Banana protein muffins

 I started using this recipe 

https://nutritionistmom.com/blogs/blog/banana-oat-protein-muffins-low-fat?srsltid=AfmBOoreb0bofjtX2X6DDPmPizVhbyYKgRJ7qw06hTo3bk9EiHOe5Tut

But then went a little rogue. Here's what I actually used in the recipe 

80g organic oats

80g 1:1 gluten free flour 

3 scoops (100g) vegan protein powder (I used Hy-Vee vanilla pea protein powder)

1/4 cup honey 

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt 

 4 medium over-ripe bananas

3 Tbsp ground flaxseed 

2 large egg 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

2 tbsp. Olive oil or coconut oil, melted

I baked the 12 muffins in the 350 deg F oven for about 25 minutes. 

They turned out ok, but I will have to refine the recipe. They are not super sweet but at the same time, sweet enough to be tolerable. I can definitely taste the protein powder, so not sure about that either. Texture-wise, I think they are pretty good, not gummy, but not super light/delicate.

Garlic Smoked Tofu

 I made this  https://shuangyskitchensink.com/chinese-garlic-tofu-stir-fry/#recipe

with this smoked tofu https://fullofplants.com/the-best-smoked-tofu/#recipe

Energy bites

 Pumpkin pie energy bites

1-1/4c rolled oats 

1/4 c ground flaxseed 

1T Chia seeds 

1t cinnamon 

1t pumpkin pie spice 

1/2 c peanut butter or other nut butter 

1/4 c pumpkin purée 

1/4 c maple syrup or honey 

1t vanilla extract 

1/4c mini chocolate chips (optional)

Mix the dry ingredients except chocolate chips in a large bowl, set aside.

Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl. Blend until smooth. Pour over the oat mixture and mix well until we'll combined

Fold in chocolate chips and mix well combined.

Roll into 12-14 nickel or quarter -sized balls.

PBJ Bites

2-1/2 c quick oats 

2/3c peanut butter or other nut butter 

2T chia seeds 

1/2 c jam or preserves 

Optional mix ins chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, collagen, protein powder, coconut flakes 

Oil for hands 

In a bowl, combine and mix all the ingredients except for the oil.

With oiled hands Roll into 12-14 nickel or quarter -sized balls.

Falafel using canned beans

 https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-falafel/#wprm-recipe-container-35557

Made this for A&C. Used half mint and half cilantro. Omitted the ground coriander cause I couldn't find it. I didn't need any flour either.

I just made the balls and put them in a container to freeze 

New baby Freezer meals

I made some freezer meals for A&C

 Vegan baked pasta 

https://www.noracooks.com/vegan-baked-ziti/#wprm-recipe-container-1613

Vegan black bean and zucchini enchiladas 

I sorta winged it but I used these two recipes as a guide 

Filling -https://www.veggieinspired.com/black-bean-zucchini-vegan-enchiladas/#recipe

I used a whole onion, but probably could have used a half, also 3 garlic cloves, a roasted red pepper added cumin and oregano after sauteing the onions and garlic. I also sprinkled a tablespoon of nutritional yeast.

Sauce - https://pinchofyum.com/5-minute-blender-enchilada-sauce

Used some regular chili powder and chipotle chili powder, along with a little cumin and oregano.

Authentic Falafel

 https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-falafel/#tasty-recipes-10436-jump-target

This recipe was great!  I was a bit skeptical about using uncooked chickpeas but it worked out.  I forgot the baking soda in the soaking water and I ended up using 2 eggs and some chickpea flour to get everything to stick together better. Otherwise I followed the recipe and was able to use herbs from the garden.  Probably the last time before everything freezes. 

I also used the tahini sauce recipe on the same site.

Coconut date balls

 https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/coconut-date-balls/

Made this for a work pot luck,  they didn't go over well,  but I really liked them! 

Enfrijoladas

I'm catching up with new food and recipes I've tried over the past few months. This was another recommendation that came from my Facebook dinner group. I jumped on the Rancho Gordo Bean Club membership and needed something to use up the beans before the next shipment. Someone posted this recipe for Enfrijoladas, which are basically bean and cheese enchiladas. I think I used some pinto beans, or maybe Rio Zape beans. Either way, these are delicious and they came together very quickly with my stick blender!
I definitely toned down the chipotle peppers so my daughter would at least try them, but I would definitely make these again.

Vegetarian Buffalo Chickpea Dip

A fellow mom posted a recipe for a vegetarian Buffalo chickpea dip. I love Franks Red Hot sauce, and I was always jealous of the Buffalo chicken dips that inevitably showed up at various parties. It was a pretty easy recipe. I opted to soak the cashews for easy blending.
I thought it turned out ok, and it’s questionable if I would make it again, I think mostly due to the texture.

The cashews do not need to be soaked for this dip, but if you’re the soaking type or don’t feel terribly confident in your blender/food processor’s capabilities, feel free to soak them overnight.  Also, I have found that this dip tastes its very best when made at least a few hours ahead to allow all the flavors time to meld together; cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate, and bake off just before serving.

1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup raw cashews
¾ cup original Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1/2 cup unflavored, unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
1 rounded tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Ground black pepper
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh, finely-chopped parsley
1 teaspoon fresh chopped chives
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup Daiya cheddar-style cheese, divided

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the beans and cashews to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse several times to break them up a bit.  Add the hot sauce, non-dairy milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper.  Process until the mixture is entirely smooth (this will take several minutes), stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary.  Adjust salt to taste.

Scrape the bean mixture into a bowl and stir in the parsley and chives to evenly distribute.  Stir in the chickpeas and 3/4 cup of the Daiya.  Transfer the dip to a 9×9-inch square baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Daiya on top. (Note: Dip can be made up to this point a day or two ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to heat and serve.)  Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until warmed through.  Serve with tortilla chips or veggies for dipping.

Apple Pandowdy

After someone from my dinner group suggested that this apple pandowdy from Bon Appetit was easier and tastier than an apple pie, I had to try it.

This was the first time I’ve worked with puff pastry and I thought it was fairly easy. I put together the filling portion the night before, though I forgot about the ginger and didn’t add it. I think if I were to make it again, I would use ground ginger for simplicity’s sake.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 pounds Pink Lady and/or Granny Smith apples

⅔ cup (packed) dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 lemon

1 ½-inch piece ginger

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (preferably Dufour), thawed by covering pastry sheet with plastic and leaving at room temperature 30 minutes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Cook 6 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until bubbling and golden, about 5 minutes; set aside.
2. Prepare your apples: Using a vegetable peeler, remove peel from apples. Stand them upright and slice down along core, working all the way around to remove big lobes of flesh. Cut lobes lengthwise into 1" pieces (irregular shapes are fine). Discard peel and cores. Transfer apples to a large bowl.
3. Add ⅔ cup dark brown sugar, 3 Tbsp. flour, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, 2 tsp. cinnamon, and ½ tsp. salt to bowl with apples.
4. Using a microplane or fine rasp grater, grate zest of ½ lemon over apples. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice from zested half over apples, catching any seeds. Using peeler, remove peel from ginger, then grate over apples.
5. Toss apple mixture until combined, then transfer to a shallow 3-qt. baking dish. Drizzle all but 2 Tbsp. brown butter over apples.
6. Dust cutting board with a light coating of flour and unfold puff pastry on floured surface. Dust top with flour. Cut puff pastry into irregular 1" pieces (any shape is fine).
7. Arrange pieces of puff pastry over apples, overlapping but spreading to cover almost completely. Brush pastry with remaining brown butter. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
8. Bake pandowdy until pastry is puffed and golden around edges, 25–30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue to bake until juices are thick and bubbling and pastry is brown all over, 30–35 minutes longer.
9. Using a spoon, press pastry down into warm juices (but don’t submerge); let cool slightly. Serve pandowdy warm with ice cream.

Do Ahead: Pandowdy can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool. Cover loosely with foil and store at room temperature. Reheat uncovered in a 200° oven 20 minutes before serving.

Instant Pot caramelized onions

I got a bunch of Elisa Craig onions in my CSA share so I decided to make caramelized onions. I used the method from serious eats to do this. I did a half recipe. It was easy to do and mostly hands off.


Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3 ounces; about 90g)
3 pounds yellow or mixed onions, sliced 1/8 inch thick (1.4kg; about 4 to 5 large onions)
1/2 teaspoon (2g) baking soda
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Method
1. Melt butter in an electric or stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat. Add onions and baking soda and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onions slightly soften and start to release liquid, about 3 minutes. Seal pressure cooker and heat to high pressure (12.5 to 15 psi). Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. Release pressure by allowing steam to vent, then remove lid.
2. Continue cooking with lid off, stirring constantly, until liquid inside has completely reduced and the onions are deep brown and sticky, about 5 minutes. Caramelized onions can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or frozen for several months.

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Cheddar Broccoli and Rice Muffins

In an attempt to start working through CSA veggies that I did a poor job of using during the week. I made Cheddar Broccoli and Rice Muffin cups. I was inspired by a recipe I saw on Once a Month Meals - which I will be perusing further for other recipe ideas.

I took ~ 2 cups of raw broccoli chopped very small ~1/4"-1/2" dice
Whatever leftover rice was in our rice cooker - probably about 1.5 cups
about 1 cup vegetable broth
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
Dried minced onion
garlic powder
2 eggs, beaten
about 2-3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

I didn't really measure anything, but I mixed all of this up and split it up between 12 muffin cups. I baked at 400 degrees for about 20 min, then I upped it to 425 for about 10-15 more minutes, as it was getting late and they weren't quite done yet. They may have taken a shorter amount to bake if I had pre-steamed the broccoli.

I thought they were pretty good - quite cheesy! Leela ate half of a muffin and Ebon ate two, so I call it a win and something I'll make again! I think I'll try to send these, or something similar, to school with her in her lunch

Birthday bash: Yogurt Veggie Dip, Cupcakes and Sangria.

I was preparing for Leela's birthday the day before and wanted to have some kind of dip for vegetables and crackers. I had plain yogurt on hand so my internet searching came up with a Garlic-Chive Greek Yogurt Dip. I had Icelandic-style skyr, which is close enough to Greek for me. It was super easy, I used chives from our backyard garden and making it the night before allowed the flavors to develop. I thought it was very tasty and many other people seemed to like it too! To go along with the dip, I cut up cauliflower, red pepper, celery, and had a package of baby carrots, along with some party crackers.

For dessert, we had strawberries, watermelon and cupcakes! Leela wanted chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting. I used the chocolate cake recipe from Ebon's Birthday in cupcake form. I made two batches. The first batch I over-filled a bit and had some spill over, it didn't matter in the end because I was using the silicone cups and a paper liner inside. The excess came off pretty cleanly. I baked them for about 20 min or so. The second batch I did a better job of filling, but I forgot about them and over baked them. They weren't burned, but were definitely much drier than the first. I got 24+ cupcakes from the batter.
Further sleuthing on the same blog I found her vanilla frosting recipe. I tripled the recipe which ended up being way too much because I used a spatula to frost instead of a piping bag which probably would have used more frosting.

Sangria I used 2L Chablis (from a box wine) 1 cup of Grand Marnier, 2 cups of blueberries, a peach, and a nectarine. It wasn't very sweet and I wasn't able to pour out the nectarines, but I thought it was pretty good. Maybe could have been a little sweeter with some kind of bubbly ginger ale or something like that.

Quick pickling

I have been doing a much better job of making sure all the veggies from our CSA are being used. Part of that is because I've been making quick pickles to use up some cabbage and cucumbers.
I really like the cucumber pickles, the spice is just right and they stay crunchy for quite a while.

IN RECIPES
Quickles: Refrigerator Pickles
Posted by: The Farm on Feb 23, 2016

1 lb. pickling cucumbers
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups cold water
1 T sugar
2 T kosher salt
1 t. mustard seed
1 t. whole peppercorns
1⁄2 t. red pepper flakes
1 cup fresh dill
5 cloves garlic, peeled

Evenly divide the garlic, dill and cucumbers among four wide-mouthed pint jars. You can cut up the pickling cukes however you want, from slices to halves, etc. (smaller slices soak up the flavor faster). You can pack as many cukes into the jars as possible, even more than the recipe calls for if there’s space.

In a bowl, mix together vinegar, water, red pepper flakes, salt, mustard seed and dill seed to make a flavored brine. Use a funnel to fill each jar with brining liquid. If the cukes aren’t mostly covered, you can add a little more cold water and shake it up. Cap tightly and refrigerate at least one week before eating (or eat some right away and every day after, to see what they’re like:).

The red cabbage I pickled has been used less, as in I'm the only one in the family eating them, but they turned out pretty good and is pretty tasty.

Baked French Toast

We had some challa that needed to be used up, so I made some baked french toast for Ebon and Leela while I went to a five-mile race. I based the recipe off of Ree Drummond's, but I omitted the "topping" and just put cinnamon into the egg mixture.
Ebon said it was pretty good and between him and Leela, they ate about half the pan (I made a half recipe). I wasn't there for the last part of the baking, but based on the oven, stuff spilled over while it was baking and it turned out a bit more like bread pudding that I would have liked, so a bit less liquid next time. The flavors were good, and it was just sweet enough when I ate it with apple sauce though, I would probably tone down the sugar to eat it with syrup. In the end, I think I'll go back to my first attempt at baked french toast the next time I make it.
I didn't want to eat it initially, because of my self-imposed egg hiatus, but since last week, nuts and I were on better terms, maybe I would be OK with eggs. My stomach was a little upset about an hour after eating it, but it seemed to go away faster and was not as bad as before- progress, maybe. We'll see how I do with the spaghetti pie - also with eggs.

Hummus!

I made hummus again for the first time since getting rid of our old blender. I based it off of Alton Brown's recipe. The new blender is amazing, there were no lumps whatsoever.

Breakfast for Dinner - "Sausage" Strata

In an effort to use up things we have on hand (and not let them go bad!). I tried my hand at a strata using Rachel Ray's Spinach and Sausage Strata as the guide - sort of. The things I used up - green pepper, cheese from fondue, stale bread cubes! I prepared everything in the morning as Leela ate breakfast - not ideal, but we were only a few minutes late dropping off at daycare. I meant to prepare everything the night before when Leela was in bed, but I got into a cleaning groove and got side tracked - good way to get side tracked in my opinion though.
On to my process...
I knew Ebon wouldn't like the spinach, and we didn't have any, so I skipped it. I sauteed the onions, garlic and green peppers and veggie sausage (Gimme Lean). Mixed up the eggs (I used 10 because I had a smaller dish and probably not quite enough bread, per the recipe), milk and S&P. Because I was going from memory (not very good most of the time), I forgot to add the mustard.
I assembled everything in 2 layers - bread, sausage mix, cheese (both leftover fondue cheese and parm), bread again, fondue cheese again, and sausage again. I left the last layer of Parmesan cheese off to be added just prior to baking. I wrapped it in foil and put in the fridge for about 10 hours while I toiled away at work :)
When I got home, I turned on the oven, took off the foil from the dish, added the Parmesan cheese and put it in the oven to warm up gradually (didn't have the 30 min to bring to room temp as the recipe states). I started the 1 hour cook time when the oven came up to temp.

Overall, I was happy with how it turned out, and the leftovers were pretty good too. I'd love to try this again to include the mustard to see what I'm missing. This seems like it could be a very versatile dish - mushrooms, herbs, different types of cheese, different sausages...many possible filling options and combinations, so I'll keep it in my wheelhouse when trying to figure out what to do with all the stale bread we have from time to time! Also good as a brunch option.

Things to change for next time - follow the recipe - ie use an oiled dish for baking, and don't forget the mustard. Try different fillings too!

Bread Salad with Sweet Peppers and Onions

I signed up on MealTrain to make a meal for another friend who just had a baby. Having just had a party, we had some leftovers that needed to be used up. I found a Bread Salad recipe that was just the ticket.
Since it's not really grilling season, I cut up a red pepper, an orange pepper, and a white onion (what I had on hand) in large chunks, tossed them in a bowl with olive oil and roasted them in the oven on a baking sheet. I made seasoned croutons from a baguette by tossing cubed bread in a bowl with olive oil, some salt, pepper, dried oregano, and garlic powder and then adding those to the oven on another baking sheet.
I put everything together according to the recipe, but excluded the chives since I didn't have any on hand and didn't add the bread since I was making this ahead of time. I also added some sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and pre-cooked, sweet Italian-style chicken sausages cut up in chunks to give the meal a little more heft.
I really liked the dressing/spices that were added it gave it a unique flavor - from my little taste-test.
The family told me that they liked the meal - so yay!

Couscous Salad with Dates and Almonds

I made this salad for a friend who can't cook at the moment. I thought it turned out awesome - of the little I had to taste test. I added some sun dried tomatoes that I had on hand, but otherwise followed the recipe.
I included a couple bags of spinach for them too, so they could have a hearty lunch salad.

I would love to make this for me/us, but since it has couscous in it, Ebon won't even touch it - booo.

Rhubarb Walnut Muffins

Along with the Pumkin Carrot bread, I made some Rhubarb Walnut Muffins for our recent flight as snacks. I thought they turned out pretty well. Again, not the sweetest muffin, but I did not use the streusel topping to avoid extra crumbs while traveling. Also, the muffins were a little dry and therefore crumbly. I would like to try these again with a second attempt.