Thursday, August 9, 2012

Clean Zucchini-Eggplant Muffins


A Fun part of my job (direct care) is to help the clients cook. Yesterday, some really odd vegetables had appeared in the kitchen, likely from the weekly farm share they get. It took some thought, but I identified orange zucchini; skinny, curved eggplant, and purple okra. Cooking the okra will be a challenge, since I’ve heard from Southerners that it’s quite delicious and not slimy if cooked correctly. I’m wondering if I can coat it and bake it, to avoid all the fat from frying it, and still make it come out good.

We made muffins out of some of the zucchini and eggplant. It was sort of an invention, and I took a quick peek online to see if eggplant bread had ever been done: it had. I didn’t look for a zucchini-eggplant combination – I didn’t want to know if it had been done before, so we could think it was our own invention. And since most recipes use white sugar and white flour, I’m sure ours was different.

I put this recipe through an online nutrition calculator. At 180+ calories per muffin, it’s not low calorie, but if you leave out the optional add-ins, you’ll reduce the calorie count. Each muffin, with the add-ins, has 3.2 grams of fiber, though.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (summer squash should work, also)
1 ½ cups shredded eggplant
1 ½ cups agave nectar
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract (use the real thing for the cleanest muffins)
4 large eggs
½ cup dried cranberries, raisins, or other dried fruit (chop larger fruit into raisin-sized pieces) – optional
½ cup chopped almonds, walnuts, or other nuts – optional
½ cup chocolate chips (use real chocolate for the cleanest muffins) – optional

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 24 muffin cups (four 6-cup tins or two 12-cup tins), either with paper liners or cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, mix the zucchini, eggplant, agave nectar, olive oil, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in the dry ingredients. Stir in the remainder of ingredients, if using.

Divide batter among the muffin tins. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.

This should also make a good bread, using 2 bread loaf pans and cooking about 40-50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Aunt Sybil’s Coleslaw – Cleaned Up


I got this recipe from my mom, who got it from her Aunt Sybil. I don’t know where Aunt Sybil got it. My mom said Aunt Sybil chopped the cabbage by hand, with a knife. It would make your life easier to use a food processor. Or better yet, get the pre-chopped coleslaw mix sold in the produce section of stores. I like the prepackaged coleslaw mixes that have a variety of cabbages and even carrots, sometimes. If you don’t find the prepackaged stuff, you can always add your own carrots and other stuff. It’s a good time to be creative and try chopped broccoli and/or cauliflower. There is even a pre-shredded broccoli slaw mix in some stores. Look in the salad section of the produce section for the available options. I’ve seen similar coleslaws in restaurants that add craisins (dried cranberries) or other stuff.

It’s easy to chop parsley using kitchen shears (scissors). You can use dried parsley (don’t use as much as you would fresh), but I don’t think it tastes as good. (Sometimes, you can find frozen parsley in the freezer section. I have made my own frozen parsley by cutting up fresh parsley with scissors and storing it in a plastic container in the freezer. I can then take out as much as I need for a recipe. It keeps much longer than fresh does in the refrigerator and I don’t think taste is compromised. Maybe the most discerning palates can still tell the difference.)

I’m sure Aunt Sybil used vegetable oil, cider vinegar, and white sugar. I’ve made a few changes to make it my own!

This will make about 6-8 servings.

Ingredients

1 package (14 oz.) cole slaw or broccoli slaw
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped onion
3 Tablespoons agave nectar
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

How to assemble

Mix everything together. Make it ahead of time, so the salad can set for a while and the flavors can blend. This will keep a long time in the refrigerator (maybe not weeks or months, but at least a few days).

You can adjust any of the ingredients to taste, and this recipe doubles or triples, etc., well to make for pot luck suppers.