beet muffins

There are/were two jars of canned beets in my cupboard, from March when my storage beets were starting to turn faster than I could borscht.  Beets canned in just water are not exciting to eat, so I looked around for some other ideas and found this recipe for beet muffins.  It checks my boxes: whole grains, vegetable and fruit heavy, nuts, no refined sugars.  

Ingredients

•    2 medium-sized beets, cooked and pureed (about 1 cup) (I drained a pint jar of beets and ran it through the nutribullet)
•     1⁄2 cup unsweetened applesauce
•     1⁄3 cup honey or maple syrup (I used about 1/4 cup date paste)
•     1⁄3 cup coconut oil, melted (I used avocado oil)
•     2 large eggs
•     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•     1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
•     1⁄2 cup rolled oats
•     1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•     1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
•     1⁄4 teaspoon salt
•     1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•     1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•     1⁄2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional) (I used soaked walnuts)
•     1⁄2 cup raisins or chocolate chips (optional) 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease it lightly.
2. In a large bowl, combine the beet puree, applesauce, honey or maple syrup/date paste, and oil. Mix well until smooth.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the wet mixture and whisk until fully combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring gently until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
6. If using, fold in the chopped nuts and raisins or chocolate chips to the batter.
7. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about two-thirds full.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
9. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

lentil-walnut loaf

 I have a surplus of walnuts to use up (I have to soak and rinse them, to avoid canker sores), and I'm always looking to eat more lentils.  So this recipe for lentil walnut loaf caught my attention as a starting place, and I have everything on hand.  Plus, I have a ton of ground flaxseed to use up and I'd been meaning to start making "flax eggs."

Ingredients

• 1 cup of green lentils, rinsed
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 cup of walnuts, finely chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of smoked paprika
• A splash of soy sauce
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp of water)
• A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease a loaf pan.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes until the lentils are tender. Tip: Don’t skip rinsing the lentils to remove any debris.
3. While the lentils cook, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, sautéing until translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, mix the cooked lentils, sautéed onion and garlic, walnuts, smoked paprika, soy sauce, breadcrumbs, flax egg, and thyme leaves until well combined. Tip: The mixture should stick together when pressed; if it’s too dry, add a bit more soy sauce.
5. Press the mixture firmly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is crispy. Tip: Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing to help it hold together.

Hearty and satisfying, this loaf has a meaty texture thanks to the lentils and walnuts. Serve it with a tangy barbecue sauce or slice it thin for sandwiches the next day.

 

berry millet cake

 This berry millet cake was really good and freezes well.  The only beef I have is that when I put frozen berries on top, around them didn't really bake right - and also it's too little berries.  I think the workaround is to make a berry sauce to serve with it (just heat up berries).  

Ingredients

Berry Millet Cake

• 250 g (8.8 oz) millet
• 1 litre (4 cups) milk
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 egg whites
• 6 egg yolks
• 60 g (1/4 cup) sugar (I used 2 T)
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar or 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
• 80 ml (1/3 cup) cold milk
• 100 g (1 cup) raspberries
• 100 g (1 cup) blueberries
• 2 tbsp silvered blanched almonds (I just chopped up some raw almonds)
• 1 tbsp coconut flour (I used finely shredded coconut)
• powdered sugar, for dusting
• fresh berries, to serve

 

METHOD

• Cook the millet

  Add the millet to a sieve and rinse under running water. Pout the milk into a pot and add the rinsed millet. Place on the stove; add salt, vanilla sugar, and butter. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature. The fastest way to do that is to arrange it all over a baking sheet in a thin layer.

• Make millet cake

  Add the egg whites to a large bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Add the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla sugar into a separate bowl. Beat until the mixture is smooth, for about 5 minutes. Add the millet mixture and stir with a spatula. Gently fold the stiff egg whites to get a smooth, airy mixture.

  Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 180 °C / 350 °F. Grease a 20 cm x 30 cm (8-inch x 12-inch) deep baking dish with butter. Pour the millet cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Arrange the raspberries, blueberries, almonds, and coconut flour on top. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 40 - 45 minutes at 180 °C / 350 °F. Once the cake cools, cut it into eight slices. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with fresh berries.

winter squash and greens bake

 Looking around the kitchen, not wanting to go to the store ... this sounded good with a lot of substitutions.  I followed both the post I found for winter squash and spinach bake and their source pasta and butternut squash cake.

Ingredients

• 8 oz broken up lasagna noodles 
• 400 g winter squash, peeled and sliced very thinly
• 3+ cloves garlic, sliced very thinly
• 1 egg
• 100 g ricotta (I substituted a mix of sour cream/yogurt/cottage cheese; recipe called for 200-250 g)
• 50-100 g parmesan, grated (divided)
• 200 g feta, crumbled small (divided)
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese (I used mozzarella) 
• 5 oz/150 g baby greens chopped 
• salt, pepper
• basil, thyme, parsley  
• red pepper flakes (<1/2 tsp)
• 2 T olive oil 
• 1 cup water

Mix together in a big bowl, sprinkling top with feta and parmesan left.  Put into 9" round or square pan lined with parchment paper.  Cover tightly with foil.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.  REmove foil, drizzle 1 T olive oil, and let bake another 30 minutes. 

 

whole wheat pie crust

 From here.  It makes two shells, quite nice.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or other whole wheat flour) 
• ¾ cup butter, chilled and cubed
• 1 tsp fine sea salt (½ tsp if using salted butter)
• up to ½ cup ice cold water

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour and salt. And cubed butter.
2. Pulse a few times until pea-sized pieces form.
3. Slowly add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, stopping when you fill up your spoon with water.
4. Pulse and continue to add water until a ball has just formed with the dough.
5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the ball of dough in half.
6. Roll out dough on top of plastic wrap, one ball at a time, to form the crust. Turn out dough into your pie pan and shape the edges by pushing your thumb of one hand into the thumb and pointer finger of your other hand on opposite edges of the dough and work all the way around.
7. Continue with your pie recipe as instructed.
8. You'll get a top and a bottom crust. You can freeze one if your recipe only calls for a bottom crust.

Notes

• The original recipe made with all-purpose flour uses 5 tablespoon of water. If you are using all-purpose flour, reduce the water to 5 tbsp.
• Use cold butter and ice cold water. Keeping everything cold will result in a more flaky crust.
• Similarly, you don't want to butter to be blended into the flour too much. Small pieces melt in between layers of dough when baked, giving you a flaky crust.
• Try not to add too much water, or the crust will be sticky and difficult to roll out. You want it to just start to come together.
• I love using whole wheat pastry flour for the lightest result. If you can't find whole wheat pastry flour, look for white whole wheat flour (made with soft white wheat, it's not bleached).
• I use salted butter because I prefer a little more salt in my crust to contrast very sweet fillings. However, if you prefer less salt, use unsalted butter or reduce the salt to ½ tsp.
• For vegan version, use cold coconut oil in place of butter. If you use virgin coconut oil, your pie crust will taste like coconut, though.
• If you have a very deep pie dish or a 10 inch dish, you may need to use 1.5 times or double the recipe to make sure you have enough crust.
• For parbaking and make ahead instructions, see post above.

 

chipotle bean and sweet potato burritos

 These burritos were quite tasty and nice umami without cheese. 

Ingredients

Yield:10 burritos

• ¼ cup vegetable oil, such as avocado
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
• 5 to 7 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, roughly chopped
• 5 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium sweet potato (12 to 16 ounces), peeled and diced
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock, or water
• 2 (15-ounce) cans beans, such as pinto, Great Northern, cannellini or a mix, drained
• 10 burrito-sized (10-inch) flour tortillas, at room temperature or warmed (see Tip)
• Mexican crema, or sour cream (optional)
• Tender greens, such as baby spinach, arugula or mesclun mix (optional; see Tip)

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat oil in a large skillet on medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 2 teaspoons salt, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the chopped chipotles along with their sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about a minute.

2. Step 2

   Add the diced tomatoes and cook until they start to melt and get soupy, about 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato and stock, bring to a boil, lower to a steady simmer and cook until the sweet potato is fork-tender and the tinga is reduced and slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the beans, mash the mixture to your desired texture and simmer for 3 more minutes to heat beans through. Taste for salt.

3. Step 3

   Assemble burritos one at a time: On a work surface, spread a tortilla with 1 tablespoon crema, if using, then, using a slotted spoon, scoop about ¾ cup of filling on top of the tortilla near the edge closest to you. Top with greens, if using. To close the burrito, fold the left and right sides of the tortilla over the filling, then starting with the side closest to you, roll up the burrito, folding the top sides of the tortilla towards each other as you roll. Place the burrito seam-side down on a serving platter. Repeat to make remaining burritos. Serve immediately, with crema and salsa roja, if desired.

Tips

• If you’d like, warm the tortillas in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high until toasted in spots and pliable, about 1 minute each side.
• To freeze the burritos for later, omit the optional greens during assembly and place the burritos on a parchment-lined sheet pan as you assemble them, making sure none of the burritos are touching. Freeze the burritos for 1 to 2 hours, until solid enough to move. Once they are almost frozen solid, place in a tightly sealed container and freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, wrap the frozen burrito in parchment paper and microwave for 3 minutes on high. Let stand 2 minutes before serving.

 

 

easy cheap meal to share - pasta with chicken and fava bean pesto

 I have taken to stocking food in a nearby Little Free Refrigerator.  Usually I cook 4-6 meals at a time, and I rarely like leftovers, so this has been great.  I get free recycled containers from a food justice place and I cook what I want.  I've also been going through my stockpile of food to make things that I wouldn't make for myself.

Today was pasta.  I boiled a pound of farfalle (such a fun shape), tossed in some rotisserie chicken I'd frozen, and two small jars of fava bean pesto I'd made and frozen, and some extra parmesan I had.  I was going to add a salad but it was too cold and dark to go out to harvest, and it's ok.  It was very tasty, I distributed most of it into containers and delivered them.  It was probably maybe $2.50 for five meals worth.  And it's warm and filling - even if not the most nutritious thing I cook.