Oat Orange Cranberry Muffins

MMMmmmm

Put on your rain pants and pull up your mud boots; time to tramp through the bogs.  It's cranberry season and the Northwest bogs are brimming with these bright scarlet-red, ripe fruits.  Fall to your knees and pick yourself a basket full...


The muffin recipe is dear to my heart.  I once had an injury and had to spend 10 days laying on a massage table.  My sister fed me through the hole of the table, and these muffins were the only thing palatable.  Two years later, my sister force fed these muffins to me during my labor with Ella.  Even with those two memories, these are my still favorite muffins.  I try to always have a dozen in the freezer for unexpected guests or busy mornings when we have to eat breakfast on the go.   This recipe is tried and true.

Oat Orange Cranberry Muffins‏
Don’t be fooled because these are gluten-free, egg-free, soy-Free, and high-fiber.  They taste great and make you feel better!  If you aren't so lucky to live in the land of bounty, you can find fresh frozen cranberries in most grocery stores, or just substitute them with blueberries.


3 c. Molly’s muesli, ground to flour in a blender (substitute rolled oats if you don't have muesli)
2/3 c. raw sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 T ground flax (if using oats, not necessary with muesli)
2 T organic butter
3-4 oranges (for 3/4 c. OJ and peel of one orange or just use prepared OJ)
1 1/2 tsp brown rice vinegar
1 c. fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix Molly’s Muesli flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.

Add zest, oil, juice, and vinegar to the dry mix, and stir together well.

Stir in cranberries.  Put cupcake liners in muffin cups. Pour muffin mix into the muffin liners, filling the liners 2/3 full for 12 muffins.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick stuck in the middle of a muffin comes out with only a few tiny crumbs attached.

Enjoy immediately, or let cool and freeze for later!

Ammen and Ella playing in the cranberry bog

NUTRITION

Cranberries are full of nutrition benefits.  They are well known to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), likely because of their antibacterial properties.  Cranberries also have high amounts of vitamin C, dietary fiber, manganese and vitamin K.

In addition to providing protection against UTIs, cranberries are known to have anti-inflammatory properties.  The phytonutrients found in these tart berries are effective in decreasing inflammation.  Anti-inflammatory properties provide us cardiovascular benefits and help prevent periodontal disease.  

Because cranberries are high in Vitamin C and other antioxidants, it helps.  Antioxidants are well known to help prevent cardiovascular disease by lowering blood pressure, and prevent cellular damage decreasing cancerous growth. 

So, don’t just make garlands and wreaths out of your cranberries, EAT THEM!

 

Rain Gifts

Walking through the woods, la-di-da... Scanning the forest floor (russulas - check, LBMs-yes) finally my heart leaps when I see the apricot color splashed on the forest floor.  I drop to my knees, and feel the stem - it's thick.  I pull out my knife, cut the base, leaving the foothold and smell the sweet earthy fragrance of the chantrelle.

Follow this elevation, go right, go left, and gather until my bag is heavy, but before I leave too much of a trace.  In order to ensure the return of the fruiting bodies next fall, I like to leave more than I find.

The role of a mushroom in the eco-system is incredibly important.  It stores the sugars for the trees and plants to eat.  It also cleans the forest, as it does our bodies, of toxins.

Mesmerized by the hunt, I take off trying to stay at the same elevation, continuing to parole the area.  As my bag starts to overflow and the light begins to darken, I decide to turn around and retrace my steps back to my car, but wait, where's the trail?  Be careful, I'm not the only one that gets lost on the hunt. 

Mushrooms are often overlooked as just an accessory to a pizza or a salad.  The truth is, they are incredibly nutritious especially for those of us that live where the sun doesn't shine brightly all year long.  Once you get familiar with the wild local mushrooms, you can find that they go in about anything, pastas, stir-fries, gnocchi, chicken pot pie, on pizza, soup, but my favorite recipe is the most basic of them all:

Basic Wild Mushroom Recipe: 

I used chantrelles here, but this is the way I cook most wild mushrooms the first time to get an idea of their flavor.  Get more creative as you get to know them individually. 
 

1T butter

1 garlic clove, minced

~10 chantrelles

1/2 tsp sea salt

Heat butter in a skillet, add garlic, toss in chopped mushrooms, salt, and saute until soft.

NUTRITION

Most people think that mushrooms have no nutritional value.  Well, they are just plain wrong, unless they are eating them raw. Mushrooms are jam-packed with nutrients, but we can only digest them if they have been cooked.  Not only are they nutritious, there are also quite medicinal.  

Here are some of the most notable nutrients in mushrooms:

Vitamin D:  One of my favorite facts about mushrooms is that they provide us with Vitamin D.  We typically get Vitamin D from the sun, but during the rainy season, when we aren't getting much sunlight, we can get our Vitamin D from mushrooms.   The chantrelle is the second highest food source of Vitamin D, second to that of Cod Liver oil.  Though all edible mushroms have shown to have a good amount.  In fact, our Local fella, Paul Stamets with Fungi Perfeci found that Shiitakes have more international units of Vitamin D when dried in the sun, and this level of Vitamin D is retained for 6 years. 

134 IU/ 100 g fresh; 46,000 IU/ 100 gram (dry weight) dried in the sun

Vitamin D is important for strong bones and teeth.  It's also important for mental health (commonality in people with depression have a Vit D deficiency).  Deficiency is Vitamin D can cause rickets, low bone density (osteoporosis) as well as some cancers.   

B Vitamins: This group of vitamins are vital for our immune, nervous and digestive systems. Niacin and other B vitamins are found in animal tissue but not plants, so 'shrooms can be a good source for vegetarians.

Potassium: This electrolyte controls muscle function, it's also vital for maintaining normal fluid balance and helps control blood pressure.  One serving of mushrooms contains anywhere from 400-3000 mg/serving.  In other words, way more potassium than a banana. 

 

Iron: An important for the building of red and white blood cells.  Necessary for muscle function and responsible for transporting oxygen in our body.  One serving of chantrelles provide us about 20% of our needed iron content for a day,

Copper: While we don't think of copper as that important of a nutrient, it's imperative for the absorption of iron, therefore it's important.  Mushrooms provided a pretty stout serving of copper.

Zinc, Manganese & Selenium are antioxidants which protect cells from damage.  And mushrooms are a great source of these antioxidants.  In fact, mushrooms are the highest food source of selenium available.

There are whole books, and lots of articles written about mushrooms removing toxins at old landfills and toxic waste sites.  Mushrooms do the same in our bodies,  they bind to toxins and help us pass them.  Similarly they help lower total body cholesterol.  

All mushrooms are known to improve immune system, support the cardiovascular system, and inhibit cancer growth.  There is current promising research for the use of shiitakes and Lion's mane for treatments of HIV, AIDS, digestive disorders, neurological disorders, and arthritis.

Check back often, because it's mushroom season, and I'll be sure to post more recipes and nutrition information as the 'shrooms grow. 

 

Red Velvet Cake

Long before red food coloring, beets were the magic ingredient.  Ammen just celebrated a birthday, and we have an abundance of beets in the garden this year.  Naturally his birthday cake was a red velvet cake dyed with beets. 

The beets combined with the applesauce provide a sweet yet earthy flavor and a moist texture.  I frosted these cakes with a honey cream cheese icing because my husband will eat nothing else, but I personally think the icing was a bit strong for such simple cake.  If I make this recipe again for a different occasion I would do a simple honey butter icing or just serve the naked cake. 

As you can see, the batter of this cake is a brilliant magenta color.  After baking, the cake gradually turns to more of a brick red.  Unfortunately, I was too excited to eat the cake and didn't take a picture until most of the cake and color was gone.  The dyes faded more and more as the evening went on.   If you want to have the most red possible, bake this cake as close to the serving time as you can.  Luckily, the flavor and texture never faded.

Red Velvet Cake (With Beets)

Whenever possible, it's always best to purchase organic ingredients.  This is especially important when purchasing dairy products and eggs.  

 

Ingredients:

6 beets

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup plain yogurt

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Place beets in a pot and cover with water, boil until soft (about 30 minutes), allow them to cool.  Peel the beets and chopped coarsely.  Combine chopped cooked beets and applesauce in a blender and blend until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round layer pans.

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, and then the beet mixture, mixing well.  Add the lemon juice and the yogurt and mix well again.

In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa powder, baking soda, flour, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until well blended.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from pans and allowing to cool completely.  Once the cakes are cool, frost them.

Honey Cream Cheese Icing

2 pkgs of cream cheese (8oz pkg)

1/4 cup local honey

1 Tbsp vanilla

Blend until smooth.  When the cakes are cool, spread with a rubber spatula on one cake.  Stack the cakes, and spread icing on the top. 

Nutrition

For the nutrition information on beets check out the post on Rosemary Red Soup.

Rest assured that cocoa does indeed have nutritional benefits.  As you can tell intuitively, chocolate is a natural anti-depressant, it's also very high in antioxidants and magnesium.  Antioxidants help fight free-radicals in our body, ultimately preventing inflammation and disease states (such as cancer).  Magnesium has a blood pressure lowering affect and is vital for our digestive, cardiovascular, and neurological systems. If you really want your fill on all the benefits of chocolate, you might enjoy the Theo Chocolate Tour.  There you'll get to taste all the chocolate you can dream of, and learn about this treasured food. 

I chose to use half spelt flour in the recipe rather than all-purpose wheat or even whole wheat.  Spelt is a grain that does have gluten, making it easy to bake with, but is more easily digestible than its typically overeaten relative, wheat.  Spelt is an ancient grain, and is thought to be an ancestor grain before wheat was hybridized.  Its is a great source of Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and Vitamin B3 (niacin) and manganese as well as insoluble fiber. 

Captain's enchiladas

 

Why is it that after it's been a stint since writing a blog post or a journal entry, we feel the need to say, "sorry it's been a while"  or give some justification of what we have been doing that would elicit such absent behavior?  It's as if our blog or journal is some loyal dog that has been waiting at the door for us hungry.

Here's my excuse: I got a job, I've cooking less (because of the amazing chef living here), I've been catering to my husband with a broken leg, and I'm pregnant.  Yes, 22 weeks.  She or he is due on the 4th of July, and therefore has been named, Captain America.  Captain is apparently Latino.  All I have wanted to eat for the last 5 months is corn chips, papusas, tamales, fish tacos, burritos, huevos rancheros, posole, and now enchiladas.

I've been feeling achy and having muscle cramps lately so, yesterday I went to see my favorite massage therapist, Scott.  I described to him how I've been feeling, "achy, as if I have molasses in my joints."  He worked on me a bit, and then asked, "Have you tried eating molasses?" BRILLIANT! 

How am I to fit molasses into my diet?  You would think that growing up in Louisiana, I would have all kinds of ideas, but not for these such cravings.  So, the enchiladas were born.

Deer Spinach Enchiladas

In this recipe, I used deer meat that my father hunted for me.  Ground turkey , beef, or firm tofu or tempeh would also work well.  Serve the enchiladas with brown rice and a green salad for a full meal. 

Serves 4 to 6

Sauce:

2 T coconut oil

1 small onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T ground cumin

2 dried chipotle chilies, seeded and torn into pieces

1- 28 oz can tomato sauce

½ cup water

1 tsp sea salt

2 T molasses

Enchilada stuffing:

1 T coconut oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 pound deer meat

2 tsp chili powder

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 jalepeno pepper, diced

3 cups baby spinach leaves

1 to 2 cups cooked white beans

10 to 12 organic corn tortillas

*1/2 cup grated organic mozzarella cheese (optional)

1. To make the sauce, heat a 3-quart pot over medium heat.  Heat oil in the pot, add onion and sauté for a few minutes.  Add garlic and cumin and sauté a few minutes more.  Next add the remaining ingredients (chilies, tomatoes, water, salt, molasses).  Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes (or until you’re done with the rest of the meal).  Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. This is another great use for an inversion blender.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. To make the enchilada stuffing, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil.  Add onion and sauté until soft.  Add garlic, cumin, and salt, sauté a minute more.
4. Add ground meat, and cook until brown.  Drain any excess fat.
5. Add chili powder, red peppers, and spinach.  Saute until the spinach wilts.  Turn off the heat, add the cooked beans, mix well.
6. To assemble the enchiladas, hold a tortilla in your hand, and scoop about ½ cup of filling in the center.  Tightly roll the tortilla; place in a the 9 x 13 glass baking dish, seam down.  Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.
7. Top the enchiladas with the sauce.  Sprinkle the top with cheese.  Cover the dish and bake about 40 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve hot!

NUTRITION
Molasses is a great sweetener, especially compared to it's counterpart, white sugar, which has been stripped of nutrients.  Molasses is one of the few sweeteners that provides any nutritional benefit.  The nutrients it provides are particularly important during pregnancy, and could potentially help to alleviate some of my ailments.  It's high in iron, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals like potassium, copper and manganese.  Captain is 10 1/2 inches long, and laying down bone faster than she ever will.  These minerals are imperative for building bone.  If my diet or blood stream doesn't have enough, he'll happily take it from my stores (muscles and bone) - hence the achiness and muscle cramps.  Maybe this meal will even help Ammen lay some new bone in his broken leg, he is on his 3rd helping.  Do you have any good molasses recipes to share?  

Winning Butternut Squash Gnocchi

I met this recipe with resistance.  Even though orange vegetables and gnocchi are two of my favorite ingredients, it was Sunday night, and I wanted to make pancakes.

The thing is, I happen to live with the best chef in Seattle.  We've tried to keep it a secret for a while, but the truth is, he lives here.  He doesn't currently have a food blog, but watch out bloggers, because as soon as he does, no one else will!  He's amazing in the kitchen, and pancakes just don't really cut it for his sophisticated palate.  Not to mention, we were having over a few special guests so, he convinced me to join him in veering from the norm to enter a recipe contest.  The only parameter of the contest was to make Butternut squash the key ingredient.

After agreeing to miss my traditional meal, we instantly began brainstorming the ideal combination: butternut squash, mushrooms, sage, thyme, maybe even hazelnuts.  But how could we make our recipe stand out?  We decided to put all of our secrets into this one dish.

WARNING: if you keep reading, you will likely either be drooling on your computer or you will be busy making gnocchi for the next several hours.

Butternut Gnocchi with Sauteed Butternut Squash, Wild Mushrooms, Sage and Hazelnuts

Serves 4 to 6

Gnocchi:

• 2 3/4 cups roasted butternut squash (~1/2 a large squash)
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 egg

1. Preheat oven at 350. Bake  squash whole for 30 minutes to soften skin. Remove from oven, cool, and peel. Cut squash in half, de-seed and chop into 1” pieces. Place 1” cubes into a baking dish and roast for 30 minutes or until soft.  
2. While the butternut squash is roasting, the hazelnuts should be toasted on a sheet pan in the oven, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until skin comes off easily. Rub off skins and chop hazelnuts.
3. Pass 1/2 of butternut squash cubes through a food mill and into a large metal bowl. A potato smasher works as well if you don't have access to a food mill.
4. Add salt and egg to squash and mix.
5. Add 1 3/4 cups of flour and work in to squash until just combined. Add 1/4 of flour at a time until dough is still slightly tacky but workable. Careful not to over kneed.
6. Flour work surface and working 1/4 of dough at a time, roll dough into 1/2 diameter ropes with the palms of your hands. Dust work surface and hands with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
7. Cut ropes of dough into 1" pieces and transfer to a sheet pan that has been dusted with semolina or all-purpose flour.
8. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil over medium heat.

Saute:

• 2 3/4 cups butternut squash (~1/2 squash), roasted and cubed
• 1 1/2 tablespoon shallot, minced
• 1/2 pound wild mushrooms (we used chanterelles and cauliflower mushroom. Any mild mushroom such as Oyster could be substituted.)
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 4 cups dinosaur kale ( 6 to 8 stalks ), sliced in 1" strips width wise
• 3 tablespoons fresh sage, cut into thin ribbons
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Over medium high heat, cook 4 T butter till it starts to brown. Fry sage in brown butter. Remove sage from pan and reserve.
2. Spoon 1 T of butter from pan into a large metal bowl.
3. Add shallots to pan and saute for until they start to turn translucent.
4. Add wild mushrooms to pan and saute for 2 minutes.
5. Add kale, thyme, and butternut squash and saute till kale is wilted.
6. Remove from heat, add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Cook 1/3 of the gnocchi at a time in pot of boiling water. When gnocchi floats spoon into bowl with the 1 T of butter and toss.
8. Place cooked gnocchi in bowl and top with sauteed vegetables. Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts over the top and serve to hungry guests. 

Nutrition

Don't be afraid of this high calorie meal at the right time.  I often hear that people avoid butter because of it's high fat and cholesterol.  Butter is really not that bad.  Yes, it has both fat and cholesterol, but it also happens to be one of the most healthful fats available, especially for cooking.   
Butter contains both short and medium chain fatty acids.  Fats are essential for normal body functions (including energy, mental health, building cells, and producing hormones).  Short and medium chain fats can be absorbed directly into the liver without being digested, making them the most readily available.  They also harbor antimicrobial, antifungal, and immune-supporting properties. So, have some, just not too much, and not too often.

Not only is this recipe worth a taste contest, each ingredient is full of health benefits.  Butternut squash is a nutritional goldmine.  It's full of vitamin A, and is more nutritious than the traditional russet potato gnocchi.  The dinosaur kale not only offers a beautiful green color contrast to the bright orange squash, it also offers an incredibly high source of vitamin K and iron.  The knowledge of the nutritional value of mushrooms is one of the most underrated.  Mushrooms contain complete proteins, and they are also brimming with Vitamin D (rare in food and this time of year). They are able to detoxify our bodies, as well as lower our cholesterol (what a great compliment to the butter!). 

Bright Orange Soup

After years of trips to the windy city to visit the South Side Irish, I've learned to expect slumber-parties, leg wrestling, gregarious cousins, wise cracking grandpas and way too much pizza.  When you gather 50 relatives in one house, the easiest way to feed them all, is to order a slew of pizzas.   After years of visiting my in-laws, I thought pizza was just a part of the whole experience, until one Christmas Eve when we gathered at the Dillon's house.  As soon as I walked in their house, I recognized the smell of orange vegetables.

Having grown up the daughter of a sweet potato farmer, my mom was well versed in preparing them. Because my mom was concerned about her fair skinned children getting enough Vitamin A, we were sure to have an orange vegetable with each of our meals, especially in the wintertime.  Not only were we assuring adequate Vitamin A intake, we were also sure to not be too pale.  Did you know that if you eat enough orange vegetables, you can actually turn orange?  For a fair-skinned redhead, orange can pass as tan.

So, when I stepped into the Dillon's home, I walked straight to the kitchen to see what yam dish was cooking.   And there I found the most vibrant orange colored soup; such a refreshing change from the regular pizza dinner!  I've since made this soup countless times.  It's a great blended soup,  it can be made with just about any orange vegetable.  I've used sweet potatoes, delicata squash, acorn squash, carrots, and butternut.  My favorite combination is below.  Enjoy!

Bright Orange Soup

The best and most brilliantly colored soup. It’s best served with some fresh, warm pumpernickel bread.

Servings: (matters how well you like it) 2-8 servings

3 T butter
1 butternut squash, "peeled" and cubed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1# carrots, cut evenly
*substitute orange vegetable that you have

3 cups broth
1/2 tsp chili flakes
salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. 

Place all veggies and butter (cut throughout) in a casserole pan and bake until soft (usually about 30-40minutes). 

Put vegetables in a pot along with the chili flakes and vegetable (or chicken) broth.  Place all ingredients in a food processor/blender with broth.  I prefer to use an inversion blender to prevent an orange kitchen.  

Serve immediately!
  
 

 

for easy peeling, bake the entire squash at 350 for 15 minutes

 

beautiful mix of sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash (and butter)

my favorite kitchen tool in use: the inversion blender

 

Molly's Magnificent Muesli

a jar of fiber

It all started on Christmas morning 2003 when I opened a present from my sister.

"Wow, it's a jar of fiber, thanks!"

"Just soak it with rice milk or water, put a little honey on it, and you'll love it," she replied.


"Well, what is this?" I asked


"The recipe is attached. Trust me, you'll love it and make it over and over."

"Thanks, I can't wait. Merry Christmas." I remember thinking sarcastically.

What at first glance looked like wood shavings mixed with oatmeal is now an integral part of my daily ritual.  Let me just give it to you straight: THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE I OWN.  I have given this recipe to hundreds of my clients, several roommates and friends, and most of us agree that we feel so much better after eating it.  I typically eat this 5 days a week, and miss it the other two. It gives a great cleansing and satisfying feeling, and helps to control blood sugar for hours. It's also an incredibly adaptable recipe. Change it up by adding yogurt and fresh berries or homemade strawberry rhubarb jam.

perfect mix of nuts, fruits, and grains

Molly's Magnificent Muesli
 
This incredibly healthy recipe is a great way to start every day.  Making this recipe in bulk also saves time and money and can serve you for a couple of weeks. 

Serves 12

4 cups rolled oats

2 cups oat bran

½ cup dry fruit - raisins, dates, blueberries, etc

1 cup sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds

1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or almonds)

1 cup ground flax

1 cup milk thistle seeds, ground

½ cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup chia seeds (available at www.mountainroseherbs.com)

Grind flax and milk thistle in coffee grinder. Combine all ingredients, mix, and keep in refrigerator.

For each serving, take 1 cup and soak the mixture for a minute or longer. The longer the better, (even overnight works great). For soaking use your choice of milk (almond, rice, cow, etc) or water.

Nutrition

Oats: satisfy hunger, provide energy, endurance, calm nerves, promote regular bowel health, clean digestive tract, promote clear thinking

Oat bran: bran is the highest fiber part of the grain; helps to lower cholesterol & stabilize blood sugar

Almonds: good source of crunch, calcium and protein

Flax seeds: contain omega 3 fatty acids, works as a mild laxative, reduces inflammation, and helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and to prevent arthritis. They are also good for hair and nail health.

Milk thistle: prevents free radical damage, protects the liver, and helps the liver replenish new cells.

Raisins or blueberries: adds sweetness and texture, as well as iron, vitamin C, and antioxidants.

Sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds: great source of zinc and protein.  Zinc is a great immune booster and helps heal wounds. 

Chia seeds: second to flax they are the highest non-animal source of omega 3 fatty acids, also high in B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals (calcium, copper, and zinc).

bought in bulk