spiced sweet potato pecan muffins

These are an improvement on the current theme... Moist, sweet, spicy, and packed full of nutrients. These are delicious, but I think they can be improved upon still. That said, they're still well worth baking this fall. One bite in and you'll be swept into the season. If you're not, well, you should get that checked out.

Spiced Sweet Potato Pecan Muffins

1 cup sweet potato puree*

2 eggs

1/2 cup organic milk

1/2 cup low-fat organic yogurt (plain or vanilla is fine!)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

3/4 cup organic 5-grain cereal or oatmeal (the old-fashioned kind, not quick-cooking)

1/3 cup Grape Nuts

1 1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 400. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the puree, eggs, milk, yogurt, molasses, and brown sugar. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining (dry) ingredients. Pour the wet into the dry and mix well. Ready your muffin tin, and fill the cups to the brim.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm, with cream cheese icing if you so desire!

*To make sweet potato puree, you can bake whole sweet potatoes. Pierce them so they release steam, then bake in a 400-degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle goes in with little resistance. Cut the baked potato in half and scoop out the good stuff with a spoon (leaving the skin intact). Puree in a food processor, adding a little water or milk to thin as needed. You can make this up to two days in advance. I baked these sweet potatoes while using the oven for dinner (multitasking!) the night before making these muffins.

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sunny muffins!

I’m trying, really I am, to create a superb product here. You see, I love baked goods. That bit about "daily bread?" I take it verrrrry seriously.

And what I want is a supremely healthy, whole-grain, moist, sweet, slightly spiced and truly inspired muffin to warm up these beautiful fall mornings. (Ok, I live in Texas. They’re not that cold, but still. I want to FEEL like I need to be warmed up. Do me a favor and try to understand, alright? Thanks.)

Basically, I want all the flavors of fall to come together in a muffin. And then I want that muffin to give me enough heart-healthy sustenance to last until lunch. And I want all those whole grains and fiber and Omega-3s (found in the flaxseed, of course) to fuel my brain for an action-packed morning at the office, or my next 10K road race, or just an enjoyable morning at the dog park. And of course I want it to be slightly sweet, and very moist, and I even want to disguise squash, or sweet potatoes, or carrots, or maybe just bananas in—for good measure. Come to think of it, I should add some pecans and raisins too.

I want this muffin to be the end-all, be-all of healthy AND flavorful muffins. And I want to be able to make it every week and never tire of baking it or eating it. And when I have children someday, I want them to enjoy it, so much so that they pass it on to their children, and their children’s children, so that my recipe for this amazing muffin lives on in perpetuity.

Ahem. *Stepping down from my desk, tucking my arms politely back by my sides, recomposing myself...*

Is this too much to ask?

I tried again last night. You see, I love muffins, I really do. I can be easily swayed by them at coffeeshops, and I love putting cream cheese on top of them to make all my worries vanish into thin air. I do! It’s true!

That said, I bring to you, my dear readers, yet another chapter in my muffin saga. But this recipe isn’t sweet enough, and I would rather replace the eggs and oil with applesauce and yogurt, and it needs a little more spice and a little more, well, pinache... so I’m working on that. That said, it's not half bad.

And if you can improve upon this, PLEASE please let me know—I will be so happy to hear your suggestions!

Spiced 5-Grain Banana Muffins
1 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic 5-grain cereal
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 eggs
2 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons corn oil or applesauce
1 cup milk
2 very ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a muffin pan or line with paper or foil liners (which should also be greased...). In a large mixing bowl (preferably one with a spout for easy muffin pouring), combine the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, molasses, oil/applesauce, and milk. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Mash the bananas and add to the muffin batter, mixing well.

Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Cool completely and store on the counter overnight, or in the fridge for 2-3 days.

* Please note. If you don't spray your muffin cups... This happens. It still tastes good, but you have to get creative with your teeth to enjoy every... last... crumb.

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Butternut Squash Pie With Pecan Shortbread Crust

The finished product, complete with pecan shortbread crust.

Last weekend, I brought home another 10 pounds or so of butternut squash--quickly becoming a favorite of mine. It's packed full of nutrients and is extremely versatile in the kitchen, like many squash are.

My mom mentioned that I could make pie with it, which of course got me wild about the idea. After scouring recipes and reading all manner of ways to prepare squash for pies, make nut crusts, and find just the right combination of it all to turn it into something spectacular.... It happened.

Though my recipe is based on a combination of several recipes, I took plenty of twists and turns to make this my very own. Some folks were skeptical of another squash pie, but in fact, the flavor is somewhat similar to pumpkin pie, but the texture is a little bit different. Making the puree from fresh squash adds to the delight of both baking and eating this pie.

I made this pie for my cousin's graduation party (yes, I take experimental desserts to parties and then ask everyone to try them.) One woman who tasted the pie knew right away that I'd baked the squash as opposed to steaming it, which was amazing to me because I hemmed and hawed about which to do. And this woman could tell! She said she preferred the texture of baked squash in pie. So, I'd recommend you do the same if you make this. And I highly recommend that you do make this, perhaps as a refreshing new take on Thanksgiving dessert...

The crust taking shape.

Spiced Butternut Squash Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust

For the crust:

1 cup AP flour

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbls butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the dry ingredients until pecans are thoroughly chopped, about 15 seconds. Add butter and vanilla, and process until butter is incorporated. Pour the mixture into a 9" springform pan and press until the entire base of the pan is covered, making sure to go about 1/2" up the sides of the pan. Chill the crust in the fridge for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 15. Remove from fridge or freezer and bake until golden, 15-20 minutes. Remove the crust and let cool for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling...

For the pie filling:

2 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

3 eggs

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 400. Rinse the squash and halve them lengthwise. Clean out the seeds with a spoon (you can reserve these to eat later, like pumpkin seeds). Place skin side down on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until squash is very tender. Remove from the oven, and carefully remove the squash from the skin using a spoon. You want about 2 cups of cooked squash.

Lower heat to 350.

Let squash cool, then puree squash in a food processor until very smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed. Add the eggs one at a time, processing for one or two seconds each. Then add in the half and half and spices, and process for another 10 seconds or so.

Carefully pour filling into the prebaked crust. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until pie is set.

Serve alone, or better yet... topped with fresh whipped cream.

** If you do not have a food processor, you can accomplish great things with a stand or hand-held mixer. For the crust, just chop the pecans very finely and incorporate the butter with a mixer. For the filling, you can manually press the baked squash through a ricer and then whisk in the other ingredients. Now you have no excuses not to make this pie!

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comfort food

Just a simple recipe today.

Comfort Soup

3 tablespoons butter

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

1 large potato, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 handful cilantro

2 large handfuls (about 3 cups) swiss chard, cut into inch-long strips

1/3 cup chopped chives

6 cups stock

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare vegetables. In large, heavy pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onions and garlic and cook until aromas are released. Then add the rest of the chopped vegetables and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Cook vegetables for a few minutes, releasing aromas and developing a little brown on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and bring to a low simmer. Cook until potatoes and squash are fork-tender; add the cilantro, green onion, and swiss chard and give it a few stirs until the greens wilt.

Serve piping hot with biscuits.

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bad food

No, I'm not referring to something I've cooked recently (thought last night's quiche experiment came out of the oven a little too soon).

I'm referring to Cargill, mainly, after reading this piece in the NYT about a woman younger than me who was left paralyzed after eating a hamburger made from any number of indeterminable animals that came from Cargill. (Cargill's not the only company to blame; but it's an easy way to refer to the industrialization of our food industry on a global scale.)

This is precisely why the return to local ingredients is so very important. In an effort to eat more fruit, I began buying organic apples at the grocery store. Two purchases in, I finally looked at the food label: the crisp, sweet, juicy apples I enjoyed so much hailed from New Zealand.

I live in Texas.

There's no reason to ship that apple all the way across the world so that I can enjoy a healthy snack--especially when right now's the time for Texas pears.

And with all the E. coli scares, can't we learn that mass-processed meats (and leafy greens aren't far behind) have a negative effect on us as a society--besides the obesity part?

I never want to eat a "burger of unknown origins" (a BUO, if you will, or CUO--chicken--or any other MUO for that matter) again, and wish that more people would adopt that ideal, as far-fetched as it may seem. I'd say that I could make it 100% as a vegetarian, but have I mentioned before that there's this little place called Louie Mueller BBQ in my hometown that I just don't think I could live without?

It's not just because Food, Inc. started raising eyebrows, or because I, along with so many others, have read so much Michael Pollan literature, or because now it's "cool" to be a locavore (or elitist, nobody can seem to decide); it's because the facts are there. Infected foods from unsafe sources are making people seriously sick.

What more reason do you need to think twice about stopping at the drive through, or purchasing an inexpensive tube of meat at the grocery store?

Even in these tough economic times, when we're all feeling the pinch, cheap meat is not the answer. We should, as a society, invest not in Wall Street but in the sustaining of our life. Spend a few extra dollars on healthier foods, or shop at the farmers' markets--do anything that means you're relying less on industrialized, processed food and more on whole foods that come straight from the earth. Preferable from the farmer down the road.

See also: Restoration Harvest by Timothy Egan

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the weeknight stir fry

Saturday can't come soon enough. That's harvest day; my sister and I are heading to mom's house to pick leafy greens galore from my mom's garden; until the weekend comes, though (and for the last couple of weeks), it's nothing but grocery store organics to get us by.

If there's one thing I have learned in the last couple of weeks, it's that brown rice is truly indispensable as a kitchen commodity. After a long day at work, followed by a solid workout, Ryan and I both look for something healthy and filling that can be prepared in little to no time.

Enter the weeknight stir fry. I'm quickly becoming a pro, I think.

A few handfuls of vegetables, one cup of rice, and a little wok action yields a healthy and delicious meal. Discovering the versatility of lightly steamed and sauteed vegetables has been a boon for our tastebuds and our health alike; these one-dish meals are full of vitamins, minerals, and heart-healthy whole grains.

To make sure this can happen any night of the week, especially during deadline, I am learning to keep our refrigerator stocked with a variety of vegetables. Stir fry is my new go-to for using up remnants, too; anything and everything can make an appearance. A few extra peppers, some sliced mushrooms, broccoli stalks? Everyone's welcome! (Last week, I used broccoli stalks for the first time, cutting the thick rounds into thin discs that popped with flavor and crunch when tossed with the other veggies. I highly recommend it.)

Some of my favorite vegetables to use in stir fry are broccoli, carrot, scallion, onion, red pepper, carrot, mushroom, garlic, and green onions. In all, I probably chop up a pound and a half of veggies to stir fry.

A little oil (two tablespoons) goes in a hot wok, followed by minced garlic and chopped onions. About twenty seconds later, I throw in the veggies and add about 1/4 cup water to the mix, along with ground ginger.

Then, I cook the veg mix until Ryan thinks they're almost done ("The celery's still crunchy!"), at which point I pull all the veggies off the heat and dump 'em into our tomato-shaped Dutch oven. I normally cook the vegetables for about 15 minutes. They usually cook just a little bit more in the covered pot, but sometimes we have slightly undercooked vegetables for dinner. It happens.

Meanwhile, rice is cooking on the back burner. In about 20 minutes' time, a healthy and delicious dinner is on the table.

What I especially love about these stir fry dishes is that they make excellent leftovers. And boy, am I a fan of leftovers. Plus, they can be jazzed up even more by adding an egg (think stir-fried rice).

So stir fry is my new "thing." Hopefully by next week I'll be posting about delicious chard recipes....

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