Saturday, November 14, 2015

maple-sweetened pumpkin muffins with oats

ingredients:
1/2 c. melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c. maple syrup or honey
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice or cloves
1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top
instructions:
1. preheat oven to 325 degrees.  place ten cupcake liners in muffin tin.
2. in a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk.  add eggs, and beat well.  mix in the pumpkin puree and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves.
3.  add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined.  if you'd like to add additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
4.  divide the batter evenly between the ten muffin cups a little higher than you normally would.  sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats, followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon.  bake muffins for 23 to 26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.  place the muffin tin on a cooling rack.  these muffins are delicate until they cool down (you have been warned!), so it 's best to wait until they have cooled down to remove them from the tin.  you might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.  enjoy muffins as is or spread with nut butter or regular butter.
*original recipe from www.cookieandkate.com

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

arugula pear salad

arugula
1-2 pears, diced
parmesan cheese, shredded
almonds, chopped
maple dijon vinagrette


dressing:
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard


combine arugula and pears.  toss dressing to coat.  add parmesan and almonds.  toss.  eat immediately.


*combined multiple recipes found online to create.  dressing recipe found on pinterest.