Pump-kin you up: Oatmeal With A Seasonal Spice

Pumpkin Maple Oatmeal

    I strayed from my shopping list by picking up a huge can of pumpkin. It was a little early to make pie and I was out of flour so muffins were out.  Could I put a teaspoon in my morning coffee to make a pumpkin spice latte?  I wasn't so sure how that would end up.  Then I spotted a recipe from Dr. Oz's newsletter for pumpkin maple oatmeal.
   
   I used old-fashioned oats, maple syrup, and a dash of cinnamon. I skipped the berries to get the full pumpkin flavor.  It wasn't as sweet as I expected so I would recommend keeping the berries or stirring in 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce.

http://www.sharecare.com/question/what-healthy-oatmeal-breakfast-recipe
Pumpkin maple oatmeal with berries is a nutritious treat. Cook 1/2 cup of quick or old-fashioned oats according to the directions. Add 2 tablespoons of 100% pure pumpkin, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and 1⁄2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries or blueberries. This makes 1 serving and has 198 calories and 3 grams of fat.

Just Desserts

Blueberry Baked Apples

    As the rain is pouring down outside it is time for a cozy meal.  A nice roast chicken or pork in the oven makes the house fragrant and warm.  Since the oven is already on, I make baked apples to go with the meal. 

    There are about eight Macintosh growing old in the fruit bowl so it is time to get out the Pampered Chef Wedger and Corer.  This makes quick work of slicing a bunch of apples.  Next I line the apples in the bottom of my little roaster and add pats of butter.  Now it is time to sprinkle on the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.  I pour a couple of cups of frozen blueberries on for a change.  As they cook down, they create a syrup over the apples.   After an hour the apples will be cooked through.  I leave them in the oven while we eat to keep them warm.

   Green apples are my favorite to bake.  You can add a bit of honey.  Cooked apples are sweet enough to my taste. I like to use up a bunch of apples since leftover baked apples make a great oatmeal topper. 

Muffins, Muffins, Galore

Blueberry Muffins

  I wanted to make a big batch of muffins for a busy weekend.  It would serve as both a fun activity to do together and an easy breakfast the next morning. Not wanting to jack everyone up on sugar, I searched for a recipe using stevia.  It took me some browsing time to decide since I had canned pumpkin and bananas,  but lacked some ingredients such as pineapple juice. 

   My bakers decided for me with an emphatic "We want blueberry!"  I added more oat flour since I had no graham flour. Having only frozen blueberries in stock, I was concerned the colors would streak when baked.  As you can see it was not a problem.  Now to solve the mystery of the missing muffin!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=674642 

Submitted by: DREAMERCHICK83

Minutes to Cook: 25

Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 1 cup minus 1TBS ww graham flour 3/4 cup oat flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1TBS stevia 2 egg whites 3/4 c plain fat free yogurt 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin tin .Combine dry ingredients. Combine in separate bowl, eggs yogurt, applesauce and mix. Combine the two mixtures. drain blueberries and add to mixture with 1tbs of flour.

Dinosaur Delights

     I attempted to make a cake from scratch.  Here's a little advice from my experience: leave your self plenty of time for a "dry run" before making something that you will serve to company.  Or you can be like me and have 7-10 different recipes for carob cake that you juggle to see which one has ingredients you may have heard of while you are trying to make a cake for a party tomorrow. In this case I went with the recipe for "Wacky Cake" since it looked less complicated than the 3 page long number that called for arrowroot and several other ingredients that were non-existent in my pantry.  I mixed the ingredients and it looked like brown soup, but I tried to keep positive and hope it would miraculously rise during the baking process.
     I doubled the recipe and cut it to look like a dinosaur.  I used carob chips for the eyes and toenails. There was a bit of cake leftover so we called that the swamp that the dinosaur swam in. You can catch a glimpse of the swamp in the picture.   The cake turned out super moist.  It didn't rise much although it did solidify while baking.  It took on more of a brownie quality than cake consistency. The frosting was amazing with a little dab of food coloring for the dinosaur green.  Next time, I think I will experiment more before debuting a new recipe, but I will keep the frosting on file.

"Wacky Cake" (Poor Man's Cake)

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup honey
3 tbsp cocoa or carob powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp vinegar
1 cup water
1 egg (optional)

Stir and mix with electric mixer and bake at 350 degrees in ungreased 9 x 13 baking pan , 25 to 30 minutes.


 Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
 from www.madhavasagave.com

1/2 cup unsalted butter
6 tbl Agave Nectar
1 cup nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
4 tbl whole milk
pinch of sea salt

Cream the butter with an electric mixer until light in color. Slowly add the agave nectar and beat until fluffy, about one to two minutes. Gradually add the dry milk and beat again.  Add the salt, turn the mixer to high speed, and beat about two minutes, or until very fluffy.  Makes 2 cups. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Yes We Have More Bananas

   Unlike the song that I'm sure you will thank me for placing in your head we always have bananas.  When they don't disappear into snackers or cereal I look forward to them turning spotty so I can make up a batch of my favorite muffins.  I usually double the recipe to make one dozen regular sized muffins and 2 dozen mini muffins.  Then I promptly freeze about half in Ziploc containers to have a handy snack or breakfast on a busy day.  That way I can enjoy baked goods on another day without having to clean up the kitchen again.  If you pop the frozen muffins on a plate in the microwave it gives them that "just out of the oven" warmth.
    To be honest with you the muffins in the picture are from a new recipe that was okay.  I'm sharing with you my favorite recipe instead.  These muffins always turn out moist and can be served as a dessert.  If you want to go all out, I'll include the icing recipe, though I usually serve them plain.

Banana Cupcakes
From Covered in Honey by Mani Niall

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp each: baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt
7 1/2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 cup ripe banana
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil muffin tin. Sift dry ingredients. Cream butter and honey. Add banana, egg, and vanilla. Add half the flour and mix on low. Add yogurt and the rest of the flour. On high blend for 1 minute. Bake 18-20 minutes.

Icing:
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp orange zest
Whip in mixer.

Fingerprint Fudge

   I've made this recipe a few times with mixed success.  It always comes out like "real fudge" in taste; it is the presentation that doesn't fare well. The first time I made it I planned to bring some on a visit to my friend to see her new baby.  I skipped the parchment paper and used a baking pan to try to get more squares. I spread it too thin and tried to cut it with a pizza cutter.  It stuck so badly I had to pull it off the cutter with my fingers, hence my re-naming of the recipe. I had softened the butter in the microwave and thought that might have affected the consistency. 
    The second time I spread the fudge out on aluminum foil, thinking it would be easier.  Boy was I wrong.  It was really interesting trying to peel it off and not get any Reynold's wrap in your dessert.  Thinking the third time must be the charm, I persevered. I planned on using cookie cutters to make a holiday treat and it just didn't want to come out of the pan.  I finally gave up and cut little squares and put them on a plate to go.  It almost looked more like hard cake frosting.
    I gave it one last shot.  This time,  I followed the recipe's advice to use parchment paper in the proper size pan and hey, it actually worked!  I don't have a picture to share, not because I'm embarrassed, but because it all got eaten!  I have stuck by this recipe because the fudge is deliciously sweet while the fact that it is caffeine and sugar free makes it a guilt-free dessert.  It may take a little patience, but it is worth the work.  Or you could try reading the recipe and actually following directions if you want to make things easier on yourself.  Please take my advice and use the parchment paper.  Otherwise, you are just asking for fudge heartache.  Trust me; I've been there.

Carob Fudge
(source unknown, I got this one from my nutritionist Anne)

makes about 1 dozen small squares

1 cup softened butter, preferably raw butter
1 cup raw honey
1 cup carob powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp chocolate extract (optional)
1/2 tsp sea salt

    Place all ingredients in food processor and process until well blended. Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper and spread mixture about 1/2 inch thick.  Wrap up in parchment paper and refrigerate several hours. Cut into small squares and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.