Sunday, November 16, 2014

Recipe: whole wheat pumpkin honey muffins

The recipe I used for these muffins is unintentionally vegan. I only had two eggs left and had already gone grocery shopping, so I had to make the decision to either use my last two eggs for the muffins or make the scrambled eggs I was craving for brunch. I don't regret my decision...the eggs were delicious!

If you feel strongly about making these with eggs, simply cut the amount of oil in half and beat in two eggs with the liquid ingredients. You can also use half the oil and a 1/2 cup of applesauce. I've been told you can use pumpkin puree, though I've never tried that so I can't vouch for it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
2. Place the raisins in a cup and add enough hot water to cover. Let stand for a few minutes to plump.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Make a well in the center and put in pumpkin, oil, and honey. Mix just until the dry ingredients are absorbed. Drain the excess water from the raisins and stir in.
5. Spoon into muffin cups so they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched.

Yields 1 dozen muffins


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Recipe: teriyaki tofu and veggie stir fry over brown rice

I love to make stir fries! It took some trial and error, but I've figured out the correct cooking time for tofu and various vegetables. It's easy to buy marinades and sauce to use, but for this recipe I decided to make my own teriyaki marinade in order to reduce the amount of sodium in the marinade.

A good wok is key in making stir fry. I'm lucky enough to have an electric wok that was handed down from my mom. If you don't have a wok, I suggest getting an electric one. If you can't afford one, a stovetop wok will work just fine.

Teriyaki Marinade
Ingredients:
2/3 cup mirin (if mirin is unavailable, dry sherry is a good substitute)
1 cup soy sauce
4.5 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 dash red pepper flakes
black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper, simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
2-3 heads broccoli
1.5 cups snow peas
12 baby carrots or 3 regular carrots, peeled
1 large red bell pepper

Directions:
1. Cube tofu and marinade in 4 tablespoons teriyaki marinade
2. Heat wok to 300 degrees. Chop vegetables.
3. Cook tofu in wok for 6 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add broccoli and snow peas, along with 4 teaspoons marinade. Cook for another 4 minutes.
5. Add carrots and bell pepper, along with 4 tablespoons marinade, then cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Divide among 4 plates with one cup of brown rice on each plate. Add one tablespoon of marinade to each plate before eating.