Pumpkin Muffins

Technology is so amazing that now instead of flipping through one of my thirty cookbooks or one hundred cut out magazine recipes, I am scrolling through my new Epicurious app on the iphone (LOVE!). At my fingertips I now have recipes and ratings to flip through while lying in bed Sunday morning. No fresh ginger, next recipe! No vanilla extract, opps add to shopping list, next recipe!

This is the perfect sweet and savory muffin that gets my  thumbs up with the other 38 viewers on the app :)

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins:
-1 c. flour
-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
-1/3 c. sugar
-1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
-2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/3 c. shelled pumpkin seeds (lightly toasted)
-1/3 c. coarsely chopped walnuts (lightly toasted)
-1 1/4 c. canned pure pumpkin
-1 c. milk
- 2 large eggs
-6 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray muffin cups with non stick spray.

Whisk flours, sugars, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl. Mix in half of the pumpkin seeds and walnuts. Set aside remaining half.

In a separate bowl mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, and butter until blended. Add to dry ingredients and stir until incorporated.

Spoon into muffin cups and use the remaining pumpkin seeds and walnuts to top each muffin.

Bake for roughly 25 mins and cool.... devour not all at once!

A Twist on Summer Salads

Summer is a time for fresh ingredients... I am talking about those crisp herbs, flavor packed tomatoes, juicy corn and crisp green beans. My garden is in full bloom, so I am trying to use many of my veggies fresh from a block away or from the farmers market.

This salad was so easy to throw together: I toasted some sesame seeds, chopped cherry tomatoes and cut up some fresh green beans. Make a light dressing of olive oil and sesame oil. Toss and sprinkle with the toasted seeds- Yum!

My garden is busting to the seams with orange and red cherry tomatoes. I sliced those up and tossed with parsley and basil. I added some fresh sweet corn (I steamed for about 5 mins to bring out a bit more flavor). I added some red onions finely chopped and dressed with salt and pepper with red vinegar.

What are some other easy, simple salads you make in summer?

Farm Share: Week 1

The first week's farm share included bok choy, spring onions, peas, snap peas, potatoes, lettuce, kale, fresh eggs and strawberries!! Check out what I made this weekend for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!

Fresh Eggs with Spring Onion Greens and Strawberries

Kale, Bok Choi, Spring Onion greens and bulb, Snap Peas with Tofu.

Sauteed Bok Choi and Tofu

Pronto Pesto

The great thing about pesto is switching it up with different nuts or spices. I used walnuts in my most recent batch, but pine nuts are commonly used as well. Throw everything into a food processor and an instant dressing for sandwiches or sauce for pasta!

2 c. basil leaves

1/3 c. olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 

Summer Desserts- Fruit Galette

This is the easiest dessert to make in the summer (who wants to be standing near the hot oven anyways?!)

• Fruit: Any combination works, just throw in whatever you have. I used apples sliced thin with fresh blueberries
• Pie Crust
• Sugar
• Spices: Nutmeg and Cinnamon
• Butter for brushing edges

In a bowl combine cut fruit, sugar and spices. Set out the pie crust on a baking sheet and layer fruit mixture into the middle, leave 1.5 inches on all sides. Fold over edges to create an edge for the Galette. Sprinkle sugar on crust and brush melted butter over edge for browning. 25-30 mins in the oven (depends on the fruit you used so keep a watchful eye!) at 350 degrees and you are done!

Herbed Qunioa

Quinoa- such a funny word!! I love watching people pronounce Quinoa, because lets agree, its not very 'natural' to say. Quinoa, pronounced like 'keen- wah' is a total super food since it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.


Herbed Quinoa:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley 
• 1 bunch chives, snipped into 1/4-inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• In a saucepan, combine quinoa and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed and the grains are translucent, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, pick 1/2 cup parsley leaves from stems, chop leaves coarsely, and set aside. Place remaining parsley leaves, parsley stems, and 1/4 cup water in a food processor; process until pureed. Squeeze all liquid from the puree, discard solids, and set parsley juice aside.
• For an added crunch toast pine nuts or sliced almonds in the oven. Make sure you keep a close eye on this step (my mom and I nearly set the house on fire after torching our pine nuts. Luckily we had almonds as a back up!)
• In a bowl add snipped chives, butter, nuts, reserved parsley juice and chopped parsley into cooked quinoa, and mix until combined. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve.

Tea Time

Two months ago I officially dropped coffee from my beverage repertoire. Honestly, I thought it was going to be a bad break up, but really it was only two migraines and a slight tug at my heart strings when I walk by a Starbucks. However, I have not been dehydrated... I have a new beverage relationship... with tea!

Since I now drink tea several times a day I realize that quality is so important. So here are a few of my favorite brands and flavors:

Tazo Tea-  The full leaf tea bags are amazing; you really notice the difference between the full leaf compared to finer ground teas. These tea bags can also be used for 2-3 cups in 1 sitting, since they are so fresh. Some of my favorite flavors are any of the three green tea varieties. 'Aawake' is their black tea and is great for a burst in the morning. My all time favorite is the Vanilla Rooibos. Add a drop of honey and its a great afternoon snack.
Yogi Tea- I try to drink a cup of their ginger tea each day. The tricky thing about any ginger tea is brewing for too long and leaving a bitter taste in your cup. If you want to make your own ginger tea bring 3 cups of water to a boil with a 3 inch piece of ginger root (take off the outer skin before putting it into the pot). Brew for 5 mins.
Teavana:  Mate/Rooibos blend is so smooth, but really expensive. This is my "treat" tea. I brew it in their signature beehive pot. Yum!