Muffin tops

"My muffin top is all that

Whole grain, low-fat

I know you want a piece of that,

But I just want to dance."

Yes, I just quoted Jenna from 30-Rock.  I couldn't help humming the song while baking this afternoon.  This weekend I'll be driving out West where it's wide-open and wanted some semi-healthy snacks for the trip and the hike.  Evidently, there's a burn ban and a charcoal ban at the park we're going to, so I've had to think creatively.   No campfire potatoes and veggie roasts.

My solution?  Cold pizza (yikes!, but yum!), tarragon chicken salad sandwiches, blueberry muffins and granola bars. 

Here is the muffin recipe I used; I have adapted it dramatically, so I'll post my version here. 

Blueberry Muffins

4 eggs
1.5 cups  agave nectar
1 cup apple sauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups flour (I used King Arthur)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups greek yogurt, plain
3 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
1.5 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 24 muffin cups.  Don't use paper liners.

2. In large bowl beat eggs, gradually add nectar and apple sauce while beating. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.

3. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with yogurt. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.

4.Bake for about 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

The last granola bars I made were no-bake and had Karo in them.  I really wanted to stay away from corn syrup, so I found an alternate recipe.  This recipe can be found on AllRecipes.com here.   I did make a few modifications:  I used half flax-seeds and half-wheat germ.  I used half apple sauce and half oil.  I used more cinnamon than specified (about 1.5 tsp).  Also, bake for about 20 minutes, not 30.  Both recipes turned out nicely. 

Some days need to start off with a gourmet omelet. Today was one of those days. I took some asparagus and red bell pepper, chopped and sautéed them and then stuffed this big boy with 2% cheddar cheese (which makes me feel better about the fat content... ) and the veggies. Bam. And viola.

Let me know if you need tips on getting your omelet to turn out nicely.

The kitchen is open

When I'm not busy garnishing you with essential oils and kneading your muscles, I like to partake in some aromatherapy of my own: cooking. So, lately I've been thinking about how to best serve my clients outside of the treatment room. The easiest way I can imagine is by sharing what's on my table every now and then. Sometimes you'll find that I'm somewhat health conscious.

Please delight in these dishes and hopefully I won't spur your envy too much. Feel free to share your recipes and health tips as well.

Impromptu Mexican-inspired Dish

We've been without a kitchen for about a month after doing some DIY remodeling (yikes!). So, today I have access to the sink, dishwasher and stove again and that's reason enough to celebrate! Did I remember how to prepare a meal? I was worried at first... but surprisingly, my inspiration had braised long enough.

 

Ingredients for two

1/2 bunch fresh asparagus

A handful of plum tomatoes

1 poblano pepper

1 large tomatillo

Chicken breast tenders (about 6 or 7 small tenders for 2 people)

6 oz or so plain non-fat yogurt

about a tablespoon of butter

Comino to taste (cumin) - about 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

pinch of nutmeg

dried or fresh garlic

dried onion flakes

1 tsp cornstarch mixed with a little cold water

beans! (these were cooked on a previous day and frozen - recipe to follow?)

Method

This will take about 30-40 minutes including prep. I started by chopping the tomatoes and tomatillo, prepping the steamer for the asparagus, and roasting the poblano over the gas burner (you can skip this step if you don't feel like doing this). I preheated the griddle on my stove (you can use a pan with a lid instead) to about lowish-medium.

You can tell already that this is not rocket-science, right?


I then buttered the griddle and buttered a separate pan for the sauce (as shown in photo). I let the poblano cool and then sliced it into strips. I started the asparagus in the steamer (10 minutes or so).

Now the magic happens: I tossed the strips of poblano on the griddle and then laid the chicken strips out on top of the peppers. I spritzed it with water and covered it with a metal bowl. This step is crucial for the most tender grilled chicken ever. Simultaneously, I threw the tomatillos, garlic, onion flakes, nutmeg, cayenne and comino into the separate pan and let them cook down for a minute or two on medium-high heat. Next, flip the chicken tenders and then throw in the tomatoes and yogurt to the sauce mix.

Once the asparagus and chicken are almost done, drip the cornstarch into the sauce and let it thicken a bit.

Serve as shown.  Yum-tastic!  The chicken is tender, the sauce is tangy and the asparagus is just past al-dente.