Zoe Cuisine

Healthy Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

 

It seems as though winter has briefly returned to Boston this weekend which has put me in the mood to bake. I find it too tempting to have sweets lying around, because I can't stop eating them like the ricotta cookies from earlier in the week, so I wanted to find as guilt free a recipe as possible to try out. For some reason blueberry muffins were on my mind, so I was happy to find a healthy recipe from the Food Network's Ellie Krieger, who is a nutritionist as well as a TV personality and cook. Her recipe lightened up the muffins by using applesauce and low-fat buttermilk and only a quarter cup of oil. Recently I have been determined to use up ingredients I have on hand, so I decided to forgo buying buttermilk by creating my own which is as simple as adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Just let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes until it curdles and then use what you need. I also realized I only had a half cup of applesauce instead of a full cup as the recipe called for. I knew that the applesauce was really a substitute for some of the oil that normally would have been in the recipe. When I went to reach for my vegetable oil, I was dismayed to realize that I was all out and only had peanut or olive oil in the cupboard. Both of these oils could have imparted a not so favorable flavor, so I was back to the drawing board to find a substitution (yes I could have gone to the store but it was raining and cold and I was lazy). I decided to use non-fat vanilla yogurt in place of both the 1/4 cup of oil and the 1/2 cup of applesauce I was missing. Would it work? I know that yogurt is often substituted for fat to make baked goods healthier, I was just a little hesitant about the fact that now I had no oil in the recipe at all and was using 2 different methods of swapping out fat. The batter came together beautifully and in no time at all. I watched the muffins rather cautiously as they baked as I was expecting a disaster but instead they rose normally and became perfectly golden. I could barely wait to try one so I dug in while they were still hot out of the oven. They were great! Ok, I have to admit these are not the super sized, cake like, crumbly blueberry muffins that are common place at bakeries now. These are not an indulgence at all. They are a muffin that you can eat multiple times in a week without feeling like you just ate a Big Mac, which is what most muffins these days are the calorie equivalent of. You feel good after you eat these muffins. I usually give my baked goods away so I won't eat them all but this time I am keeping every last muffin for myself. 

(As a side note, if you are ever in the kitchen and realize that you are out of an ingredient and need a substitute in a pinch, check out this site - it's a life saver!)

Healthy Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins Ingredients: 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 2 large eggs 1/3 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup fat free vanilla yogurt, such as Stoneyfield 1/2 cup applesauce (I used a sweetened organic version with cinnamon, but plain is fine) 1 tsp vanilla extract 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk, or 3/4 cup whole or low fat milk mixed with 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries Instructions: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees. Coat a standard 12-muffin tin with non-stick canola oil cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours with the salt, baking soda and powder. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and yogurt together. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla. Add half the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk and whisk until incorporated completely. Add the rest of the flour and buttermilk, stirring well until incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, toss them with a tablespoon of flour first so they don't turn the whole batter blue. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, I use a 1/4 cup measure to do this. They should be filled nearly to the top. Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 - 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around each muffin to loosen and remove from the pan. Serve warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You may also freeze them by wrapping individually in plastic wrap first. Makes 12 muffins

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Adapted from Ellie Krieger's Good for You Blueberry Muffins

Crustless Quiche

 

This is a super easy recipe that is great for cleaning out your fridge of those random pieces of cheese and stray veggies left over from a previous night's dinner. You can throw almost any combination of ingredients into a quiche without going wrong (well maybe not fruit...). I recently whipped these up for dinner using cooked chopped broccoli, diced canadian bacon and shredded sharp cheddar. The quiche will puff up a little like a soufflé when it is done, so it looks impressive for being so easy to pull together. Since I generally cook for two, I make individual quiches in 4-5" ramekins. You could make one quiche in a 9" pie pan instead. If you decide to only use cheese, I would add another egg and another 1/4 cup of milk or else the quiche will look rather wimpy. If you feel like going the extra mile and making a traditional crusted quiche, you can use this same recipe for the filling.

Crustless Quiche Base 4 large eggs 1/2 cup milk 1 tablespoon flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper butter for greasing the ramekin 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese for dusting each ramekin Suggested Additions 1/4 cup shredded cheese - cheddar, pepperjack, parmesan, mozzarella or fontina 1/4 cup veggies - cooked broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus 2 tablespoons meat - chopped ham, sausage, prosciutto, bacon Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crack eggs into a medium mixing bowl and whisk together with the tablespoon of flour until there are no lumps. Whisk in the milk and salt and pepper. Butter the ramekins liberally and dust with parmesan cheese. Add the veggies, meats and cheese of your choice to the ramekin in an even layer. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the filling and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until the eggs are set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. A 9" quiche may take 35-40 minutes or more to cook.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I was at a champagne and dessert baby shower a week ago where the hostess served the most delicious and decadent candies, cakes and pastries. My favorite by far was a pumpkin chocolate chip cake that she had made herself. Since my favorite food item of the holidays is pumpkin pie, I was immediately drawn to this dessert. I love the sweet and spicy elements of pumpkin pie from the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Her cake used all the same spices as you would use in a pie, but with the ingenious addition of chocolate chips for richness and added sweetness. I could not get over how moist the cake was. She told me that she only uses half the amount of oil that the recipe called for and substituted the other half with applesauce. I have heard of this being done to lighten desserts and think it is a great trick. I favor using non-fat vanilla yogurt to accomplish the same goal. I think it also keeps sweets moist while lessening the fat, plus I tend to have yogurt on hand in the fridge more often than applesauce. Either one works great. This recipe is very versatile as you can dress this up by baking it as a cake using a fancy bundt pan, as the hostess did, or else it can easily be made into a more casual loaf or muffins. When I recreated this at home after the shower I chose to make muffins, both regular and mini size, for better portion control. Since I am only cooking for two, baking a cake is not very efficient as it will go to waste. Muffins, however, can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and frozen in a ziploc bag. That way you can enjoy the fruits of your single baking effort multiple times. Try these served warm and topped with frozen yogurt or ice cream for dessert.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon each of ground spices: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger 1 teaspoon salt 1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin (unseasoned) 4 eggs 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup applesauce or 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons vanilla non-fat yogurt 1 12 oz. bag chocolate chips Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fold in the chocolate chips. Add batter to a greased 12 muffin tin. This recipe will make approximately 16-18 large muffins, 12 large and 12 mini muffins, or 1 bundt cake. Bake for approximately 25 minutes for large muffins, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Mini muffins will only take about 15 minutes. A cake will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. View Printable Version

Pesto Scramble

When I was growing up in a small suburb on the North Shore of Boston, the dining choices in the immediate area were pretty slim. Of course that has all changed and now you can find everything from fine dining to Bertucci's. But back then when we wanted to venture out for breakfast or brunch, we could choose a greasy spoon style diner, or else a family owned river side cafe called Chippers in the neighboring town of Ipswich. The diner made my mother cringe, so we always ended up at Chippers, as did most other residents. Since the restaurant was located right on the edge of the Ipswich River, it had great views and an abundance of ducks that we kids would feed with bread scraps that they supplied while we endured the long wait for a table. Unfortunately Chippers was flooded and went out of business at least ten years ago. A few new places have opened up across the street where flooding is much less of an issue. Although the food is great, they just aren't Chippers. What I miss most about Chippers, besides all the family memories, is a dish they served called the Pesto Scramble. You might think that pesto and eggs sounds like a weird concoction, but trust me the flavors work really well together. Since the ingredients in the dish weren't a secret - just eggs, pesto, tomatoes and cheese - I have been whipping up my own pesto scrambles for a while now. This is a great quick meal idea for breakfast, brunch or lunch. I find that it is an excellent way to use up any leftover pesto you might have since you only need a tablespoon or so depending on how many people you are cooking for. You could switch red peppers or spinach for the tomatoes, or omit adding any vegetables at all. I think parmesan, provolone, asiago or cheddar are the best cheeses to experiment with. These eggs are great served on their own, on toast, with some hash brown potatoes or just a simple green salad. 

Pesto Scramble Ingredients: 2-3 eggs 1/3 cup diced plum tomatoes, seeded, or quartered cherry or plum tomatoes with seeds 2 tablespoons shredded cheese of your choice 1 tablespoon pesto salt and pepper Instructions: Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk together. Add a little salt and pepper. Heat a small skillet over medium heat until hot, then spray liberally with cooking spray (you can also use butter or olive oil). Add the tomatoes and cook until the skins are just blistered, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and scramble as you normally would. When the eggs are set but still a little runny, add the cheese and pesto and stir to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper before serving. Serves 1.

Pineapple Carrot Muffins

Lately I have been volunteering for an organization called Operation Frontline that is committed to ending hunger through nutrition education. They hold classes for low income individuals across the country that are meant to teach nutrition, healthy meal preparation and budgeting skills. Each session is comprised of six classes that meet once a week at a local community center. Chefs and culinary professionals teach the cooking segment while nutritionists and dieticians speak about everything from the food pyramid to portion size and the benefits of foods such as whole grains. At the end of each class each participant leaves with a bag of groceries containing all of the elements for the meal that was prepared in the class. The goal is for them to go home and prepare a nutritious meal for their families using the new skills that they learned. One of the requirements for the recipes used in class is that they cannot cost more than $2.50 per serving, so there aren't many fancy ingredients used. So far I have been really impressed by the food we have been preparing. This week we made whole wheat vegetable black bean quesadillas with pico de gallo and fresh mango salsa. We also made these pineapple carrot muffins which are dairy free and use a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar as a leavening agent (just like how you made volcanoes erupt in 3rd grade science class!). I was impressed with how moist and flavorful these muffins were for only 160 calories a piece. They are packed with goodness from the whole wheat flour, carrot and pineapple. You can easily make these into a dessert by topping with a little cream cheese frosting.

Pineapple Carrot Muffins Ingredients: 1 medium carrot, peeled 1 cup canned crushed pineapple with juice 5 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 cup cold water 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup all purpose flour 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon salt non-stick cooking spray 1/2 cup raisins (optional) 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shred carrot into a medium mixing bowl (should yield about 3/4 cup). Add pineapple, oil, water, vinegar and vanilla to the bowl with the carrot. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Add walnuts and raisins if using. Coat muffin tin with non-stick spray or cupcake liners. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Makes 12 muffins. Modifications: To make a cake, pour the batter into a greased 8" baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes. To make these muffins into a dessert treat, top with cream cheese frosting.

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As a cupcake with cream cheese frosting and chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients: 8 oz cream cheese at room temp 4 tablespoons butter at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla 6 oz confectioners sugar (about 3/4 cup) Instructions: Mix cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium high speed in clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or in large bowl using handheld mixer) until well combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until fluffy, about 1 minute. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cupcakes or cake.

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Banana Pecan Bread

I ended up with a bunch of browning bananas today, so there was nothing to do but make banana bread. I was actually really excited about this because it meant that I got to try out my new Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I found a recipe for the bread at Cooking Light.com that looked pretty easy, not too fattening, and I happened to have all the ingredients which was a major plus. I made a few modifications, using vanilla yogurt instead of plain, and adding pecans, flax seed, nutmeg and cinnamon. The result was great! Very moist with lots of banana flavor. I think the pecans are a nice change from the boring walnuts that are typically used. The yogurt is a great substitute for oil and adds to the soft texture. I can't wait to eat this for breakfast tomorrow (although I already snuck in a slice)!

Banana Pecan Bread Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour  3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter, softened 2  large eggs 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas) 1/3 cup vanilla fat free yogurt such as Stonyfield 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 tablespoon ground flax seed   pinch nutmeg     pinch cinnamon cooking spray  Instructions: Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana and yogurt; beat until blended. Add flour mixture, flax seed, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in pecans. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. 1 loaf, 14 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

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