Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup flaxseed

3/4 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup raisins

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt  

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup pumpkin puree (or sweet potato if pumpkin is not in season)

Directions

      1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 10 paper muffin cups. Whisk the yogurt, egg, oil, pumpkin and vanilla extract together in a bowl.

      2. In another large bowl or a stand mixer mix the flour, oats, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until just combined. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups, and sprinkle with brown sugar.

     3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes

Barley Risotto with Cauliflower and Kale

This is a healthier version of traditional risotto which is usually done with white Arborio rice. I have used cauliflower, mushroom, green peas and kale in this recipe but feel free to use whatever vegetables you like (butternut squash, broccoli, etc.).

• 8 cups of boiling water
• 1 vegetable or chicken bouillon cube
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups pearl barley
• 1 cup white or red wine
• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 2 cups of kale, chopped
• 1/2 cup of mushroom, chopped
• 1 cup of frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon rosemary 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium heat with olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and celery. Season with salt and pepper, and cook 8-9 minutes until softened.  Stir often.

2. Add cauliflower and barley stir for about a minute to toast. Add wine and cook it out completely, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Drop in bouillon cube, then add a cup of boiling water and stir in well. Repeat process, gradually adding water until barley is tender and creamy. About 20-25 minutes.

3. Add peas, mushroom, and kale. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In the last minute of cooking time, stir in butter, rosemary and cheese. Turn off the heat, cover and wait for 2 minutes. Serve warm.

Pear Pecan Muffins

Makes 6 large muffins

·         1 cup white whole wheat flour

·         1/2 cup rolled oats

·         1/2 cup brown sugar plus for sprinkling

·         1 tsp. baking powder

·         1/2 tsp. baking soda

·         1/4 tsp. salt

·         1 tsp. cinnamon

·         1/2 cup plain yogurt

·         3 tbsp. canola oil or 3 tbsp. melted butter

·         1 egg

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

·         1 pear coarsely shredded

·         1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1.  Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 6 paper muffin cups. Whisk the yogurt, egg, butter and vanilla extract together in a bowl.

2.      In another large bowl or a stand mixer mix the flour, oats, pecans, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until just combined. Gently fold in the pear. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups, and sprinkle with brown sugar.

3.      Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes

Peas, turkey-bacon and scallions tart

Ok so a tart is not the healthiest thing in the world. But once in a while it’s nice to have a tart on the weekend or at brunch. It goes nicely with a side salad.

Ingredients

• Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp. whole mustard
• 1 1/3 cups of sour cream
• Bunch of scallions
• 4 oz. turkey-bacon
• 1 cup frozen peas or lima beans, thawed
• 3 eggs

Directions

1. To make the filling put 3 eggs into bowl and add the sour cream  and mustard. Wisk together until smooth, season with little salt and pepper.

2. Chop scallions and turkey bacon into small pieces.

3. Scatter turkey-bacon and peas over the pastry. Then pour in the eggs mixture, scatter the scallions over. Bake tart for 30-35 minutes. Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let it cool for 10 minutes.

Kisir Kurdish Tabbouleh

Kisir is a middle eastern (Turkish, Kurdish, etc.) salad. It’s usually served cold over lettuce or on small plate as a meze. It’s a great dish for a hot summer.

2 large onions

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cucumber, chopped

2 cups of vegetable broth

2 cups whole wheat bulgur

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp. honey

1 cup chopped parsley

2 green onions

1 garlic clove

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium sized pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.

2. Add the tomatoes and simmer on low heat for another 5 minutes. Then add the broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the bulgur and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.

3. Add the honey, lemon juice, parsley, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir well, then remove from heat, cover and let stand for 15 minutes, fluff with fork. In a large bowl combine the bulgur mix with cucumber and green onions.

Quinoa with Mushrooms and Scallions

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• A bunch of scallions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups of kale or spinach, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 tbsp. Black raisins (optional)

Directions

1.      Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, scallions, butter, and cook for about 5 minutes.

2.      Add the quinoa to the pan and mix for a minute, then add the chicken broth over the quinoa; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the kale and cook another 5 minutes.

Spanish Lima Beans with Turkey Bacon

This recipe is a twist on a classic Spanish Tapas dish.  I replaced the fava beans with lima beans, but you could use fava beans if you like.

15 ounces lima beans, cooked
sea salt and black pepper to taste

1 tsp. coriander
3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 slices of turkey bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or basil)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the turkey bacon and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.

2. Add the onion and garlic and cook on low heat for 8 minutes until softened.

3. Add the lima beans into the skillet and the vinegar. Toss for 2-3 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper and coriander.

4. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.