Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Best Banana Oat Chip Muffins...ever

My mom has (hopefully) learned her lesson.

While she was kind enough to take care of my family so I could go on a little vacation, she as usual kept herself busy "cleaning and tidying" my rather disheveled kitchen (her thoughts, not mine!)

You see, what other people sometimes see as compost, I keep.

All the dry ends of a few month's worth of baguettes sit in the cupboard above my fridge awaiting their future as breadcrumbs. Bunches of tiny celery stalks and leaves sit in the crisper until I have gathered enough vegetable stumps and ends to make my vegetable bouillon paste. And blackened, shriveled bananas fall out of my fridge-top freezer every time I open it, my bruised toes reminding me it is time to bake something with them.

When I returned from my little vacation, I was shocked that bananas weren't spilling out of the freezer when I opened it. Then I was horrified when I realized I had no bananas to make banana bread! I would never use fresh bananas, they are never as tasty or as moist as the ugly freezer ones. I may have slightly over-reacted at this discovery.

Later I came to the realization that she thought she was doing me a big favour by cleaning out my fridge and freezer while I was gone. I have since informed her of my obsessive banana-hoarding and hope that this never happens again.

I do love her and forgive her and hope she will return one day- to watch the kids (not the bananas!)

Banana Oat Chip Muffins
Makes about 14-16 medium-sized muffins
Mushy, blackened bananas from the freezer are always best for baking. Defrost them on the counter a few hours ahead of time or microwave them for about a minute before baking. I often double this recipe and freeze any muffins that don't get gobbled up immediately.

1 cup unbleached flour (or 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 unbleached flour)
1 cup rolled or quick oats
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)
1/4 cup milk
*optional: 1 tsp vanilla
3 mashed bananas
up to 1 cup chocolate chips (mini ones make for delicious bitefuls!)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl (from flour to salt!)
3. Mix wet ingredients together (from eggs to mushy bananas!)
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, then fold in chocolate chips.
5. Spoon into about 14-16 muffin cups/tins/etc. (I like to use muffin liners, but you can grease your muffin tins if you prefer). Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Monica's Almond Thins

Our friend Monica made these for us years ago and we haven't forgotten them. I have since found out that they are super simple to make, low in sugar and high in protein (almonds and eggs).

Last year I made them for Chinese New Year (it fits in with the not-too-sweet endings to meals) and many friends and family requested the recipe. Here it is for anyone who hasn't tried it yet!

This year I decided to experiment a bit and added some finely grated (microplaned) orange zest. I think it added a little je ne sais quoi.

They take about 2 minutes to whip up and about half an hour in the oven and then you are set with a bunch of tasty, crunchy cookies that are the perfect ending to a Chinese New Year Meal. (Or, for any other time of day, or night!)

Monica's Almond Thins
EASY
These cookies are very easy to make and relatively low in sugar. Great for people who don't like overly sweet "desserts". They are great with a cup of tea! If you use orange zest, be sure to serve the orange pieces up with the cookies after! An off-set spatula comes in handy for super thin cookies, but any spatula will do.

3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds (natural or blanched, but I prefer the natural)
optional: very finely grated zest of 1 medium orange

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of stand mixer), beat eggs and sugar until frothy.
3. Mix in flour until smooth and then add almonds.
4. Divide mixture into 2 portions and spread on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets (or, one large sheet pan if you want thicker cookies). Use a spatula or offset spatula to spread it very thinly (you should be able to almost "see through" the egg mixture).
5. Bake 20 minutes or until golden.
6. Gently peel the cookie from the parchment, and turn over. Either: place it on cutting board and cut into squares or do as Monica does and cut with kitchen shears. (Some pieces may be fully dark golden colour at this point and will not need further baking, for any that are not golden brown, return to oven to bake further).
7. Bake any remaining overturned squares in the oven for another 8-10 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
8. Cool. Store in paper bag or glass jar.

Monday, January 16, 2012

The Very Best Hummus

I've been obsessed with the idea of hummus lately. I've been reading articles devoted to hummus. I've read many recipes and tried many varieties (store bought and home-made).

Usually I am a bit disappointed because my homemade versions aren't as smooth and creamy as the store-bought varieties.

But all this changed after an article I read in Vegetarian Times. It suggested that the secret to perfect hummus was that you warm the chickpeas before pureeing them. Not only did it transform the chickpeas into a super smooth dip, but it also seemed to "tame" the raw garlic flavour. My recipe finally looked and tasted perfect!

Of course, I didn't agree with all the ingredients of the Vegetarian Times recipe- they used only water to thin the mixture and used way too much tahini. I prefer an olive oil and water mixture and just a hint of tahini in the background.

For all you like-minded, obsessive hummus-eaters, here is my perfect recipe. Yours might have more lemon, or more tahini but I think you will enjoy this method...

The Very Best Hummus
You really need a food processor or blender to get the best texture. It can be made in a matter of minutes!
You can use canned or cooked chickpeas. I usually have cooked chickpeas waiting in the freezer. I refresh the frozen chickpeas in hot water on the stove, but you can also quickly warm them in the microwave just before pureeing. Tahini can be left out if desired.
Hummus usually firms up in the fridge, so I like to make sure I add a bit more water at the end so it makes a softer consistency.

1 large clove garlic, cut in half, remove middle green sprout
3 cups warmed chickpeas
3 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
3-4 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
up to 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp sea salt

1. In food processor or blender, blend garlic until minced. Add warmed chickpeas and process for a minute or two. Add tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and 1/4 cup water. Add additional water up to 1/2 cup total. Blend until completely smooth. Season with salt.
2. Spoon into serving dish and garnish with ground paprika, chopped parsley or a drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Tara's Super Star Version: My friend Tara told me she added preserved lemons to her hummus. I also love the addition- I added the rind only (scrape out the super-salty flesh) of 1/3-1/2 of a preserved lemon peel. Yum! For a simple preserved lemon recipe:
http://www.mintgreenapron.com/2011/05/lentil-and-quinoa-salad-with-preserved.html

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Smoothie Pancakes

When I told my husband all the good things I packed into these pancakes- greek yogurt, blueberries and bananas- he declared these to be "Smoothie Pancakes".

Greek yogurt is a great staple to have in the fridge- it can usually be used in place of sour cream or creme fraiche, it is super high in protein and is lower in fat than the alternatives. It is also fantastic in smoothies, lending its rich flavour and consistency with many health benefits.

We have made these pancakes several times now and they are always finished promptly (unfortunately no leftovers for the freezer...) Great for feeding a crowd as you can keep them in a low oven (200 degrees) until ready to serve.

A healthy start to the morning.

Smoothie Pancakes
Makes approximately 20- 3" pancakes
You can always use all whole wheat or all unbleached flour. Also, we usually use greek yogurt which is quite a bit thicker than usual yogurt, so we use a little more milk to thin the batter. Adjust the milk according to how thick your batter is.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
2 cups milk (use less milk for runny plain yogurt)
6 tbsp oil (grapeseed or other neutral oil)
1 banana, cut into small dice
1 cup blueberries

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, milk and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add chopped banana and blueberries and stir in gently.
3. Heat pan over medium heat. Add a small drop of oil if needed and cook pancakes until bubbles start to appear, flip and cook until done.