I recently had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go on safari in southern Africa. A safari guide and tracker introduced me to a delicious drink called the mochachocarula: coffee, hot cocoa powder, and the South African cream liqueur Amarula. While getting out muffin ingredients today, I remembered the drink and used it as inspiration. Read more …
We signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share this year, paying a flat fee at the beginning of the growing season to a local farmer, who then delivers a box of fresh vegetables once a week. Getting a CSA subscription is more economical than buying an equivalent amount of vegetables at the grocery store, and some CSAs let you … Read more
I had a bunch of odds and ends in my fridge: an overripe avocado, half a banana, a spot of applesauce, some leftover millet and a bit of whey from making Greek yogurt. What could I make that used all of them? Muffins, of course! Avocados are a great source of beneficial fats, including anti-inflammatory phytosterols and oleic acid, similar to the … Read more
I was feeling fancy this week, so decided to make iced muffins. I usually skip icing and frosting because they tend to be loaded with sugar. Plus, I’m a bit lazy! But I’ve been wondering lately if sugar substitutes could create the satisfying, crunchy-but-melty texture of a good icing. My curiosity finally won out over my laziness, and I started experimenting. … Read more
The recipe is an adaptation of a quiche I first tasted at a Master Gardeners potluck many years ago. It was the best quiche I’d tasted in ages, so of course I pestered the cook for the recipe. It turned out to be something she’d clipped from a supermarket circular The secret ingredient is cottage cheese, which gives it a … Read more
I’ve been continuing my experiments in vegan baking with coconut flour. This week, I decided to try a variation on the sweet potato muffins I posted a couple weeks ago. As with the vegan chocolate-orange muffins I made last week, psyllium is the not-so-secret ingredient for holding the muffins together and giving them a nice texture. If you like chai, you’ll love these … Read more
I finally found a way to cook with coconut flour that doesn’t require using a million eggs! The trick is to use psyllium husks – yup, the stuff in Metamucil. When you combine psyllium with a little liquid and allow it to sit, you get a thick goop. Including it in grain-free baked goods adds excellent structure and holding power to the final product. If … Read more
I’ve got nothing against wheat, but it’s fun to mix things up a little. I found some coconut flour at Trader Joe’s and have been playing around with different recipes that use it. Coconut flour can’t be substituted one-to-one for wheat flour; it expands a lot when mixed with liquid, so you generally need to use less coconut flour than you … Read more
I was in the mood for something made with buckwheat, and while racking my brain for flavors that would go well with it, I hit upon cranberries. I almost always have a bag or two of whole, unsweetened cranberries in my freezer – I tend to buy several pounds in autumn when they are cheap and toss them in the freezer. … Read more
My two favorite desserts are “anything with chocolate” and “anything with pumpkin.” This recipe includes both – although with its relatively low sugar content, you don’t have to save it for dessert. This muffin does not have the cake-level of sweetness that you’ll usually fine in prepackaged muffins or the ones they sell at coffee shops. I use just enough sweetener … Read more