Savoring Summer With Peach Protein Muffins

With the arrival of October, Fall is really here. ALthough the blogosphere seems to be flooded with pumpkin and squash, I still want to hold onto my favorite orange produce for a little while longer.

I am relishing in the late-season varieties of peaches for as long as I possibly can. Nothing makes me relive wonderful summer memories like the sweet, juicy flavor of ripe peaches. Even as the temperature starts to cool down, I am determined to keep relishing in this simple pleasure.

That’s how these muffins came about. Packed with quinoa, chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut oil, and giant hunks of peach, these muffins are as good for you as they are tasty.  No, they aren’t light and fluffy, instead they are packed full of nutrients.

When microwaved for 30 seconds and served with a warm cup of tea or coffee, they make the perfect easy breakfast or afternoon snack.

Go ahead and make a second batch and stash them in the freezer so that you can continue to enjoy delicious summer produce even in the monotonous months when apples and oranges are the only fresh fruits to be found.

Peach Muffins with Chia and Hemp Seeds

Adapted from Get Natured

Yield: 12

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2/3 cup quinoa flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 3/4 cup skim milk, room temperature
• 2 large peaches, finely chopped (leave the peel on for extra fiber)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with silicone liners.
2. Whisk together chia seeds and warm water in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, cinnamon, salt. Mix in the hemp seeds, then set aside.
4. To the chia seed mixture, add milk, brown sugar, coconut oil, and extracts and combine well. Add this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine-don’t overmix. Gently fold in the peaches.
5. Spoon batter into muffin pan and smooth their tops with the back of a spoon. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes.
6. When a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean and the muffins are golden brown, remove the muffins from oven and transfer them to cooling racks.

Back to School Chocolate Strawberry & Zucchini Muffins

In June and even in July, summer seems like an endless stretch of time to cross items off your to do list, see people whom you don’t see often enough, and simply to relax. But as August starts to rear its ugly head, reality hits and you suddenly realize that the lofty plans you made for the summer will just have to wait some more. School and cold weather are just around the corner and no matter how tempting it may be to bury your books under your bed and forget about them, there’s no way to ignore rapidly approaching fall.

Rather than wallow in remorse over unaccomplished summer hopes and goals, focus on the exciting aspects of fall. This means that it’s almost close enough to Halloween that you can start planning your elaborate costume without sounding like a crazy person. This means it’s time to go shopping for new coats, boots, sweaters, or school supplies. This means that it’s gradually becoming time to resume your normal schedule of cozy nights indoors that your mind and body will appreciate even if you do not. And most importantly (for me at least) this means it’s starting to cool back down enough to turn back on the oven and stove to cook tasty, heart-warming meals and goodies.

Instead of resenting or resisting the passing of summer, set an example for those in your life who may not quite be ready for the change of the seasons by baking them tasty goodies to celebrate the best of summer produce in a form that is perfect for hectic fall mornings. By that I mean, bake them these Chocolate Strawberry & Zucchini Muffins, of course!

 

While these muffins are not exactly for picky eaters, they are delicious and nutritious, the perfect way to quell any chocolate cravings first thing in the morning while still getting in some veggies too. These muffins rely on shredded zucchini and applesauce to keep them nice and moist without the addition of any butter or oil.

Back to School Chocolate Strawberry & Zucchini Muffins

Yield: 18-20 muffins

Adapted from From the Little Yellow Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded zucchini, shredded
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup quinoa flour
• 1/3 cup sugar, rounded (or add 2/3 cup for sweeter, more traditional muffins)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 15 large strawberries (about 1 1/2 cups), chopped, plus 5 more, sliced for garnish
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or you can chop up 1 bar of dark chocolate into tiny pieces-I had some left over from s’mores, so that’s what i did)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffins tins with silicone baking cups. Muffin batter sticks to paper liners too much, so invest in a few sets of silicone liners to avoid eating paper and cut down on waste.
2. Coarsely grate the zucchini, then place in a colander and sprinkle it with a pinch of salt. Let it sit for about 10 minutes while combing the other ingredients to leach out the excess water from the zucchini.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
4. In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Then add the applesauce and yogurt, and stir well.
5. Use paper towels to gently press the zucchini in the colander so that it releases any remaining excess liquid. Add the zucchini to the wet mixture and stir.
6. Use your hands to form a well in the center of the dry mixture, then pour the wet mixture into the well. Stir until just combined. Fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips.
7. Fill each baking cup about 3/4 full, then gently press a strawberry slice into the top of each muffin.
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Allow the muffins to cool on cooling racks, then keep them refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze them for a quick and easy breakfast or afternoon snack.

 

Mini Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

When it comes to cooking for just myself, I’m lazy. I call this a confession, but I’m guessing that most of you can relate. Whether it’s grabbing a quick weeknight nibble in between homework and studying, or trying to shove something in my mouth before going out with friends, food ceases to be my top priority.

That’s why when I’m in a rush, eggs become my go-to meal. I simply heat up some frozen veggies in a pan with a bit of olive oil, then add the eggs and scramble them quickly, then top it off with a bit of tomato sauce and freshly ground pepper. Voila! Healthy and tasty dinner ready in under 10 minute.

The eggs are wonderful when feeding just me, but sometimes I need something a bit more presentable that I can feel good about serving to friends or family, but still don’t want to spend a long time slaving away in the kitchen. These Mini Cherry Tomato Clafoutis proved to be the perfect solution. They take less than 10 minutes of active prep (plus 32 minutes in the oven) and come out looking pretty impressive if I do say so myself.

Fresh out of the oven, they are light and airy souffle-like creations that make you look like a master chef, no one else needs to know how easy they are to make. Within a few minutes, however they fall and become a bit denser, taking on an almost pancake-like consistency.

These are a perfect appetizer and they taste just as good microwaved for breakfast the next morning. The tartness of the tomatoes adds a delicious contrast to the comforting eggy taste of the Clafoutis itself. Make them in the next few months to take full advantage of summer’s most flavorful tomatoes.

Mini Cherry Tomato Clafoutis

Adapted from Vegetarian Times Farmers’ Market Cookbook

Serves: 12

Ingredients: 

• 3 large eggs
• ⅓ cup flour
• 1 ½ cups skim milk
• 3 tablespoons nonfat greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (2 cups)
• 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Whisk the eggs in bowl, then gradually whisk in flour. It may be slightly lumpy, but try to get it as smooth as possible.
3. Stir in milk, yogurt, thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. Divide the batter in two, then distribute 1/2 of the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Bake 10 minutes.
5. Place 3-4 tomato halves in each muffin cup, round-side up. Pour remaining batter over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 22 minutes more, or until tip of knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute, then unmold with knife or thin spatula. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Quinoa

This is undoubtedly my favorite breakfast to make at home. Not only does it taste like a decadent serving of pie first thing in the morning, but also because you can make it a few days in advance, it takes less than two minutes to prepare in the morning!

I know that pumpkin season is over, but numerous studies have shown that canned produce, while much cheaper, has essentially the same level of nutrients as its fresh or frozen counter parts. And let’s be real for a second, even if it was pumpkin season, I’d still probably be using a super convenient can. It’s so worth it to take a few minor short cuts when it comes to cooking in order to avoid the cost and preservatives of  preserved food.

Prepare the quinoa with water and cinnamon sticks

Put 1/4 of the pumpkin in each jar

Pile the quinoa on top of the pumpkin

Pour milk atop the quinoa

Top the quinoa with flax seeds

Finish it off with a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves

Enjoy!

I developed this recipe when I got tired of my simple peanut butter quinoa or quinoa with milk and spices. I wanted something that was a bit more fun and that felt a bit more luxurious. Cue the pumpkin pie breakfast concoction.

Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Quinoa 

Serves 4

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 cinnamon sticks (optional)
• 1 can of pumpkin (make sure it’s pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 1/2 cup skim milk, soy milk, or almond milk
• 1 teaspoon flax seeds
• 1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon (splurge on a good brand, not McCormick’s….I promise that the quality makes a huge difference)
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon fresh ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

1. Fill a small sauce pan with the water, quinoa, and cinnamon sticks. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover the pot. Leave the pot covered for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa absorbs all of the water. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the quinoa. In the mean time, combine the spice mixture in a small ramekin.
2. Divide the can of pumpkin even among four glass jars. Top the pumpkin in each jar with 1/4 of the quinoa.
3. Add slightly less than half a cup of milk to each of the jar. Then add the 1/4 teaspoon of flax seeds and finally 1/4 teaspoon of the spice mixture to each jar.
4. Stir the quinoa mixture together until combined.
5. Enjoy right away or refrigerate it for up to five days. For warm quinoa in the morning, microwave the glass jar for 90 seconds.

Eggy Breakfast Muffins

This weekend was my senior prom and it was pretty perfect. I was so incredibly luck to get to go with my incredible boyfriend of three years, take oodles of photos with my amazing girl friends, wear a 1980’s vintage dream dress, win prom king and queen with Goose, and top it all off with brunch and a trip to the local art show with Goose the next morning. All in all, it was the perfect night.

Now, however, the weekend is over and it’s time to return to the real world. The prospect of waking up to a blaring 6 AM alarm certainly is nowhere as exciting to going to prom with the boy of my dreams, but these little eggy cup help make week day mornings a bit less daunting.

To be perfectly honest, my real reason behind making these egg cups was just to use these adorable Martha Stewart cupcake liners that I found at Michael’s a few days ago. They have cakes and party hats and presents, what’s not to love?

These egg muffins are both adorable and delicious, making hem the perfect way to start any morning. For anyone who struggles to get enough veggies into their daily routine, these are for you! They are as fun and colorful as Lucky Charms, but packed with vitamins from the vegetables and protein from the eggs. These little egg cups are perfect to store in the refrigerator and grab one or two with a piece of toast, fruit, and or a cup of milk for a perfectly balances breakfast on the go. Or if you aren’t going to eat all of them in a week, you can freeze them and save them for later.

I ended up using kale, broccoli, red pepper, and garlic because that’s what I had on hand. I did not end up using the tomato shown because I felt that I had enough veggies already, but feel free to use whatever you want. Mushrooms, onions, zucchini, and almost any other vegetable would also taste great thrown in.

Eggy Breakfast Muffins 

Yield: 12 regular sized muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil or cooking spray
• 2-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced or diced
• 1 small crown of broccoli, broken into tiny pieces (feel free to cut the stem into small pieces and use it as well)
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 5 kale leaves, torn into bite sized pieces without the firm inner stems
• 8 egg whites plus 4 whole eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a regular sized muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners, the cuter the better!
2. Spray or lightly oil a medium pan, then saute the garlic for about 2 minutes. Add in the broccoli and red pepper and continue to saute for another two or three minutes or until slightly softened.
3. Next add in the kale along, 3 tablespoons of water, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir the vegetables then cover the pan for another two to three minutes for vegetables to soften and the kale to wilt.
4. Spoon in about two tablespoons of the vegetable mixture into each muffin tin. If you have extra veggies, add them in too or save them for another use.
5. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk, and a bit more salt and pepper. Once combined, pour the eggs over the vegetables.
6. Bake the eggy muffins for about 20 minutes, or until the tops appear done.
7. To reaheat, sprinkle the egg muffin with cheese if desired and microwave it for 20-30 seconds. Enjoy!