Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Peach Pecan Muffins

Alright folks! Unfortunately this recipe was made while my dear little angels were napping, but Olivia sits on my lap now as I type. I bought some peaches from the store today that were on sale because they were getting really soft. I knew that I could make something really yummy so I decided to pick them up. I found a recipe on yummly.com for Almond Peach muffins. Since I didn't have any almonds, I decided to use pecans. WOW! These muffins are super good. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Ingredients




112 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
34 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
12 tsp baking soda
eggs
12 cup vegetable oil
12 tsp vanilla extract
114 cups peaches (chopped peeled fresh)
12 cup chopped almonds (I used pecans)

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugars, salt and baking soda.

2. In another bowl, beat eggs, oil and extracts; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in peaches and almonds (pecans).

3. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Candied Lemon Peel

A friend asked me to do this one for her. I had a great recipe for it and can't find it among all the boxes in this house. I actually looked this one up on the internet from allrecipes.com submitted by StevenRN. Hope you all enjoy. This was a sweet treat.

Candied Lemon Peel

Ingredients

3 Lemons
2 cups water,
2 cups white sugar

Method:

1) Cut lemons into slices, and remove the fruit pulp. Scrape off as much of the white inner layer as you can, this part is bitter.





2) Bring water to a boil in a small pan, and add lemon peels.

3) Boil for about 5 minutes, until tender. Remove peels from water, and stir in sugar.

4) Return to a boil, add peels, and boil until transparent.

5) Drain, and allow to dry before storing.


Blueberry Muffins

As I prepare to go on vacation, we are trying to finish eating everything in the fridge. In our house, the bread was the first to go, as this is the girls' favorite. I usually make our own as it is cheaper and dairy free. I looked in the flour bin to see if I have enough to make more bread, nope, I have about 2 cups. What can I do with 2 cups, dairy free, and something similar to bread? Muffins, or as my daughters would call them, "fuffins!" I had some left over frozen blueberries, so this was going to be great. I found my recipe online at www.egglesscooking.com. So, without anymore delay, here are vegan blueberry muffins. Enjoy!

VEGAN BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Lemons For Lemon Zest
  • 3/4 to 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 cup Milk, any (I used Soy Milk)
  • 1/3 cup Canola Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Extract (I did not use it)
  • 1 tablespoon White Vinegar (I used Apple Cider Vinegar)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups Fresh OR Frozen Blueberries


Method:

Preheat the oven to 375F for 15 minutes. Lightly grease a muffin tin. 

In a medium bowl, combine together flour, baking soda, salt and lemon zest



 Opps, Olivia got the salt on her foot.

 

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, milk, oil, extract, and vinegar. Mix well.


 Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir until just combined. Don’t over stir.


Gently fold in the berries using a rubber spatula.





Fill the muffin tins about 2/3rds full.

Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. After that remove the muffins from the tins and cool on a wire rack.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Pinto Bean Burgers

If there is a time where you have a lot of pinto beans left over, here is a great recipe to use them up. I was so impressed with this that I will be making this recipe as a dip for parties and gatherings. Love that it is vegan too. I found the recipe off of yummly.com, to be honest, I just googled pinto burgers and this was one of the first sites to pop up. Hope you enjoy it and if so, share my blog with others. 


Pinto Bean Burgers


Ingredients


15 oz pinto beans (rinsed and drained- if in a can).
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chipotle chile (adobo minced)- I omitted this as my husband does not like too much of the smoky taste.
1/2 cup salsa
1 slice jalapeno pepper (pickled pepper cut and minced)
2 Tbs. olive oil
5 Tbs. Breadcrumbs- Plain dried ( These can be gluten free or vegan) 
4 hamburger buns
4 lettuce leaves
cilantro

 Olivia trying the beans before mashing them. 

 My Juliana.

Method:

1) In medium bowl, with potato masher, mash pinto beans until smooth. Stir in cumin, chipotle, pickled jalapeno, 2 tbsp salsa, and 2 tbsp breadcrumbs until combined.





2) Place remaining 3 tbsp breadcrumbs on sheet of waxed paper. With floured hands, shape bean mixture into four 3-inch round burgers; coat with breadcrumbs.

3) In nonstick, 12-inch skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add burgers and cook until slight browned on both sizes, about 8 minutes, turning burgers halfway through cooking.

Note: The burger on the left, I flipped too early and it broke. 

4) Spoon remaining 1/2 cup salsa on bottom halves of buns. Top with lettuce and burgers. Serve burger with cilantro, onion, and sour cream if desired.

Olivia loves the burger.


**Note- This makes a really great bean dip for chips. **