Monthly Archives: May 2012

Breakfast Muffins

Posted on by

0

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. Scratch that… Brunch is definitely my favorite meal of the day. But either way, these muffins should be the star of your next breakfast brunch celebration.

Brunch is just so comforting and relaxing. I love to just wake up in the morning, not in a rush to go anywhere, and just sit and eat a nice leisurely meal. And these muffins would ensure that I take my time. So delicious, you just want to savor each and every bite!

These are so easy, delectable, AND healthy. Not only do they have an oatmeal streusel topping, but they are also 100% whole wheat. But they are NOTHING like those dry, tasteless bran muffins they make at the health food store. They are perfectly moist with a hint of sweetness! Not to mention, packed with antioxidants!

And did I mention they were virtually fat free? No joke….they are.

You will not be disappointed you made these. Perfect for lazy sunday morning brunch’s or a perfect grab and go breakfast option!

Blueberry Muffins

Adapted from Alton Brown

Print this recipe!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 4 heaping tablespoons of oats
  • 3 heaping tablespoons of light brown sugar
  •  2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup natural applesauce
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 – 6 oz. container non-fat organic blueberry greek yogurt (I used Oikos)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 12 oz whole wheat pastry flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup wild blueberries, fresh or frozen*
*(If using frozen blueberries, allow to thaw and pat dry on a paper towel before adding to the batter)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare muffin pan with liners.
In a small bowl, combine the butter, oats, and brown sugar together with a spoon. Set streusel topping aside.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, oil, yogurt, and sugar with a whisk until evenly combined together. Next, add the flour + baking soda + baking powder to the wet mixture. Gently stir mixture to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon. Be sure not to over-mix!!
Next, gently fold in the blueberries. Be very gentle when folding blueberries into the batter, making sure not to squash anything. Place about 1/4 cup of the batter into each cavity of the prepared muffin pan. Before placing muffins in oven, sprinkle 1 – 2 teaspoons of the streusel mixture on the top of each muffin.
Bake in oven for 12 – 15 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through the cooking process. Be sure not to over-bake!
Allow muffins to cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before serving at brunch!
Yield: 16 Muffins
PS: Why must brunch ONLY be offered on the weekends?!? I think our lives would be better with some week-day brunches thrown in there on the occasion. All in favor?

Strawberry Summer Pie

Posted on by

1

It’s Memorial Day Weekend!

When it comes to holidays, I just think of it as an excuse to make dessert. Because, really, what is a holiday without something sweet? Well, the dessert in question for this Memorial Day Weekend is:

Strawberry Lemon Basil Miniature Pies

Aren’t these pies just adorable? I’m a sucker for anything tiny or miniature. And these really take the icing on the cake! They would be perfect for dinner parties too, because each person would be able to have their own mini-pie! These are really much cuter than any slice of pie on a plate!

Now, you may think you need a fancy pan to make these pies in. False. You just need a cupcake pan!

Don’t have a cupcake pan? Well, you are out of luck. You NEED a cupcake pan! You should really go out and buy one, RIGHT NOW! It will be an investment in your future.

I will admit, these are a little time consuming to make. But the result? Well worth it.

Totally worth it!

While time consuming, the steps are pretty simple. First, roll out some of that delicious pie crust dough you made yesterday.

Cut out some dough circles a little larger in diameter than your cupcake pan. And fill the cupcake pan with those circles like so:

Fill cavity with your pie filling:

And cover pie with more with some more dough for a top crust.

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes and there you have it! Perfect little pies for summer!

Print this recipe!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sliced strawberries
  • 1/3 cup can sugar
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
  • 1 pie crust dough recipe
Directions
Combine the first six ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll out your pie crust dough to a 1/4 inch in diameter. Cut circles out of the dough a little larger than the diameter of your cupcake pan. Line the cupcake pan with those dough circles.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the strawberry filling in each dough lined cavity. With some of the leftover dough, top your mini pies in a basket-weave pattern.
Bake pies for 12 – 15 minutes or until filling is thick and bubbly. Allow to cool on cooling rack and serve with vanilla bean ice cream!