Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins Recipe

1 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed natural brown sugar
1/1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Fuji apple, cored, peeled and diced*
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped**
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dried flaked unsweetened coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; break up any brown sugar lumps with your fingers of a wooden spoon.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla, then add to flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Add apples, raisins, carrots, walnuts and 1/4 cup of the coconut and stir gently until well combined.

Spoon batter into 16 paper-lined muffin tins,*** filling each about 2/3 full.  Top evenly with remaining coconut and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

*I used the organic local apples I had on hand, and sliced them rather than diced

**I omitted the walnuts

***I used a pan of 6 giant muffins instead, and omitted the paper lining as I wanted a crunchier outside to my muffins.

Nutrition: Per serving (1 muffin):
200 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 14g sugar), 3 g protein.

I've been hunting for a good recipe for these muffins for a while now.  I buy one almost every morning at work from the Alterra Coffee shop on campus (The Grind).  The coffee shop doesn't offer the nutrition information, but they will show you an ingredients list if you ask for it.  This recipe from Whole Foods is the closest I've found to the ingredients used by Alterra.  This one is missing ingredients such as wheat germ, and has extra ingredients such as walnuts, but now that I've made them once according to the recipe, I feel confident that I can experiment and tweak it to get them tasting even closer to my beloved Alterra muffins!

Maple Oatmeal Bread Recipe

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp gluten
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp SAF yeast or 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

1. Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the bread machine's manufacturer's instructions.  Set crust on dark and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)  The dough ball will be firm but springy.  If it seams too stiff, dribble with some water during kneading.

2. When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the bap and place it on a rack.  Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

*Got this recipe from a co-worker who makes it weekly.  I tried it earlier this fall and it was AMAZING!  It was very hearty and not too sweet, could make a very healthy whole grain daily bread!


Everything Bread Recipe

1 1/4 c water

2 T honey
2 t oil (any variety)
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c bread flour
1/2 c rolled oats
4t gluten flour
1/4 c sunflower seeds*
1/4 c pumpkin seeds*
1/8 c sesame seeds*
2 T poppy seeds*
2T flax seeds*
1/4 c millet or quinoa
3/4 t salt
1 1/2 t yeast

1. Add water, oil and honey to the bread machine
2. Add dry ingredients (flour, oats, seeds, quinoa, salt) - mix these up all together in a separate bowl and then add. 
3. Make a small indentation in mixture....then add yeast, making sure it's not touching any of the liquid ingredients
4. Set bread machine on whole wheat cycle
5. As it is mixing, check the mixture...you may need to add a little bit of water

*you can substitute any other seeds for the above, or double up if you're out of something and the bread still turns out great.

Got this recipe from a friend who was raving about it.  I'm so excited to try it!

Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe

The day before soak 1/2 pound each of dried pinto beans and dried great northern beans.

4 Tbsp butter

1 large onion, large chop
2 cloves garlic, minced
water
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 14oz can fresh cut tomatoes
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
your favorite small pasta such as bowties, penne or shells

1. Melt butter in a large soup pan
2. Add onion and garlic
3. Saute until translucent
4. Add carrots and potatoes and sweat on law heat, covered for 8-10 minutes
5. Add tomatoes
6. Drain soaked beans and add to soup
7. Cover with water to 1 inch above vegetables, add Italian seasoning and bay leaf
8. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours
9. Salt and pepper to taste
10. While soup is simmering cook 1/2 pound of pasta according to package directions
11. Serve hot, adding pasta as you serve
12. Garnish with Parmesan cheese

This recipe was made for me by my grandmother for lunch yesterday.  She had all the granddaughters over for a heritage baking day, and served four types of soup for us to sample for lunch, including this vegan one for me!  It was a little mild, but with some salt and pepper added, it was very hearty and satisfying.  The carnivores who tried it added some Parmesan cheese on top, and found that to be even tastier then!

Texas Caviar Recipe

1/2 onion, chopped 
1 green bell pepper, chopped 
1 bunch green onions, chopped 
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped 
1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered 
1 (8 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing 
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained 
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained 
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro



In a large bowl, mix together onion, green bell pepper, green onions, jalapeno peppers, garlic, cherry tomatoes, zesty Italian dressing, black beans, black-eyed peas and coriander. Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours. Toss with desired amount of fresh cilantro to serve. 

This is a recipe one of my dear friends (whom I met studying abroad in Scotland) makes for parties.  It is a dip to be served with corn or tortilla chips.


She will often modify this recipe with some of the following changes: usually not as much jalapeno, no coriander, sometimes double the beans, or use black eye peas, sometimes even adding corn or Hominy.

Marinated Vegetable Salad Recipe

5 c. broccoli florets
2 cucumbers, peeled & sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
1 (8 oz.) Italian dressing
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt & pepper


Combine all ingredients except the tomatoes and salt & pepper well in large covered bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and toss. Season with salt and pepper. 


This could be made with any assortment of vegetables.  I think cauliflower, radishes, mushrooms, olives, regular tomatoes, and even black beans or chickpeas would all be really good in this one too!


I made this side dish this summer before going vegan, and had used 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese as well, though I think it would be just as good vegan style and plan to make it that way next summer with my fresh garden and CSA veggies!