Tag Archive for: Veggies

Fall is in full swing here in Colorado and it has been making me search for ways to incorporate yummy fall flavors. When I came across this recipe I knew it was the perfect way to satisfy my cravings. It comes from SoNo Baking Company, my very favorite bakery of all time. If you like to bake, just buy the book, every recipe is just right. These are even better than I imagined, soft and moist with some texture from the veggies. The cranberries added bursts of tartness and beautiful color. I did make one change right off the bat and replaced half of the oil with natural applesauce. It worked out perfectly! The only thing I would add is some kind of nuts…maybe walnuts on top? Mmm Mmm Mmmmm.

Kelly


Zucchini, Carrot and Cranberry Spice Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ t baking powder

¾ t coarse salt

¾ t ground cinnamon

½ t baking soda

1 cup sugar

½ cup canola oil

½ cup natural applesauce (bonus points if you make your own!)

2 eggs

¾ cup grated carrot (about 2 medium)

¾ cup grated zucchini (about 1 medium)

1 ½ t pure vanilla extract

1 cup whole fresh (or frozen, unthawed) cranberries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin pan or insert muffin cups. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs, grated carrot and zucchini, and vanilla. I used a coarser grate to keep some of the color and texture of the vegetables, but you could use a fine grate to hide those healthy veggies. J

Add the dry ingredients and fold until the flour has been absorbed. Fold in the cranberries. Use a 2 inch ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.

Bake, rotating the pan about two-thirds of the way through, about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow to cool in the pan. Use a knife to gently lift the muffins and turn them on their sides in the pan. Enjoy!

There is a Thai place in our old neighborhood that makes unbelievable pineapple fried rice according to Mary. Ever since she mentioned it last week, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Conveniently, we had extra pineapple leftover from our Pineapple Salsa. On a night with little else in the house, we had just enough ingredients to make this “un-fried” version. There is so much flavor that you will never miss the extra oil, nuts or the egg. You can put any veggies you like and we often use dishes like this to clear things out. In this case, our emergency frozen veggies made an appearance and we were thankful for it! We also added cucumber at the last minute for a bit of texture which was a great way to remove the nuts you often find in this recipe. For a great ode to Thai food, try this one!

Kelly


Pineapple Un-fried Rice

2 packages prepared saffron rice (one traditional and one Spanish flavor)

1 tomato, chopped

2 T olive oil

1 cup of fresh pineapple chopped (about ¼ inch pieces)

2 cups shredded chicken

1 ½ cups Whole Foods organic vegetable medley

1-2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

4 scallions, chopped

4 T basil, chopped

½ cucumber chopped

½ lime cut in wedges for garnish

For the sauce:

2 T light soy sauce

1 T Hoisin sauce

1 T coconut milk

1 t natural peanut butter

Juice of ½ lime

1 T Siracha

Combine the two types of rice and prepare as directed adding the chopped tomato to the cooking liquid. (We usually leave out the oil.) Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce and combine well. Heat the olive oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the garlic. When lightly cooked and aromatic, add the chicken to warm for 1-2 minutes then add the vegetables and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add the rice followed by the pineapple and combine all ingredients. Top with the sauce and add the cucumber and stir well. Garnish with the scallions, basil and lime wedges. Enjoy!

We got our first box of CSA veggies from Red Wagon Farms!

Here’s what our first CSA box looked like after a tiny bit of cleaning…

Included in the pack was Egyptian walking onions, Easter egg radishes, green garlic, spinach, sorrel, and arugula.

So tonight, I’m home alone and decided on a lush salad after working out.


Springtime Salad

Arugula one handful

2-Radishes

½ Green Onion

Green Garlic leaves

From the fridge:

Cabbage

Grilled red and yellow peppers, chopped

Dressing:

1T Lemon Aioli

2T Greek yogurt

 

Mix the lemon aioli with the yogurt, salt and pepper

Toss in the bottom of a bowl and mix with the veggies. Top with Fried Chicken from Niwot Market and enjoy! I know not exactly the healthiest choice but at least I have the greens to counter act the fried chix. Plus I removed the skin, so it’s not that bad. Next time I’ll prepare better.

I’m happy to have my fridge filled with beautiful veggies and the ones from Red Wagon farms are beautifully trimmed and ready for my attention! Yum.

Mary