Banana Applesauce Muffins

Due to the death blizzard of '09 brewing outside, my classes have been canceled (oh dangit) and I've been cooped up in the house with little to do but clean and bake. 

Homework and Master's project? What homework and Master's project?

With my new found boredom I decided to test my culinary skills and create a decadent, delicious masterpiece. 

Ok, not really. It was time to go through my disgusting fridge, but I got side tracked by some black, oozing bananas that either needed to be used or pitched. 

Since I absolutely hate wasting food--a new obsession consciously created from a meager teaching assistant's salary--I decided to make a dish out of the aged fruit. 

Being both poor and lazy, muffins are my favorite thing to eat on the run. AND they are super healthy. IF you make them the right way. In this recipe, these bad boys are made from 100% whole wheat and they are only 100 calories. They are also very high in fiber and potassium. Check this out for some cool info on bananas and even more reasons to make these muffins. 

Enjoy!

Banana Applesauce muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup of Sugar Twin brown sugar (Slenda brown sugar will work too)
• 3/4 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium sized bowl, mash banana with a fork. 
• Stir in all dry ingredients (except flour) until everything is incorporated. 
• Gently stir or beat flour into mixture. 
• After mixture is smooth, spoon the batter into greased muffin pan. 
• Place in oven and cook for 30-40 minutes. 
• Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then let it completely cool on a wire rack. 

Nutritional Information per serving (12 total):

Calories: 100

Fat: 0.5g

Sat fat 0.1 g

Poly fat 0.0g

Mono fat 0.1g

Cholesterol 0.0 g

Sodium 178.3 mg

Potassium 79.2 mg

Total Carbohydrate 22.7g

Dietary Fiber 3.5 g

Sugars 4.5 g

Protein 2.9 g

Vit A 0.3 %

Vitamin B-12 0.0%

Vit B-6 5.7%

Vit C 28%

Weight watchers points: 1pt

And I'm not sure this is a good thing to attest to the taste of these muffins, but if you don't like them surely your cat will as evidenced by my devil cat that was caught in the act eating one.

This cat is free to good home. Or bad. It doesn't really make a difference. He makes a great taste tester!

 Ferguson aka Devil Cat

Taste test: Turnips

 After one of my monthly visits to my grandparent's farm in Sigourney, Iowa (a tiny town about an hour and a half south west of Iowa City), my grandpa handed me a large, heavy paper sack.

"What's this?"

"They're turnips," he said as if I asked him what color the sky was.

I peeked inside the bag before putting them in my trunk. What in the world am I going to do with these?

I shoved the sack to the back of the fridge and forgot about them until I started seeing them every time I went to the grocery store or farmer's market. Even though this weird, round, purple and white thing that I've never prepared nor tasted scared me a little, letting food go to waste as a poor graduate student scares me more.

So this post is dedicated to conquering the turnip!

Step 1: Research

Apparently turnips are very high in Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant that prevents scurvy and helps the body form and maintain bones, blood vessels, and skin. Turnips are also low in fat and high in dietary fiber.

They are a member of the cruciferous vegetable family (along with cabbage, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower) which is thought by many to lower the risks of and prevent cancer.

Most recipes I found used these winter root vegetables like potatoes: mashed, roasted, boiled, grilled and in stews or soups.


Just about every part of the turnip is edible, including the leaves and stems ("turnip greens"), which are said to taste a lot like mustard or collard greens.

One cup of raw turnips has 36 calories, a negligible amount of fat and 2.3 grams of fiber.


Step 2: Raw

After rinsing the turnip, I used a potato peeler to peel the skin (which is thick and bitter tasting). With some trepidation, I tried it.

It's actually pretty good. It has a mild flavor, tasting some what like raw cabbage or cauliflower. The consistency is crunchy and a little bit watery, almost like an unripe pear or a radish.

I chopped up the remaining turnip and added it to a salad with chicken, cucumbers and red peppers. Pretty tasty!

This would be a nice vegetable in a vegetable tray served with ranch.

The verdict: I approve of it in its raw form. A nice crunchy addition to a salad.

Step 3: Grilled

As far as I'm concerned, everything is better when grilled. Throw it on a grill and I will eat it.

For this step, I again rinsed and peeled the turnip and then cut it into thinly sliced disks, like a potato. I grilled them for about ten to fifteen minutes on medium/high heat with some asparagus, flipping once.

I didn't season them because I wanted to see what it tasted like naturally, but after eating them I wished I would have. Don't get me wrong, they are pretty tasty grilled, just plain. They needed a little garlic salt or something to punch it up a little. The boyfriend completely disagreed with me and gobbled them up before I could finish one.

They had the same consistency as grilled potatoes, soft and a little starchy. 

The verdict: Pretty good, but needs some seasoning.

Step 4: Roasted

I also love roasted vegetables. Roasting veggies always brings out a pleasant, slightly sweet taste that is hard to beat. Roasting also preserves the nutrients of vegetables and makes for a healthful and satisfying alternative to deep fried greasiness.

To prepare roasted turnips I rinsed and peeled them, then cut them into thinly sliced disks. I put them in a roasting pan sprayed with some olive oil spay and cooked them for about 30-40 minutes at 350, flipping once.

I again didn't season them, and again I wished I would have. They tasted almost the same as the grilled turnips, but maybe a little sweeter. 

Next time I think I'll add some onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots and yams for a nutritious autumn meal.

The verdict: Tastes like grilled turnips, only sweeter. Needs some seasoning.

Overall, these little buggers are pretty good in just about every form.

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

It's Halloween and if you are like me, you bought way too many pumpkins at the farmers market than you know what to do with. But luckily, pumpkins aren't just for carving (and then subsequently rotting on your porch). They are ghoulishly good and make for a great meal too!

And they are very nutritious. One cup of plain cooked pumpkin has less than 50 calories and it is full of antioxidants, fiber, potassium and Vitamin A (which is good for vision, healthy skin, and immune function)

If you want to use pumpkins for cooking, you have to make sure to buy the right kind. If you get the regular, big fatty pumpkins at the grocery store, it won’t work. They are way too big and the flesh will be too tough and stringy.

Look for sugar or pie pumpkins. They are smaller and are usually a darker shade of orange. Typically they weigh anywhere from one to five pounds.

This recipe utilizes the shape of the pumpkin, using the skin as a serving dish. Be careful cutting and preparing this decorative dish. If done right, it will look very bootiful. It just ghost to show you that you can use pumpkins for just about anything.

I hope you enjoy this spooktacular stuffed pumpkin!


Stuffed pumpkin
Ingredients

• 2 lb pie pumpkin
• 2 tsp of butter (or butter spray)
  
• 1 cup of wild rice
• Chicken stock or two chicken bouillon cubes
  
• 1 diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, diced
  
• 5 strips of turkey bacon
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
  
• 1/2 cup of diced apple
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 3 fresh sage leaves chopped

Directions

• Cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out seeds. Remember, the pumpkin is part of the presentation, so make sure you cut neatly.
• Rub 1 tsp butter (or use I can’t believe it’s not butter) on the inside of the pumpkin (save 1 tsp of butter for later).
• Place the pumpkin on an ungreased cookie sheet and cook at 350 for about 45 minutes.
• While the pumpkin is cooking, cook the wild rice on the stove per recipe directions (but use chicken stock or chicken bouillon cubes instead of water).
  
• In a separate skillet, cook diced onion, garlic and celery with 1 tsp of butter on med/high heat until brown. Then bring temperature to low.
  
• When the pumpkin is done cooking, let it cool and then remove the flesh from the skin. . Be careful not to tear the skin of the pumpkin because it will be used as your bowl later.
• Add the cooked pumpkin, apple, dried cranberries, cinnamon, salt, pepper and sage to onion mixture. Cook until heated thoroughly.
• Once the rice is prepared, add it to the pumpkin mixture.
• Then carefully add the entire mixture into the pumpkin.
  

Serve!

Whole Wheat Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins

“Honey, wake up. It’s snowing.”

“Umf,” I groaned throwing a blanket over my head.
“Seriously. Look!”
“What? Oh crap! My squash!”

Oh the joys of living in Iowa. Yes, it’s early October and we had our first snow. Wasn't it almost 70 degrees yesterday?

I jetted out of bed. Slipped on my flip-flops, threw on my bathrobe, grabbed some scissors (no Mom, not the special gardening cutter-thingies, oops) and raced outside.

I cursed myself for not harvesting my squash sooner. Since the day I planted them, these damn squash have been terrorizing my life.

In spring I decided I would plant my first garden. I picked all the veggies and flowers that I liked best and put them all in the ground (in a space that is about 6 feet long and two feet wide-if that).

Well, I guess I should have done more research and planning on gardens, because apparently squash need a lot of room. And by a lot, I mean A LOT. Oh yeah, and they are vines. Didn't know that either.

The stupid thing grew up the side of the house, up the giant tree in my yard, and it strangled my poor dahlia (planted only 12 inches away from the squash). Yup, I'm officially a garden idiot-no doubt about that one.

If you look close, you can see the squash leaves above the telephone
lines near the top of the tree and also underneath it growing into my driveway.

Meanwhile, back in my bathrobe, I raced to rescue my poor veggies from the thick, prickly dying vine and the snow that gently freckled the ground.

After my frenzied, freezing harvest, I managed to collect eight butternut squash, one tiny spaghetti squash (it dropped from the top of the tree!), two habanero peppers, and seven banana peppers.

With the extra butternuts cluttering my already minimal counter space, I've been racking my brain on how to use them.

As a busy student, a healthy and fast breakfast has been quite a challenge for me and frequently I go without. Since the start of the semester I've been on a muffin kick: banana muffins, zucchini muffins, apple muffins, bran muffins and now, you guessed it, butternut squash muffins.

I had never had them before, but I thought why not? I'm sure glad I did, because these suckers are good! And good for you too.

Butternut squash has minimal calories (only 82 calories per cup!) and it is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber.

Hope you like them.

Whole Wheat Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cooked butternut squash
• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2/3 cups of brown sugar substitute (I use Sugar Hill. If sugar substitute is too sweet for you, use less to taste or regular sugar)
• 1 overripe banana or 1/3 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (for topping)
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar (for topping)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Half one butternut squash and scoop out the seeds.
• Place the squash skin side up on an ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 45-50 minutes.
• In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients (except 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and brown sugar).
• In a separate bowl, combine all wet ingredients.
• When squash is done cooking it should look a little charred and wrinkled. Pierce it with a fork to check that it is soft.
• Let it cool (I put mine in the freezer to cool faster).
• Scoop out one cup (save the rest for another batch or eat it with a little bit of butter-yum!) and stir it into the wet ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Slowly, mix in small quantities all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients until all of it is incorporated.
  
• If your mixture is too dry, add more applesauce. If it is too runny, add more flour. It should have the consistency of thick cake batter.
• Next, fill a greased muffin pan with your muffin mixture.
• In a small bowl mix 1/2 tsp of brown sugar and cinnamon.
• Sprinkle the tops of the uncooked muffins with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
• Cook muffins for 15-20 minutes.
• Makes 12 muffins.

Nutritional information

62 calories
.2 grams of fat
1.6 grams of dietary fiber