Showing posts with label hazelnuts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hazelnuts. Show all posts

Monday, May 21, 2012

Protein Packed Breakfast Muffins (Gluten-free) Revised

After some feedback that the original recipe I posted for these muffins were turning out to wet, I've revised the recipe a little bit, and here's a better, dryer recipe. The most recent batch I made were with Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes, black berries, and cocoa nibs. Delish.


These muffins are perfect for breakfast. They are hearty and dense and pack enough of a protein punch to help keep you going for hours. Seriously- after one of these muffins, a cup of coffee and some vitamin d, I go outside and yell "Bring it on world!" (Okay, maybe I just face my morning full of energy with a smile... same difference)

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups almond meal
1/2 cup hazelnut meal
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
4Tbs ground flax seeds whisked with 12 Tbs warm water
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 cup mashed sweet potato* (cooked)
1/4 cup olive oil

Optional:
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa nibs
2/3 cup raspberries, mashed**
If you are adding in optional ingredients (other than cocoa nibs), add in 1/2 cup ground hazelnut or 1/3 ground almond meal to counter the addition of wet ingredients.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mash or use immersion blender (or beater/ electric mixer) to blend all the wet ingredients into a smooth batter. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and then mix into the wet ingredients with a spoon. Scoop into a lined muffin tin (about 1/3 cup per tin). Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until batter has been cooked through. Eat, then conquer world.

*I have been using purple sweet potato (Okinawan potato) for muffins where I am using dark berries like blackberries or blueberries, as it gives the muffins a rich dark purple color, and orange sweet potatoes for red berries, pineapple and carrots as the muffins will be pink or orange.

**You can switch out the raspberries for any berry, or pineapple for sweeter muffins. For a savory muffin, substitute raspberries with shredded zucchini or carrot.


Thursday, April 7, 2011

Cashew "Cheese" Spread 2 Ways

I used to love soft, spreadable cheeses before I was vegan. Brie, Camembert, Chevre, Cougar Gold, stinky, tart or smooth, it didn't matter. Basically, if a cheese could be served on a water cracker, I was a fan. The spreadable Sheese is quite good, but when I'm craving something a little different, it's time to break out the probiotics and raw cashews, and make my own. The last time I made spreadable "cheese", I made 2 different versions, a savory herbed version with rosemary and cracked pepper, and a soft light version, with lavender and toasted hazelnuts. They both rocked and every omnivore at the party didn't believe they were eating cashews and not cheese. Be warned though, even though this recipe is pretty simple, the prep time for this dish is about 3 days between the soaking and culturing, so remember to give yourselves ample time to make this dish.

Herbed Cashew "Cheese" Spread with Cracked Black Pepper

Cashew "Cheese" Spreads