Homemade Mayonnaise (Whole30)

Homemade Mayonnaise (Whole30)

Mayonnaise is something I typically avoid.  I've always thought of it as a really fatty indulgence I guess.  I've shared this past week that I have taken on a Whole30 Challenge.  Each time you prepare a plate of food, you strive to have loads to vegetables, a good source of protein, a little fruit, and a little healthy fat. The healthy fats can be avocado, nuts, coconut, olives, and even something like mayonnaise. But the catch is that you want a mayonnaise is free of sugar and other additives.  You can likely find "Whole30 Compliant" mayo at the store, but making mayo at home is surprisingly simple.  I must admit I had one failed attempt earlier this week.  I had the choice to use my blender or my food processor.  When I used the blender, the mayo did not thicken.  When I used my food processor, it came out beautifully.  If you have an immersion blender, apparently you can also make mayo in a vessel such as a Mason jar.

Since I did have one failed attempt at mayo making, I decided to watch a few videos to determine where I went wrong.  I watched this video HERE and another video HERE.  I think my blender is not enough of a "high speed" blender so I am thinking that is why my blender version did not work out.  Also the opening at the top of my blender is so big that the ingredients kept spurting out of the top of the blender when I had the blender turned on.  I was a big old mess.

Basic Mayonnaise (Whole30)

1 1/4 cups LIGHT olive (do not use EXTRA VIRGIN olive oil)

1 large egg (room temperature)

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon salt (more if desired)

Juice of 1/2 lemon (room temperature)

Place 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the egg, mustard powder, and salt in a blender or food processor.  Mix thoroughly. While the food processor or blender is running, slowly drizzle in the remaining 1 cup of olive oil (I had my food processor on high the entire time).  After you've added all the oil and the mixture has emulsified (it should be thick), add in the lemon juice, blending on low to incorporate. Store in the refrigerator.  Mayonnaise with thicken even further once refrigerated.  

I was pretty excited that this worked out!  It really was easy after all.  The first recipe I made with my homemade mayonnaise was a great tuna salad.  I don't have exact measurements for you, but here's an idea of what my ingredients were.

• About 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 1 can of tuna
• 1 big stalk of celery, diced
• a few tablespoons of diced onion
• a squirt of Gulden's spicy mustard
• a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about 1/4 of a lemon)
• Himalayan salt and ground black pepper
• a generous sprinkle of dried dill weed
• some chopped cherry tomatoes

Protein Pancakes

Protein Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I saw this recipe on Facebook just the other day and decided to try this for breakfast today.  These are pancakes made with oatmeal, eggs, cottage cheese, and a few other items you likely have lurking in your pantry.  I made the batter in my Ninja Blender and had my pancakes cooked up in a jiffy.  My description of these pancakes is a cross between French toast and pancakes.  These pancakes are denser than your ordinary pancakes and "eggy" in the same way that French toast is eggy.  The photo above makes me want to go eat up my leftover pancakes right now. Yum!




NOTE:  I made a few modifications to the recipe.  I omitted the honey, forgot the vanilla extract, used old fashioned (rolled) oats in place of instant oats, and used two eggs in place of the suggested four egg whites.  I had my pancakes with peanut butter and maple syrup but I have some berries thawing out for tomorrow's breakfast.

Original recipe:  www.daisybrand.com

There are a lot of great looking recipes on the Daisy Brand website.  I think I will try some more of their recipes in the near future.

Flourless Pumpkin Blender Muffins with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

Flourless Pumpkin Blender Muffins with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

I've made a lot of blender muffins in the past year or so and this one is probably my favorite. I tweaked the recipe just a tad and I love these muffins.  The recipe source is a blog called "Making Thyme for Health".  I think I may have made these muffins once before, but I added raisins and walnuts.  I guess my only changes this time around were (1) using extra virgin olive oil instead of the recommended peanut butter or coconut oil, (2) using plain almond milk instead of vanilla flavored almond milk, and (3) adding walnuts along with the chocolate chips.  

RECIPE SOURCE:

http://makingthymeforhealth.com/healthy-flourless-pumpkin-muffins/

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons evoo
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 and 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and then grease or line a muffin tin for 12 muffins.

Starting with the wet ingredients first (pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, etc.) layer everything except the chocolate chips and walnuts into a blender or a food processor; blend until smooth.

Using a spoon, gently stir the chocolate chips and walnuts into the batter. Pour the batter into the muffin tin, filling each about 3/4th of the way full. Bake in the oven for 22 minutes, until light golden brown.

Allow to to cool for at least 10-15 minutes before stuffing in your face.

I am sure these probably freeze well like the other blender muffins I've made but these are all gone. I took some to the knit shop to share with my friends and I ate the rest! 

 

The BEST Balsamic Vinaigrette

The BEST Balsamic Vinaigrette

I realize I am not going to win any prizes for photography when it comes to the two photos above, but this Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe is a winner. I found this recipe on line on a blog called "Barefeet in the Kitchen".  I did not read the instructions really thoroughly; the recipe suggests you should whisk this dressing or shake it up in a jar.  The recipe also cautions that this dressing will be really thick if you make it in a blender.  I made it in the blender and it is the thickest dressing I've ever seen.  I've contemplated adding a touch of water to thin it out a bit but haven't tried that yet.  

I have been making kale salads in small plastic tubs.  To dress the greens, I just add the dressing to the salad, top it with the plastic lid, and shake it like crazy to move the dressing around.  It's been working like a charm.

I had this Balsamic Vinaigrette with a salad made of kale, hard boiled egg, turkey bacon, and feta cheese.  Super good.  I have also had this Balsamic Vinaigrette with kale, cottage cheese, and strawberries.  Also very good. 

I am glad to have found this recipe. I am sure I will make this recipe over and over.  It's nice to make your own salad dressings; that way you know exactly what ingredients are in your dressing.

The BEST Balsamic Vinaigrette

From Barefeet in the Kitchen

Link:  http://barefeetinthekitchen.com/best-balsamic-vinaigrette/

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Add the oil and whisk thoroughly emulsified.

Store in a jar with a lid and refrigerate.  Shake well before serving.

Lemon Dijon Kale Salad

Lemon Dijon Kale Salad

I enjoyed this kale salad this week.  Above you can see a bed of kale, a hard boiled egg, and a some chopped walnuts as well as some Craisins.  Great additions to any salad.  This week I tried a Lemon Dijon salad dressing; I made it in the blender.

The weird thing about this dressing is that it calls for an egg yolk... a pasteurized egg yolk. I looked all over my egg carton for the word "pasteurized" and I did NOT find it.  I decided to make the dressing anyway.  I know we've been told to not eat raw eggs due to a risk of salmonella, but truth be told... I have eaten a lot of raw cookie dough containing raw eggs in my 48 plus years and I've lived to tell about it... so I plunged ahead with this recipe.  But of course, feel free to seek out pasteurized eggs if the raw egg thing creeps you out.

This dressing recipe comes from "Fixate".  I have access to these recipes on-line since I am a www.beachbody.com customer.  I download my workouts from Beachbody but they also have videos of cooking demonstrations.  This Lemon Dijon dressing is very lemony but I like the dressing's creaminess.  I also like that the dressing does not separate after being refrigerated. I've tried a number of homemade dressings with extra virgin olive oil and the dressing coagulates in a very undesirable manner.  That was not the case with this dressing. Finally, I recommend something sweet in your salad when you have this dressing to offset the dressing's tartness.  Dried cranberries are good, as are chopped apple. 

Lemon Dijon Salad Dressing

Recipe from "Fixate" on www.beachbody.com

1 large egg yolk, pasteurized

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:  Place all ingredients in a blender EXCEPT for the olive oil.  Blend until combined.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, with the blender running, until dressing is well combined. 

Vegan Chocolate Chia Pudding

vegan chocolate chia pudding

http://namelymarly.com/vegan-chocolate-chia-pudding/

I made myself a little chocolatey treat for myself on Mother's Day.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 cup plant-based milk sugar-free
• ⅓ cup chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• ½ cup pitted dates softened (I used 2 1/2 tablespoons of maple syrup instead)
• Topping: 2 teaspoons dairy-free chocolate chips chopped
• Additional Toppings: Granola, Sliced Almonds, Coconut Slivers and Coconut Whipped Cream

Instructions

1. Mix ingredients in a food processor bowl (I used my Ninja blender) Note: If your dates are not soft, be sure to microwave them for about 30 seconds to soften them. Pulse until the dates are smooth.
2. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or up to 8 hours. It will thicken more the longer it sits, so if you prefer a firmer pudding, refrigerate overnight.
3. Sprinkle the top with chopped dark chocolate chips and almond slivers before serving. Add additional toppings if you'd like, such as granola or whipped cream.

I really liked this treat. Next time I make it, I will portion this into three servings (instead of two) and I'll go crazy with some toppings.  I think it's nice to have some texture contrast with the creamy pudding.  I am thinking granola, toasted nuts, toasted coconut... crunchy things.  I had bananas but I think strawberries would be good too.  I am looking forward to trying out some other chia pudding recipes as well.

Apple Dijon Kale Salad

Kale Salad with Apple, Raisins, and Walnuts

I've decided I might go on a quest to find the ULTIMATE kale salad recipe.

I bought a small bunch of kale a few days ago. I found an awesome looking Indian-spiced lentil soup recipe that I am wanting to try and it called for kale.  BUT I decided I should use up the soup in my freezer first before making more soup so I needed to use up the kale before it went bad.  I am in one of my "let's use up what's in the kitchen before we go shopping again" modes so I considered what I could make with kale.  I briefly considered making kale chips (like this recipe HERE), but I was craving a hearty sort of kale salad.  On hand, I had apple, walnuts, and raisins and that sounded good.  I did a Google search by typing in something like "kale apple raisin walnut" and I found a number of kale salad recipes calling for those ingredients.  There were a number of variations of course... some called for dried cranberries, some called for pecans, some called for feta or cheddar cheese.  I picked a recipe for which I had all of the ingredients and I would not have to make any substitutions and I really liked it.  I did, however, tweak the dressing a bit.  The recipe called for 10 to 15 grinds of black pepper and I over did it.  My dressing was a bit bitter so I added a touch of honey.  I did add some hard boiled egg to my salad for some protein and I really liked that.  And it just occurred to me that the recipe called for a tart Granny Smith apple and I used a sweet Gala apple instead.  Oh well. I followed the recipe pretty closely.

This is a great start on my quest for the ULTIMATE kale salad... I am going to keep trying other recipes.

Apple Dijon Kale Salad
From www.budgetbytes.com
Recipe Link (click HERE)

The slight changes I made to this recipe are listed in ( ) below.

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 - 15 grinds fresh cracked pepper (I over did it with the pepper... start with less and add more if desired)
(Option: if dressing seems too tart, add in a teaspoon or so of honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup to balance the flavors).

1 bunch kale
1 medium Granny Smith Apple (I used a Gala apple)
1/4 cup raisins (I added extra)
1/2 walnuts (I added extra and I toasted the walnuts in a dry skillet before chopping them)

1. Tear the kale leaves from the stems. Cut the leaves into thin slices and then rinse well under cool water (in a colander). Allow the kale to drain as you prepare the rest of the salad.
2. In a blender combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, clove of garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until the garlic is minced and the dressing is smooth. (Option: if dressing is too tart for your liking, add a teaspoon or so of honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup to balance the flavors).
3. Wash the apple and chop it into chunks. Roughly chop the walnut halves. Make sure the kale is as dry as possible and then combine it in a large bowl with the apples, walnuts, and raisins. Pour the dressing on top, starting with half, and toss to coat. Add more dressing as desired.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/06/apple-dijon-kale-salad/

Carrot Cake Flourless Blender Muffins

I've been craving carrot cake.  I've especially been craving the kind with a big old layer of cream cheese frosting up on top.  Around Easter, I found plenty of carrot cake and carrot cake cupcake recipes on line and they looked amazing.  I decided to go for a healthier carrot cake muffin and basically added grated carrot and some other ingredients to the flourless blender muffins I've been making for months.   

The base of the muffins is always oats, eggs, bananas, applesauce, honey, Greek yogurt, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  I've made a number of different varieties by adding in ingredients such as zucchini, coconut, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, and so on.  Ordinarily the recipe makes 12 muffins, but since I add over 1 1/2 cups of extra ingredients in this recipe, it's better to make 14 or 15 muffins out of this recipe.  I made 12 muffins this time around and the muffins took much longer to bake and it was difficult to tell when they were done.  The other thing I noticed about these muffins is that, when the muffins first come out of the oven, it's hard to get the paper liners off of the muffins cleanly.  The next day, however, the paper liners come off much more easily.  Foil muffin liners may work a bit better and of course you can avoid this problem all together by not using muffin liners at all (just make sure you have a good non-stick surface and you use non-stick spray in your muffin pans).

Carrot Cake Flourless Blender Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats (use certified gluten free oats if desired)

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1/4 cup Greek yogurt or light sour cream

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsps honey

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/3 cup raisins

2 finely grated carrots, small to medium size (about 1 cup)

Optional:  additional chopped nuts to sprinkle on muffins before baking

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In your blender, pulse together all ingredients except for the chopped nuts, raisins, and grated carrots. Pause to stir if ingredients do not blend well at first.  Blend until well combined.  Pour contents of blender into a large bowl.  Add in chopped nuts, raisins, and carrots; gently fold in ingredients until well incorporated. 

2. Pour batter into muffin pans lined with paper cups. Makes 14 - 15 muffins.  If desired, sprinkle additional chopped nuts on top of the muffins.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the tops are puffed and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make Ahead Smoothie Packets

Make Ahead Smoothie Packets

MAKE AHEAD GREEN SMOOTHIE PACKETS

Makes 8 smoothies (each bag is enough to make 2 smoothies)

• 1 container (18 ounces) fresh blueberries
• about 5 or 6 ounces fresh tender/baby spinach (I used about 1/2 of a 10 ounce bag)
• 4 ripe bananas

Use 4 quart-sized Ziploc plastic freezer bags. In each bag, place one banana, a big handful of spinach, and 1/4 of the blueberries.  Break up the bananas into a few pieces (this will help them blend more easily when frozen).  Place bags in freezer.

To make smoothies (makes 2 smoothies):  Place the contents of one bag into a blender.  Add 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your preference).  Add in a drizzle of honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Next time I do this, I will portion my ingredients into 8 smaller bags since I can't get anyone in my house to try my green smoothies.  They just don't know what they are missing.  This was a delicious treat and "NO!... you really cannot taste the spinach!"   

I have seen this idea for make ahead smoothie packets for months and am glad I gave it a try.  Here is my source of inspiration (click HERE) on a blog called Cleanfoodcrush.  The Cleanfoodcrush blog writer points out that making these up ahead of time is a huge time saver.  Who wants to assemble/wash/prep a bunch of ingredients for smoothies first thing in the morning?  And when you blend the frozen ingredients into the smoothie, the texture is thick, cold, and creamy like a milkshake.

I had these packets assembled in no time at all. It's also good to know I can freeze fresh spinach if I can't use it before it's about to go bad.  There is room for a lot of creativity with these make ahead packets.  In some recipes, I saw that you could freeze Greek yogurt in ice cube trays and make a "Peaches and Cream" smoothie with fresh peaches, some frozen yogurt ice cubes, and spinach.  I am sure I'll be making up all sorts of "recipes" for smoothies using this make ahead technique. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Zucchini Coconut Pecan Flourless Blender Muffins

Banana Chocolate Chip Zucchini Coconut Pecan Flourless Blender Muffins (Gluten Free)

For some reason, I feel compelled to list every special ingredient in the title of the recipe.  These muffins are full of goodies.  Once again I found myself with over ripe bananas on my counter top.  I find that my bananas seem to be under ripe one day and then over ripe the next day.  This explains why there is a wide assortment of flourless blender muffins in my freezer.  This week, I have been craving a little chocolate and this treat resolved that craving.  This past summer I made some cookies with zucchini, chocolate chips, coconut, oats, and nuts, so maybe that's why it occurred to me to pile all these ingredients into muffins. Whatever the case may be, I am enjoying these muffins. They are only slightly sweet from a touch of honey and ripe bananas. If you like your muffins on the sweeter side, you may opt to add in a bit of brown sugar to make them sweeter.  You could also use sweetened coconut and/or sweetened applesauce to make things a little sweeter too.

Banana Chocolate Chip Zucchini Coconut Pecan Flourless Blender Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats (use certified gluten free oats if desired)

2 ripe bananas 

2 large eggs

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsps honey (may substitute maple syrup)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1/8 tsp salt 

1/3 cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup coarsely grated zucchini

3/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In your blender, pulse together all ingredients except for the chocolate chips, coconut, zucchini, and pecans.  Pause to stir if ingredients do not blend well at first.  Blend until well combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips, coconut, zucchini, and pecans  

2. Pour batter into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with paper cups.  (If using a silicone pan, you can skip the paper cups or generously spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray).  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the tops are puffed and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mine were done at 14 minutes).

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

My last post was also about pumpkin recipes.  I found a GREAT use for leftover pumpkin puree.  It's a shame to let ingredients go to waste.  After my hike yesterday morning, I whipped up this recipe in my Ninja Blender and it was a delicious treat.  My glass was a bit too big for my smoothie so my photo is not fantastic, but the recipe is fantastic!  I have just a little more pumpkin puree left over so I can make this recipe one more time in the next few days and then I will have successfully polished off the last of my big can of pumpkin puree. 

Here's what did:

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1 small frozen banana

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

small squirt of honey

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Blend until smooth; enjoy!

Here are some photos from my chilly, breezy hike on Sunday morning.  The photos are shown in the order in which they were taken.

Flourless Pumpkin Blender Muffins with Walnuts and Raisins

Flourless Pumpkin Blender Muffins with Walnuts and Raisins

So nice to wake up to these yummy muffins this morning!

The other day I opened up a BIG can of Libby's Pumpkin Puree. 

First, I made up a batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies; the ladies at the knit shop loved them. They are tender and cake-like; they kind of remind me of muffin tops (the best part of a muffin!). Here is the recipe:

http://www.cookiemadness.net/2008/10/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-with-oil/

I also made up half of a batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Bites; I made this recipe several weeks ago.  They are delicious!  I keep them in the freezer and just defrost a few here and there (the ladies at the knit shop loved these, too!).  Here is the recipe:

http://kimscookingfrenzy.blogspot.com/2016/08/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-energy-balls.html?m=0

I still had about half of the big can of pumpkin puree in my refrigerator yesterday.  Not wanting it to go to waste, I found a few more recipes to make using up the last of the pumpkin. 

If you've been following along the past few weeks, you know that I've recently discovered Flourless Blender Muffins.  The muffin batter is mixed in a blender and the muffins are flourless because rolled oats are used in place of any flour.  A week or two ago, I TRIED to make up Flourless Blender Muffins with pumpkin based on the successful recipe I had been making.  My Flourless Pumpkin Blender Muffins were an EPIC FLOP!  There was not enough moisture in the mix and the batter would not blend.  I went to take the lid off of my Ninja Blender (which screws on tightly), and a lot of pressure had built up in the blender. I had a Blender Blow Out! Pumpkin-oat GOO everywhere.  I tried to salvage the batter by adding in some unsweetened almond milk.  I baked the muffins but they just were not good. They tasted more liked baked oatmeal (but not in a good way!) and I ended up throwing them out. What a waste! 

So I was all to happy to try out a new recipe for Flourless Blender Muffins with Pumpkin where someone else already did the experimentation for me.  I made these muffins last night and I am really pleased with them.  They are dense, hearty, moist, and flavorful, but they are only slightly sweet.  If you like sweeter muffins you can easily increase the sweetness by adding more sugar or maple syrup (or honey).  If you use vanilla yogurt in place of the plain yogurt, or if you use sweetened applesauce in place of the unsweetened applesauce, then of course your muffins would be a little sweeter.  I was worried about my muffins a bit because my pumpkin puree, yogurt, and eggs, were all cold right out of the refrigerator when I blended up my muffin batter.  It would be preferable to let your cold ingredients come up to room temperature or at least sit out on the counter top for a bit.  Despite my ingredients being cold, my muffins turned out fine; however, I do think I had to bake them just a tad longer.

Here is the link to the recipe I made yesterday:

http://www.runningwithspoons.com/2015/11/20/pumpkin-oat-greek-yogurt-muffins/

I did make a few alterations to the recipe and you will find my version below.  My alterations included the following:

I added a bit of salt

I omitted the chocolate chips and added walnuts and raisins

I used 1/2 the recommended amount of yogurt and substituted unsweetened applesauce

I used brown sugar and maple syrup in place of the sweetener recommended

I decreased the cooking temperature from 400 degrees to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Flourless Pumpkin Blender Muffins with Walnuts and Raisins

Adapted from www.runningwithspoons.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar (not packed)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or honey)
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
• pumpkin seeds for topping (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a muffin pan by spraying cavities with cooking spray or lining them with paper liners. Set aside.
2. Add all ingredients except for raisins and chopped walnuts to a blender or food processor and process on high until oats are broken down and batter is smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in raisins and chopped walnuts by hand by hand.
3. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity until it is about ¾ full. Sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds, if desired.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops of your muffins are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan for ~10 minutes before removing. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week.  Muffins also freeze well.

Here are some photos from the hikes I took yesterday.  In the morning, we were up at Tunnel Drive (below).  You can see the Arkansas River and Grape Creek in this photo.

In the afternoon, we were hiking up on Skyline Drive and the Hogbacks.  We found a furry friend along the way.

I recently discovered that my iPhone tracks my steps, distance walked, and changes in elevation.  It's fun to see.  Below is a summary of yesterday's hikes:

More Flourless Blender Muffins: Zucchini, Walnuts, and Raisins

Flourless Blender Muffins:

Zucchini, Walnuts, and Raisins

I've been enjoying Flourless Blender Muffins for the past several weeks.  They freeze really well; I just thaw out a few here and there.  I've made some with bananas, nuts, and mini-chocolate chips (see HERE) and I've made others with bananas, nuts, and spices so the muffins are similar to banana bread (see HERE).  Today, I thought I'd try to make some with zucchini, walnuts, and raisins.  They turned out good, but they are NOT very sweet (if you like sweeter muffins, you might want to add in a few tablespoons of brown sugar).  My muffins just have a little honey for sweetness, with additional sweetness coming from the raisins and the bananas.

Flourless Blender Muffins: Zucchini, Walnuts, and Raisins

  

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats (use certified gluten free oats if desired)

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsps honey

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Add in: 2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar if you desire sweeter muffins

3/4 cup grated zucchini

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (if desired, reserve some and sprinkle on top of muffins just before baking)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In your blender, pulse together all ingredients except for the zucchini, raisins, and walnuts. Pause to stir if ingredients do not blend well at first.  Blend until well combined.  Stir in the zucchini, raisins, and walnuts. 

2. Pour batter into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with paper cups.  (If using a silicone pan, you can skip the paper cups or generously spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray).  Sprinkle with reserved chopped nuts, if desired.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the tops are puffed and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mine were done at 12-13 minutes).

Blender Muffins: Flourless Banana Nut Bread Muffins

Flourless Blender Banana Nut Bread Muffins

After having such great success with Blender Muffins earlier this week (click HERE if you missed that recipe), I just had to make another batch. My husband did not care for the initial recipe since he did not like the combination of banana and chocolate chips.  He thought they'd be better if they were more like Banana Nut Bread. So this batch of muffins is for him.  He said they are great!

This week, I was out of Greek yogurt. The first blender muffin recipe I made called for 1/2 cup Greek yogurt. I ran out of Greek yogurt so I used 1/4 cup Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce with great results.  Since I was out of Greek yogurt this time around, I used 1/4 cup light sour cream and 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. It seems that playing around with these ingredients is working, which make this such a great, flexible recipe. I love that the yogurt, applesauce, or (in this case) light sour cream all take the place of butter or oil in the recipe.

Flourless Banana Nut Bread Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients
2 cups old fashioned oats (use certified gluten free oats if desired)

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

1/4 cup Greek yogurt or light sour cream

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbsps honey

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 scant cup chopped nuts (I used a combination of pecans and walnuts)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In your blender, pulse together all ingredients except for the chopped nuts. Pause to stir if ingredients do not blend well at first.  Blend until well combined.  Stir in all but 1/4 cup chopped nuts (reserve some to top the muffins before baking). 

2. Pour batter into a 12-cup muffin pan lined with paper cups.  (If using a silicone pan, you can skip the paper cups or generously spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray).  Sprinkle the reserved chopped nuts.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the tops are puffed and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mine were done at 12-13 minutes).

I hope you give blender muffins a try.  As you can tell, I am a big fan. They are so easy and they don't make too many dirty dishes.  I like to think of these as a healthier version of a muffin.  I am baking and freezing these muffins so that I can enjoy them for a few weeks and also keep the portions in control a bit.  Such a yummy treat!