trimmed off, cut into about 1 inch pieces)
chicken broth/stock
green onions (optional)
butter
flour
milk
salt and pepper
Cook the asparagus and some of the sliced green onions in about a cup or so of chicken stock - just let it simmer away in a skillet. Make a white sauce with the butter, flour and milk by melting the butter then stirring in the flour to make a roux, then thinning it with milk and then toss in another cup or so of chicken stock. When the asparagus is soft (7 minutes or so), let it cool for just a second and then toss it in a food processor or blender . Then add the pureed asparagus and broth into the white sauce and let it simmer until you're ready to serve. Salt and pepper to taste.
Ways to change it up: add in some fresh chives at the end, reserve some of the cooked tips to add texture, use pureed white beans instead of white sauce to make it healthier, and/or serve it in a bread bowl.
-Thyme
1 lb asparagus (ends trimmed off, cut into about 1 inch pieces)
chicken broth/stock
green onions (optional)
butter
flour
milk
salt and pepper
Cook the asparagus and some of the sliced green onions in about a cup or so of chicken stock - just let it simmer away in a skillet. Make a white sauce with the butter, flour and milk by melting the butter then stirring in the flour to make a roux, then thinning it with milk and then toss in another cup or so of chicken stock. When the asparagus is soft (7 minutes or so), let it cool for just a second and then toss it in a food processor or blender . Then add the pureed asparagus and broth into the white sauce and let it simmer until you're ready to serve. Salt and pepper to taste.
Ways to change it up: add in some fresh chives at the end, reserve some of the cooked tips to add texture, use pureed white beans instead of white sauce to make it healthier, and/or serve it in a bread bowl.
-Thyme
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