Recipe: Golden Cornmeal & Blueberry Muffins

How can you deny muffins like that, folks? I mean, c'mon, this is serious business.

I've made these muffins a few times in the past few years. My first trial was outstanding--possibly some of the best I've ever made--but I haven't been able to make them the exact same way since. That being said, I've never complained about having to eat a blueberry muffin.

No siree. Actually, I hear punishment for such a crime is pretty gnarly..

More muffins?! Tough life.

You can put butter, margarine, jam, lemon curd, or even walnut butter on these babies.

Come to think of it, if you decided to slather your muffin in all of the above, I wouldn't judge. Because I'm not picky like that.

Or perhaps because I did just that this morning.

Oops.

Golden Cornmeal & Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are perfect for any morning. Subtly sweet, golden tender, and crunchy-crispy, with just enough pop from the blueberries to take these from a "Mmm" to a "Wow!"  A cross between a blueberry muffin and cornbread, these babies are classic and homey in that they'll appeal to mainstream eaters who don't like to think they're stepping out of the box. Classic, however, doesn't mean ordinary. These muffs take things to the next level through the use of cumin and orange zest, which combine to hit an extraordinarily unique high note. 

Yield: 11-12 muffins. Adapted slightly from Baking Bites' Blue Corn Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients - 1 1/4 cup unbleached wheat flour (oat flour might work here as well) - 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal - 2 tsp baking powder - 1/4 tsp baking soda - 1/4 tsp cumin - 1/4 tsp salt - 1/3 cup sugar - 1 egg - 1 egg white - 2 tsp fresh orange zest - 2 tsp vegetable oil - 3/4 cup almond milk + 2 tsp vinegar (or buttermilk) - 1 1/3 cups fresh* blueberries

(*You could use frozen blueberries if desired, but fresh seem to  work better here. For whatever reason, they make it easier for the muffins to rise, instead of keeping dense.)

Directions

1) Preheat oven to convection bake at 400 degrees F. (or 425 degrees if you don't have convection). Grease a 12-cup muffin pan.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cumin, and sugar. Whisk until smooth.

3) In another medium bowl, beat egg and egg white until foamy (this is KEY in getting your muffs light and poofy!!). Add orange zest, vegetable oil, almond milk + vinegar, and beat again until well-combined and foamy. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently stir until the mix is smooth and...lump-less..? Let's go with smooth.

4) Fold the blueberries into the mixture, being careful not to break and bleed them.

5) Divide batter into muffin tin. Bake on convection bake at 400 degrees F (or 425 non-convection bake) for 5 minutes. Then, turn off the convection setting and bake for 7-10 more minutes at 400 degrees.

6) Slather with butter, margarine, jam, fruit spreads, or nut butters. Bite into your nugget of golden blueberry goodness. Don't worry, be happy!

The Day 1 Recap for the cookbook challenge should be coming tonight :)

In the mean time, enjoy the rest of your Monday Funday!

Recipe: The Ultimate Kitchen Sink Split Pea Soup

I know you're a little bit scared for these soup pictures, considering the graphical horrors in  my last post. But we're gonna make it through this mess together. Cause ya know...that's what friends are for.

...Did I really just say that the purpose of having friends is to survive mediocre split pea soup pictures?

Well dang, my friends deserve gold medals.

But since I'm out of medals, they'll just have to settle for carrots. I wouldn't complain :)

Unfortunately, there's really no way for me to do this soup justice in pictures. Well, hmph. I suppose words will just have to be good enough this time 'round.

This soup is totally, completely, incredibly, amazingly: a) Delicious b) Simple c) Comforting d) Unpretentious e) Soul-soothing

Never mind the fact that it is unattractive. After all, it's not the soup's fault. Blame it on the blogger :)

The Ultimate Kitchen Sink Split Pea Soup

Despite this soup's unassuming (ahem.) looks, it's actually quite lovely in the flavor department! I wanted to stick with traditional split pea soup ingredients and flavors, but feel free to add whatever vegetables or grains you have on hand. When ASOS Mum makes her variation of this soup, she typically uses both ham and chicken broth. Though this version is good in its own right, I wanted to experiment with a vegetarian version that would be on par in both taste and texture. I'm happy to say that said experiment was a success!

Yield: Serves 2 hungry people for dinner or 3 not-deathly-famished people for lunch

Ingredients:

- 1 onion, diced - 2 cloves of garlic, minced - 2 carrots, diced - 2 small potatoes, diced (I used russet potatoes and left the skin, scrubbing them well rather than peeling. If you'd prefer, peel the potatoes.) - 1 tbsp oil or butter/margarine OR cooking spray - 1/2 cup split peas - 1/2 cup pearled barley - 7-8 cups water - 3 tbsp vegetarian "chicken-flavored" broth mix/bouillon (Use less if your bouillon is strong) - 1/2 tsp dried basil - 1/2 tsp salt - pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Wash, scrub, and prepare the onion, garlic, carrots, and potatoes. Place a medium pot over medium-high heat; add the oil/butter or cooking spray. (Use just enough to grease the pan, so the veggies won't stick.) When the pot is hot, add the vegetables and saute until slightly softened (~3 minutes).

2) Add the split peas, barley, water, broth, dried basil, salt, and pepper to the pot. Keep the heat on medium, waiting for the mixture to come to a boil.

3) Once the soup is boiling, reduce heat to low-medium, making sure that it is still at an active simmer. Simmer for 1+ hour.* Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

*Add a cup of water as needed, if the liquid level in the soup starts to get too low (at or below the level of the vegetables/split peas). The longer you simmer, the lower the level of liquid. Thus, if you want your split peas really soft and smushy, add more water and cook longer.

Going out for dinner tonight for my 3-months belated birthday dinner!

Hopefully, there will be blog pictures involved :)

Recipe: The Best Single Serving Pancakes...EVER

OMG.

If nothing else, there's one thing you should know about me: I love pancakes.

Like, we're talking some serious, head-over-heels "L-O-V-E." I can eat them for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner--all day, everyday. No shame, I tell you.

There is, however, one condition. They have to be really good pancakes.

So let's talk qualifications.

To me, really good pancakes don't come out of a box or a yellow jug (Shake 'n Pour, I'm looking at you). They aren't found in the freezer section of the grocery store or at Denny's. And they aren't slathered in "maple syrup," in which maple syrup isn't even an ingredient. Nope. For pancakes to qualify as really good, they need to made with real ingredients. Oh, and love--lots of love :)  Simple as that.

Prior to this batch, I've made some good pancakes. Sometimes with white flour and lots of butter but usually with whole grain flour of some sort, baking powder, water, milk, cinnamon. Whatever works.

But after returning from the family vacation, I wanted to make something better than just "good." I don't mess around when it comes to pancakes. (Okay, maybe that's a lie...).

Anyways, the requirements:

1) Taste - I've tasted some fairly delicious pancakes made with white, all-purpose flour, but I really wanted a whole grain pancake recipe that wouldn't be labeled as "good, but healthy-tasting." I decided to use a combination of oat and whole wheat flours to keep the flavor light and creamy.

2) Texture - I actually love pancakes that are still a little doughy in the center, but I know most people don't. The way I see it, pancakes are like steak. Most people tend to like them cooked medium, as uncooked middles scare people as much as tough, burned edges. Moving on, then. Using 100% whole wheat flour can result in gummy, doughy pancakes. To make them soft and fluffy, I used egg whites and yogurt.

3) Size - Thanks to my good friend Jetlag, I woke up at noon. ASOS Mom, Dad, and brother had already finished breakfast, but I still wanted pancakes. I made this batch a single-serving to accommodate. Sometimes, however, I find that a single-serving of pancakes doesn't really fill me up. I wanted hearty and stick-to-the-ribs without feeling weighed down, so I made sure to include whole grains, protein, and a bit of fat. Though I made one serving, this recipe could easily be made into a family-size.

These were delicious. Probably the best pancakes I've ever made. I would recommend you make them. Don't question it; just do it.

The Best Single-Serving (and Healthy!) Pancakes Ever

These pancakes are everything pancakes should be: light, fluffy, hearty, and utterly delicious. I made two HUGE pancakes the size of my face, but you could make them silver-dollars or medium-sized  'cakes, if that's what floats your boat. I also added a few dark chocolate chips to the second pancake for kicks--fan-freaking-tastic. Dress them up or keep 'em plain Jane. That's what freedom is all about ;)

Yield: 2 gigantic pancakes or 5-6 (?) normal-people, silver dollars. Adapted from Kittencal's Best Pancakes on the Planet

Ingredients

Dry: - 1/4 cup oat flour (I just ground oats to a flour consistency in the food processor) - 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour - 1/4 tsp baking soda - 1/2 tsp baking powder - 1/4 tsp salt

Wet: - 1/8 cup egg whites - 1/8 cup nonfat yogurt - 2-3 tsp of honey (or other sweetener of choice) - 1/4 tsp vanilla extract - Additional 1.5 tbsp nonfat yogurt PLUS enough water to make a 1/2 cup total* - Fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, coconut (optional)

Directions:

1) In a medium-large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then, in a small bowl, beat together egg whites, 1/8 cup nonfat yogurt, vanilla extract, and the 1/2 cup yogurt + water mixture. (You want the wet mix very smooth and airy.)

2) Add wet mixture to dry mixture, and stir gently until all ingredients are well incorporated and no lumps remain. If using fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, or coconut, fold into batter now. Do not overmix batter. Flat, fluff-less pancakes are not your friend!

3) Heat a griddle or nonstick pan. Grease with a wee bit of butter or oil. Pour batter on the griddle to cook your pancakes (1/4 cup for silver dollars; 1/2 cup+ for ginormous 'cakes).

4) Smile like a goofy five-year-old, and enjoy your pancakes!

The Start of a Beautiful Thing

So today marks the start of a new tale, a "beautiful friendship" as Casablanca so aptly put it. Who am I? The girl behind the blog--18, college-bound, vivacious, vegetarian-ish, lover of fruit, photography, and all things outdoors. I'll save that for the "About Me" though. For now, let's talk about the beginning of all of this.

Three years ago, I found the world of blogs. I had heard the term casually used before, but I really had no clue what a "blog" really was. A journal? A website? A diary? I didn't know that answer, but I did know that I wanted to find out.

Two years ago, I started my first blog. I was struggling with a lot of different things in my life at the time, both physically and emotionally, and I wasn't really able to devote proper time to my blog in its nascence. Still, I kept reading different healthy food/living blogs--finding inspiration both in the kitchen and in life each day. Okay, now onto today, this blog, and the present.

Yesterday, I graduated from high school. Class of 2011. After innumerable days and nights of working to maintain academics/extracurriculars and preparing for college, I graduated with a class of almost 700 people. I am proud and happy--so very, very happy--that I made it to this point and am now able to cross the bridge of the old and start something new. It is something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember; something by which I am irrevocably intrigued; and something that I love "just because."

Ideally, I would like to say that I will blog consistently for years to come because of the enjoyment I get out of it.  This fall, however, I head off to Georgetown University in Washington D.C., 2,277 miles from home (to be exact haha). I know that once again, my life will become ridiculously busy because I'm a guilty perfectionist who is incapable of doing a half job on anything. Throw a non-legit dorm kitchen into the mix, and things become a bit complicated. At the very least though, I plan to cook, bake, and blog my heart out this summer, simply for my own pleasure and hopefully even a little bit for yours. I don't know where this blog will take me, who (if anybody) will read my rambling thoughts, and how long I can and will pursue it. But heck, I'm willing to find out.

I'm hoping to write my first "real" post tomorrow morning. Here's to hoping you'll join me!

Lexi