Recipe of the Week: Mincemeat Tea Muffins

1 cup cups whole wheat flour

1 cup oats (pulsed in a food processor)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

1 teaspoon lemon peel (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

4 tablespoons buttermilk powder

1 cup tea

½ cup olive oil

1 1/2 cup mincemeat

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, chia seeds, lemon peel, spices, and buttermilk powder). Whisk tea, olive oil, and mincemeat in a large measuring cup. Pour liquids into dry ingredients. Mix until blended. Fill muffin pans about 2/3 full. Bake in 350 degree F oven until brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

The story behind this recipe: It all started with the jar of mincemeat on the discount table at the grocery store. Evidently they only stock it during the winter holidays so they were get rid of what they had left. I couldn’t resist. The recipe for Mincemeat Tea Cake in an old Christmas oriented cookbook sounded good. I made some changes -

• Whole wheat flour rather than white flour
• Half the flour replaced with oats
• Added chia seeds
• Added lemon peel
• Used buttermilk powder and tea rather than buttermilk
• Added applesauce
• Did not add any sugar (the original recipe called for 1 cup sugar!)
• Muffins instead of a cake

OK - so it is pretty far from the original recipe. They are very good breakfast muffins. Just sweet enough…not too much. I also discovered other uses for mincemeat:

• Cover top of raw shredded sweet potato with mincement…moisten with tea…bake for an hour. Yummy side dish.
• Mix mincemeat with some olive oil and use as a dressing for fruit or cabbage salad. It worked well with apple/raisin/celery salad (I think of this as ‘Not my Mother’s Waldorf’ Salad)
• To make a sauce for stir fry…a little goes a long way. I added extra ginger.

Maybe I should have bought two jars instead of one from that discount table!

Recipe of the Week: Salads without Lettuce

The best part of the salad is usually not the lettuce – so consider salads that have no lettuce at all. Some of my favorites are below and they must be liked by others as well since some of them appear on salad bars in restaurants. They are easy to make at home...and can easily turn into a whole meal! 

• Carrot raisin salad. Grated carrots (use a food processor), crushed pineapple (optional) and raisins. The traditional dressing is mayonnaise and honey but I like orange marmalade or honey with olive oil. A good substitute for the carrot is raw sweet potato. It can be easily grated in a food processor and retains its orange color as well as carrots.
• Green peas and cheese. Frozen green peas (thawed), grated cheese, onions. The traditional dressing is mayonnaise but I like low fat ranch. This can very easily become a brilliant ‘confetti’ salad by adding frozen corn (thawed), small chunks of carrot, and/or diced tomato. To make it a meal, add chunks of ham, chicken, or smoked turkey.
• Three bean. Canned green beans, wax beans, red/black beans with vinaigrette. I tend to always keep a can of three bean salad in my pantry and add to it since the dressing it comes in is more than adequate. My favorite additions are canned lima beans or green peas (purchased frozen, then thawed. To make it a meal – try adding chunks of smoked turkey or bacon.
• Cucumber and yogurt. Chopped cucumber, yogurt, garlic, basil, onion flakes. Best if mixed together and left to stand for 10 minutes or so. This can also be processed into a smoothie - ‘salad in a glass.’
• Cucumber and tomato. Chopped cucumber, diced tomatoes and onions (or onion flakes) in vinaigrette.
• Left over potato salad. Left over baked potato with skin (chopped with kitchen scissors), hardboiled egg  (chopped), small amount celery with mayonnaise. I usually substitute low fat ranch for the mayonnaise. Add bacon bits to make it a meal.
• Celery and peanut butter. Clean and cut stalks of celery into manageable lengths. Put glob of peanut butter in ramekin and use as a dip!
• Finger salad. Cut up your favorite veggies (lots to pick from: celery, cauliflower, broccoli, turnip, carrots, tomatoes, peppers). Put dressing (low fat ranch is my favorite) in a ramekin and use as a dip.
• Spaghetti squash salad. Rather than pasta salad - try using leftover spaghetti squash instead. Green onions, diced tomatoes, frozen peas…it doesn’t take much to make this a colorful salad. One time I went with all green additions - green onions, frozen peas, celery, and parsley! I like to use a generous amount of a no-salt seasoning blend particularly if the squash does not have very much flavor itself (sometimes it does…and sometimes it doesn’t). A vinaigrette or orange marmalade/olive oil dressing is good although plain yogurt makes a good dressing too. To add some protein - pecans is what I usually pick. If the squash is a bit watery, I add chia seeds to the salad. They’ll make whatever extra water there is into a gel in about 10-15 minutes. 

The list could go on and on….and I haven’t even started with the fruit salads yet! I’ll save those for later blog.

What are your favorite salads without lettuce?

Recipe of the Week: Kiwi Coconut Muffins

2 kiwis peeled and pulse processed in a food processor
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
1 teaspoons powdered egg whites
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup agave nectar or 3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup +2 tablespoons tea or water
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin tins to prevent sticking.

Whisk dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, soda, chia seeds, and coconut) in a large bowl.

In a large measuring cup, whisk agave nectar, tea, oil, vanilla, and egg.

Combine together in large bowl (i.e. add wet ingredients, and kiwi to the dry ingredients) until all ingredients are moistened.

Fill tins 3/4 full.

Bake until the muffins are browned and/or inserted toothpick is clean when removed.

Remove from muffin pans to cool.

Note: Adding 1 tablespoon chia seeds makes for a moister muffin. This addition can be made to just about any muffin recipe - adding a nutritional boost.

Recipe of the Week: Soft Tacos

1 pound hamburger meat

1 can tomatoes and green chilies (Ro-tel or similar)

1 packet low salt taco seasoning mix

1 can refried beans

Tortillas (my favorite are the Carb Balance ones)

Your favorite condiments: shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, guacamole

In a large pan, brown meat thoroughly. If there is a lot of fat, drain most of it from the pan. Add tomatoes and green chilies, a can of water, and taco seasoning mix. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is gone. Add refried beans. Stir to mix. Continue cooking until the beans are thoroughly incorporated and are hot. Spoon meat mixture into tortillas. Add condiments of your choice. Fold over to form a soft taco. Enjoy!

If you need to suddenly feed more people - the recipe can be stretched to feed a few more. Cut up an onion and add it while you are browning the meat. Add a cup of pre-cooked rice and additional salsa when you add the tomatoes and green chilies and seasoning packet.

Note: to enjoy the flavor of taco meat but dramatically reduce the meal’s calories --- use the meat mixture as a dip for celery stalks or green pepper wedges. Limit condiments to lettuce and/or salsa.

Recipe of the Week: Lemony Chia Seed Muffins

1 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup honey
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and spray muffin tins with non-stick spray.

Combine the flour, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and lemon zest in a large bowl.

In a separate large bowl, combine the oil and honey. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the milk, lemon juice, vinegar, and lemon extract.

Pour into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour into the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

Notes:

• If you don’t have bread crumbs, use whole wheat flour. I’m making bread crumbs with my food processor rather than throwing stale bread away these days so I always have a container of bread crumbs in the refrigerator. Replacing 1/3 the flour with bread crumbs makes for a slightly chewy muffin.
• The chia seeds will almost totally dissolve as the muffins cook. I had originally thought these would have the look of lemon poppy seed muffins but they don’t. They are very moist with the extra oil from the chia seeds. I enjoyed these muffins without butter or cream cheese. Next time I make them I'll probably reduce the olive oil to 1/4 cup.
• I made my own lemon zest by cutting off the skin of lemon is was going to use for the juice and processing it into small bits in the food processor (see blog on making orange zest).
• I used a fancy form pan to make mini-muffins. They were about two bites each.

Recipe of the Week: Orange Zest

I enjoy eating oranges more than orange juice so I almost always have a few in the refrigerator. After noticing how expensive orange peel was in the spice section of the grocery (and thinking of reducing food waste) - I decided to always collect the zest off the orange before I ate the inside. After trying several different techniques, this is the one that works best for me.

• Wash the orange with soap and water and let it dry before starting.
• With a sharp knife peel off the outermost layer of the peel (the orange part). I always play a game with myself on how long a ribbon a peel I can get.
• Place in a small food processor and process it until the bits are the size you want. Sometimes I leave it with variable sized pieces. Other times I continue until it is all relatively small bits.
• Let the peeling air dry on a plate, breaking up occasionally if the bits are clumped.

Oftentimes the orange will be thin skinned enough that what is left of the 'skin' after the zest is removed can be eaten along with the pulp so only the thickened ends of the skin is left as trash.

So far I have not had to worry about storage of the orange zest because I use it for cooking pretty quickly. As long as it is thoroughly dry, it could be stored in a the cabinent with other spices. Here are my favorite ways to use orange peel:

1. Bake with an apple
2. Add to your favorite salad 
3. Use as a seasoning for stir fried or baked chicken
4. Mix into pancake or muffin batter
5. Stir into cool cucumber/yogurt soup 

Recipe of the Week: Coconut Macaroon Pancakes

1 3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

3 cups sweetened coconut

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 large eggs

Warm the milk.

In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut, and baking powder. Stir warm milk into the mixture.

Whisk eggs. Add some of the coconut mixture to the eggs and whisk. Pour everything into the large bowl and whisk until well combined.

Heat griddle or pan you normally use for pancakes (it needs to be non-stick or oiled – I used my electric skillet at 350 degrees F). Make silver dollar sized pancakes. Flip with a spatula when the pancake is golden brown being careful not to overcook.

Note: These pancakes are quite sweet on their own - no need for syrup.

Recipe of the Week: Salsa Meatloaf

You don’t need to measure exactly or pull out spices to make this delicious entree. Allow a quarter pound of meat for each serving. This re-heats well as a leftover too.

1 pound hamburger meat

1/3 cup oatmeal (preferably not the quick cook kind)

¾ cup salsa (Chi-Chi’s medium strength is my favorite)

1 egg

Begin heating oven to 350°F. Spray baking dish/pan with cooking spray. Process the oatmeal in a small food processor if you want the oatmeal less visible in the meatloaf. Place oatmeal, egg, and salsa in a large bowl. Use a fork to thoroughly blend. Add meat and mix thoroughly. Put in an over-proof pan and flatten/smooth with a fork so that it is equal thickness and flat on top. Cook for approximately one hour

(Note: cooking a sweet potato in the oven at the same time works well for the meal’s vegetable).

Recipe of the Week: Winter Foods

What are your favorite cold weather foods? For many of us, it is ‘anything hot’ because we want to feel warmed from the inside out. Another criteria could be foods that preserve well into the winter or are seasonal in the winter. Here is the list I’ve created on a cold January day in Maryland:

• Soup. I did a blog post about homemade soup in early December…still is good in January. Today I enjoyed soup made by stir-frying mushrooms and celery with seasonings, adding some homemade spaghetti sauce with some water to make the broth, pouring it over freshly chopped cilantro, and topping it off with a few croutons. It was a great cold weather meal-in-a-bowl.

• Squash. The winter squashes (butternut or acorn) add a wonderful flavor as a side dish, a dessert, or pureed for a soup. I like their flavor and their color. The outdoors in winter time often seems less colorful than any other time of year so having food that has more color is very welcome. I tend to cook these squash whole in the oven so that they are soft by the time I cut them to scoop out the seeds. I like them with a dab of butter or sour cream as a side dish; with maple syrup and chopped pecans for dessert; with tomatoes and green chilies for a soup.  

Tea/Mulled Cider/Hot chocolate. I usually do not drink hot beverages in warm weather…but switch to them when the weather is cold outside. Teas and tisanes come in such a wide variety of flavors and scents; there is one to fit just about any mood. Sweetener may be required but I’ve found that drinking them without any additions allows me to appreciate the subtle flavor of the tea itself. Adding milk or cream brings back memories of childhood when my tea was as much milk as tea; it’s a pleasant trigger on a cold day indoors. Mulled cider or wassail (with citrus and cranberry) is very sweet; I love the smell too; it is very enjoyable in small amounts so I only make if for groups so that others will help drink it. I’ve tried the powdered versions and didn’t like it enough to buy the packets again. Hot chocolate comes in so many formulations; I enjoy the darker chocolate with less (or no) milk.

• Chili. Everyone should develop a favorite chili recipe. Mine is a Texas style with beef, beans, tomato sauce…and spices sometimes a little toward the hot side. We eat it like soup, in tortillas, as a casserole topped with cornbread, and over Fritos (how 60ish!). It is easy to make a lot at one time and then freeze half before we get tired of it; it will be a quick meal in a couple of weeks.

 What are your favorite foods this January?