Whole Wheat, Oatmeal, and Raisin Muffins
I decided we needed muffins. I generally don't eat breakfast before heading off to work, but know that if I get there with an empty stomach, I'm apt to eat whatever is lying about - not a healthy way to start the day. I've been getting better about bringing some fruit and yogurt with me, but if I could get a little something in me to jumpstart the morning...
Enter the muffin!
The recipe comes from Cooking Light. I changed a couple of ingredients around to reflect what I had in the cupboards, but otherwise made them as stated.
They are really good! And easy!
Whole Wheat, Oatmeal, and Raisin Muffins
With four whole grains and three dried fruits, these muffins are a great way to get a variety of antioxidants and fiber. Wheat germ is a good source of vitamin E. Look for untoasted wheat germ in the organic food section of the supermarket. Adding boiling water to the batter and allowing it to sit for 15 minutes before baking allows the hearty oats, wheat germ, and bran to soak up the liquid for a more tender muffin.
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons untoasted wheat germ (I used 2 tbsp ground spelt)
- 2 tablespoons wheat bran (I used 2 tbsp ground black barley)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1/3 cup chopped pitted dates (I used 1/3 cup chopped apricots)
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries (I used 1/3 cup currants)
- (I added 1 cup chopped walnuts)
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- Cooking spray
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in oats, dates, raisins, and cranberries. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in boiling water. Let batter stand 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.
These really worked well. Moist, flavorful, and without a heavy whole wheat taste. I used buttermilk powder and it worked just fine.
I can see many variations on a theme...
Another Road to Morocco
Once upon a time I subscribed to a diet and nutrition magazine. I got the subscription because I read a copy in a Dr's office and it had a recipe for Pumpkin Polenta! (It was a hit. I've made it a couple of times.) But the magazine went totally digital and I lost interest - and kept a few of the printed recipes.
The recipe for the rice is a variation on a stuffed portobello mushroom recipe.
Moroccan Rice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/2 cup chickpeas
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups cooked rice
In skillet, heat 1 tsp oil. Add spices and cook about 1 minute to get rid of the raw taste. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well. Heat through.
The chicken was a variation on a recipe from an old Gourmet magazine.
Moroccan Lemon Chicken
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 small onion, sliced thin
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch cayenne pepper
- grated lemon zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup sliced olives
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 cup chick peas
Cook chicken in skillet until browned on both sides. Transfer chicken to a plate and reduce heat to moderate. Add onion to pan and cook, stirring, until softened. Add cumin, paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, and flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in broth, lemon juice and zest, olives, chickpeas, and honey.
Return chicken to pan and simmer, uncovered, until cooked through.
I think the locals would approve...
Steaks on the Barbie
Mushrooms. Gotta love 'em. And add a steak to the equation and you have the perfect meal.
I had a few different mushrooms in the 'fridge, so I cut them all up, sauteed them in a bit of olive oil and garlic, and added a cup of red wine. Cooked the wine down to nothing and that was that! They went perfect atop a nice, rare, filet.
The veggies were yellow squash, zucchini, and tomatoes, sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and fresh basil and oregano from the garden.
A baked sweet potato finished the plate.
Summer has not quite decided to wind down, yet. Weather is still hot and the grill is still in operation. Fall produce is hitting the stores and I'm starting to think about stews and casseroles.
Soon.....
Alaskan Cod with Asparagus Mashed Potatoes
Thursday Seafood was Alaskan Cod with a Mushroom Ragout and Asparagus Mashed Potatoes. It was really quite simple and would have been totally excellent instead of merely good had I not overcooked it a bit. I got busy and didn't hear the timer go off so it sat in the oven for 10 minutes longer than it should have.
But overcooked or not, it was an easy meal to prepare and serve.
Alaskan Cod with Mushroom Ragout
- 2 6oz cod fillets
- 8 oz assorted mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 cup white wine
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
Season cod with a bit of salt and pepper and lay out on oven-proof baking pan. Saute onion until wilted. Add garlic and lightly cook. Add mushrooms and cook well.
Add wine and cook until wine has pretty much evaporated. Add S&P, to taste.
Top fish fillets with mushrooms, grate a bit of cheese on top and place in a 350° oven about 15 minutes.
The asparagus mashed potatoes idea came from Saveur magazine. It calls for white asparagus, heavy cream... I made it with green asparagus and non-fat milk. Came out great. I virtually never peel potatoes for mashing - I like lumps and peel - but did mash them for this. next time I probably wouldn't.
Asparagus Mashed Potatoes
- Russet potatoes
- Asparagus
- butter
- milk
- salt and pepper, to taste
Peel potatoes, cut in cubes, and place in pot with salted water. Chop 1/2-bunch of asparagus and add to potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender.
Drain and mash together, adding butter, milk, salt and pepper.
I roasted a few asparagus to go along with the meal.
All-in-all, it was a success.
Pork Chops and Plums
I love the summer fruits. Peaches, plums, apricots... they can be used sweet or savory, in desserts, in salads, sliced into a bowl, eaten out-of-hand, or simmered in the oven with... oh... I dunno... let's say... pork chops!
Pork and apples or applesauce has been a traditional pairing for years. Like chicken, pork just lends itself to the sweetness of fresh fruit, especially if a bit of heat is applied.
I did a bit of an Asian twist on dinner tonight. I marinated the pork chops in rice wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and a bit of sambal oelek. Into the skillet went 1 onion, chopped, 1 green pepper, chopped, and three plums, sliced.
I browned them just a bit and then added the marinade from the pork and brought it to a boil. Meanwhile, I grilled the pork briefly to get a bit of grill flavor.
I put the partially-cooked chops into the skillet and into a 350° oven for about 20 minutes.
I served it with some whole-grain black rice.
Yum.
Beef and Onions
Grilled onions go with anything - but they go especially well with grilled beef. It's a classic pairing.
The beef tonight was a round steak, marinated in Moore's marinade and simply grilled. Moore's hails from Birmingham, Alabama. I would have never heard of it if Mike and Barbara hadn't brought up a huge southern care package for us when they stayed with us a couple of years ago. One of the things they brought us was a bottle of Dale's Seasoning. They told us there are two rival marinades down their way in South Carolina - Moore's and Dale's. After trying the Dale's, I sent away for the Moore's.
Taste-wise, they both work for me, but Dale's only sells by the case online and the odds of me going through 12 bottles in this lifetime are slim. I mean... I don't even buy green bananas.
But, as usual, I digress...
I boiled a couple of red potatoes and added a bit of sour cream, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
The vegetables were even more fun... A bit of clean-out-the-vegetable-bin... mushrooms, broccoli, and arugula, sauteed in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Nothing fancy. There was enough flavor in the veggies that I didn't need anything else. Cooked arugula is one of my most favorite vegetables. Most folks know it as a salad green, but it can be cooked up the same way as spinach and used wherever spinach is called for.
It's good!
A quick-and-easy 20-minute meal.
Ribs
It's a perfect day. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. We did a few chores around the house - I fixed some fence rails and Victor is painting the back deck - but it's been a slow and easy day.
Even dinner.
BBQ ribs, fries, peas and corn. It really doesn't get any easier.
I baked the ribs with Gate's BBQ sauce for about 2 hours at 225° and then finished them off on the grill.
Fries and peas & corn.
Simplicity.
I'm saving myself for tomorrow's Pasta Feast.
Sunday Frittata
Ah... Sunday Breakfast!
Breakfast is one of my most favorite meals. I love the bazillion-and-one flavor combinations that one can come up with. Sweet stuff and savory stuff and everything in-between.
In my restaurant-cooking days, it was probably the most difficult meal to cook. Folks have some really serious issues about how they want their bacon cooked and how they want their eggs cooked - to the point of being completely and totally overly-neurotic about it. Really overly-neurotic.
But I digress...
This was a really simple throw-together using leftovers in the 'fridge.
I cut up about a cup of cooked teeny potatoes from the other night and cooked them with 3 green onions and 1 stalk of broccoli. I mixed up 4 eggs, poured them in, topped it with some buffalo mozzarella and a sliced tomato from the garden. Salt and pepper.
I stuck the pan under the broiler for about 5 minutes, and breakfast was served.
Ancho Pork Medallions
Another Cooking Light recipe!
I'm actually trying to be a good boy and maybe even drop a couple of pounds before the wedding. What I really want to do is lose all of the weight I gained after I quit smoking, but I'm thinking short-term goals are probably more realistic. A couple of pounds between now and October 14th.
I can do it.
Enter Cooking Light. Now... if you've picked up a copy of the magazine recently, you'll notice that some of their recipes really are anything but light. Lots of sugar, lots of butter... Granted, they are favorite ingredients of mine, but sometimes sugar and butter are actually unnecessary in a recipe. (Yes, you read that correctly!)
Just like the one I made tonight. It calls for a minuscule amount of sugar in the spice rub, but... since the recipe later calls for pepper jelly, I saw no reason to add it to the spice rub.
That being said, the dish came out stupendous! It is a definite keeper. It just rocked. Vaguely sweet and vaguely spicy, but lots and lots of flavor. The spices and the jelly really worked well together.
I followed the recipe pretty much as stated - except for the sugar in the spice mixture.
Ancho Pork Medallions
Pepper jelly and aromatic spices give your average pork tenderloin a bold new flavor. Serve with a spinach salad for a complete meal.
Other Time: 20 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 medallions)
- 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 3/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 tablespoons jalapeño pepper jelly
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
1. Cut pork crosswise into 8 equal pieces. Combine chile powder and next 4 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl; rub evenly over both sides of pork. Combine jelly and lime juice; set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Brush pork with half of jelly mixture; turn and brush with remaining jelly mixture. Cook 1 minute on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan; let stand 5 minutes before serving.
CALORIES 168 ; FAT 6.1g (sat 1.6g,mono 3.2g,poly 0.6g); CHOLESTEROL 63mg; CALCIUM 7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.6g; SODIUM 363mg; PROTEIN 22.5g; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.2mg
The side dish was a fun one, too.
It was a bit of a clean out the refrigerator dish that went well with the pork.
Potatoes and Tomatoes with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
- 8 oz teeny potatoes
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 tbsp cilantro, minced
- 1 small jar Bronco Bob's Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
Boil or steam potatoes until tender.
Saute green onions and mushrooms until lightly browned. Add tomatoes and cook. Add the chipotle sauce and cilantro. Add the potatoes and mix well.
Let simmer a few minutes and serve.
We pick up little sample jars of the sauces whenever we hit Cost Plus out west. It's a fun store with lots of fun products from all over the world. We've bought a lot of goodies there over the years, from furniture to dishware to Christmas ornaments and more. I first shopped with them a bazillion years ago when their only store was on Bay Street in San Francisco. A cavernous place where one could get lost for hours. Alas, they've become a slick almost-cookie-cutter store and have re-branded themselves as "Cost Plus World Market" but I can still drop a few bucks there, easily.
But back to the veggies...
The sauce is smokey but not spicy-hot so it went well with the vegetables and the pork spices.
I can see more of this in our future...
Mahi Mahi with Smokey Tomatoes
With the gastronomic success of Victor's Pasta Monday I think I'm going to start Seafood Thursday.
I really do want to get more fish into our diet and the only way to do it is to make it part of an actual plan. My normal cooking style is to open the cupboards and see what's in them. I generally just buy ingredients without a clear plan for what I'm going to do with them. It works for me because I usually don't know on Monday what I'm going to want to eat on any other given day of the week and having a well-stocked larder gives me options - or forces me into things because I have produce that needs eating that day!
I think Seafood Thursday will be a fun way to actually plan a recipe every week.
Today's Seafood Thursday Concept came compliments of Cooking Light magazine.
The August issue had a recipe for Mahi Mahi with a Bacon Tomato Butter. It was intriguing, but it called for brining the fish in a sugar and salt solution. That just sounded silly to me, so I omitted that first step. It also called for adding two tablespoons of butter to the finished tomatoes and bacon. I love butter probably more than the next guy, but I didn't see a need to add butter to something that already had bacon fat in it. I know... silly me.
I served it on a bed of fresh spinach sauteed in a drizzle of olive oil, with salt, pepper, and garlic. I really like plating things atop others. Besides being very visually appealing - the whole eat with your eyes concept - It just makes things taste good.
My tomatoes were "brown tomatoes" - not plums - and I didn't seed them. Nor did I add the 2 tablespoons of butter.
There's the Cooking Light recipe. Play with it as you wish. I really do recommend the smoked paprika, though. Go buy some. It's great in a lot of things!
Mahi Mahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter
Look for American mahimahi that were caught using the pole/troll method, as this fishing practice has the least negative impact on the waters where they're caught, and it yields the freshest fish.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 (6-ounce) mahimahi fillets
- Cooking spray
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt, divided
- 1 slice center-cut bacon, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
Preparation
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish, stirring until sea salt and sugar dissolve; add fish. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain; pat dry.
2. Prepare charcoal fire in a chimney starter; let coals burn for 15 to 20 minutes or until flames die down. Carefully pour hot coals out of starter, and pile them onto one side of the grill. Coat grill grate with cooking spray; put grate in place over coals.
3. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon table salt evenly over fish. Lightly coat fish with cooking spray. Place fish, skin side down, over direct heat on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes or until well marked. Turn fish over and move to indirect heat; grill 12 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat; add bacon to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until bacon is almost crisp, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add paprika, and cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in butter. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon table salt. Place 1 fillet on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons tomato mixture.
I wonder what next Thursday will bring.....
Chicken and Mushrooms with Marsala Wine Sauce
This recipe comes courtesy of Cooking Light. Well... The concept does.
I followed the guidelines, but my ingredient list was a bit different. I wanted to use up a few odds and ends in the 'fridge.
I liked the original recipe and will probably make a closer-to-the-original version one of these days. In the meantime, here's the recipe from Cooking Light with my changes following!
Chicken and Mushrooms with Marsala Wine Sauce
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 1/2 cup sauce)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce)
- 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 4 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced button mushrooms (about 4 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
- 2/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves
Preparation
1. Place porcini mushrooms in a small bowl; cover with boiling water. Cover and let stand 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse; drain well. Thinly slice.
2. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound chicken to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine 3 teaspoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour mixture.
3. Heat a large stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; cover and keep warm.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, porcini, shiitake, button mushrooms, and oregano; sauté 6 minutes or until mushrooms release moisture and darken. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute. Add chicken and tomatoes; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, turning chicken once. Sprinkle with basil.
I used leeks instead of onion, and sliced up about 8 brussels sprouts and fried them with the leeks. I used the porcini mushrooms but used baby bellas instead of the shitake and button. I also lightly thickened the sauce with a bit of cornstarch. And my tomatoes were from the garden, not cherries.
It came out pretty good.
Cheese Burgers
Lunch the way it is supposed to be.
A bacon cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, fried peppers, mayo, ketchup, and mustard.
And tonight is Victor's Pasta Night.
I can't wait!