Orange, Pineapple and Banana Muffins

I originally found this recipe on Cafe Sucre Farine and had every intention of following it to the letter ... up until I looked in my fridge and realized that I was missing some key ingredients.  But never fear, I can substitute like a champ!

Glazed Pineapple, Orange & Banana Muffins

For muffins:
1 stick butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup greek yogurt, plain
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium ripe banana, diced
½ cup chunk canned pineapple, drained and diced (reserve juice)
1 naval orange, segmented

For glaze and topping
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of reserved pineapple juice

⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest

Directions for muffins:


1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.

2. In a small bowl, toss together pineapple, orange and banana like a fruit salad.

3. Using either an electric mixer or separate bowl, whip together softened butter and sugar. Add the egg, continuing to mix, and lastly beat in the greek yogurt and vanilla.

4. In a third bowl (yes, three!), sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).

5. Now bring it all together: Slowly add the wet batter to the dry ingredients, one spoonful at a time. Once combined, then gently fold in the fruits.

6. Divide mixture evenly into a mini-muffin pan, either nonstick or using muffin cups. This should make approximately 24 mini muffins.




7. Place muffins in oven. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Allow muffins to cool before applying glaze.

8. Combine powdered sugar and pineapple juice until smooth for the glaze, and then drizzle it atop the cooled muffins.  Combine sugar, flour orange zest and cinnamon and sprinkle atop the glaze before it sets.

Weekly Tidbits: Apples and Cheddar

Sausage, sauteed apples, sharp cheddar and an egg over easy

I love to experiment in the kitchen when I get the chance and this past week was no exception.  My recipes aren't always post-worthy in their own right, but really just a smattering of ideas or old favorites.  Nothing ground breaking and well documented.  Or rather, I did photograph them, which is why you're going to get a sample.

One of my favorite flavor combos is apple pie and sharp cheddar cheese.  Nothing goes better with apple pie, not even vanilla bean ice cream, than a nice aged sharp white cheddar.  The salt perfectly offsets the sweet fruit. I've been having cravings since Thanksgiving.  So Sunday morning, I decided that I was going to tackle it.  I was going to have it for breakfast.  That's right.  Pretty ballsy.

But what else goes great with apple? Sausage. That must be why they have those apple-smoked sausages everywhere.  So here are the meal deets:

2 veggie sausage links
1 chopped apple, sauteed to soften and cook down (pan fried)
Cinnamon, nutmeg and a dash of salt to taste in the apple sauce
Sliced sharp cheddar
A fried or poached egg on the side

I used the Boca veggie sausage links.  I find that a lot of the vegetarian sausage substitute have almost a metallic flavor to them. It's weird.  I don't know if it's the spices or what, but I find that they really taste best when eaten with other flavors - maple syrup, egg yolk, apple sauce, etc.  On their own it's a bit iffy and I try not to think too hard about what's in them.  I suppose ignorance is bliss whether your sausage is made from soy or meat.

In any case, this is definitely going to be a go-to meal in the future.  If you want a bit of fiber or a more filling meal, I would lay your warm sauteed apples over a nicely softened bed of shredded wheat.  I was planning to do that, but realized that after months of neglecting the shredded wheat in my cabinet, that I'd finally tossed it out last week.  Oops.  So I added in an egg cooked over easy for a little more substance and protein.

I enjoyed this decadent breakfast with mug of coconut macaroon coffee mixed with eggnog.

Eggnog French Toast

"A photo is worth a thousands words."  That's how I feel about the photos of my eggnog french toast below.    As in, my mouth is watering just looking at it, remembering the eggy, sweet soft bread drizzled with real maple syrup and melted butter for just that touch of creaminess.  In fact, I was going to write an entire entry discussing how french toast is just like bread pudding, but faster.  And how odd it is that we consider bread pudding dessert, when it's the same exact ingredients as french toast, which is for breakfast.  But that someone must actually consider bread pudding a breakfast food also because they serve it in the cafeteria for breakfast where I work.  I'm not going to do that though.  Just look at the pretty pictures.




Really, it's just like the bread pudding, but faster.

Eggnog French Toast for (a really gluttonous) One

3 slices of soft Portugeuse sweet bread, or brioche, torn in half if cut wide
1 egg
1/2 cup of light eggnog (because we like to pretend we're making this healthy)
Dash of cinnamon
Butter, unsalted (for pan and to top toast if desired)
Maple Syrup

1. Whisk together egg, eggnog and cinnamon until frothy.
2. Dunk halfs of bread into the eggy mixture until coated on both sides and let sit for approximately 15-20 seconds until its soaked through but still firm
3. Place soaked bread slices onto medium-hot skillet with a touch of butter in the bottom, and flip until cooked through and golden.
4. Top with a bit of butter and maple syrup.
5. Die of pleasure.

Weekly Tidbits: Mushroom and Cheese Vegan Breakfast Sandwich

Inspired by a suggestion for a quick and easy vegan breakfast sandwich at Healthy Happy Life, I ventured into the slippery, oily world of vegan cheese.  Let me start by saying that I didn't necessarily go into this with a lot of optimism.  I am a from-the-heart cheese lover, so faced with the oily wet vacuumed packed vegan "cheese" I was highly skeptical.  But the original recipe assured me that the vegan gourmet cheddar was as sharp as it gets - and I love sharp.

Now I didn't go by the book on this.  For one, I cut out the pumpkin butter.  Maybe this was an elemental part of the breakfast sandwich?  I'm not sure.  I just thought  breakfast patty + cheesy mushrooms = bliss.  Not quite.

My breakfast sandwich was made up of the following:

1 Ezekial 4:9 English Muffin
1 thin slice of Gimmie Lean Sausage
5 mushrooms, sliced
2 slices of Vegan Gourmet Cheddar
Earth Balance butter to soften english muffins

The biggest question I was left with was:  How do you make vegan cheese melt?  I don't think any amount of pumpkin butter could have helped me with that one.

 

Well, I didn't figure it out. I tried throw some into the hot frying pan and it sort of soften, but not really melted. Somehow the original sandwich recipes turned out fantastic (at least according to the photos) and I'm wondering if it has something to do with the slow heat of the panini press. I merely had my frying pan and spatula on hand to recreate the press-making conditions. This is going to require some more explanation. If anyone else has experience with melting vegan cheese, please let me know. Perhaps I needed a shredded version?

Or maybe I should just accept a cheeseless lifestyle...
 
In any case, my final product looked like this following:



I still really like the idea of this sandwich, but it needs some major improvements before I start whipping it up on a regular basis.  Hopefully I'll be back with some changes and alternative fixings soon!

Weekly Tidbits: Quick Breakfasts Turned Vegan

Unfortunately I started this blog the week before I went on a two week business trip/vacation.  So while I indulged in unexpected foods (that I didn't have the forethought to thoroughly document), the blog itself took an immediate break before really getting off the ground.  I am, however, happy to say that I'm back, focused and with a dozen foodie topics to catch up on!

Now, as I mentioned in my last post, I shifted my lacto-ovo vegetarian diet to a full-fledged non-ethically driven vegan diet.  When I say non-ethically, I mean that I'm not bemoaning the manufacturing process of refined sugar (bone char) nor shedding tears of the plight of enslaved honeybees (although I do support and buy my honey from local beekeepers who practice sustainable, organic beekeeping).  And after a full month of eating (almost completely) vegan, I've realized that while I prefer this diet, I'm going to continue to call myself a regular vegetarian who simply predominantly eats vegan.

When you clean up your diet for health reasons, it's the overall healthier trend that has the long term impact.  When I eat out, it isn't always possible or enjoyable to parse down the ingredients of each item on the menu.  So as long as a minute dairy or egg consumption is atypical and relegated to special occasions, I think I'll still live for 200 years.  Just kidding.  105 years.

So what have I been up to day to day?  I almost always make my own meals and rarely eat out.  Over the past few years, I developed a rotation of lunches and breakfasts that were both easy and delicious.

Breakfasts:
Chobani Greek Yogurt Plain + fresh berries + agave nectar
Biochem Whey Vanilla Protein Shake + flaxseed + frozen berries
Lara Bar (on the go convenience!)
Nature's Path Optimum Slim cereal + almonds + flaxseed + fat free milk

Now when I decided to take this crash course in being vegan, I definitely could have stuck to my lunches, but my breakfasts would need a tune up.  And that tune up came in the form of oatmeal - both filling and nutritious with tasty add-ins.

My favorite oatmeals are the Better Oats single-serve packets.  They are made from organic whole grains with a delicious sprinkling of whole flaxseeds.  Now I don't own a microwave, which the packaging seems to demand, but I've found a way around it.  I pop the dry oatmeal into a round tupperware dish with a cover.  I add 3/4 cup of hot water directly into the bowl, and then slap on the cover to let it sit and absorb for 5-10 minutes.  During this time, I finish doing my hair or making my lunch for the day.

I found that of the Better Oats flavors, I prefer the less-sweet versions.  When I picked them up originally, I just wanted a plain instant oatmeal - no preservatives or sugary flavors.  So I typically stick to the Raw Pure and Simple Bare and the Raw Pure and Simple Chai Spice for when I want a little extra flavor (both salty and sweet).  The Oat Revolutions don't appear to be vegan for the most part, but the Abundance Apple and Cinnamon is also delicious without being overly sweet.

Naked oats with raspberries, chopped apples, almond slivers, cinnamon and local sustainable honey.

I add chopped banana, chopped apple, a little cinnamon, sliced almonds or some extra flax into the oatmeal and paired with a disposable spoon, I can chow down on my way to work!

On-the-go oatmeal.