White House Honey-Oat Muffins

I used to have so many cooking magazines.  Then I had Quinn.  Cooking changed from a labor of love to relying on old stand-by recipes that would get dinner on the table quickly.  Now Quinn is a touch older, I'm starting to find more time to cook for the joy of it.  I recently re-subscribed to Food and Wine, and this recipe caught my eye as I flipped through the July 2010 magazine.  I haven't even sat down and fully read the issue, but I've already made these muffins.

My little boy seems to suffer from a dairy intolerance (and possibly soy as well) so I'm constantly scouting for recipes that are either dairy-free or easy to adapt in that direction.  I find when I look for dairy-free/soy-free recipes, I often get discouraged and overwhelmed by how few there are.  But if I just go about life, the recipes sometimes find me.  This was one such a recipe.  I made it with rice milk instead of buttermilk, and I added about a teaspoon of vinegar to the rice milk to curdle it a bit.  I also added blueberries, because I had them and I think every muffin is better with a blueberry in it!

The muffins were surprisingly tasty.  Despite my modifications, they came out soft and moist (although a bit flat on top).  The flavor is definitely honey-like, so not overly sweet.  But I liked the addition of the oatmeal, and I think I will definitely make them again.  I can't say they were an overwhelming success with the small man, however breakfast is not his favorite meal so the fact some was consumed is considered a success in my book.  I'm thinking next time I might try this recipe with fresh peaches....

The original recipe can be found here, on the Food and Wine website.

Great Grains Muffins

I'm really digging muffins these days. They're easy to make, quick and easy to eat in the mornings between wakeup time and first nap time and they give me the feeling that I'm back in the kitchen. Or, back in the kitchen without spending hours and hours slaving over a hot stove.

Last night I decided to whip up a batch of Great Grains muffins from Dorie Greenspan's Baking:From My Home to Yours. This is big for me. They contain no chocolate. None. Not even a bit. And they were quick and easy to throw together. I even made it through assembling the dry ingredients wearing Quinn. But then he'd had it with baking, and it was time to start bedtime. So I recommend this recipe for its ease and simplicity, as well as being baby wearing friendly.

The muffins were sweet, but not overly so. They had a nice crumb, and both M. and I enjoyed one with our breakfasts this morning. I had a feeling M. would really like these muffins (as he is not as big a fan of chocolate as I am) and he was quite pleased with the finished result. I added raisins and sliced dried apricots to my muffins, and thought the combo was good. But cranberries would work, as would any other dried fruit (or nut if you like nuts in baked goods) combo. I also used fat free buttermilk.

Great Grains Muffins
from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup quartered, moist, plump prunes or other dried fruit and/or nuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter or spray a muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whish together the flours, cornmeal, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, maple syrup, eggs, and melted butter. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and gently, but quickly stir together. Don’t worry about being thorough — if the batter is lumpy, that’s fine. Stir in the fruit or nuts, if you are using them. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are gold and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully lift each muffin out of its mold and onto the rack to cool.

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

I won't tell you when I actually made these muffins. We'll just leave it at it wasn't yesterday, or even this week. Sigh. Getting back into the swing of blogging is harder then I thought. But I am determined to get there ... one day.

All the internet is abuzz with the recent publication of Baked:New Frontiers in Baking. I'm quite spoiled, the bakery Baked is about a twenty minute walk down the road from my apartment. Strolling down to choose a treat has become a new favorite weekend activity. As a result, I'm continually expanding my repertoire of tasty treats and am thrilled so many are included in the cookbook. Their layer cakes are delicious, and I look forward to trying a few at home in the near future. We sampled a slice of the Lemon Drop last weekend, and were quite pleased with the results.

I made this recipe pretty much as is. I did measure espresso from a cup of espresso, but added a bit more. I usually do that as I'm too lazy to stock espresso powder when we have an espresso machine at home. I thought the coffee taste was present but subtle in these muffins, so if you like a stronger flavor you might want to amp the flavor up a bit. These muffins are moist and sweet, and I've kept a few in the freezer for those mornings when I need a bit more of a boost. I got a yield of 16 muffins, however I noted these muffins didn't rise overly much. When I make them again, I might get 12 as I will know I can fill the cups a little bit more then I did this time. And there will be a next time I make these muffins. Banana, chocolate, coffee - how can you go wrong?

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

From Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp instant espresso powder (I used liquid espresso, and increased to 1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder,baking soda and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Let the muffins cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes. Then remove the muffins from the pan and allow them to finish cooling on the cooling rack. Store up to 2 days in an airtight container.

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze

I've always thought it would be fun to host the holidays.  We've alternated going to my parents or my husband's family for years, and I've always thought it would be great to have everyone come to us.  That way we could plan our menu, serve what we want to serve and just put our spin on the holiday celebration.  

Of course, when I had these thoughts I did not think we would take the holiday hosting plunge three weeks after having our first baby.  But we did!  And it was a ton of work for my husband who did most of the planning, preparing and cooking. But I managed to contribute cinnamon rolls for breakfast Christmas morning.  I've always thought cinnamon rolls (or some equivalent "special" breakfast food) should start a holiday.  And this year cinnamon rolls popped into my head as the perfect start to the day.

Making them was an experience.  I drifted into the kitchen, made part of the dough before going back out to pick up a freshly awakened baby.  A short time later I came back in wearing the baby, and finished the dough.  The dough rose for a bit longer then the 2 hours called for in the recipe, although it seemed no worse for wear.  And after cutting the rolls, I put them into the fridge overnight for their last rise before baking the next day.  

I used this recipe from Bon Appetit, and I was really pleased with the results.  The glaze made plenty - I am a frosting lover and these were perfectly iced in my book.  The rolls were best the first day fresh from the oven, but oven heated leftovers disappeared the next two days as well.  I did not get the rolls photographed... I will have to work on that important step in my next recipe, but I will say it felt good to be back in the kitchen.  My motivation which abandoned me during pregnancy seems to be back, so hopefully my baby-juggling/cooking skills will continue to develop and I will be posting more regularly soon.  

Happy New Year everyone!

Arepas... a Venezualan favorite.pbrea

I'm trying to get back into the swing of posting again.  Even during my "time off", I did occasionally photograph memorable meals.  Once a blogger, always a blogger I guess.  So, I'm combing back through the archives to see what I can share. 

Several months ago, the gluten free girl posted a wonderful how to make arepas post on her blog. We had some leftover black beans in the fridge, and breakfast was decided.  M. and I first tasted arepas, a cornmeal pancakey piece of gluten-free deliciousness, when my parents were living in Venezuala.  We were both taken by the arepa's versatility.... arepa with cheese - delicious!  Arepa with ham and cheese (if that's your thing) is (reportedly) delicious!  My personal favorite is an arepa sliced open like a sandwich with black beans and melted cheese.  Mmm!  

If arepas interest you, please check out the link above.  Shauna's attention to detail (not to mention step-by-step photographs) will encourage you to try this deliciousness for yourself. 

And in writing this post, now I want arepas again!  :)

Quinoa Muffins

I am a creature of habit. Sometimes distressingly so. I tend to follow the same path (give or take a green light or two) when walking to the subway each morning. Every evening when I walk in the door I enjoy a mug of hot Earl Grey tea while catching up on the day's emails. And, for the past two or more months, I've had oatmeal for breakfast just about every workday.

Now, I love oatmeal. It's a nice and hearty breakfast that is both filling, whole grain and healthy. But, sometimes too much of a good thing is still too much. And I reached that point this week. Breakfast had to change.

When I read through food magazines, recipes will often jump out at me but will be put aside until the time is right. This muffin recipe was one such example. I thought it sounded intriguing when I saw it in January. But the mood didn't strike me to make it until this week. These muffins are cool. There's no other way to describe them. Quinoa in muffins - brilliance! The quinoa provides a nutty, chewy texture which is complimented by the sweetness of the brown sugar. And because quinoa contains a lot of protein, one muffin with a swathe of light cream cheese did quite well at keeping the hunger monsters at bay.

Two thumbs up, both as a recipe for an interesting whole grain muffin, and for keeping me from drowning in oatmeal monotony.

Quinoa Muffins
Every Day Food Magazine - January 2008
Makes 12
Prep - 25 minutes
Total time - 1 hour

Every Day Food's notes - Instead of oat or bran muffins, try these moist breakfast treats to fuel your morning. Substitute other chopped dried fruit for the raisins, if you like.

My notes - I baked the muffins in liners sprayed with a quick squirt of PAM because I'm too lazy to do the greasing and flouring step called for in the recipe. And they came out great.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable oil plus more for pan
2 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled) plus additional for pan
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender. 11-13 minutes.
2.Meanwhile, brush a standard 12 cup muffin pan with oil, dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins and 2 cups cooked quinoa. Reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
3.In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
4.Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for up to five days.

Additional Every Day Food note - Be careful not to overcook the quinoa or to use more then the required amount of water. The grains of quinoa should be tender but separate, rather then mushy and clumped together.

Movin' Movin' Movin'

The Veggie Kitchen will be moving in about a month. As you can see, Helios is tired already. What does that mean right now? Not much. I'm hoping to keep cooking through at least the next couple of weeks. Perhaps the meals will become a bit more eccentric as I use up the wonderful treasures I found in my pantry organization session yesterday (four pounds of red lentils anybody? Anybody?). But this impending move has greatly affected my spring break. We're hoping to move in May sometime, and since April 1st has passed the May apartments are springing up like flowers! I've met with 2 brokers, and I've seen two apartments. Tonight M. and I are seeing three more. And I'm awaiting a possible call to see a fourth in the next hour! It's exhausting this moving thing, and we haven't even started yet.

So, in my downtime between brokers and phone calls and internet searches, I decided to make an old favorite. This recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs and I remember loving it the first time around. Unfortunately this time around wasn't such a big hit. And I don't think that's the recipe's fault, instead I think it is what happens when you A. double a recipe, B. use up older ingredients and C. find out after you've added it that your nutmeg (because you're out of ginger apparently) doesn't smell great. I had hoped this vegan cake would go to M.'s office tomorrow, since he has a vegan coworker who misses out on the usual baked goods I send in. But now I'm not sure. We'll see... perhaps allowing the cake to cool a bit will help.

So, my changes were to use all whole wheat flour since I'm out of all-purpose. I subbed nutmeg (both the not so great and then more fresh grated to try and mask the not so great nutmeg) and a splash of cardamom (because I'm just loving cardamom right now).

If this cake sounds at all appealing to you I urge you to try it, since I think my less then spectacular results were a result of the ingredients.

Coconut Chai Breakfast Cake
Susan V. of Fat Free Vegan

1 cup strong chai tea
1/3 cup uncooked quick (not instant) oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger (use more for a spicier cake)
3/4 cup vegan sugar (I used demerara)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked coconut, 2 tbsp reserved

Prepare the chai ahead of time by steeping two teabags (I used decaffeinated Tazo Chai) in one cup of boiling water until cool.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

Combine the dry ingredients (oatmeal through sugar) in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the chai, applesauce, vinegar, extracts, and all but 2 tablespoons of the coconut. Mix well, and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Baked Oatmeal - Breakfast of Champions

This is yet another favorite recipe round here in the Veggie Kitchen. It's kind of a busy week, parent teacher conferences, and I'm falling back on all the favorites to get me through. This one is my go-to breakfast for busy weeks because I can slice it, nuke it for a minute, slap some yogurt on top and eat. Breakfast start to finish in about 1 minute and thirty seconds. Works for me.

This is also a very forgiving recipe. Don't like cinnamon? Leave it out. Crazy for nutmeg - throw it in! Don't do skim milk, well then do whatever you prefer instead. Got Craisins kicking around - fantastic. Leave out the raisins. You get the idea.

The last thing I like about this recipe is the yield. 8 servings = 4 days of breakfasts for M. and myself and that equals less to worry about. And that works for me.

Baked Oatmeal
Quaker Oats Recipe
Serves 8

2 1/4 cups Quick cooking oats, uncooked
or 2 3/4 cups Old Fashioned oats, uncooked
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup raisins or Craisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt -- optional
3 1/3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites -- lightly beaten
(or 1/2 cup egg substitute, or 2 eggs)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
fat free milk or nonfat yogurt and fruit -- optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; ix until well blended. Pour into baking dish.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly.

Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator.

Gambling on life...(and a granola recipe)

Sometimes in life you take a chance, and sometimes you lose.

This morning I gambled on a new pair of shoes. This is something I rarely do. If I wear new shoes to school, I'll often carry a back-up pair just in case. And that thought did pop into my head as I flew around the apartment at 6 this morning. But it didn't stick. Unfortunately. Maybe I have particularly challenging feet - I don't know. I do know that on the walk from the subway to school I could already feel my feet objecting to the new shoes. And as I'm sure those in the service industry, medical profession and other careers that involve standing for long periods of time, it was quite a painful day.

I think I emptied my classroom band-aid box. Sigh.

Oh well, all is not lost. I think I can have them stretched at the store where I obtained them yesterday afternoon. When my feet recover enough for voluntary and unnecessary walking trips that is.

And now, M.'s Sunday night granola. I found this recipe somewhere online - it is originally a Weight Watchers recipe. I made a few changes - I used white sugar because it is all I had. I added some maple syrup (around 2 tablespoons or so) to boost the flavor, and I subbed Grape Nuts for the shredded wheat. The shredded wheat box was on a shelf I couldn't reach at the grocery store, and I was too impatient to wait for a tall person to happen down the aisle.

Watch this granola carefully, as mine was cooked (and burning) way before 25 minutes!


Granola Crunch

Serving Size : 18

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
3 shredded wheat biscuits -- crushed
1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup dried fruit -- of your choice

Mix rolled oats, shredded wheat, almonds, sunflower seeds, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large bowl. Spread evenly on a 15x10-inch pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, or until cereal is golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool before mixing in dried fruit. Store in covered container.



Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 150 Calories; 6g Fat (35.7% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 3mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Easy Cinnamon Bread

M. has been a big fan of watching the (now concluded) World Cup soccer games. This is okay with me (who pretty much detests most sports), as long as I have something to do. Today, he watched Italy beat France in a penalty kick shootout, and I browsed through the King Arthur's Baking Companion cookbook. I stumbled across the recipe for Easy Cinnamon Bread, and was instantly motivated to abandon the couch to start baking. I've made this bread once before, and it is positively the height of cinnamon deliciousness. And, it would fulfill this week's breakfast quest. See, since I'm having a lazy summer I've been sleeping in a bit later. And, the typical breakfast that I start my working days with at 7:00 am just isn't appealing at the much later hours of 9:30 am or 10:00 am. As a result, I've been experimenting with lighter fare that I can eat later in the morning and still be hungry for lunch. I think this bread will fit the bill perfectly for this upcoming week.


Easy Cinnamon Bread
King Arthur's Baking Companion
1 loaf, 16 slices

This bread is a cross between a typical baking powder-leavened quick bread and a yeast bread. The result: a loaf that tastes like cinnamon coffeecake, wondeful served plain and incredible toasted.

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps instant yeast
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup (6 oz) cinnamon chips
Cinnamon-sugar, for topping

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, butter and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating until smooth. Cover and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour, then stir in the baking powder and cinnamon chips.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Spoon the batter into greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then tranfer it from the pan to a rack to cool completely. Don't slice the bread while it's hot; it will slice much better when it's completely cool.

Technorati Tags: cinnamon, bread, baking

An anniversary brunch.

As part of a celebratory brunch, we tried a new waffle recipe. M. and I both love waffles, but we tend to reserve them for a special treat as they aren't always the most filling of meals. But we thought our anniversary merited the trying of Mark Bittman's buttermilk waffle recipe. And then we decided to take the event up yet another notch by enjoying a bottle of champagne along with our waffley goodness. This bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte was given to us by a dear friend on the occasion of my (second) graduation from graduate school. While M. and I are big fans of sparkling wine (me perhaps more than M.), we tend to save real champagnes for an actual occasion. But a prosecco or cava, or a sparkling wine lacking the distinctive champagne classification but still yielding bubbles might make a more regular appearance on our table. We're big fans of the Nicolas Feuillatte champagnes - we find them reasonably priced and yet as crisp and flavorful as other champagnes with much heftier pricetags. [This now concludes my amateur wine review - I anticipate that M. will be emailing me shortly with his more oeneophilic perspective once he sees what I've written and if that is the case, I will add his thoughts to the wine review.]


Here are our lovely waffles. M. was kind enough to make them for me, which was a lovely treat. As much as I love to cook, I also love to be cooked for and was quite happy to sit back and relax while the kitchen hummed with activity. M. separated the finished batter into two bowls and added blueberries to one, and chocolate chips to the other. He had blueberry waffles and I had my favorite - chocolate chip waffles! Does life get any better? The waffles were sprinkled with fresh berries, and served with delicious maple syrup. And the champagne of course complimented the meal delightfully. Mmmmm.........


Rich Buttermilk Waffles
Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything
Makes 4-6 servings (M. halved recipe)

The best waffles you can make at the last minute, with a sour tang that sets of maple syrup beautifully.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup buttermilk or 1 1/2 cups sour cream or plain yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanillar extract
canola or neutral oil for brushing on waffle iron (M. used cooking spray)

1. Combine dry ingredients. Mix together the buttermilk and egg yolks. Stir in the butter and vanilla (if using).
2. Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients. Beat egg whites with the whisk or electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter.
3. Spread a ladleful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until waffle was done (usually 3-5 minutes). Serve immediately, or keep warm in low oven.

For buttermilk - you can sub 1 3/4 cups of milk at room temperature mixed with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and left to clabber for ten minutes.


Time - 10 minutes plus time to bake

Technorati Tags: champagne, waffles, brunch