Guest Post: Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

Today's guest post comes from Ali, who lives in Vancou... you'll see.

Hi everyone.

My name is Ali, and I live in Vancouver, Canada with my boyfriend J. We are both graduate students, so we eat on the cheap, and we're both pretty active - I'm training up for a half marathon - so we're a couple of hungry buggers. The recipe below is a great way to use up pumpkin, if you've got it, and cranberries.

This muffin is one of our faves: It's cheap and healthy and good (what a coincidence!), and also portable, freezable, and toastable. CHGPFT! Also, let's compare this nutritional info with the info for a "Lowfat raspberry muffin" from a large international coffee chain that shall remain nameless. Their muffin (according to their online nutrition info): 340 calories, 6g fat, 2g fibre, 7g protein. This is their healthy muffin, people. And let's not even talk about the price...I'm not sure what they are charging for their muffins, but it sure as heck isn't $0.53. Yikes. So, save your money! Save your calories! Give the muffins below a try....you won't regret it. Promise.

A couple of notes:

1) The inspiration for this recipe comes from a fantastic cook book called Re:Bar, but we've made loads of adaptations to it so I'm not sure you could call it the same recipe. Nevertheless, the idea of putting millet and pumpkin together in muffin form comes from those guys and their yummy restaurant.

2) Did you know that there is as much protein is 1/2 cup millet as there is in 2 eggs (11g)? I didn't. And the millet is a third the price. So there's that.

3) For the pumpkin: we bought a huge (10 pound) pumpkin from a farmers' market, cooked the sucker, mashed up its insides, and froze the resulting mush in 2-cup ziplock bags. I admit I do not remember the exact price of the pumpkin, but it was cheap. So what you have here is my best guess for price. I'm guessing that the pumpkin cost about $10, and we got about 7 frozen cups of mush from it, plus a cup or two of pumpkin seeds.

~~~

If this looks good, you'll surely love:

• Banana Oatmeal Muffins
• Blueberry Muffins
• Egg McMuffins

~~~

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

1/2 cup millet (uncooked)
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1.25 cups pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 cup flour (all white, or 1/2 white 1/2 whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1) Preheat oven to 375 degress. Grease a muffin tray, or line with muffin papers.

2) Toast millet in a hot dry skillet until it's lightly browned and starts to smell toasty. Set aside.

3) Beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Then add in yogurt pumpkin, and vegetable oil. Mix.

4) In a different bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and millet.

5) Combine wet and dry, and stir in cranberries. Don't overmix, or muffins will be tough - use minimal stirrage.

6) Bake at 375 for 20-25 mins or until a knife comes out clean.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fibre, Protein, and Price Per Serving
155 calories, 3.8g fat, 3.1g fibre, 4g protein, $0.53

NOTE: Calculations are in Canadian dollars. Just add about 10% to convert to USD.

Calculations
1/2 cup millet: 378 calories, 4.2g fat, 8.5 g fibre, 11g protein, $0.50
2 eggs (we used happy-organic-free-range-type, hence the price): 126 calories, 8.7g fat, 0g fibre, 11.1 g protein, $1.75
1/2 cup sugar: 387 calories, 0g fat, 0g fibre, 0g protein, $0.25
1 teaspoon vanilla: 12 calories, 0g fat, 0g fibre, 0g protein, $0.10
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt: 77 calories, 1.9g fat, 0g fibre, 6.4 g protein, $0.64
1/8 cup vegetable oil (we used grapeseed): 241 calories, 27 g fat, 0g fibre, 0g, protein, $0.20
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree: 104 calories, 1g fat, 9g fibre, 3.4g protein, $0.75*
1/2 cup whole wheat flour: 203 calories, 1.1g fat, 7.3g fibre, 8.2g protein, $.0.18
1/2 cup white flour: 228 calories, .5 g fat, 1.7g fibre, 6.5g protein, $0.15
1 teaspoon baking soda: 0g everything, $0.05
1 teaspoon cinnamon: 6 calories, 0g fat, 1.2g fibre, 0g protein, $0.10
2 teaspoons fresh ginger: 12 calories, 0g fat, .5g fibre, .3g protein, $0.35
2 cups cranberries: 87 calories, 0g fat, 8.7g fibre, 0.7g protein, $1.35
TOTALS: 1862 calories, 45.5g fat, 36.6g fibre, 47.5g protein, $6.37
PER SERVING (Totals/12): 155 calories, 3.8g fat, 3.1g fibre, 4g protein, $0.53

Veggie Might: The Battle of Pumpkin Spice Biscuits

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.

Do you ever have an idea that you're convinced is the Best Idea Ever? Do you then have the utmost confidence that this idea will be Really Easy to Execute?

Last month, CB and I ventured north where I bought a farm stand's worth of squash. I have since made soup, a pie, and frozen the rest for Thanksgiving.

Then I had the Best Idea Ever. I should make pumpkin biscuits for Thanksgiving dinner. Doesn't that sound amazing?! I pictured them: light, flaky, fragrant with clove and nutmeg, steamy and dripping with butter.

But I decided I should not look in any of my cookbooks or on the Internet for recipes. I would make this happen on my own, armed only with my family's biscuit mix recipe and my own ingenuity.

Between batches three and four, my tiny Hells Kitchen galley looked like the aftermath of a battle between the Swedish Chef and the Pumpkin King.

A heavy dusting of flour blanketed the room like snow. Blobs of dough stuck to the floor and table. Orange puree splattered the walls and my face. My little dog cowered in the far corner of the living room, knowing well enough to stay out of the line of fire.

The first batch was too dry and didn't have enough pumpkin flavor. The second was the right consistency, but it needed more spices. The third and fourth batches were too wet and sticky to be called dough, but the spices were right.

Finally, late in the evening, the oven timer dinged. Batch five was ready. Battleweary and a little queasy, I peeled myself from the couch where the flicker of Veronica Mars, Season 2 kept me tethered to 2006.

The scent of pumpkin pie wafted through the battlefield kitchen. The puffy, pumpkin biscuits looked delicious as I relieved them from heat of the oven, but I had been deceived before. I forked one open, smothered it with vegan butter, and, with a single bite, sent up a cry of victory.

The texture was light and airy and, though savory, essence of pumpkin and warm pie spices came through. I collapsed from joy and fatigue, too full to eat more than one. But my roommate came through, eating biscuit after biscuit, declaring the battle won.

Pumpkin Spice Biscuits taught me a few valuable lessons about recipe development: it is both challenging and worth the effort. And between batches 3 and 4, there are some things even a dog won't eat off the floor.

~~~~

If this recipe floats your boat, paddle on over to:

• Whole Wheat Scones with Corn, Tomato, and Basil
• Oatmeal Apple Muffins
• Pumpkin Bread

~~~

Pumpkin Spice Biscuits
Makes 10-12 three-inch biscuits

2 cups biscuit mix*
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground clove

*Biscuit Mix
8 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
4 tsp salt
1/2 cup baking powder
1 cup shortening, chilled and cut into pieces

Instructions
Note: Dough may be a little fluffier than typical biscuit dough. A well floured work surface and hands, as well as kneading in a little extra flour, should take care of any stickiness issues. If you like tall, thick biscuits, roll your dough a little thicker than 1/2" and add a couple more minutes to the baking time. Also, a mesh strainer works great as a flour sifter.

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly coat baking sheet with oil or nonstick cooking spray.

2) Sift flour into a large mixing bowl, then measure out 8 level cups into food processor/stand mixer bowl or another large mixing bowl. Add baking soda, salt, and chilled shortening pieces.

3) If using mixer or food processor, pulse in short bursts until shortening is cut evenly and dry ingredients are combined. If using a pastry cutter or fork, cut shortening evenly throughout dry ingredients. Mix should look like bread crumbs.

4) Measure out 2 cups of biscuit mix into a medium mixing bowl and refrigerate the rest. (Now you're ready the next time you want to make biscuits!**) Add pumpkin puree and spices. Mix with a fork until just combined.

5) Sprinkle extra flour onto clean work surface and turn out dough. Powder hands and rolling pin with flour. Knead in a little flour if dough is too sticky to work with. Form dough into ball and pat down into a disk. Roll out dough into a 1/2-inch thick disk. Cut out biscuits with a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter (a juice glass works great in a pinch). Reflour your hands and repeat using scraps until all dough is used.

6) Place biscuits closely together on prepared baking sheet. Make sure the biscuits are touching; it helps them rise. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

7) When lightly golden, remove from oven and wait a couple of minutes before moving to a towel-lined basket or bowl to keep warm. Serve at breakfast with vegan butter or dipped in veggie gravy with your Thanksgiving meal.

**For regular biscuits, just add 1/2 cup of your favorite milk to 2 cups of mix and follow directions 5-7.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price per Serving
117.5 calories, 4.5g fat, .8g fiber, 2.3g protein, $.12

Calculations
Biscuit Mix
8 cups sifted all-purpose flour: 3640 calories, 8g fat, 24g fiber, 104g protein, $1.68
4 tsp salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.08
1/2 cup baking powder: 48 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.48
1 cup shortening: 1760 calories, 208g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $2.24
TOTALS: 5448 calories, 216g fat, 24g fiber, 104g protein, $4.48
PER SERVING (TOTALS/4): 1,362 calories, 54g fat, 6g fiber, 26g protein, $1.12

Pumpkin Spice Biscuits
2 cups biscuit mix: 1,362 calories, 54g fat, 6g fiber, 26g protein, $1.12
1 cup pumpkin: 49 calories, 0g fat, 3g fiber, 2g protein, $0.25
1 tsp cinnamon: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 tsp nutmeg: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 tsp clove: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 tsp star anise: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
TOTALS: 1411 calories, 54g fat, 9g fiber, 28g protein, $1.41
PER SERVING (TOTALS/12): 117.5 calories, 4.5g fat, .8g fiber, 2.3g protein, $.12

Whole Wheat Scones with Corn, Tomato, and Basil

Today on Serious Eats: Mexican Potato Soup. This soup is so fast, easy, and out-of-this-world delicious, it’ll make you believe in time travel, Nostradamus, and Yeti.

Summer is winding down, and a fall nip is in the air. It’s still warm enough to find ripe, juicy tomatoes and sweet corn at the market and cool enough to turn on the oven. There is no better time to whip up a batch of savory scones.

Scones are my Charming Boyfriend’s favorite breakfast bread, and turns out, they’re incredibly easy to make. CB prefers the classic raisin version, but I like something a little more savory. I’ve been tweaking and fine-tuning this scone recipe, from Vegan with a Vengence by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, for a few months now.

We’ve had such a gorgeous bounty of corn and tomatoes this season, I couldn’t resist stuffing a batch of scones with gold and red, inspired by the chewy, speckled corn breads I grew up with.

To stand up to the filling, I subbed in whole wheat flour and went with a nonhydrogenated shortening instead of oil to give the scones a flakier texture. I compensated with a little extra almond milk to make up for the moisture loss.

Another little trick of this recipe is to combine the almond (or soy or rice) milk with vinegar: the classic vegan method for substituting buttermilk. The vinegar curdles the nondairy milk, giving it a similar sour flavor to buttermilk. The real deal would work fine in place of the vegan version.

The fragrance of basil will fill your kitchen (or whole apartment) when these come out of the oven. Moist and flaky, a touch sweet from the corn, and tangy with tomatoes, these scones are the perfect complement to a weekend brunch. And with the more substantial whole wheat flour and veggies, they make an ideal grab-and-go breakfast bread.

Give these scones a try while the fruits and veggies of summer are still with us. But hurry! The corn is going fast. (Oh Eve Arden, that made me so sad.) Maybe scones will become your favorite breakfast bread too.

~~~

If you dug this recipe, point your divining rod to
Vegan Bran Muffins
Zucchini Bread
Tofu Veggie Scramble

~~~

Whole Wheat Scones with Corn and Tomatoes

Adapted from Vegan with a Vengence by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Makes 16 scones

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1 1/2 cup almond milk + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (vegan buttermilk!)
1 cup cooked corn (fresh from the cob or frozen)
1 cup tomatoes, fresh diced
2 tbsp basil, fresh chopped

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 and lightly grease a cookie sheet.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and into a large mixing bowl.

3. With a fork, cut shortening into flour mixture. Leaving pea-sized bits of shortening will make a flakier scone.

4. In a measuring cup, combine 1 1/2 cup almond milk and 2 tsp apple cider vinegar. Stir until milk coagulates. Fold in milk-vinegar combo, corn, tomatoes, and basil. Mix until just combined, taking care not to overwork the dough.

5. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and shape into a circular mound, about 12” in diameter.

6. With a sharp knife, cut the mound in half, then the halves into quarters, and so on, pizza-style, until you have 16 pieces.

7. Transfer dough to cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy with a fabulous breakfast or as a midnight snack.

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price per Serving
127.25 calories, 4.2g fat, 3.15g fiber, 3.15g protein, $0.24

Calculations
3 cups whole wheat flour: 1221 calories, 6g fat, 48g fiber, 48g protein, $1.08
2 tbsp baking powder: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $0.04
1 tsp salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $0.02
2 tbsp sugar: 52 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.04
1/3 cup nonhydrogenated shortening: 500 calories, 55g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.60
1 1/2 cup almond milk:: 60 calories, 4.5g fat, 1.5g fiber, 1.5g protein, $0.75
2 tsp apple cider vinegar: 2 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.01
1 cup cooked corn: 177 calories, 2g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.75
1 cup tomatoes: 22 calories, 0g fat, 1g fiber, 1g protein, $0.50
2 tbsp basil: 2 calories, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.08
Totals: 2036 calories, 67.5g fat, 50.5g fiber, 50.5g protein, $3.87
Per serving (Totals/16): 127.25 calories, 4.2g fat, 3.15g fiber, 3.15g protein, $0.24

Veggie Might: Baking with Stevia--Vegan Oatmeal Apple Muffins

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.

While I’ve been using stevia in my tea for nigh on 12 years, I’ve never used it for anything else, maintaining a steadfast whole foods philosophy when it comes to cooking and baking. But a recent conversation with a couple of close friends, who are in various stages of giving up sugar, prompted me to give stevia baking a try.

Some consider stevia to be a whole food. And if you just use stevia leaves for your sweetening needs, it is. But most people use stevia extract, which removes the sweet stevioside from the leaf and processes it into a liquid tincture or dry powder.

Where to start? Stevia is sooo much sweeter than sugar that you only need a tiny pinch of powder to equal the sweetness in a teaspoon of sugar. The brand I buy comes with a little scoop that equals 45mg; a teaspoon of sugar weighs 4 grams. I started to do the math, when I remembered that I had an Internet connection.

When I found the article How to Substitute Stevia for Sugar in Baking at eHow.com, I got super excited. They breakdown the stevia/sugar conversion thusly:

1 tsp stevia (powered) = 1 cup sugar
1 tsp stevia (liquid) = 1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp stevia= 1 tbsp sugar
6 drops liquid stevia = 1 tbsp sugar
A pinch of stevia = 1 tsp sugar
2 drops liquid stevia = 1 tsp sugar

But I’m not quite sure how 1 tsp of stevia can equal 1 cup sugar at the same time that 1/2 tsp stevia can equal 1 tbsp sugar. So I looked elsewhere.

Cooking with Stevia offers a more in-depth and likely accurate chart, which I’ve modified for our purposes:

But that conversion is not the only concern when replacing stevia with sugar. There is a mass/consistency issue to deal with when baking. Here’s where eHow came through: “The bulk or consistency that sugar normally would add can be replaced with applesauce, fruit puree, canned pumpkin, fruit juice, yogurt, or any ingredient that will taste right with your recipe and add moisture. For everyone cup of sugar that is replaced by stevia 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the bulk should be added.”

Thanks Internet. Let’s bake.

I whipped up the Apple Oatmeal Muffins from the Mother Earth News article I referenced in yesterday’s post, replacing the egg with flax seeds, subbing in almond milk, and swapping the raisins for walnuts. Go Omega-3!

Note: If you’d like to try an alternative egg replacement method, check out this great vegan baking tute at the Post-Punk Kitchen.

The muffins came out pretty well, though CB’s first comment was, “They look more like scones.” True dat, CB. I used my cute little silicone muffin cups instead of traditional paper cups, and the thick batter didn’t really take the shape of the cup.

The texture was primo: moist and bursting with walnuts. You could cut back if you’re worried about fat content. I could detect a subtle stevia aftertaste, but CB said he didn’t notice. I was suddenly kicking myself for not doing a blind taste test. Ah, well. We’ll save science for another time.

The muffins were not overly sweet, even with the 1 1/2 tsp stevia: 1 cup sugar ratio and the apple, though I could have used more apple flavor. Next time, I think I would knock a 1/2 a teaspoon off the stevia and add a second piece of fruit.

The verdict: I don’t think stevia will replace sugar in my baking repertoire. Though I love it in my tea--mostly because I don’t like the way sugar coats my tongue after a glass of iced Earl Grey--it still feels weird to bake with it. Perhaps if I had a medical reason to do so, I’d sing a different song.

For now, I’ll stick with sugar and keep experimenting with other natural sweeteners, because, hey, I like science.

~~~
If you like this recipe, you may dig:
The Sweet Stuff: A New Color in the Packet Rainbow
Vegan Bran Muffins
Chai-Spiced Oatmeal Muffins

~~~

Stevia Oatmeal Apple Muffins

adapted from Mother Earth News
yields 12 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp stevia powder
1 tbsp flax seeds +3 tbsp warm water
3/4 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)
1/4 cup coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
1 medium apple, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a food processor, whirl 2 ounces of flax seeds with 2 ounces of warm water until you have a gooey mess. That replaces the egg. Add milk and oil and give it another spin to mix with the flaxseed.

3. Combine dry ingredients--flour, oats, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, stevia powder, and walnuts--in a large mixing bowl.

4. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold in the chopped apple.

5. Fill muffin cups 1/2-3/4 full with batter. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

7. Enjoy the delicious Omega-3 delivery system you’ve created!

Approximate Calories, Fat, Fiber, Protein, and Price per Serving
143.8 calories, 9g fat, 2.2g fiber, 2.9g protein, $.31

Calculations
1 cup whole wheat flour: 420 calories, 2g fat, 16g fiber, 16g protein, $0.36
1 cup rolled oats: 304.5 calories, 4.5g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.12
1/2 tsp salt: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 tbsp baking powder: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1/2 tsp nutmeg: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
2 tsp cinnamon: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.02
1 1/2 tsp stevia powder: negligible calories, fat, fiber, protein, $.16
1 tbsp flax seeds: 45 calories, 3.6g fat, 2.4g fiber, 1.5g protein, $0.20
3/4 cup almond milk: 30 calories, 2.25g fat, 0.75g fiber, 0.75g protein, $0.38
1/4 cup coconut oil: 480 calories, 56g fat, 0g fiber, 0g protein, $0.92
1 medium apple: 77 calories, 0g fat, 2g fiber, 0g protein, $0.50
1/2 cup walnuts: 382.5 calories, 38g fat, 4g fiber, 9g protein, $0.94
Totals: 1726 calories, 108.35g fat, 25.3g fiber, 26.25g protein, $3.66
Price per serving (totals/12): 143.8 calories, 9g fat, 2.2g fiber, 2.9g protein, $.31