Blackberry Muffins

I like to collect berries whenever I can find them in good condition and on sale.  I freeze them for future use, which works out great when I have them throughout part of the winter as it brings back memories of the warm weather that brings so many good fruits and vegetables.  I also like to freeze blueberries as they freeze exceptionally well.  Plus, both blackberries and blueberries can be used from frozen without the need to thaw beforehand.  Though blackberries are still available fresh, I used frozen ones here as I wanted to rotate my stock and not leave the older ones still sitting in the freezer.  Plus, I like to add a lot of berries to anything that requests them as the juice add both flavor and moisture.  This recipe is adapted from at home in the whole food kitchen and comes together quickly.  I made smaller muffins than the recipe originally called for as I find them very filling, but you can easily make larger one if you so desire!

Blackberry Cornmeal Muffins

1 1/2 tablespoon ground chia seeds

1/2 cup almond milk

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal (I used fine ground)

1 1/2 cups spelt flour

3/4 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup ground almonds (almond meal)

zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup orange juice (from the orange you just zested)

1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a muffin pan with silicone lines (or you can use paper ones too).  Set aside.

Whisk ground chia seeds and almond milk together in a medium bowl.  Let rest for 10 minutes to thicken.  In a medium bowl, place the cornmeal, spelt flour and baking powder.  Add the almond meal and whisk to combine to break up any lumps.  Add the orange zest, orange juice, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and salt to the chia seed and almond milk mixture.  Whisk to combine.  Add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.  Add the blackberries and stir until evenly distributed.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling to the top (as they won't expand much).  Bake for about 25-30 minutes, but this depends on how many you are making.  If you are making bigger muffins, you will need an extra 5 minutes or so.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving (or transfer to a wire rack to cool).  Like most baked goods, these are best the day baked, but will last a couple of days if left in an air tight container, but just left on my counter they disappeared quickly.  (This made about 16 smaller muffins.)

Baked Stuffed Butternut Squash

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been a little obsessed with squashes lately.  The last post for butternut squash was just the beginning.  Here is another recipe for a stuffed butternut squash.  It is based off a recipe from Scandinavian Cooking, but I didn't have the right ingredients for the stuffing.  I really wanted to make the butternut squash so I figured I could come up with something for stuffing from my cupboards and refrigerator and use up some ingredients as well.  So here is my creation.

Stuffed Butternut Squash
1 medium butternut squash
4 oz. neufchatel cheese
1 oz. emmentaler cheese, finely grated
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise.  Scrape out seeds.  Place the halves onto a baking sheet.  Mix the stuffing: mix together the neufchatel and emmentaler cheeses.  Add the 1/4 cup of toasted hazelnuts.  Divide into two and stuff each butternut squash half with the cheese and hazelnut mixture.  Drizzle the olive oil and maple syrup over the two halves.  Season with pepper (and salt if desired).  Bake for about 45 minutes or until cooked throughout.  Check after about 35 minutes and cover if the cheese mixture is becoming too dark.  Serve hot.  This also reheats well, so make a lot so you can eat it now and later.

Red Quinoa Pancakes

I think I have mentioned that I have been on a whole grain kick recently.  I also love to eat breakfast...if I could I would cook and eat breakfast every morning over a leisurely glass of orange juice, coffee or tea.  So combining the love of breakfast and whole grains, I wanted to try Andrew Wiel's quinoa johnny cakes from True Food.  This is also a restaurant which I have only been to once, but everything I ate and drank there was delicious.  The kicker for this whole grain pancake is the toppings....plain yogurt and just a little real maple syrup.  The down side is that the batter needs to sit an hour....and who wants to wait an hour to cook up quick pancakes?  I think it was worth it.  I am going to try to reheat them tomorrow for breakfast since it makes quite a lot of pancakes.  Note: Reheating worked well.  They were almost as good as the morning I had made them.

Quinoa Pancakes
1 cup red quinoa (though you could use any color)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar or cane sugar
1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk (I usually use 2%)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup blueberries
greek yogurt  and maple syrup for serving

Bring a medium saucepan to boil with 2 cups of water and a pinch or two of salt.  Once boiling add the quinoa and stir. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the water has evaporated and the quinoa is fluffy.  Set aside to cool.  Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.  Whisk to combine.  In another bowl combine the milk, eggs, vanilla extract and oil.  Stir to combine all ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients just until combined.  Add the quinoa and gently mixed.  Set aside for about an hour.

Brush the cooking surface with oil.  Once hot add the batter in about 1/3 cup increments.  Add the blueberries and press them in gently.  When bubbles form and lightly browned, flip and cook until lightly browned.  Serve with yogurt and maple syrup.