Blueberry-Orange Yogurt Muffins

I love me some muffins. I think it is nice to have something home made that is a convenient grab and go snack. While muffins can be chocked full of calories, there are variations you can do to make them a little more healthy and still satisfying.

In the place of butter, I use greek yogurt which still gives that butter texture and switch up all purpose flour for white whole wheat flour. I also cut down the amount of sugar and just add more fruit (which contains good sugars). Feel free to play around with the flavors and create something that sounds yummy to you! Cherry with almonds, banana and dark chocolate chips, peaches and warm spices are some of my personal favorites.

Ingredients:

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon baking power

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 1/4 cup of greek yogurt

1 egg

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of orange zest

1/4 cup of orange juice

1 cup of blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until well combined. Next add the greek yogurt and whisk. You will notice right away how the batter takes on a really creamy texture, delicious!

Mix in the orange zest and orange juice. If I'm already zesting an orange, I tend just to use the juice from the orange I've zested but feel free to use store bought orange juice as well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix. The batter will be fairly thick.

Finally, stir  in the blueberries. You can use either fresh or frozen, whatever is on hand.

Add paper liners to a muffin tin. If you don't have liners (which I confess I normally do not have), just make sure you spray the tin really well with some non-stick cooking spray. Using a ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill each muffin liner to about 2/3 full. 

Place in the oven and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the muffins reach a golden brown.

Let the muffins cook for about 30 minutes (if you can) and serve with an ice cold glass of milk. Store the muffins in a air tight container for up to 5 days, but I doubt they will last that long!

Ratatouille with Polenta Cakes

I've been trying to experiment with different grains and starches lately and thought I might give polenta a try. Usually, polenta comes precooked in a play-dough like block and can be simmered in liquid until it reaches a thick, creamy grits-like consistency. For this recipe, I chose to forgo the liquids and simply cut the polenta block into individual cakes then baked them off in the oven until golden brown. This makes for a great vegetarian meal in a hurry and will really keep your belly feeling full.

Ingredients:
3 zucchinis sliced
1 red pepper chopped
1 can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 chopped white onion
1 block of polenta
1/2 cup of grated asiago cheese
pinch of salt and pepper

Turn on broiler to 500 degrees to preheat.

Heat skillet in medium and add olive oil, garlic, and onion. Saute for about 45 seconds until the garlic just begins to brown. You want to make sure you don't overcook the garlic as it can become bitter very quickly.

Add tomato paste to the garlic and onion mixture. Stir the paste until combined then add your chopped zucchini and red pepper. Cook the vegetables for 5-10 minutes or until desired doneness. I prefer my veggies a bit on the crunchy side so I tend to stay more towards the 5 minute mark but if you like softer vegetables then by all means cook them a little longer.

When vegetables are finished, add the cannellini beans, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper.  Stir ingredients till combined then set aside.

Unwrap your polenta and cut about 1 inch slices to make the cakes.

Salt and pepper both sides of cakes, arrange cakes on a sheet pan, and place in the oven under the broiler for about 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, turn the cakes and cook another 4 minutes to brown both sides evenly then remove from oven.

Place 2 or 3 polenta cakes on a plate and top with about a cup of the ratatouille. To finish, top with come grated asiago cheese. Enjoy!