Monday, January 30, 2017

Grain-free, Sugar-free Banana Blueberry Muffins

I just went to make these muffins this morning and almost fell over when I realized I had never blogged about them! Gee-zoo! Sorry about that! 

Grain-free, sugar-free banana blueberry muffin recipe

Those of you who don't have any food allergies or food restrictions will probably shy away from this recipe, I know. But there are a lot of you out there who have gone more than just gluten-free. You can't or won't eat a number of things besides gluten: grain of any kind, sugar, legumes, dairy. And finding good recipes that aren't just a complete mockery of the phrase "baked good" can be really hard.

While Chef Reiton and I are not diehard "primal" eaters (we won't force you to eat like us when you come over for dinner or ask us over), we do our best to limit grain and legumes as much as possible in our diets. We've both just felt so much better cutting them out, and so we take the "healthy-ish" route, for us, and leave grains for a treat when we really want pizza or pasta. That all being said, I came up with this recipe for blueberry muffins a couple years ago when I was really figuring out how to be happy in the kitchen while cutting out all my baking (which I still miss, but I've found cooking in general just makes me happy). 

These are about as close to a real muffin as I could get while still keeping it grain- and sugar-free. A lot of the primal and paleo muffin (or baked anything) recipes I've tried turn out really eggy and squishy. While these are moist and still have egg, they have a lot less egg than some, and they hold up better than the rest. They have that crumb you are looking for in a muffin, you know? They are a lot less sweet, too, being sweetened only by the banana, coconut flour and blueberries. Give them a try and let me know what you think. 

If you want to change it up, swap out the blueberries for 1/4 cup of chopped pecans, or, if you don't care so much about a bit of sugar, swap in some bittersweet chocolate chips...

Tools Needed: muffin tin, muffin liners (parchment are best, but you may have to order them), spatula, small scoop, cooling rack


Wet ingredients:
2 large, extremely ripe (black) bananas (the fermentation actually increases the flavor)
6 Tblsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. whole milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tblsp. plain whole yogurt

Dry ingredients:
1/2 c. almond flour
1/4 c. potato starch, unmodified
1/4 c. coconut flour
1/4 c. tapioca flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 c. wild frozen blueberries (smaller) OR 1/2 c. dried wild blueberries (I love Trader Joe's, but these will add some sugar)

Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 10 muffin tins with liners.
  2. Blend all the wet ingredients well in a mixer (or by hand), slowly drizzling in the melted butter so that it doesn't harden up in the cold ingredients. 
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Be sure to break up lumps and blend the flours well. 
  4. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then turn it back on for a few seconds to mix in those last bits of flour. Scrape down the paddle and bowl, then add the wild blueberries. Fold in by hand with a spatula until evenly dispersed in the batter. 
  5. Scoop heaping spoonfuls of batter into the liners with a small ice cream scoop. Pat the batter down with the spatula to level it out some. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and dry. 
  6. Immediately remove the muffins from the tin (I use a small fork to wedge them out without burning my fingers) and cool them completely on a wire rack.
Don't forget you can click below to print the recipe! Happy baking!

Recipe card for grain-free, sugar-free banana blueberry muffins

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Carpano Antica, I Love You

I was just about to write a love letter, but I realize I do that a lot, so I decided that this post is simply going to be a request/command/plea to all of you out there (especially RESTAURANTS) who are still using Martini & Rossi for your sweet vermouth:

PLEASE, STOP.

I want to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. She is a game-changer. A stop-you-in-the-middle-of-your-sentence-upon-tasting-her-for-the-first-time delight. A moment you will look back on and wonder at your cocktail life before it. She is:

Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, for the best cocktails EVER

She has beautiful depth of color and flavor, and, while she is a bit more expensive and elusive than your Martini & Rossi crap (I can say that; I drank it for WAY too long), I PROMISE you—she will change your Manhattan (and every other cocktail she is in) forever. When you find her, BUY HER.

And then comment here and tell us all what you used her in and how much more amazing it was...

Special thanks and love to Richard and Drew (the other R & D) for introducing me to her. Sigh.

Carpano Antica Formula. The sweet vermouth who will change...EVERYTHING.


Monday, January 23, 2017

The Luxury of Leftovers: A Weeknight of Fun and Games

I had an epiphany in the middle of the kitchen Wednesday night. I was lamenting the fact that I didn't get to cook because I had put "Leftovers" down for the evening meal when...BAM!

What was that epiphany?

Wait...since I'm just reheating leftovers, that means we're going to have so much more free time tonight. That means it's Fun Friday on a Wednesday!

The Luxury of Leftovers: A Weeknight of Fun and Games

Use those leftovers in the middle of the week, baby, and make a family party out of it! God bless "waste-not-want-not!"

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