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.

 

zucchini muffins

 I'm excited to make this zucchini muffin recipe from here once I get some more zucchini from my garden. 

Zucchini Oat Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup packed pitted dates

Boiling water

1 1/4 cups coarsely grated zucchini (1 medium zucchini)

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup sugar (I'll probably omit - the dates are enough sweet)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup neutral-tasting oil, such as light-tasting olive oil, avocado, grape seed or canola oil

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

Place the dates in a medium bowl. Pour enough boiling water over them to cover and let soak for 1 hour. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid, then drain the dates well.Combine the dates and the reserved liquid in a food processor (mini, preferably) and puree to form a smooth paste, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides, as needed.

Place the grated zucchini in a colander in the sink; let drain for 20 minutes, then gather it up in your hands to extract as much moisture as possible.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have a standard-size, 12-well muffin pan at hand. Lightly grease the wells with cooking oil spray or line them with baking paper cups.

Stir together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl.

Stir together all the date paste, eggs and oil in a mixing bowl until incorporated, then stir in the grated, drained zucchini. Add the flour mixture and stir until no trace of it remains, then stir in the walnuts.

Divide the batter evenly among the wells. Bake (middle rack) for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm, or at room temperature

 

persimmon muffins (no sugar added)

 This recipe for persimmon muffins was a guide, but I changed it up a lot to make it healthier.

First, make persimmon pulp.  I blended persimmons - fuyus, many that were overripe.  They were mostly just destemmed.  I would probably peel more in the future, depending on what I plan to use it for.  I then froze it into 1 cup portions in bags, so hopefully I can make more muffins or other goodness until next season. If these aren't good, I'll keep trying. 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (320 grams) whole wheat flour (pastry flour works well)
  
• 1 teaspoon (4 grams) kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/3 cup date paste
• 1 teaspoon maple extract or vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup (300 grams) pureed persimmon about 2 medium persimmons
• 1 teaspoon (7 grams) baking soda
• 1 cup (120 grams) chopped walnuts (soaked overnight and drained to reduce canker sores if you're like me)
  

Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line the tin with baking cups or grease. Into a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, and ginger. Repeat the sifting process twice more for airy muffins. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, date paste, and vanilla or maple extract.  Whisk. Add the eggs, one at time while whisking vigorously. In another bowl, use a rubber spatula to fold together the pureed persimmon and the baking soda, just until mixed completely. Fold the persimmon puree into the wet ingredients, then fold the wet mixture into the dry. Mix just until the flour is combined. Add the walnuts to the batter and fold just until combined, or three stirs. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until the muffin tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating warm or transferring to a cooking rack to cool completely.

no added sugar sweet potato pie

 Trying to keep my added sugar consumption quite low, I'm surprised at how little there is for this on-line without adding artificial sweeteners - which, yuk. 

So here is my first attempt at no sugar added sweet potato pie.

For reduced sugar, I took this pie with the sugar cut to scant 1/3 cup.  That breaks down to (with full 1/3 cup), about 8.3 added grams of sugar per slice.  That is not bad compared to almost everything else.  I took it to Thanksgiving and it was very good.

But I also want to lean into my date paste and what a great sweetener it is.  It's worked so well with muffins.  I need to remember how I made it because it's great tucked back in the fridge for months.  I also need to remember the whole wheat pie crust recipe I used for this pie.  (I froze one crust, as it made two.)

So here is how I made this sweet potato pie, and I will rework it until I'm satisfied.

• 1.5-2 pounds sweet potatoes cooked
• 2 T butter
• 1/3 cup date paste
  
• 1/4 c. milk (any percent, half & half, evaporated, etc.) (note: this is cut from 1/2 cup because the date paste provides moisture)
  
• a bit of salt
• 1tsp+ vanilla
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• mace or cardamom or other spices
• 2 eggs

Bake sweet potatoes (about 3 medium) for about 55 minutes at 425 degrees.  Allow to cool and peel.

Blend sweet potatoes in a food processor.  Add butter and process some more.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process together.

Bake in uncooked pie crust at 350 for about 55 minutes. 

**

Verdict: DELICIOUS.  It was a little grainy, probably from the date paste that I had made in the food processor.  If it mattered (like taking to fancy company), date paste in the blender.  But I do not mind grainy in my pie (at all), so for me it's perfect!   The color wasn't even off, which I'd feared.  The date paste is a not very appetizing gray-brown, so I thought it would make the pie off-color, but it was like pumpkin pie, which people eat without complaint.)

healthy banana muffins

 This recipe for healthy banana muffins taken from here.  They hit the spot, though I wish I'd used all whole wheat flour (or maybe some buckwheat) instead of the half-half with white flour (since I didn't have white whole wheat).  Or added oat bran or something like that - I just wanted a little grittier texture, I guess.  I also liked that this was a straightforward one-bowl recipe, not requiring a lot of fuss or cleanup, and while I don't usually have three overripe bananas on hand, I do always have the other things.  I am looking forward to my banana plant producing and having heaps of very local bananas to use up.

 Update 11/24 - these turned out well!

Ingredients  

• 3 large overripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup yogurt
  
• 2 tablespoons oil/melted butter
  
• 1/2 cup date paste
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup pecans toasted at 350 for about 5 minutes, then chopped
  

Instructions 

Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare12-cup muffin tin.  Lightly toast pecans.  
  Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl until mostly smooth. Whisk in the egg, and then the yogurt and oil. Whisk in the date paste and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the top, and then stir until combined. Gently stir in the flour until barely combined (it will be thick and that's ok), and then fold in the nuts.

 Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup nearly to the top. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the muffins spring back lightly when touched in the center.

***

Edits for time #2 included below

Ingredients  

• 3 large overripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I strained some old, runny yogurt through a coffee filter) - did about 1/2 cup of regular yogurt
  
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or melted/cooled coconut oil (butter would be fine)
  
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup - eliminated
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (I did half-half white-wheat flour and ... next time all wheat) - did 1/2 cup buckwheat flour; rest whole wheat
  
• 1 cup walnut halves (toasted and coarsely chopped) - (I used raw pecans and next time better toasted for sure)

Instructions 

Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners, or lightly grease with nonstick spray. (I used parchment liners for the first time and wow was that great.  They always seemed an unnecessary indulgence but I got some on cheap sale and I always want to use those now.)  Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl until mostly smooth. Whisk in the egg, and then the yogurt and oil. Whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the top, and then stir until combined. Gently stir in the flour until barely combined, and then fold in the walnuts.

 Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup nearly to the top. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the muffins spring back lightly when touched in the center.