Whole wheat cranberry oatmeal almond muffins

It's been a while since I've posted. Part of that has been that school has started up, and life with Owen has been wonderful but very busy. That's no excuse though, as Lee has reminded me, for not cooking and baking. So this morning I made these super wholesome, yummy muffins with cranberries from the farmers' market. The have very little sweetening in them. If I make them again I might make them a little sweeter. But they feel so good just as they are, that I'm not sure I would recommend it.





Here it goes:

Preheat the oven to 375. Prepare your muffin tins. (I try not to use disposable products as much as possible, but I have recently been converted to muffin papers. It just makes everything way easier.)

Combine the dry ingredients
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. oats
1/4 c. bran
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. chopped almonds

Combine the wet ingredients
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp flaxseeds, ground, beaten with 6 tbsp water
1 c. soy milk

Add the cranberries to the dry ingredients and evenly distribute.
2 c. fresh cranberries

Add wet to dry, make homogeneousbut do not overmix.  Dollop into muffin tins. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Makes about 16 little muffins, probably 12 regular sized ones.

Whole Wheat Peach Muffins

These whole wheat peach muffins are made with almond oil and agave, so they're good for you all around! They're moist and not too sweet.

2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash cloves
1/2 c. bran
1 c. soymilk
1/2 c. agave
1/4 c. almond oil
1 tsp. vanilla
4 ripe peaches
2 tbsp flaxseeds
6 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix bran and soy milk. Let sit for ten minutes. Grind flaxseeds and beat with the water. Dice three of the peaches, and make slices with the fourth to put on top.

Combine dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the bran mixture. Gently mix in diced peaches. Add dry. Mix completely, but not too much. Spoon into a greased muffin tin. Place peach slices on top. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Alegria (a.k.a. Amaranth Bars)

I was in Germany during the E. coli outbreak, which meant that as a vegan who was not eating raw vegetables, I subsisted largely on potatoes and white asparagus. They are both wonderful in moderation, but I was looking for something to supplement my diet. I stumbled upon amaranth bars. I am sure that I have had amaranth before, but I had never noticed it, and it had never been the main ingredient in anything I ate. It's wonderful! It's a high-protein grain that has a subtle nutty flavor to it.

R informs me that amaranth (amaranto) is very popular in Mexico. They eat bars from it as a kind of quick snack. Those bars are called alegria. That seems to me to be quite an appropriate name.

Here is a recipe for alegria. R tells me that it's got a few more goodies in it than regular alegria, but I couldn't help myself. Here it goes:

1/2 c. amaranth
1/2 c. agave
1/2 c. almonds
1/2 c. figs
1 tsp. vanilla

Pop the amaranth. Do this by putting a pot with a lid on the stove on high. Wait until it is hot and then add one tablespoon of amaranth. It pops quickly. Once it is popped, transfer to a bowl. Then repeat with another tablespoon. Repeat until all the amaranth is popped. It actually doesn't take very long, because it pops so quickly.

Chop the almonds and figs into small pieces. Add to the amaranth. Mix. Add the vanilla to the agave, mix. Add the agave to the amaranth, coating well. Press into a 9" pan.

Tofu Scramble with Herbs, Tomatoes, and Spinach

Today I made a tofu scramble with herbs from my garden, and cherry tomatoes and spinach I had lying around. I used a good deal of garlic, which gave it a nice kick, and the herbs deepened the flavor.

It also has black salt (kala namak), which is a spice that smells and tastes eggy, because it's got sulphur in it. I used some of that and some turmeric, to give the scramble an eggy sight, smell, and taste.

I will definitely make this again!

4 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1 yellow onion, diced.
A few leaves of fresh basil, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp black salt
1 block (14 oz) extra firm tofu, drained
1-2 c. fresh spinach
handful of cherry tomatoes.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Saute onions, herbs, turmeric, and black salt on medium until well-caramalized. About a minute after starting the saute, add the cherry tomatoes. Once the onions are well-caramelized, crumble in the tofu. Increase heat to medium-high, and stir until evenly mixed. Stir frequently. After five minutes or so, add the spinach. Add salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Whole wheat banana blueberry oatmeal muffins

I've had a craving for banana-something recently, and wanted that banana something to be pretty earthy and healthy. This is about as healthy as muffins get. Makes about 16-18 muffins.

1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp flaxseed, ground and beaten with 6 tbsp water into an eggy mixture.
4 ripe bananas, mashed well.
2/3 cup canola oil
1/3 c. brown sugar
juice of one lemon
1 1/2 c. soy milk
1 c. frozen (or fresh!) blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine lemon juice and soy milk in a small bowl. Let stand for five minutes while preparing other ingredients. In another small bowl, beat ground flaxseeds and water. In a medium-large bowl, mash bananas well. In a large bowl, mix flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Add the soy milk and flax mixtures to the bananas. Add oil and mix well. Mix the frozen blueberries into the DRY mixture (this prevents everything from turning blue. Then add wet to dry, and mix until homogeneous but try not to over mix. Then pour into pre-greased muffin tins.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean from one of the larger muffins.



(It's inspired by this recipe.)

Blueberry Orange Scones

Life's been a little hectic and it's been a while since I posted, but this morning I really felt like making scones. The orange is not overwhelming in these, but still gives it a nice twist on an old regular. (By the way, in the background you can see my gardening experiments! I hope to write more soon about those!)Here it goes:
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. margarine
1 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 c. soy milk
zest of one orange
juice of 1/2 orange
2 tbsp flaxseeds, ground
6 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, combine soy milk and juice of one orange. (I was trying to get it to curdle a little bit the way soy milk does with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, but it didn't quite do it.) In a medium bowl, beat flaxseeds with water until an eggy consistency. Add lemon zest and sugar. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and, using your hands, mix the margarine thoroughly so you have a somewhat crumbly flour mess. Then mix in the blueberries so they're distributed throughout the mixture. Then add the soy milk mixture (reserving just a little bit) to the flaxseed mixture, and mix thoroughly. Add wet to dry and try to make it into a homogeneous mixture without overmixing. Divide in half and press into a wheel (3/4'' thick) on a floured surface. The dough will be sticky, so sprinkle some flour on top to make it manageable. Cut into 8 pieces, and place them on a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half. Then brush a little bit of the soy milk you reserved onto each scone, so that they brown nicely. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I had a craving for lemon poppy seed muffins yesterday. They were tasty, but not my best, so keep a watch for further versions. Here we go:

Dry
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoo salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup poppy seeds

Wet
2 tbsp flaxseeds
6 tbsp water
1 c. soy milk
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar.
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) earth balance
finely grated lemon peel of 1 lemon

(This time I baked them at 350. Next time I might try them at 425, so that they brown more. I might also make them more lemony.)

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare your baking vessels. Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk, mix, and let stand while you prepare other things. Grind the flaxseeds, and beat well with the water. In a large bowl, mix the margarine and sugar together, to a paste-like consistency. Add soy milk mixture to flaxseed mixture, and beat a little bit. Add that mixture to the margarine and oil in the large bowl, and beat until thorougly mixed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, trying to mix evenly without overmixing. Pour into muffin tins and bake (about 30 minutes). Makes 12.

Cranberry Banana Bread

Hello fall! This is about as feel-good fall as any quickbread gets. The trick about this recipe was that I used whole cloves (just 3 or 4) and ground them. That makes for a strong holiday clove flavor.

Wet:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine, at room temp
2 very ripe bananas
1 flaxegg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Dry:
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 c. dried cranberries
pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Grease and flour a loaf pan. (I like to use glass ones, but any will do.) In small bowl, mix soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let stand for a couple of minutes. In another small bowl, prepare the flaxegg: grind one tbsp of flaxseeds and beat with 3 tbsp water. In a large bowl, mash bananas well. Add all of the wet ingredients and mix very well. Combine dry ingredients, including cranberries and excepting pumpkin seeds. Add dry to wet, mixing well but not overmixing. Pour into loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with pumpkin seeds. Bake for about 1 hr and 10 minutes.

p.s. This was adapted from a ppk recipe

Belgian Waffles

It's R's birthday today, so I surprised him by slyly acquiring a waffle maker and making my first waffles ever. They turned out really well, but I may keep experimenting, so look out for other recipes.

When I looked up waffle recipes online, I got a little worried. Many of them said that vegan waffle batter sticks to the maker, or that it's not thick or fluffy enough, or what-have-you. But these didn't stick, were both thick and fluffy enough, and had a nice taste to them. The reason I want to keep experimenting with the recipe is that the outside crust is a (just a) little bit tough. I may try eliminating the apple sauce for another flaxegg--we'll see.

Waffle Recipe (Makes about 6 waffles)

2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups soy milk
2 flaxeggs
1/2 cup margarine
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup applesauce

Brush your waffle maker with canola oil and preheat it. Mix dry ingredients. Prepare flaxeggs (see any pancake or muffin recipe below), and 1 cup of soy milk. Beat again for another minute or so. Cut the margarine into the flaxeggs so that they are easier to beat. Add applesauce and vanilla. Once the mixture is roughly homogenous (won't be perfect, but that's okay), and the waffle maker is ready, add dry to wet and mix well. Then follow your waffle maker's directions.

We had them with a little bit of margarine, blueberries from the farmer's market, maple syrup, and holunderbeeren (elderberry) jam we brough back with us from Switzerland. Yum!

Corn Muffins

I was trying to think of a better title for these, because they may be my favorite muffins yet. But they really are just that--corn muffins. Of course, they have corn from our farmer's market in them, and they have apple cider vinegar-curdled soy milk, but they really are just corn muffins.

The recipe is (heavily) adapted from Emily Weinstein's recipe from the NYT blog "The Baker's Apprentice"*. The main thing I got from the recipe was the idea to incorporate a buttermilk-y flavor, and it was definitely the right move. In the vegan version, the flavor isn't overpowering, but it's a nice tangy balance to the sweet corn.

Okay, here it goes:

Dry
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. yellow corn meal
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. sugar

Wet
3 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
3 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flaxseeds
6 tbsp water
1 c. soy milk
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar.

And the best part:
1 c. (about one large ear of corn's worth) of corn kernels. I used bi-color corn, since that what the farmer's market had, but just about any kind of corn will do. I do really like taste of bi-color corn, though, and I think it works great with this recipe.

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare your baking vessels. Add the apple cider vinegar to the soy milk, mix, and let stand while you prepare other things. Grind the flaxseeds, and beat well with the water. In a large bowl, mix the margarine and oil together, to a paste-like consistency. Add soy milk mixture to flaxseed mixture, and beat a little bit. Add that mixture to the margarine and oil in the large bowl, and beat until thorougly mixed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, trying to mix evenly without overmixing. Add in the corn kernels. (This batter is less runny than muffin batters usually are. That's okay. The consistency at the end is great.)

Scoop the batter into your baking vessels, and bake away for 20-30 minutes.


* To be found here: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/the-bakers-apprentice-corn-muffins/

Blueberry Bran Muffins

Hi everyone,

I've been traveling a lot this summer, and that combined with this killer heat we've been having in New Jersey has meant that my cooking adventures are largely cerebral. However, this one was largely cereal! I know, bad, bad, but the muffins are really good! I've never made bran muffins before, but these are definitely a recipe I'll make again. Here it goes:

1 ½ cups wheat bran
1 cup soy milk

¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp vanilla
¼ c. canola or vegetable oil

1 tbsp flaxseeds, ground
3 tbsp. water
½ cup soy milk

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tbsp salt

nearly 2 cups of blueberries (minus some for snacking)

Preheat oven to 350 or 375. (I did them at 350 this time, but am considering turning up the heat next time so that they brown more on top.)

Soak wheat bran in 1 cup soymilk for about 10 minutes. While it is soaking, beat ground flaxseeds with water, and then with ½ cup of soymilk in a medium sized bowl. Combine with the brown sugar, vanilla, and canola oil. Combine with the soaking bran and soymilk. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Then combine (I honestly don't think it matters for this one whether you add wet to dry or the other way around.). Once you've thoroughly mixed the batter (but not too much), add the blueberries. I used nearly two cups of blueberries, which made for very blueberry-ie muffins. I like them that way, but if you want to have more muffin in your muffin, you may want to put in just a cup or a cup and a half.

Bake at 350 degrees, about 25 minutes.

Blueberry Pancakes

I made these for my sweetie on Valentine's Day. They were a hit! (I have a feeling the eggs and bacon were even more of a hit, but oh well :).

1. c. all purpose flour, unbleached
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tbsp salt
1 tbsp flaxseeds
3 tbsp water
1 c. soy milk
1 1/2 tbsp. canola oil
frozen blueberries.
Vegan margarine for the pan.

Combine dry ingredients. Grind flaxseeds and beat with water (see previous recipe). Add soy milk, beat for another minute or so. Add oil. Add wet to dry. Mix well.

Heat pancake griddle--med high. Melt some vegan margarine in the pan, then spoon pancake batter. Immediately put frozen blueberries to your liking on the batter. Flip when the bottom side is golden brown.

(Note: This is a half-recipe. It's about perfect for two people.)