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.

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. **

Sweet and Sour Tofu

Hmmm, what should I make for supper? We just moved into our new home and I have a fabulous kitchen I can cook in. Now, I only need a recipe to cook! Most of my recipe books were still in boxes, but there stood, on top of a box, a little green recipe book. It read, Oakwood's Third Annual International Vegetarian Tasting Extravaganza, May 7, 1995. For those from my childhood, you would remember this function at our church. It was one very yummy day. 

I opened the book and skimmed through the pages and just a few flips, I found "Sweet and Sour Tofu." Now this was great one as I had all the ingredients except the onions and mushrooms, which I am not a huge fan of anyway. So thanks to Wanda Ramsdell. The girls made her recipe for the first time and it was amazing. My husband is not a huge fan of tofu, but this recipe sent him up to the stove for seconds. So, enjoy this tasty dish.

Sweet and Sour Tofu

Ingredients:

2 pkg. of tofu (I used extra firm), cubed

2 cups tomato sauce

2 cups onions (which I omitted this time)

1 green pepper, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup mushrooms (which I omitted, as I dislike them)

1/2 cup celery

1 Tbs. brown sugar

2 Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1 can crushed or chunked pineapple with juice ( I used chunked as it was the same size as the tofu)

Method:

* 1) Freeze tofu overnight. This will make the tofu stay together better. 

2) Allow to thaw then drain and squeeze excess water. 

**3) Saute onions, green pepper, mushrooms, carrots, celery and tofu in butter, oil, or water. Saute at a low temperature, covered.

4) When vegetables are cooked put in a large saucepan. 

5) Add tomato sauce, brown sugar, pineapple, soy sauce, lemon juice.

 Olivia adding the soy sauce.

 Olivia adding the lemon juice.

 Reopening a can of pineapple that Mama already opened. 

Juliana came and wanted to open the tomato sauce.

6) Allow to simmer on a low temperature for 1 hour.

7) Serve over rice. 

Serves 6-8

* I used extra firm tofu and did not freeze and it turned out well. But would recommend freezing it if you have the time. 

** I used 2 Tbs of olive oil when sauteing this dish. 

Naked Vegan Waffles

One day, I was in the mood for some waffles. I had just popped some in the toaster for my girls straight from the box in the freezer. I grabbed the box and looked at the ingredients. WOW! Who knew all of the processed junk that is in those, not to mention, milk. I decided to go to the internet and find a recipe that I could use that was healthy and without the milk. The one that I found is called "Naked Vegan Waffles". I am not trying to do vegan, but I am finding that eggs and milk usually coincide with each other and if I have to get rid of milk, eggs usually are gone too.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. The recipe comes from Dave from Waffleparty.com. I think it turned out rather tasty. I actually mixed all the dry ingredients first and put it in an airtight container so I could keep it for future use. Very tasty.

Naked Vegan Waffles

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups soymilk, nutmilk or ricemilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar

Method:

1) Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 

2) Mix the soymilk, canola oil, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. 

3) Pour the soymilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Leave some small lumps in the batter, as overstirring may result in tough waffles. 

4) Cook on a waffle iron for 3 to 5 minutes, generously spraying both grills with oil before each waffle.

Makes: 4 (7 inch round) Belgian Waffles. 

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

For those who like a little spice in their lives as I do, you will love this recipe. It is creamy, yet there is no milk in it! I got this recipe from Ellie on the Cooking Channel. Love that show. So healthy, yet tasty. I forgot to take a picture of all the ingredients together, but I listed them below. Hope you like it and let me know what you think.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (2 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
• 2 tablespoons honey

Method:

1) Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart stockpot.
2) Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6-7 minutes.

3) Add the butternut squash, broth, curry powder and salt and bring to a boil. *

 Curry

McKays Chicken Seasoning

4) Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12-15 minutes.

5) Remove from heat, stir in honey, and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth.

6) Season with salt.

* Note- For those doing gluten free, please be sure to check your broths to make sure they are gluten free. Also, I used McKays Chicken seasoning (Vegetarian) and that is NOT low sodium, so I omitted the salt.

Mediterranean Sandwich

Mike and I started making this sandwich back when we were newlyweds. I was looking for a recipe one day and pulled out an old cookbook written in 1997 by Betty Crocker. I wanted something that was tasty and that I could convert fairly easy into a vegetarian dish. So, this is my own rendition of the Mediterranean sandwich. Feel free to add meat if you are a meat eater or dairy cheese. My recipe is made without cow's milk products. Sorry, I only have one photo, as I decided to post this one at the last minute.

Mediterranean Sandwich

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded Fri-Chik (Found at Ingles, this is the vegetarian option for chicken)
1/2 cup chopped Red pepper
1/2 cup Green pepper
1/2 cup Veggie soy mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Mayo or salad dressing
1/2 cup dried Oregano leaves
handful of chopped Green olives
Feta cheese/goat cheese - enough to sprinkle on top
Hoagie buns

Method:
1)  Set oven to broil.
2)  Mix all ingredients except hoagie buns.
3) Spread a layer of Mayo or salad dressing on each half of the hoagie buns.
4) Spoon mixture on each hoagie bun half.
5) Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
6) Broil with tops 4-6 inches from the heat for about 5 minutes or until hot.
7) Cut each hoagie bun in half again and serve.

Serves 2-3 people

Breakfast Cookies

As I attend to my girls every morning I often don't have any time to get breakfast for myself. By lunch time I am starving and who knows what I will eat. So, I saw this recipe for breakfast cookies off of the cooking channel. I thought that is exactly what I needed to make sure that I get some kind of nutrition in the morning while rushing around the house. I hope you enjoy them. I think they are super yummy.

BREAKFAST COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
• 1/3 cup craisins
• 1/3 cup walnut pieces

METHOD

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1) Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. 

2) Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. 

3) Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. 

4) Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough.

5) Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. 

6) Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. 

7) Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.