Healthy Pumpkin Oat Muffins

Well, it's officially fall in Appalachia.  Up here that means gorgeously colored trees, Forest Festival and very unpredictable weather.  Yesterday in fact was Forest Festival Saturday and the weather was quite bizarre.  It was cold and windy and alternated between periods of beautiful blue sky with bright sun and miserable raininess.  At one point during the big parade, it sleeted!  But having family with us, enjoying the festival, made it a beautiful day, despite the crazy weather.

I love being able to cook for family.  I don't get to do it very often, so when I do, I try to go all out.  I was lucky to have a day off to prepare a wonderful dinner with fabulous dessert for when they arrived Friday night and make easy, grab-and-go breakfast items for us to munch on as we headed out early for all the festivities on Saturday.  Since most people associate fall with all things pumpkin spice, I wanted to make pumpkin muffins.  Hi, I'm Hilary and I am also a pumpkin spice addict.

I found this recipe on Taste of Home and modified it to make it healthier.  Just in general, the recipes from Taste of Home are fabulous and so was this one!  Scott declared it the best thing I've ever baked (which says a lot, because I am not a baker).  In fact, they were so good, that it was after we had eaten literally the last muffin, I thought about blogging the recipe and realized I hadn't taken a picture.  Oh well...

Muffin Mix:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup maple syrup or brown sugar
1/4 cup Splenda or Stevia
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup oats (I used quick oats, but you could use old fashioned ones)

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 Tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients.  In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  Then, mix the wet into the dry until all is combined.  Then, add in the oats (adding them in last keeps them from getting soggy and lets them keep some of their texture).  Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.  In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and pumpkin pie spice and then cut in the butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle 1 rounded teaspoon full of the crumb topping on each muffin.  Then, bake for 15-20 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Healthy Zucchini Muffins

I recently read a memoir about life in a rural small town in Wisconsin.  In the book, the author recounted how crime is very low in his little village and the only time that people need to lock their car doors is during zucchini season, otherwise they may return to find several large squash sitting on their seats.  Zucchini is one of those plants that is such a prolific producer that every gardener grows them as an insurance policy.  Even if your tomatoes failed this year, you got plenty of squash!  We chose not to grow zucchini this year because Scott is not a big fan of them.  But as gardening tends to go, I swapped some hot peppers for a large zucchini from a friend's garden.  I hunted online for a healthy zucchini bread/muffin recipe, found this one, modified it and baked these AMAZING muffins.  It's an easy recipe and you probably have zucchini hanging around, so take it for a spin!

1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup stevia (you can use Splenda or sugar)

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups shredded zucchini

3/4 cups vanilla almond milk (you can use any kind of milk)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons maple syrup (can use honey or agave)

1 egg 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix in rest of ingredients and pour batter into muffin tins.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins. 

 

Granola Baked Oatmeal

For a few Christmas gifts this past year, I gave my homemade granola in quart size Mason jars.  The granola was a HUGE, MONSTROUS hit.  Everyone kept asking me for the recipe.  Unfortunately my granola is like my spaghetti sauce, my fajitas and my vegetable soup--all made by sense of taste and smell, meaning I eyeball every measurement and taste as I go.  What I attempted today was to recreate the taste of my granola in one of my famous baked oatmeals.  I made sure to measure out all my ingredients just so I could post the recipe.  It came out perfect!  It has a similar taste to my granola and will make great breakfasts this week for me.  Maybe one of these days, I'll try to measure out the ingredients for my granola so I can post that recipe.  One of these days when I have 2 hours to spare to make granola.  In the meantime, try this recipe and enjoy yet another awesome baked oatmeal!

4 cups oats (as always, personal preference on type of oats you use)
1 1/2 cups coconut flakes
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup Splenda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vanilla soy milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl and then spread out in 9X13 baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Makes 10 servings.  Remember baked oatmeal is best enjoyed warm with a bit of milk on top.  YUM YUM!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal

Every chef has their "thing." You know that "thing" that is their specialty. For Rachael Ray it's 30 minute meals. For Paula Deen it's southern comfort food. For me, it must be baked oatmeal. Currently there are 3 different baked oatmeal recipes posted on this blog: Hilary's Baked Oatmeal, Pumpkin Cranberry Baked Oatmeal, and Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal.  There are also several versions still in development.  The great thing about all my baked oatmeals is that they are healthy, can be made semi-quickly on the weekend and be eaten for breakfasts all throughout the workweek.  They are best eaten warm with a little milk or coffee creamer on top.

And with that, today I am pleased to introduce you to my latest baked oatmeal creation:  Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip!

3 cups oats (as always personal preference on which type you use)
1/2 cup Splenda
2 cups vanilla soy milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter (use natural!  it's much healthier for you!)
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Bake in a 9X11 baking dish at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal

I posted on Facebook awhile ago that I was attempting a new baked oatmeal recipe.  This is not that recipe.  But I will give you a hint--the new recipe will involve blueberries!  So, while that recipe is under construction, I thought I'd whip up a new recipe.  Enter Banana Nut Baked Oatmeal.  I've been toying with this idea for a long time and finally got a chance to do it.  I found very ripe bananas on clearance at Save-A-Lot last week.  I didn't have time to use them right away, so I found a great trick online.  Peel bananas, put in freezer baggie, seal the bag and squeeze to mash the bananas inside the bag.  Place in freezer.  When you're ready to use the bananas, simply take the baggie out of the freezer and soak it in hot water for a few minutes.  Now you have mashed bananas ready for whatever you might need--banana nut bread, smoothies, or this great baked oatmeal recipe :)

3 cups oats (as always, personal preference on whether you use steel cut, old fashioned or quick oats)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup flax seed meal (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup sweetener of choice (I used Splenda)
2 mashed bananas
1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine all your ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Bake in 8X8 or 9X9 pan at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Makes 4 servings.

Oatmeal Cranberry Pancakes

I love pancakes.  My dad was the expert pancake maker!  Pancakes were just one of his many talents. Brinner (breakfast for dinner) was a popular meal in my house growing up, and Dad made his fair share of pancakes on the weekends for us when Scott and I would come home to visit.  When I was little, he used to make them into cartoon characters--Mickey Mouse, Garfield, etc.  I'm still not as adept as he when it comes to making them--I usually make a mess and sometimes they get too big or end up doughy.  But I try because I love pancakes.  So on Friday, the first day of our summer break where we weren't doing anything (no homework, no volunteering, nothing but video games and movies), I woke up wanting to make cranberry pancakes.  And then I remembered the Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes I used to make.  I hit Google and found this recipe.  I don't own a VitaMix blender, so I used my trusty Cuisinart food processor.  These pancakes were so good that I made two batches!!!  The second time I didn't use my food processor, and I think they turned out a bit better, and I didn't have to clean up a food processor!  These pancakes are so good and yummy....check them out:

1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oats (I used quick oats since that's what I had on hand)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons Splenda or other sweetener

Mix your batter and make some pancakes!  This recipe yields about 5 to 6 normal-sized pancakes.

Hilary's Healthy Breakfast Bars

I made these as a THANK YOU gift for a friend at work.  He shared them, and they were a HUGE hit!  Very healthy, very yummy!  

2 2/3 cups oats

1/3 cup oat bran

1/2 cup dried fruit

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup canned pumpkin (or 2 mashed bananas)

1 egg replacer (I use 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water)

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add rest of ingredients to dry ingredients.  Add a bit of milk or water to get a sticky consistency.  Spread mixture in cake pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.  (Bake time depends on how thick your bars are)

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

Scott requested blueberry pancakes this morning.  A few months ago we ate some pancakes that had oats in them, and I really liked them.  So, I Googled a recipe this morning to help me create whole-wheat pancakes with oats in them.  I found this one.  I had to make a few minor modifications, of course, to make it vegan, and added blueberries.  They were unbelievable!  So, so, so yummy!  And healthy!  A perfect way to start a Saturday morning.  Here's my recipe:


3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk 
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3 Tablespoons Splenda
1/4 cup applesauce

Mix the oats and soy milk together.  Let this mixture sit while you work on everything else.  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Then, add applesauce and oat/soy milk mixture.  Now you have some amazing pancake batter!  Depending what size you make your pancakes, it will give you 4 to 6 pancakes.  

Vegan Quiche (The Smash-Up Edition)

Don't judge the taste of this dish by the fact that I can't cut tomatoes beautifully straight :)

For my birthday, my good friend Karina gave me my present very early.  She sought out our friend Robin, a fellow veg-head, for advice on a really good vegan cookbook.  Robin recommended and Karina got me Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  I've surmised from several of the veg websites that I frequent that every vegan knows Isa; well, knows her recipes anyway.  I chose to make her Classic Broccoli Quiche to become acquainted with Isa and the world of the Post Punk Kitchen.  Here's the recipe.

But alas, even, the best laid plans tend to change, especially in my kitchen.  I had all the ingredients on hand when I decided on a lovely relaxing morning that: yes, I want to make a quiche, but no, I wasn't feeling broccoli quiche.  What I wanted instead was something similar to a dish I made back in my meat-eating days.  I used to make a quiche (maybe more accurately a frittata?) with eggs, sausage, onions, mushrooms, peppers and cheese.  So I made a vegan version with tofu, soy sausage, onions, mushrooms, peppers and Daiya cheese.  It was divine!  I think it actually is much better than the original because it has more flavor and probably won't kill you.  (Just remember, if your meal hasn't been killed, then it's likely not to kill you!)  This recipe is only possible because of two recent discoveries in my kitchen:  soy sausage and Daiya cheese.  The soy sausage is available at Kroger in Elkins.  We really like the LifeLight breakfast sausage.  It's sold in a tube, just like regular sausage.  It's expensive, just like everything else veg-heads eat, but is really, really good!  I made biscuits and "sausage" gravy with it awhile ago that rivaled the original meaty version.  And Daiya cheese...oh Daiya cheese.  Robin raves about Daiya cheese and for good reason!  It's vegan cheese (no dairy involved) that melts and has a wonderfully rich flavor!  But Daiya is not only expensive, but also hard to procure in the hills.  The closest place to Elkins that sells it is in Morgantown.  We've began stock piling Daiya when we find it!  

So, enough with my ramblings and onto the recipe:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tube soy sausage
1/2 cup cashews
1 pound extra firm tofu
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon mustard
4 ounces Daiya shredded cheese (you can use dairy cheese if opting for the vegetarian version)
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet or Dutch oven, saute onions, pepper, mushroom and soy sausage for about 10 minutes.  While this is going on, put cashews in food processor.  Pulse until they are turned to fine crumbs.  Squeeze the water out of the tofu (I do this by wrapping it in paper towels and pressing it against the counter.).  Crumble the tofu into the food processor.  Add the thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and mustard.  Process until mixture is relatively smooth.  Place mixture in casserole dish.  Mix in onions, peppers, mushrooms and soy sausage.  Top with shredded Daiya and then sliced tomatoes.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Makes about 4 servings.     

Pumpkin Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

This recipe required a working knowledge of the principal "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Baked oatmeal has become a weekend staple at our house. Since it's fall, I thought I would use that seasonal favorite, pumpkin, and alter my traditional baked oatmeal a smidge. Well, it took me 3 tries to get this recipe right! So, of course, I'm very proud to share it! It's completely vegan, healthy, and as with anything on this blog, SO YUMMY! I hope you enjoy it!  It's my mom's favorite version of my baked oatmeals :)

2 cup oats (steel cut, quick cook, rolled...whatever you like!)

1/2 cup splenda

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

dash salt

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup pumpkin

1 cup vanilla soy milk

1/4 stick vegan margarine, melted

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup nuts of choice (I used walnuts)

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy served with warm with a little vanilla soy milk poured over top.  Makes 4 servings.

Fried Potatoes & Whole Wheat Biscuits

I woke up this morning, wanting something warm, comforting, yet easy. So, I came up with the idea of making fried potatoes and drop biscuits. Here are the two recipes that I based this breakfast on: Southwestern Potatoes and Mamaw's Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits.   And as always, here's my version:

Fried Potoatoes

4 medium potatoes

1 onion, sliced

a few mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Pop the potatoes in the microwave for about 8 minutes. While they are nuking, saute the sliced onions and mushrooms in a skillet. Slice nuked potatoes. Place in skillet with seasonings. Saute everything until the potatoes are brown.

Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup soy milk

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

1/3 cup applesauce

Measure out soy milk and add vinegar to it. Let stand while you measure out and mix up everything else. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil and milk/vinegar to dry ingredients. Don't overmix; it will make your biscuits tough. Drop biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Makes 8 large biscuits.  

Banana Nut Pancakes

This recipe was just a "hey, let's try this and see if it works." Scott made the suggestion of putting nuts in our pancakes because he wants to make sure we're getting enough protein. It was a great suggestion because these were SO yummy.

The measurements on the ingredients may be off, so beware. I eyeball-measure my pancake batter when I'm making it. The recipe makes 4 pancakes.

2 cups whole wheat baking mix (can be found near Bisquick in the grocery store)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 mashed banana

1 Tablespoon splenda or other sweetner

soy milk (add a bit at a time to create the consistency you want in your pancake batter; if I had to venture a guess I would say I used less than 1 cup)

Mix up the above ingredients. Heat your griddle to medium-low heat. When you pour the batter on your griddle, then you add sliced almonds (or any nut you prefer) on top of each pancake just like you would blueberries.

Hilary's Baked Oatmeal

The original baked oatmeal that started it all.

1 1/2 cups oats (personal preference as to whether you use quick oats or old fashioned)
1/4 cup margarine (Light Blue Bonnet, Earth Balance or Smart Balance are vegan)
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sweetner of choice (Splenda, brown sugar)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup dried fruit and nuts (I used dried cranberries in the picture above)

Bake in 8x8 pan at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. Makes 4 servings--perfect for just two people. It can easily be doubled; just bake in a 9x13 pan.  Remember, baked oatmeal is best served warm topped with a little vanilla soy milk.