Sweet Potato Muffins

Annoyingly, grocery stores seem to think that people don't use canned pumpkin year-round since I haven't been able to find it in any stores near me. Thus, I decided to make sweet potato muffins instead! I used fresh sweet potatoes that I boiled and then pureed, but if you don't have time, you can use canned, just decrease the sugar by 1/4 cup since it usually comes canned in a sugar or corn syrup.

Notes:

1. These muffins are soft and creamy inside, and a little dense; if you prefer a drier muffins, increase the flour by 1/4 cup (but they will come out a little heavy).
2. To really kick these muffins to the next level, add 1 tsp of lemon or orange zest.

Sweet Potato Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked, pureed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup soy milk or other substitute
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Mix together sweet potatoes, soy milk, eggs, vanilla and sugar.
2. Sift together baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, flour and salt and stir into wet mixture.
3. Fold in pecans. Divide evenly into 12-muffin tin; bake at 350 18-22 minutes or until tops are browned.

The cost:
sweet potatoes: .98
soy milk: 1.99
other ingredients: <2.00

Grand total: $4.97

Smoky Maple & Brown Sugar Candied Pecans (Vegan)

My sweet & smoky almonds were a huge hit last week, so I decided to experiment with a little more smokiness. I've also had a bottle of good quality maple syrup sitting on my counter (thanks for the gift AD!), so I used the syrup to help the sugar-spice mixture stick to the nuts.

I was really happy with how these turned out, certainly more candied than the last time I made the attempt (although glazed nuts are still great too!). I love the sweet, smoky, salt combination here. Let me know what you think!

Note: This is one of those times that since you want the maple flavor to shine, you should spend the money on a good quality maple syrup and not the fake, corn syrup reinforced pancake syrup.

Smoky Maple & Brown Sugar Candied Pecans (Vegan)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 lb raw pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine sugar, paprika, and salt; make sure there are no lumps.
3. In a separate bowl, coat pecans in maple syrup. Add sugar/spice mixture and toss to coat.
4. Spread in a single layer on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Cool.

The cost:
pecans: 6.49
other ingredients: <1.00

Grand total: 7.49

Chocolaty Pecan Granola Bars (Gluten Free & Vegan)

My last adventure with gluten free granola bars went so well, I decided to try another flavor. After reviewing the various options, I decided on chocolate and pecan, with cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla singing back-up.

Chocolaty Pecan Granola Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups oats
1/2 cup rice bran
1/2 cup raw pecan pieces

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup agave
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Place oats, bran and nuts in a 9x13 baking pan. Toast at 350 degrees 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Combine sugar, agave, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt in a small saucepan; heat over low flame until sugar is melted. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips.
3. Pour oats, bran and nuts into sugar mixture and stir to coat. Pour back into baking pan and spread in a thin layer, pressing firmly to pack it in (I stick my hand inside a plastic bag because a wooden spoon or spatula usually sticks).
4. Lower oven to 300 degrees; return pan to oven and bake 6-8 minutes (a little longer if you prefer more crunchy to chewy). Remove and cool, then cut into desired bar size (I usually do 16 or so).

The cost:
oats: 2.99
other ingredients: <2.00

Grand total: 4.99

Quinoa Salad w/ Curry-Ginger-Cardamom Vinaigrette

A few weeks ago, AK and I visited his sister (a fellow gluten-freenik) and brother-in-law; Saturday we had a pretty lazy morning (read: slept in very late :)) and decided lunch should be light fare, mostly salads. I whipped up this quinoa salad with chickpeas, chopped pecans, and raisins for lots of texture, and a simple vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, curry, ginger & cardamom.

Quinoa Salad w/ Curry-Ginger-Cardamom Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa, cooked according to package & cooled
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey or agave
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of pepper

Directions:

1. In a salad bowl mix together quinoa, chickpeas, scallions, raisins & pecans.
2. Blend together remaining ingredients and pour over quinoa mixture, stirring to combine.

The cost:
quinoa: .99
chickpeas: .69
scallion: .10
raisins: .40
pecans: .40

Grand total: $2.58; serves 4-6 as a side dish (recipe is easily doubled for a larger group)

Dinner Party (Part 2 of 5): Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping

Dear Readers,

For the first time since I started tracking my blog with Google Analytics, I have surpassed 1,000 visits in a 30 day period. And it's because of you! Thank you so much to all of my loyal followers (and first-time visitors too!), and please continue to enjoy my recipes and ideas :)

Dinner Party Menu:
Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad
Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping
Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas w/ Red Swiss Chard
Coconut Curry Chicken
Banana Nut Cake w/ Candied Walnuts (Recipe Remix from this Recipe Remix)

I've been wanting to try something with parsnips ever since I used them a while back and asked people for recipe ideas. For this dish, I baked them with sweet potatoes and mashed everything together, then topped it with a mixture of oats, cinnamon, pecans and honey. I popped it back into the oven just to brown the top and get the streusel all crispy.

Note: I thought this dish was great, but it would have been spectacular had I thought to stir in a Tbsp or so of fresh ginger or lemon zest.

Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping

Ingredients:

Mash:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1/2 cup oats (I used gluten free)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey, brown sugar or agave
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Place sweet potatoes and parsnips in a 9 x 13 pan and drizzle with oil. Cover and bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes until veggies are very soft, stirring occasionally.
2. Mash (or I used my immersion blender) veggies until they are smooth. Stir in cinnamon and salt and spread into back into pan.
3. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over mash. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake 8-10 minutes or until topping is golden brown and crispy.

The cost:
sweet potatoes: 1.49
parsnips: 1.99
other ingredients: <1.00

Grand total: $4.48; serves 8 as a side dish

Greatest Hits: Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins

I love muffins. It's easy portion control (if you have self control), and I can easily grab one on my way to work or as a quick snack while I'm getting dinner together (whoever said you can't have dessert first was a moron). I like to substitute extra bananas or applesauce for the oil so be aware loaf pans don't work so well for this recipe (unless you like the ooey gooey uncooked center, in which case, have at it!).

I have three main go-to muffin recipes (sorry, you'll only get one today :)). This is my absolute fave: A sumptuous combination moist sweetness, crunchy nuts and melty chocolate chips, with the white pepper providing that perfect little bit of pizazz.

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:

3 overripe bananas, pureed
2 eggs
1/4 cup applesauce (or 1 extra banana, pureed)
splash of vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar (1/4 cup more if you like really sweet muffins)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

1 + 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree and spray a 12-muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, blend bananas, eggs, applesauce and vanilla.
3. With a whisk, stir in brown sugar, salt & pepper. Add baking soda and baking powder and whisk to combine.
4. Add 1 cup of flour and stir just to combine (it'll get tough if you mix too much); the batter should be pretty thick, so if you had large bananas add up to 1/4 cup more flour.
5. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes; muffin tops will be firm and edges will be just browned.

These muffins will keep up to one week if stored in the fridge in an airtight container. They also freeze well, and you can easily double the recipe. (Banana Tip: If you have one or two but not enough to make muffins, throw in the freezer, then defrost when you are ready to use)

Other fun variations:

• Sub in candied pecans or spicy candied pecans (but leave out the pepper).
  
• Try milk chocolate or peanut butter chips, or chocolate covered raisins.
  
• Leave out the chocolate chips and nuts, and sprinkle a combination of flour, melted butter, cinnamon and sugar over the muffins just before baking.
  

The cost:
bananas: .57
eggs: .33
applesauce: .35
sugar: .45
flour: .25
chocolate chips: .35
nuts: .40

Grand total: $2.70; makes 12 muffins