Food In Many Forms

It is an unfortunate truth that you don't find many Trader Joe's in the city - it was true in Baltimore, it is true here in Boston as well. The other day, I was perusing the bakery section. The muffin selection seems like it has something for everyone - flavors include streusel, morning glory, banana chocolate chip, carrot ginger, blueberry raspberry oat bran and greek yogurt lemon poppyseed. I've tried several of them, but I always feel like I have to choose between prioritizing whole grains, flavor, or good ingredients. Finally, this past weekend, I decided to try to replicate one of the TJs muffins, but with my own tweaks to include whole grains, lower glycemic index, and less sugar. If you believe the internet, this recipe came from the Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket, and it became well known when it was published in a magazine in 1981. They were a big hit - I just want to figure out a way to up the protein content a tad but otherwise I'm quite satisfied...

Last night I was thinking about all the flour sealed away on the top shelf of my fridge, and I figured it was about time to try my muffin recipe again. When I woke up this morning, I laid out all my ingredients, and was excited to find I had fresh lemons, which I had said I wanted to try using back in July, as well as dried orange peel. I still had to run to the store for buttermilk, but that gave me the opportunity to buy cranberries! I made a batch of the Triple Berry muffins first. The last time I made them, I ran out of sprouted wheat flour, so I could only get about 1/2 cup. This time I split the flour content more evenly - 1 cup sprouted wheat flour, 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour - and I added about half a lemon's worth of zest when I added the berries. Unfortunately, I was impatient to eat and I didn't defrost the berries enough. Then I didn't hear the timer go off. So now I have burnt, under-cooked berry muffins (flavor is still good though!). I ate a ...

As much as I love Baltimore, one of the frustrating aspects of living here is that the grocery stores don't seem to carry a lot of whole grain products. It's hard to find whole wheat bread that doesn't taste terrible, whole grain baking mixes are nonexistent, and whole wheat pancakes are available from just one brand ( Kodiak Cakes - I highly recommend them!). I've made a few attempts now to adapt baking mixes to make muffins and breakfast breads, but the results have been just okay. And who wants to feed their friends average baked goods? So, I've decided to go in search of my perfect muffin recipe. Ideally this recipe would: Taste good Be whole grain Work well as muffins, and as a breakfast bread Be adaptable to different flavors (i.e. berry, banana, pumpkin) My initial thoughts were to use ingredients like white whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, sprouted wheat flour, almond flour, flax meal, and rolled oats. This recipe does not incorpo...

I think the "Cupcakes" turned out pretty well, but they really look and taste more like muffins. They would be great for a quick breakfast and are a lot better than some of those oatmeal breakfast bar recipes I've tried. I ended up doubling the recipe, which made 26 muffins. I ended up using almost an entire zucchini, two small apples, shredded carrots and chopped raisins, and I definitely recommend using some kind of dried fruit to add some sweetness. It seems like a lot of people just use the leftover fruits and vegetables from their juice smoothies, which I think is a great idea! 

It took nearly a month to get my hands on Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, and another month to find the time to bake. But finally, I have produced the most delicious Chipotle Pumpkin Muffins that are the perfect combination of spicy and sweet! I doubled the recipe to use the whole can of pumpkin, and I after baking up a dozen muffins, I poured the rest of the batter into a loaf pan. I also sprinkled some of the muffins with pumpkin seeds and crystallized ginger, just for fun.  Adapted from  http://morganmadeit.net/post/2011/02/25/Chipotle-Pumpkin-Muffins-with-Gluten-Free-Option.aspx Ingredients: 3/4 cup all purpose flour 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 2/3 cup oil 1/3 cup milk 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup light brown sugar 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup pureed pumpkin 1 chipotle pepper, chopped into a paste 2 Tbsp adobo sauce from the peppers In...

After eating take out for lunch and dinner, I knew I couldn't sit around in my apartment and wait for the cravings to strike. So, I dragged myself to the gym, and when I got home, I baked. It seems counter-intuitive to bake to prevent snacking, but it keeps my mind off of the tortilla chips in the cupboard and the Ben & Jerry's in the freezer. And even when I have "no food in the house", I always have flour and sugar. Kill two birds with one stone and bake your breakfast, lunch or dinner for the next day in advance! 1 3/4 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 egg, beaten 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup frozen, pitted dark cherries, quartered In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add egg, milk and oil. Stir until combined. Stir in dark cherries. Fill greased 2 1/2 inch muffin tins two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until tes...

I just moved to Baltimore so naturally I had to break in my new kitchen with a little baking! A friend from University of Maryland gave me this recipe for Chocolate Muffins and they always turn out moist and delicious . Plus, they are full of vitamin A and fiber . I wonder what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow? Ingredients Duncan Hines Devil's food cake mix 15 oz can of pureed pumpkin 1/3 cup water Dark chocolate chips (optional) Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine pumpkin, cake mix, chocolate chips (optional) and water. Grease 2 muffin tins and fill them half-way up with batter. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. Allergens: Wheat, gluten, soy, milk

I have been working at a hospital and helping them run a Wellness Program all summer. Each week we send out recipe ideas and workout tips in a newsletter to the participants. Each week I promise I will try the recipe before hand to make sure I am not going to discourage people from eating vegetables or trying a new food. And each week, I fail to do it. Well, this week the recipe is not a vegetable or a new way to bake chicken, but muffins. Muffins I can do. I have no problem finding the motivation to bake up a batch of Fig Muffins. Especially because there is a valuable lesson in recipe substitutions to be learned. And the added bonus? The recipe was written by a Registered Dietitian! Check out Ellie Krieger on the Food Network if you get a chance - she is the real deal. Ingredients Cooking spray 1 cup chopped dried figs, plus 3 whole dried figs 1 1/2 cups bran cereal (recommended: All-Bran) 1 cup lowfat milk 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2...

Looking at food network recipes, it seems like they all require like 15 or 20 ingredients. Not very student friendly. But here are some recipes I did find: - Honey Mustard and Red Onion Barbecued Chicken - Lemon Pepper Chicken Tenders - Sweet Potato Risotto - 3-Cheese Pasta Bake I'm making blueberry muffins too! Yes, they are the just add water kind, but I just got really excited to make something so I could practice my food photography. I can be like the cereal photographers that use condensed milk instead of regular milk and go through boxes of cereal to find the perfect O's. My Food Science teacher last semester taught me that. <== Does this look like real milk to you? Wow I have already written 3 posts! But this is so exciting! It makes me really want to learn how to cook!