Root Vegetable Muffins

This past year we started a new, year-round CSA. The winter share was mostly stored vegetables which meant A LOT of roots and cabbage. In an effort to use up the roots and make kid-friendly snacks, I baked several varieties of root vegetable muffins. (Sorry, no pictures yet)

Beet Carrot Muffins were first. These were good enough that the kids at school ate them all up at the Valentine's Day party.

250 g whole wheat pastry flour (2 cups)
50 g flaxseed meal (1/2 cup) or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
100 g brown sugar (1/2 cup)
1 large egg
2 cups pureed beets
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, or nuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 12 standard or 36 mini muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, egg, and beets. Add beet mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in carrots and raisins. Spoon into prepared muffin cups.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, 20-22 minutes for standard muffins, 10-12 minutes for mini muffins. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Carrot Apple Muffins are pretty basic.

250 g whole wheat pastry flour (2 cups)
50 g flaxseed meal (1/2 cup) or whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup oil

100 g brown sugar (1/2 cup)

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt or unsweetened applesauce

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, or nuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 12 standard or 36 mini muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, egg, applesauce and yogurt. Add applesauce mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in carrots and raisins. Spoon into prepared muffin cups.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, 20-22 minutes for standard muffins, 10-12 minutes for mini muffins. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Carrot Parsnip Muffins were my first attempt at using a puree of those vegetables instead of shredding them into the muffins. I found quite a few recipes for carrot or parsnip muffins using shredded vegetable but I wanted to replace all the applesauce in the Carrot Apple Muffins with vegetable. Plus it uses up more vegetables when they are pureed! If you haven't tried parsnips, you should. They have are sweeter than carrots and have a mild flavor that pairs well with spices.

250 g whole wheat pastry flour (2 cups)
50 g flaxseed meal (1/2 cup) or whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup oil

100 g brown sugar (1/2 cup)

1 large egg

2 cups pureed carrots and parsnips (cook then puree, add water if needed, from 50:50 to all parsnip)

1/2 cup raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, or nuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 12 standard or 36 mini muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, egg, carrots and parsnips. Add parsnip mixture to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Stir in raisins. Spoon into prepared muffin cups.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, 20-22 minutes for standard muffins, 10-12 minutes for mini muffins. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Date Balls

Sometimes a bar is just too much snack for a 3 year old. Enter the date ball. A limited ingredient, smaller version of the date bar, these are closer to Larabars but I think they have more texture and less fruit.

Like the date bars, this recipe has some flexibility. The flax meal could become nut meal. The coconut could become dried fruit. Unlike the date bars, the dates are the only "sticky" ingredient and I'm not sure other fruits can replace them here.

The mixture will appear too dry when you mix it. While you should add a little warm water if it just won't hold together, make sure to try pressing it into balls first. It won't roll into a ball like dough, it needs to be pressed and shaped with your fingers. Because these are dried than the date bars, I store them at room temperature.

Date Balls

1/2 cup pitted dates (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes if they seem dry and drained)
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 Tablespoons flaxseed meal or nut meal
2-1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds soaked in 5 Tablespoons water for at least 1 hour
1/4 cup flaked coconut or dried fruit

Process the dates in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until combined. Press into balls approximately 1-inch in diameter.

Date Bars

Have you ever noticed what is in most granola bars? And what is not in them? Not really the best choice for healthy eating. On top of that, G has had some digestive problems and we have been going through a lot of diet experiments to help her. Commercial granola bars, her favorite post-swim, post-ballet snack don't really help. So I set out to make a bar that includes the best things for her tummy, at least the best things we have found to date.

Christie helps with the experiment

What did I want to get in there? Chia and flax seeds, specifically, for fiber, water retention, fats, and protein. Also, fruits that help move things along the digestive system, like dates, prunes or figs. Coconut has some helpful fats and could go in a bar, but avocado is probably asking too much!

Looking around, I found some potential recipes and started playing around with ingredients and techniques. This is what I settled on but the recipe is really flexible. Don't want nuts? Use alternative butters and sunflower seeds or coconut in place of almond. Vegan? Use maple syrup instead of honey. Prefer fruit to chocolate? Use dried cherries instead of chocolate chips. I haven't tried them with figs or prunes in place of dates but if you soak them in hot water, they will probably work.

Pressed into pan by hand, waiting for final "smoosh"

 The key to a bar that holds together well enough to eat it without making a giant mess is the pressing. Once everything is in the pan, it needs to be pressed in by hand then well smooshed down by a second pan on top of the mixture. Since the base of my loaf pans are slightly narrower than the top, I find another loaf pan is perfect for the smoosh. Plastic wrap or parchment just helps keep things neat and easy to turn out of the pan for chilling.

The slab after pressing and chilling

 Chilling the slab makes it easier to cut. You don't have to store the bars chilled but I find they get a little too soft above 75 F or so, at least too soft for a preschooler to eat neatly.

Cut and wrapped

Date Bars

1/2 cup pitted dates (soak in hot water for 10 minutes then drain if they seem dry)
2 Tablespoons chocolate chips
3 Tablespoons nut or seed butter
2 Tablespoons honey, maple syrup or agave
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almond meal, chopped nuts, shredded coconut or sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2-1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds soaked for at least 1 hour in 5 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Process dates in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. Add chocolate chips and pulse to chop chocolate a bit smaller (or use mini chips).

Combine nut butter and honey in a small bowl and heat just until easy to pour.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well to combine. If you find it is too hard to stir by hand, you could throw everything in the food processor and give it a few pulses instead.

Line 4x8-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap or parchment paper, leaving sufficient overhand to wrap over top of bars. Lining is optional, but I find it makes things easier to press and move. Press down with your fingers to pack into the base of the pan. Fold plastic or parchment over top of slab and, using another loaf pan, press down hard until the slab is very compacted. Chill slab in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Unwrap slab and cut into 8 bars. Store in the refrigerator or at room temperature depending on your climate and texture preference.

Christmas Cookies 2013

This year Christmas cookies were mostly in ball form. Simple, easy, quick but look nice. Perfect for our first year really needing to have a full birthday party along with the holidays. Three is definitely the age when they understand birthday party and have expectations. This was also the first year G insisted on helping in the kitchen and these are easy enough for an almost 3 year old to make, with a little help, of course.

The non-ball cookie: Almond Coconut Chip

I like to store the ball cookies in the refrigerator for a few days before eating. The flavor definitely improves with time. These were packed in pretty tissue in boxes and clear containers but did I remember to take any pictures? No. Sorry, maybe next year!

Brownie Balls, flavored with either rum or coffee, depending on the recipients, were the simplest. There's not much of a recipe. Bake a 9x13-inch pan of chewy or fudgy brownies from a mix or scratch. Cake brownies do not work so well. When cool, crumble up in a bowl and stir in 6 Tablespoons of coffee or spiced rum. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls. To make fancy, roll in sprinkles or shredded coconut.

Lime Coconut Balls came next, some in a Margarita version.

113 g melted butter (4 oz, 1 stick, 1/2 cup)
400 g brown sugar (2 cups)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
250 g flour (2 cups)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of 3 limes
3 Tablespoons lime juice
3 Tablespoons tequila or lime juice
1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9x13-inch pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Spread in prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until tester comes out mostly clean. Let cool.

Crumble into a bowl and stir in lime zest, lime juice, tequila, and coconut. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls. Makes approximately 30.

And, finally, Almond Coconut Chip Cookies. These were supposed to be balls but spread too much in the oven.

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (60 g)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
4 oz melted butter (1 stick, 113 g, 1/2 cup)
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together to combine. Scoop 1 Tablespoon balls onto prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden on bottom, 9-10 minutes. Makes approximately 60 cookies.

Hello Kitty Cupcakes

G turned 3 in December, right after Christmas. This was the first year that she was really aware of birthday parties and had definite opinions on what she wanted. This was also the first year that we had to combine all the chaos of Christmas with making her birthday something separate and special.

For her party, she wanted Hello Kitty cupcakes. I was not going to spend the money on custom order, special design cupcakes for a 3 year old birthday party but she was insistent. Hello Kitty ON the cupcakes. Not the wrapper. Not the table. Not the walls. Not a balloon. Not even a cake. Cupcakes.

Now, I could have printed little cupcake toppers on cardstock and stuck them in with a toothpick or bought strange, hard sugar things stuck to cardboard that look vaguely like a white cat with a bow. But no. Somehow crazy-mom took over and she was going to have real, decorated cupcakes. Because I always had cakes with real icing decoration in whatever theme I wanted, my daughter would too. Never mind that we no longer have the family bakery to this. Never mind I won't spend more than a dollar on a cupcake for 3 year olds. It. Will. Happen.

And they kind of look like Hello Kitty. I was terrified she would end up with cupcake wrecks.

Pumpkin Mochi

G started preschool last September. This opened up a whole new world of food. Not only do I feed my own child, but now I make snacks and treats for school events. What will the kids eat? Can I keep the sugar and refined/processed items to a minimum and have them eat it? Oh, and no nuts or anything processed in a facility with nuts.

For the holiday celebration, I went back to my roots. Something so simple and popular it has to be a hit. Mochi! Sure, it's got sugar and extremely refined white rice flour, but at least nothing has seen a nut and, bonus, naturally gluten and dairy free! Plus, G can help make it.

Then J pointed out that kids around here have probably never seen mochi. At least not the kind without ice cream inside. Hm. Do I want to be the mom who sends the weird food? If they try it, they should like it. Maybe if I cut it into fun shapes. And it does jiggle, kind of like jello. Is that good or bad? Well, I'm too busy with holiday and birthday baking to come up with anything else at the last minute, so weird food it is.

I went with pumpkin so it was seasonal and had a familiar pie taste, limiting the weird factor to texture, not taste. G helped mix and cut out the shapes. There is a bit less sugar than most mochi recipes but it is still quite sweet. I am not sure if canned pumpkin puree will work the same or if it will need extra liquid. Note that this make A LOT of mochi.

Pumpkin Mochi

450 g mochiko (1 pound box)
200 g sugar (1 cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
112 g melted butter (4 oz, 1 stick, 1/2 cup)
400 g fresh pumpkin puree (14 oz)
2 cups coconut milk
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch and 8x8-inch pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together mochiko, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, pumpkin, coconut milk, and eggs. Add pumpkin mixture to dry mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour. Cool completely before cutting.

Frosted Chocolate Beet Birthday Cake

Three words send fear into the heart of many a parent. Toddler Birthday Party.

Okay. Really, it's not that bad, but when you've been going to them almost every week for a couple months, sometimes twice in one day, your kid starts to ask questions. Is it my birthday? Is it your birthday? The cat's birthday? Is there cake? Can we get cake? Make cake? Juice box, please?

Last Saturday we had one birthday party in the afternoon and another birthday at our house in the evening. Do I want to put a two year old to bed after they eat treats all afternoon and evening? Do I want to tell the two year old there's no cake at a birthday party? Do I want to put candles in a loaf of bread? No. No. Yes, but the five year old might notice there's something wrong with his birthday "cake".

How about frosted chocolate birthday cake with less sugar and some nutrition thrown in? Yes. And it even uses up the beets! Kids and adults loved it. I didn't get a chance to take a picture before it was demolished.

The frosting tastes more like peanut butter than chocolate and is better if you let it sit overnight. For a dairy-free option, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.

Chocolate Beet Cake
200 grams all-purpose flour (about 1-1/2 cups)
150 grams brown sugar (about 3/4 cup)
50 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (about 1/2 cup)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-3/4 cups pureed cooked beets
1 very ripe banana, pureed
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch square cake pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine beets, banana, vinegar and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir well to combine. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in prepared pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting
1-3/4 cups pumpkin puree (if homemade, drain overnight in a coffee filter to thicken)
1 cup chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup peanut butter

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Makes enough to frost a single layer cake and pipe decoration.