Morning Glory Muffins {Fall Version}

My breakfasts have been suffering lately. I usually like to be awake for an hour or two before eating, so on days where I have to be on the road before the sun comes up it's difficult for me to eat. Sometimes I'll force feed myself a yogurt or maybe a bowl of cereal, but I'm ravenous an hour later.

I found these muffins during the summer, and thought they would be perfect to have in the freezer so I could grab one or two and eat it later on when I'm actually ready to eat my breakfast. I finally got around to making them about a week ago, and they are just as moist and delicious warmed from the freezer as they were fresh.

I had a bit of fun making these, as I improvised a lot. The ingredient list is crazy long, so use what you have! I used the original recipe as a guide, but put a fall spin on it. I substituted pumpkin for half of the oil, used dried cranberries in place of raisins, and apple cider in place of orange juice (though orange juice would be awesome...reminds me of my favorite muffin). I also used a combination of chia seeds and ground flax seeds in place of the wheat germ.

 

I'm glad I have these waiting for me in my freezer for those cold, early morning drives!

Morning Glory Muffins {Fall Version}

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups peeled and grated carrots

1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated (or leave the peel on, your choice)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped pecans, or nut of choice

1/3 cup combiniation of chia seeds, ground flax seed, wheat germ, etc. (optional)

3 large eggs

1/3 cup pumpkin

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup orange juice or apple cider
 
Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers.

In a small bowl, cover the cranberries/raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and seeds/wheat germ etc. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, oil, vanilla, and juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the cranberries/raisins and stir them in.

Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan (they'll be full almost to the top; that's OK). Bake the muffins for 25 to 28 minutes, until they're nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the inner muffins comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Recipe Source: adapted from King Aurthur Flour

Three-Bean Turkey Chili

After a month of silence, it feels great to finally have something nummy to share with you all today. This past month has been so busy I've hardly cooked or baked anything at all! I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to stand over the stove and give this chili a stir. It was good for my soul. 

I made this chili last year, using a vegetarian three-bean chili recipe as a guide. The result was outstanding, and I can't believe I haven't blogged about it until now! If you want to make it vegetarian, check out the original recipe which uses cubed butternut squash and veggie stock. Based off of the outstanding reviews, I'm sure it would be equally as delicious!! 

I chose to top the chili with shredded jack cheese, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro. I think some avocado would be divine. Can you tell I'm a girl who loves her garnishes?? :)

I will be submitting this recipe to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen. There's always a great line up of soups, salads, and sandwiches every Sunday, so check it out!

Three-Bean Turkey Chili

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 pound ground turkey (dark meat if you can find it!)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained (no salt added)

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can great northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Garnishes (optional...I guess): sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, shredded jack cheese, avocado, whatever you like!

Directions

Preheat broiler. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place pepper halves in a zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop peppers.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add onion and turkey, and cook until meat is browned. Stir in cumin and next 4 ingredients (through garlic). Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bell peppers, broth, and tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Add beans, simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. If you want a thicker chili, leave the lid off after you add the beans. I like it a little more soupy, so I just took the lid off for the last 15 minutes or so. Totally up to you!

When ready to serve, top with your favorite garnishes and serve with tortilla chips!

Recipe Inspiration: Cooking Light

Sausage-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Let's just get to the point, shall we? These are little cups of heaven, and you need to make them asap. I'm sad to say that the lone mushroom you see in the pictures is the only one I got to eat! Yes, my mushroom hating boyfriend* ate the remaining FIVE mushrooms, within 24 hours of them coming out of the oven. That is how wonderful they were. Full of sausage, cheese, and veggies, these are the epitome of comfort food. With fall hopefully approaching soon (90 degrees?...c'mon!), this is exactly the kind of meal I want to come home to every day. 

Sausage-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Instructions

6 portobello mushrooms, stemmed (reserve 1 cup minced stems)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

12 ounces hot Italian sausage

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

2 teaspoons Essence seasoning

1 egg, lightly beaten

Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Using your hands, lightly rub each portobello mushroom with the olive oil, and place on a baking sheet.

Cook the sausage in a medium skillet until browned, breaking it into bits, about 4 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and mushroom stems and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

Remove from heat, and transfer mixture to a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, 1/4 cup of parsley, Essence seasoning, and egg, stirring until well combined.

Divide the filling among the mushroom caps, about 1/3-1/2 cup for each mushroom. Combine remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of Parmesan in a small mixing bowl. Divide the bread crumb mixture evenly among the tops of the mushrooms. Bake until golden brown on top and the mushrooms are tender, about 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Garnish with remaining tablespoon of parsley, drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and serve warm or at room temperature.

*Apparently, Chris likes mushrooms, but not "normal" mushrooms. I'm assuming he means white button mushrooms. Gotta love him. 

Recipe Source: adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Cream Biscuits

There is no need to ever buy canned or frozen biscuits. It's just too darn easy to make them from scratch, and they taste a million times better! These biscuits are actually easier then others I've made before, because you don't have to cut in any butter. Winning!

So when you wake up tomorrow morning, celebrate the weekend by making a batch. Smear with butter and top with your favorite jam (I used strawberry jam that my mom made), or put a sausage patty in the middle for a savory breakfast sandwich. Either way you go you'll be very happy with the outcome! Yay for the weekend!!

Cream Biscuits

Ingredients

3 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the surface

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease a cast iron griddle.

Melt butter in a small pot or microwave dish, and set aside.

Sift two cups flour, the baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Fold in 1 1/4 cups cream. If the dough is not soft or easily handled, fold in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, little by little. (My dough seemed just fine with only 1 1/4 cups cream, so I didn't add the remaining 1/4 cup. Use your best judgment!)

Turn dough onto a floured surface, mound it into a ball and, using your hands, press it to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Cut into rounds, 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Gather dough scraps and continue to make rounds. Try to work the dough as little as possible, or else your biscuits may be tough.

Brush the biscuits with melted butter and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately, or flash freeze for future use.*

*I only baked two of them for myself, as Chris is still gluten free for the time being, and froze the rest for later. This is how I did it: arrange the biscuits on a small baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Brush the biscuits with butter and freeze. Once frozen, remove from sheet, and place in a freezer bag. When you're ready to bake, use the same oven temperature, only add a few extra minutes to baking time.

Recipe Source: Smitten Kitchen

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

It's September. Wow. Where did August go? July? June? Did they actually happen? I don't believe it! For the past few weeks I've been trying to hold onto the last bits of summer, wishing it would stay just a bit longer. However, every time September rolls around, I start to get the itch for cooler weather. School is back in session (bouquets of sharpened pencils!), college football, apples will soon be abundant, I get to where my beloved boots, and comfort food starts to seem like more appropriate dinner time fare.

My teacher has mentioned before that your mom's spaghetti will always be the best to you, which is true. However, I don't think my mom has a set spaghetti recipe (sorry if I'm wrong mom!), and everything she made was (and still is) the best, but I think it's because she made it, not necessarily the recipe itself. I believe my mom would love this version I'm sharing with you today. Tons of peppers and mushrooms, wine, spicy Italian sausage and ground turkey, it's truly delicious, and worthy of your time. This recipe makes a very large amount (I'm guessing at least 10 servings), but that was ideal for me as I am trying to stock my freezer for the semester. Maybe there will be some left when she visits next month and we can enjoy this wonderful sauce together! Happy Labor Day!  

P.S. My Tahini-Dressed Zucchini and Green Bean Salad won last month's challenge for No-Croutons Required (a tie with another beautiful dish). How cool is that!?! 

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

20 oz sliced mushrooms

1.5 lbs ground turkey (or beef)

1 lb hot Italian sausage

1 28-ounce can marinara or tomato puree

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 24-ounce can tomato sauce

BIG splash red wine (in the end, I probably added about a cup)

6 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp dried basil

1 bay leaf

1 tbsp sugar

About 1.5 tablespoons garlic salt

Pepper as needed

Spaghetti noodles & additional grated cheese for serving

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, bell peppers and sliced mushrooms. Saute for about six to eight minutes, until mushrooms are soft. Add ground beef and sausage meat. Cook until meat browns, stirring frequently with a large rubber spatula.

Add marinara, tomato paste, and tomato sauce to the pot. Stir well. Then, add the wine, cheese, spices, bay leaf, sugar. garlic salt, and pepper. Stir well and bring sauce to a simmer.

Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for an hour and a half over low heat, stirring occasionally. Taste it as you cook, adding more wine, spices, or garlic salt to suite your taste buds.

Serve sauce over hot spaghetti noodles with extra cheese. Sauce can be refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for up to three months. Sauce will taste better the next day, after flavors have time to meld.

Recipe Source: Eat Live Run