Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

In an effort to partially revamp my diet, and to follow my midwife's orders of no processed sugars or simple carbohydrates, I decided to try a healthy pumpkin muffin recipe to replace the craving for a slice of Starbuck's pumpkin loaf mid-morning.  These muffins have a lot of ingredients, including some that you probably don't have hanging around your pantry already, but I think the extra effort is worth the signifcant cut in sugar, calories, and fat found in most baked goods. 

Ingredients:
- 1 c whole wheat flour
- 1/4c oat or wheat bran
- 1/4c flaxseed meal
- 2t baking powder
- 1 1/2t baking soda
- 2t cinnamon
- 1/4t ground ginger
- 1/4t ground cloves
- 1/4t ground nutmeg
- 3/4c pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 3T canola oil (you maybe could use even less)
- 1c white grape juice concentrate
- 1/3c sugar free apricot preserves (I used sugar free even though I am very sensitive to that artificial sugar taste)
- 2t vanilla
- 2/3c golden raisins or chopped dried apricots
- 1/2c toasted chopped walnuts

- Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, bran, flaxseed, baking powder and soda, and spices).  In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, grape juice concentrate, preserves, and vanilla until it is all a consistent texture.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.  Add the dried fruit and toasted nuts, as desired. 

- Divide evenly into 12 muffins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
I think the walnuts add a great toasty crunch to the finished muffins, even though I usually shy away from nuts in my baked goods.  I also used the golden raisins, which plump up during cooking, and take on a very moist texture that almost blends into the rest of the muffin.  Next time I might chop them up a bit, as they can get pretty large after they expand in the muffins. 

Finally, I think you could substitute in a different juice concentrate for the white grape juice, if desired.  Apple juice concentrate would probably work well. 

Up next week:  Triple blueberry muffins!

Inspiration

Last week Cillian and I decided to rent a car and head down through the Appalachians.  It was a wonderful, rejuvinating trip.  We only drove a few hours any given day, and took time to wander and explore.  We both returned feeling refreshed and with our creative energies restored.  Here are a few of the highlights of the beautiful scenery we saw from Virginia to North Carolina.

Barbeque Chicken and Vegetable Pizza

Tonight we made an awesome pizza for dinner, so I have to share it!  For us, pizza is actually a great way to get a ton of veggies and some lean protein in a quick meal that is easy to clean up.  

Ingredients:

- Pizza crust

- 1c finely shredded Parmesan cheese  

- 1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces 

- 1 red pepper, cut into bite-size strips

- 1/2 yellow onion, cut into bite-sized pieces

- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, very finely cut (more or less depending on your preference)

- 1-2 cobs of sweetcorn, cut off the cob

- 2oz chevre cheese

- 2-3c arugula 

- 1T chili powder

- 2t cumin

- 1t oregano

- 2T smoked paprika

- 1T tomato paste 

- 1/4c chicken or vegetable stock

- 1/4c barbeque sauce

- Salt and pepper

- Canola/Vegetable Oil

To prepare your chicken and vegetables, season the cut chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and smoked paprika.  If you don't have smoked paprika, there's no need to run out and buy it for this recipe.  You can substitute in some of the chili powder and cumin.

Saute your chicken pieces until cooked.  Set aside.  In the same pan, saute the red pepper, onion, and jalapeno until cooked but still crisp.  Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper and cook for another minute.  Add tomato paste and cook for about a minute.  The mixture should be pretty pasty at this point, so you will probably need to loosen things up with some stock (or substitute a little water for the stock if you don't have it on hand).  Add barbeque sauce.

To assemble the pizza, first spread the Parmesan cheese onto crust.  This will create a barrier between your crust and the wet ingredients, so your crust doesn't get soggy.  Then add the arugula, corn, chicken, and sauteed vegetables.  Top with crumbled chevre cheese. 

Cook at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes.

Another great feature of pizza is that you can easily change it up and substitute in ingredients you may have on hand for those that you don't.  This recipe itself was a first-time experiment based on a southwest-style salad we've been loving lately, but it turned out great! 

Asheville Cotton Co.

Last week while I was in Asheville, NC and Cillian was busy running the Shut-In Trail (a 17-mile run over Mt. Pisgah with 5000 feet of elevation climb!) I opted to take it easy and visit the Asheville Cotton Co.  This is a great little cloth store just outside of downtown Asheville, NC.  Not only will you be inspired by the beautiful mountains and natural beauty of Asheville, but the fabric in the store is bright and fun, and definitely inspirational!  This is not like so many other fabric stores in the south that is stocked full of restoration prints or civil-war fabrics in dull browns and mauves.  Instead, it is full of bright fun prints - the perfect stop if you are planning a baby or kid's quilt. 

The ladies working at the Asheville Cotton Co. the afternoon I visited were so helpful and friendly.  They also had a sale table with great fabric at 50-70% off!  I picked up a few bright colored fabrics that I think will be good additions to my stash.