Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

I haven't posted a sweet treat recipe in awhile so thought these Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins would be perfect!

These muffins make a great breakfast, snack, or a guilt-free treat at the end of a long day.  You can also try crumbling them on top of a yogurt bowl , on top of warm oatmeal, or simply add some fresh strawberry jam on top of a muffin for another variation!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup gf rolled oats
• 1 flax egg
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or sub applesauce, but it will be gummier)
• 1 cup fresh rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Stir in the oats.
4. Gently fold in the flax egg, milk, and oil until just combined.
5. Gently stir in rhubarb and strawberries.
6. Pour into prepared muffin tin and and bake for approximately 15 minutes.

Following this recipe, I was able to make 16 medium sized muffins.  There are quite a lot of ingredients but it's all just measuring and then stirring everything together.  So for making 16 muffins it really couldn't get much easier.  Oh, and of course the cleanup is super easy too : )

Based on  making 16 muffins and using original Silk PureAlmond Milk, 1 muffin is approximately:
With vegetable oil: 103 calories and 2.5g protein
With applesauce: 88.5 calories and 2.5g protein

Sweet and Spicy Tofu

Yesterday, I posted a recipe for Jalapeno Cornbread.  If (like me) you have leftover cornbread, here is another great meal to pair with the cornbread.

Basically, I was in the mood to make some tofu and wanted to try something new instead of using my typical marinade when I bake tofu or tempeh.  I found a recipe with some different marinade ingredients and it was very tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 block of extra-firm tofu
• 3 tablespoons tamari
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons bbq sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce

Directions:

1. Press tofu to remove all excess liquid.  Cut into cubes and freeze overnight, if desired.  
2. Combine all marinade ingredients in a container and place tofu in the marinade making sure all pieces are covered.  Place lid on container and put in the fridge for at least one hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with foil.
4. Place tofu on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes toss the tofu pieces, spoon some extra marinade on top, and continue baking for another 10 minutes or longer depending on how you want the texture of your tofu.  
6. For extra chewiness, place under the broiler for about 3 more minutes.

After I baked my tofu, I served it atop of brown rice and kale that was made with balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and nutritional yeast!

Jalapeno Cornbread

This week's Meatless Mondays from A to Z begins with the letter J and was made with the ingredient Jalapenos!

I have never used jalapenos to cook with before so was excited to give this ingredient a try.  The most typical recipe to make with jalapenos is probably a salsa, hummus, or maybe even some kind of chili.  For my recipe, I had just remembered looking through the Everyday Happy Herbivore cookbook and seeing a recipe for jalapeno cornbread.  Ooh, cornbread sounded delicious and since I still do not have a kitchen I knew this cornbread would pair well with an easy crockpot chili, my Hominy Chili that I made two weeks ago!

 This recipe is adapted from Everyday Happy Herbivore.  Here is how I made my Jalapeno Cornbread:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup gf all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 cup frozen yellow corn (can also use fresh or canned)
• 1 jalapeno, minced (use 1 tbsp for much less spicy taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line an 8x8" baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and sea salt and whisk together.
3. Add almond milk, applesauce, and agave and gently stir to incorporate all ingredients together.
4. With a spatula, gently fold in the corn and jalapeno until everything is just combined.
5. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I wanted a denser cornbread so I altered the original recipe and added 1/2 cup extra cornmeal and reduced the flour by 1/2 cup.  Play around with the ingredients to determine how you best like your cornbread: 

• More cornmeal = more dense cornbread
• More flour = more cakelike cornbread

You could also try a different flour to give this cornbread a slightly different taste.  Just keep the total amount of grains at 2 cups and you're cornbread should turn out great!

If you want a sweeter cornbread, try adding about 2 tablespoons of raw sugar.  I didn't think I would like a sweeter cornbread so I did not add it originally, but I am definitely going to add it next time.  I think the extra sweetness will really help bring out the flavor.

Enjoy this cornbread as a snack, or serve it alongside some warm chili, stew, or soup during these cooler fall months!



This recipe yields 9 squares.
Based on 1 square:
Approximately 140 calories and 2g protein.

Cashew Tomato Sauce

This sauce is very fresh tasting and tastes great over regular cooked pasta or veggie noodles (spiralized veggies).  I used a julienne peeler to make my veggie noodles out of squash, zucchini and carrots.

The recipe for the sauce was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked for at least 30 minutes and drained)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 medjool date, pitted
• 1/2 tablespoon wine vinegar
• ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the tomatoes, cashews, garlic, date, and wine vinegar in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Taste the sauce once it is smooth and add pepper and adjust seasonings to taste.
3. Serve over hot pasta or cold veggie noodles.

Veggie noodles before adding sauce.

Veggie noodles with sauce before stirring.

This sauce is best the day it is made.  I love how this sauce is extremely simple to make and only the blender needs to be cleaned afterwards.

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa

This Monday for Meatless Mondays from A to Z we are on the letter I which is for Israeli Couscous.

Unfortunately, this ingredient is not gluten free.  Instead of using couscous, I decided to use a similar substitution with quinoa.  Since I use quinoa so much in my regular daily meals, I decided to try something new with it since I cannot use a new and different ingredient.  Usually when I use quinoa, I mix it with beans and vegetables.  I have also used it as a cold cereal with fruit.  Today, I decided to use it as a hot breakfast for the first time!

This recipe was adapted from Fit Foodie Finds:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 packet of stevia
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 medium apple, chopped

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring quinoa, milk, and water to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and cover.  Simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients.  Continue to cook on low until all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
4. Pour into a bowl and eat served hot!

I wanted my breakfast to be more like a cereal so I added extra almond milk after I cooked it and poured it into a bowl.  It was so tasty!

Approximately 400 calories and 8g protein.

Fruit and Nut Granola

Since I do not currently have a kitchen due to remodeling, I needed a simple no-bake granola with minimal clean-up.  I came across this recipe online and I absolutely love it!  It's not really a crunchy granola but makes a great alternative to cereal.

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dates (soaked in water)
• 1/4 cup almonds (soaked for 8 hours)
• 1/4 cup walnuts (soaked for 8 hours)
• 1/4 cup pecans (soaked for 8 hours)
• 1/4 apple, chopped (about 2 slices)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup cranberries

Directions:

1. In a food processor, place dates and a little of the soak water and blend until smooth.
2. Add the apple, vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt and pulse until coarsely chopped.  Pour into a medium bowl. 
3. Drain the nuts and place them in the food processor.  Pulse until coarsely chopped and pour into the same bowl as the date paste mixture.
4. Stir in  pumpkin seeds, raisins, and cranberries until everything is well combined.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

This granola can be used to top oats or yogurt, but my favorite is to eat it as a cereal.  Just put some in a bowl and pour almond milk on top for a delicious, filling, and healthy breakfast!

Based on a 1/4 cup serving:
Approximately 144 calories and 3.5g protein.

Hominy Chili

This Monday for Meatless Mondays from A to Z uses the ingredient Hominy for the letter H.

Since my family is in the process of remodeling and we do not have a kitchen, I was afraid this challenge would be difficult.  At first, I thought I would just do something simple with hominy grits, but then I came across this recipe for a chili and thought I could make it in the crockpot.  I am so glad I decided to try out this chili because it is the simplest recipe ever! And so tasty we all went back for seconds!

This recipe was adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 1 (20 oz) can hominy
• 1 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained and quartered
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and stir to combine.  Turn crockpot to low and let it simmer until the TVP has soaked up most liquid.  (I just made this in the early afternoon and let it simmer on low all day so it would be done and warm for dinner.)

In the crockpot, ready to be eaten!

This recipe is so easy and tasty.  I will be making this recipe a lot this winter!

I'm estimating that this recipe yields 8 cups. Based on a 1 cup serving:
Approximately 169 calories and 11.5g protein.