Do you know the muffin man?

So I first tried this recipe on Sunday, but I couldnt find all the ingredients at the store so had to compromise. The first batch was made with whole wheat flour instead of spelt flour. The muffins definitely came out great with the substitutions, but I was curious to try the real recipe.

On Monday night I went to a "Women in the Sukkah"dinner at the JCC, planned by my friend Alyssa. She took care of all the food, while all the guests (15 of us!) brought wine and/or desserts. Instead of bringing a bottle of wine like I normally do, I decided to try these muffins a second time. Thanks to the new Fairway in the neighborhood, I was able to find spelt flour and cook a second batch. I also substituted apple sauce instead of an egg.

I also went out and bought a smaller muffin pan since the first round of muffins were HUGE. They were definitely too big for one person (especially girls!) to consume even though they are "healthy" muffins. Instead of making 6 huge ones, I ended up with 12 smaller muffins which were much more appropriate.

Spelt Carrot Cake Muffins

Makes ~12 muffins small/medium size muffins, ~6 muffins if you use a big muffin pan

What you need:1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c olive oil
1 egg or 1/4 cup of applesauce
juice of 1/2 an orange
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 c chopped dried apricots
1/4 c chopped prunes
2 c spelt flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

What to do:1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, egg/applesauce, orange juice, vanilla, carrots and chopped dried fruit.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir to combine. Careful not to overmix - that'll make for flat muffins. Gently stir until the batter is all mixed together, wet and dry.
4. Divide into muffin pan. Put into preheated oven and bake for 12-15 min, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven, remove from the muffin tray and cool on a rack for a few minutes before eating!


Inspiration and instruction provided by the following blog: http://www.easypeasyorganic.com/2010/10/dish-of-day-spelt-carrot-cake-muffins.html

Pan-Cooked Summer Squash With Tomatoes and Basil

Even though its winter, I still love buying and cooking with summer squash. It doesnt feel like a summer vegetable somehow.

I was looking for a recipe that incorporated the ingredients I already had in my apartment. I was hungry and didnt feel like running to the store (even though that just means crossing the street).

I found this recipe and it was just the thing! My only suggestion would be to pair it with some italian bread or rice/quinoa. It was a little bit lonely by itself on my plate. I ended up putting it on some sprouted grain bread and it hit the spot!


What you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 small yellow squash
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped or slivered fresh basil (to taste)

What to do:

1. Time to chop! Slice the zucchini and yellow squash into round moderately thin slivers. Dice the tomato and mince the garlic. Personally, I hate mincing garlic so feel free to buy some fresh pre-minced garlic if you are like me.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy skillet. Add the zucchini. Cook, stirring or shaking the pan, until the zucchini is lightly seared and beginning to soften, three to five minutes. Remove from the pan, and set aside
3. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, then the garlic. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant -- less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have begun to cook down, about five minutes. Return the zucchini to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini is tender and translucent and the tomatoes have cooked down to a fragrant sauce. 
4. Meanwhile, cut up the basil and get it ready to add to pan along with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove from the heat and serve hot, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/health/nutrition/19recipehealth.html

Fall Dinner with Butternut Squash

Today was a butternut squash attempt. I bought some of the pre-cubed butternut squash on a whim at Fairway yesterday. Shopping early in the morning is never a good idea since I end up buying random or unnecessary items that I have no intention of cooking!


But, this recipe ended up coming out really great! Whitney was planning to order dinner but tried the dish and liked it so much she had it for dinner as well. The spices in the recipe does end up being pretty intense, so if you do not like things spicy, I would recommend reducing the measurements significantly. I already modified the measurements from the blog linked below since I felt that the recipe called for too many spices. If needed, reduce them even further!


A few ingredients were excluded since I didn't have them and didn't want to buy them. I was a little worried because I know butternut squash usually takes almost an hour to cook in the oven, but adding it to the pan with all of the ingredients worked out well and it did cook pretty quick. I'm not sure why the blog (linked at the bottom) said 10 minutes, because I'd estimate about 25 or 30 min for the squash to cook and become soft. Once cooked it was really nice and soft. I've also never cooked quinoa with other things in a pan but it also came out really delicious; the quinoa really absorbed all the flavors and seasoning of the dish. One thing to keep in mind, if you like your quinoa more on the chewy side, I'd recommend adding it into the dish towards the end, instead of with the rest of the ingredients. I found that since the squash took about 25-30 minutes to cook, the quinoa ended up being on the soft side. 

Moroccan Butternut Squash, Chickpea and Quinoa Tagine

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 1/2 cup vegetable broth and/or water
• 1/2 can (19 ounce) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon agave
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup olives, coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces (pre-bought and cut is the simplest!)
• 
  
• What to do:

1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the quinoa, broth, chickpeas, honey, raisins, olives, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
5. Add the butternut squash and continue to simmer, covered, until tender, about 25-30 minutes. Add more water or broth as needed if squash is still hard. 
6. Remove from heat once squash is soft and quinoa has formed spiral ring around each grain. 

Instruction and Inspiration credited to the following blog: http://www.closetcooking.com/2011/04/moroccan-butternut-squash-and-chickpea.html

Soup and Pumpkin Carving

It was time for the Schafferberg's annual pumpkin carving event so I decided to cook!

Pumpkins came out really great!

It was one of those bright and sunny chilly fall days, so I decided to make some soup for us to eat while we carved pumpkins at Rebecca's house.

What you need:
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium cannelloni beans drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion diced
1 small zucchini diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
32 oz vegetable broth
2 cans of stewed tomatos
1/2 cup quinoa
2 bag of baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan reggiano, optional

What to do:
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, zucchini, garlic, thyme, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5-10 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, cook quinoa in a separate pot until tender
Add the broth & tomatoes (with liquid) and bring it to a boil. Add the cannelloni beans, quinoa and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3-5 minutes more.
Add more broth if needed, since quinoa tends to soak up some of the broth.
Serve topped with good Parmesan cheese

Instructions and Inspiration credited to the following blog: http://www.onetribegourmet.com/2010/12/tuscan-style-vegetbale-soup/

Curried Chickpea and Quinoa

This was one of my first quinoa recipes I ever made, and I really fell in love with the texture, the flavors, and the idea of how healthy quinoa is!


The flavors of this recipe were just great. I made it a few times after I found the recipe, but will definitely have to bring it back to the kitchen again soon. Wrapping it in the fresh crunchy lettuce really added a nice contrast to the full flavors in the curried quinoa and chickpeas. Enjoy!





What you need:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger - which I never have so always exclude
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 teaspoons good curry powder (or adjust to taste)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground red pepper (or to taste)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)
1 cup cooked quinoa
salt to taste

What to do:

1. Heat a medium-sized, non-stick sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
2. Add the chickpeas, curry powder, and red pepper, and stir briefly. Add the tomatoes and cooked quinoa, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add salt to taste.
3. Serve in wraps, pita bread, or lettuce leaves or with naan or other flatbread.

Number of servings (yield): 4
Preparation time: 15 minute(s), Cooking time: 15 minute(s)


Instruction and Inspiration is credited to the following blog: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/04/ridiculously-easy-curried-chickpeas-quinoa.html