The Perfect Breakfast - Banana Muffin Recipe

I love muffins. They are delicious, easy to make, and complement my morning tea perfectly. My favorite bakery makes an amazing egg nog muffin that, despite it being February, is still offered. But, I wanted to create a lower calorie and less expensive muffin treat. So...banana muffins it is!

This recipe is quick, easy, and delicious. The muffins make a great mid-morning snack at work or dessert at the end of the day (pair it with hot chocolate. I promise, you'll love it!)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Pasta in Bell Pepper Wine Sauce with Feta and Roasted Cashews: Birthday Dinner on the Fly

Well readers, yesterday was a very special day a casa mia.... it was J's 30th birthday! And even though he is way too cool to make a big deal out of it, I couldn't let the day pass without a little something special.

Or so I had planned.... Unfortunately, as a result of an epic and exciting grocery shopping trip with my friend Joy (Joy Eilene, Word Machine) on Saturday, my fridge is full of gourmet cheese, chocolate.... and no vegetables.

What!? How is a girl supposed to prepare a birthday dinner with no vegetables? It was a problematic circumstance indeed, but a little resourcefulness paid off in the form of the following pasta entree. The combination of Mediterranean flavors and varied textures makes this dish just special enough for a celebration.

PS. J's birthday party is on Friday and our official Valentine's day celebration is on Saturday, so I'm saving the dessert and the super-fancy food for the weekend. Did someone say Red Velvet Layer Cake?

Pasta in Bell Pepper Wine Sauce with Feta and Roasted Cashews

This dish has a high veggie to pasta ratio, which makes it both satisfying and healthy. Serve it alongside a crisp salad, and savory soup.

Yield: 4 Servings

The lovely color comes from the delicious Orange Bell Peppers!

Ingredients
8 ounces pasta (spaghetti or fettuccine)
4 quarts salted water, boiling

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large clove garlic, diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup white wine (choose a sweet over a dry here)
2 yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup roasted cashews (recipe follows)
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled


Directions
1. Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook al dente, 8-10 minutes. Drain the pasta, but reserve a 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

1. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the garlic and allow to cook until it begins to brown.

2. Add the tomato paste (be careful, it will sizzle upon contact) and allow to cook with the garlic for 2-3 minutes. This step is one of the secrets to this recipe - the oil will turn bright red and the tomato paste will begin to caramelize in the most delicious manner.

3. De glaze the pan with the white wine. Turn the heat down to low, and allow to simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the chopped bell peppers and cover the pan. Cook until the peppers are just soft, but not mushy, another 8-10 minutes.

5. Turn off the heat and add the cooked pasta to the sauce pan. Toss to coat.

6. Plate the pasta onto four serving dishes, and top with roasted cashews and feta cheese.

Reader Update - Kind Confections: A Beach Side Vegan Bakery

Posted by Nichole Leigh


Hi Veggie Horizons Readers! I'd like to take a moment to pay homage to one of the first loyal readers Veggie Horizons ever attracted, Sara of Outer Banks, South Carolina. 

You may recall that Sara had great success vending vegan treats for a school bake sale (including the Ultimate Whole Wheat Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie). Well, in the intervening months, Sara has since launched herself into a full-scale foodie business venture. She has opened a vegan bakery in OBX, called Kind Confections: Sweets for your Soul. Her treats look spectacular, and I promise that as soon as she starts shipping them, this author will be one of her first customers.

Here is what Sara had to say about her incredible new bakery!

" Kind Confections: Sweets For Your Soul bakery was born from a bake sale.  I had such a great response from my Vegan baked goods I was inspired to make a bigger effort.  One of the recipes I used that day was Nichole’s “Ultimate Whole Wheat Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie” recipe!  You were a part in my inspiration, I must thank you!  Kind Confections is a 100% Vegan bakery.  We never use animal products in anything we bake.  All of our ingredients are cruelty free, with a huge focus on Organic, All-Natural & Non-GMO.  Under that umbrella we also offer Gluten Free and Allergy Free versions of our baked goods.  Our mission is to be Kind to our bodies, our planet and its inhabitants, all the while making delicious Sweets For Your Soul!  As of now we deliver exclusively to the Outer Banks of North Carolina only, but in the future we hope to ship our desserts.  Scope our website/LookBook to learn more at www.KindConfectionsOBX.com and “LIKE” us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kind-Confections/312953742057806 If you have any questions or just want to say “Hi!” please email me at Sara@KindConfectionsOBX.com" 

Thanks Sara! We're honored to have you as a reader!  

Toasted Coconut Almond Chocolate Cupcakes

Posted by Nichole Leigh


As I mentioned before, I'm kind of obsessed with coconut. I want it in everything... curry, cookies, and cupcakes! This delicious, toasty cupcake is now officially my favorite. If you're craving even more toasted coconut, I highly recommend the Lazy Samoa Cookie.

A Note About Dessert

I'm not sorry that I love cake. I'm not ashamed of the fact that I like fat and sugar.

I am aware of the catastrophic effects of diabetes, the recent discussion of "toxic sugar," and the "obesity epidemic," and all that. I think it's pretty evident that processed fats and sugars are addictive and dangerous, to both mind and body.

But I still believe there is a place in a healthy diet for certain kinds of dessert! A piece of cake made from wholesome, natural ingredients is a rare, special an indulgence. It is an opportunity to be grateful for all the pleasures that life affords. That doesn't mean eat that we should eat a rich dessert every day, or an entire cheese cake in one sitting, but hey....

If you're rocking a well rounded diet, normal blood sugar levels, and a healthy body weight, let's put the shame and self-denial down for a hot second and enjoy a nice cupcake.

Toasted Coconut Almond Chocolate Cupcakes

This cupcake has a dense, moist texture with delicate hints of coconut and almond. It's almost fudgy, and absolutely delicious. This recipe is inspired by the Toasted Coconut Cupcakes in the stalwart Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. If you haven't bought this book yet - just do it.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed so that it is in liquid form

1 cup coconut milk (recipe below)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract (or more vanilla extract if you don’t have coconut extract)

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup Toasted Coconut (recipe below)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, and line cupcake tins.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

3. In a separate, large bowl, combine the coconut oil, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts.

4. Add the sifted ingredients to the wet ingredients 2 batches, stirring between to fully incorporate the ingredients.

5. Fold in the shredded coconut.

6. Divide the batter evenly into twelve cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.

7. Bake for 24-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.

Additional Recipes:

Homemade Coconut Milk

I never buy coconut milk. Why would I when it’s so easy to make at home? Especially if you’ve already got dried coconut on hand because you’re making Toasted Coconut Almond Cupcakes or Lazy Samoas. This will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. The coconut milk may separate a bit after a while, but stirring will restore it to an even consistency. Yield: 5 Cups.

Ingredients

1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

4 cups warm, filtered water

Directions

Puree the ingredients together in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Yep, it’ really that easy.

Toasted Coconut

Perfect and neccessary for coconut cupcakes and cookies, this little condiment is also delicious on oatmeal! Yield: 1/2 cup (obviously)

Ingredients

1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

Directions

1. Heat a large (preferably cast iron) pan on medium. Add the shredded coconut, and stirring constantly, cook until it begins to turn golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. (If it the coconut continues to brown too much after being removed from the heat, spread it out on a large plate or baking tray to speed up the cooking process.)

A Black Bean Burger You Would Marry

Posted by Nichole Leigh

Black bean burger with homemade fries

That's right folks. You heard me. If you were a delicious food item, you would find this black bean burger, marry it, and have delicious, savory children. This hearty, satisfying creation is worlds away from the anemic, processed, frozen veggie burgers at the supermarket. 


This burger puts Boca Burgers to shame. It is a vegan masterpiece and will absolutely become a regular part of your diet. I dare you not fall in love. I dare you. 

A Black Bean Burger You Would Marry

This recipe is adaptive from an inspiring post on Eat, Live, Run. Check out the original recipe here, along with the author's fabulous photos. They do more justice to the burger than do mine. Serve this delight with avocado, greens, tomatoes or whatever floats your boat! It is tremendously flexible. The patties don't freeze quite as well as you might expect. However, they're great as leftovers. Recipe makes 6-7 patties.

Ingredients 3 cups black beans (roughly 2, 14oz. cans) 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal, plus 1 tablespoon warm water 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons tomato sauce  1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 cup finely ground breadcrumbs 2 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup frozen corn, defrosted vegetable oil for frying the patties Directions 1. Combine the ground flax seed meal with the warm water and set aside. 2. Combine the jalapeno pepper and garlic in a food process. Pulse a couple of times to  mince finely (do not puree). 3. Add one and half cups of beans to the food processor, and pulse again to combine. The  texture should be chunky, not smooth. 4. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the tomato sauce, soy sauce, bread crumbs,  cumin, salt, corn, flax seed mixture, and the rest of the beans. 5. Form the mixture into six patties and set aside. 6. Heat the oil in a skillet on a medium high heat. Add the black bean burgers and cook until  crispy, about 7 minutes each side. 7. Serve burgers with you favorite burger toppings!