Monthly Archives: December 2013

Banana Avocado Muffins with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

Breakfast, Desserts, Muffins, Scones & Quick Breads, Recipes December 15, 2013 Leave a comment

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Banana Avocado Muffins with Chocolate Chips & Walnuts

Makes about 20-22 regular size muffins OR 15 regular size muffins plus 12 mini muffins

This recipe makes A LOT of muffins, definitely enough to share or for a party (unless you have a very hungry muffin loving husband/family).  I know the avocado may sound a bit strange, but you won’t taste it all, it replaces other less healthy fats with good for you fats.  Just make sure you really mash the heck out of it, or you may end up with flecks of green in your finished product.  This is a muffin you can feel good about giving to your kids for breakfast or an afternoon snack and not have to feel guilty about eating a few yourself.  Of course, the chocolate adds just a bit of indulgence.

Preheat Oven to 325

Line muffin tin with liners OR spray lightly with oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk the following Ingredients together:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)

1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, beat together the following Ingredients with an electric mixer:

1 cup sugar (I use organic, it’s less refined, maintaining some minerals and I just think it tastes better)

2 Jumbo Eggs (or 3 large)

1/2 Avocado – mashed completely

8 oz yogurt (I use a combination of 4 oz vanilla  + 4 oz Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt, but any vanilla, banana or plain will work well here, always use a natural yogurt without any gelatins or artificial ingredients) – you can also substitute soy yogurt or other non dairy to make this dairy free

To the Wet Ingredients, Add in:

3 very ripe Bananas – mashed

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract (optional)

Add Dry ingredients to Wet and Stir together, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

Mix in to muffin batter:

3/4 Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (I use Ghiradelli 60% cocoa chips, mini chips would also work)

1/4 cup (or more if desired) Chopped Walnuts OR leave out to make this nut free

Pour batter into prepared muffin tins, filling about 3/4.

Bake at 325 – about 25 minutes for regular size and about 18 minutes for mini muffins.

Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy! IMG_2816

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Raw Root Asian Style Slaw

Salads, Side dishes, Vegan December 14, 2013 1 Comment
IMG_2513_Raw Root Asian Style Slaw
 
Raw Root Asian Style Slaw
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
 
Serves 4-6
 This salad is as delicious, cleansing and healthy as it is colorful.  Skeptics, do yourself a favor and give this a try.  The raw beets have a much milder, sweet flavor than their cooked counterparts.  I live with two beet haters, who both love this slaw.  The dressing is a lovely balance of slightly sweet and spicy from the ginger. 

 Dressing Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar (I prefer organic)

1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce (I prefer organic or GMO free)

1 Tbsp Honey (I use raw unfiltered)

1 Tbsp fresh grated Ginger

1 small clove grated Garlic (I grate the garlic on the same microplane I use to grate my ginger)

1 Tbsp chopped Pickled Ginger

Ingredient Notes:  If you’ve never worked with fresh ginger before, give it a try.  It’s a knobby root, sold in many supermarkets and health food stores.  It’s okay to break off the amount you need from a larger piece and you can store it unwrapped in the refrigerator or for a longer time wrapped in the freezer (it’s actually even easier to grate when frozen, but it does make the hands cold!).  To use ginger, peel off the skin with a veg peeler or the back of a spoon and then grate on a micro plane.    

Pickled ginger on the other hand, is the type served with sushi, thinly sliced and pickled with a sweet and sharp flavor.  It is sold bottled in supermarkets in the Asian section. 

Slaw Ingredients:

Red Onion – either 1 small onion or 1/2 of a large onion

Kohlrabi – 1 large or 2 small

Beets – 1-2 large or 2-4 small

Carrots – about 4

Ingredient Notes:  I’ve recently discovered kohlrabi and I love it.  If you’ve never had it before, I liken it to a combination between green cabbage and jicama.  It has the mild sweet flavor of the cabbage and the watery crunch of jicama.  It is also delicious sliced in wedges and dipped in hummus.

To make the slaw:

First combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl.  This is the same bowl you will use for the whole recipe (I hate extra bowls to wash).

Thinly slice the red onion and add it to the dressing.  Stir to cover all of the onion slices with the dressing, this will allow the onions to pickle a bit while you prepare the other ingredients.

Next, prepare the remaining roots, saving the beets to work with last as they will color your cutting board and knife.  Both the kohlrabi and beets need to be scrubbed and peeled.  I usually buy organic carrots and don’t feel the need to peel them, just scrub them well, but if your carrots are conventional it’s best to peel them.

Cut the kohlrabi, carrots and beets into thin matchstick/julienne slices.  I do this by hand with a sharp knife, not because I posses mad knife skills, but because I’ve never taken the time to investigate the grating blades on my food processor and because I’m afraid I’ll slice my finger off with a mandolin, but if you do not have either of these concerns and feel comfortable with your other gadgets, by all means use them as they will make quicker work of it.

Add each prepared ingredient to the bowl atop the onions, as you go, without mixing.  I start with the kohlrabi, then the carrots and lastly the beets.  After all roots have been added to the bowl stir to completely combine with the dressing and pickled onions.  Enjoy!