The Bee's Knees

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Katharina

: What’s the yellow stuff?

I recently started sprinkling bee pollen over my breakfasts. Luckily, the local bee pollen around here is slightly sweet, and I think it’s because the fruits here are sweeter. I’ve tried bee pollen from Virginia and it just tastes bad. Must be those dogwoods! Anyway, in a previous post I subtly mentioned that I decided to go off the birth control pill. It had been on my mind for awhile, but when reading “Must Have Been Something I Ate” I made my final decision. I’m a simple, no-nonsense kind of person, and the birth control pill started to seem more like nonsense. I also want to see where my body is at and functioning without synthetic hormones being produced.

So I did some reading on how to rebalance hormones, and some advice for stopping the pill. I found out that:

Shen Nung, a Chinese emperor from around 2,735 B.C., assembled an encyclopedia that included some of the benefits of bee products, including information claiming that bee pollen can slow down the aging process (Source).

Bee pollen has been talked about in Egyptian texts and the Bible. Pythagoras, Hippocrates and Pliny the Elder, all credited as the fathers of western medicine, prescribed bee pollen along with other traditional health practitioners due to the property of healing contained within the pollen (Source).

Studies have shown that bee pollen helps restore the health of female reproductive system and relief from the discomfort of PMS. Sounds like something that could help me during this transition! I’ll be sharing some tidbits I come across along the way, and things I’ve been incorporating in my life (and diet) that are related to this topic.

: Maple cornmeal muffins and a veggie bean dish.

These muffins were so tasty with a spread of whipped sweet cream butter. The recipe for these muffins? Well, here you go!

Maple Oat and Cornmeal Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 Ener-G egg replacer “eggs”

1 cup milk

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup oat flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

1. Heat oven to 450 F. Grease muffin cups.

2. In large bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix well. Pour batter into greased muffin tin.

3. Bake at 450 F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

: And some for crumbling on top.

: Also enjoyed with a bit of sweetness

: Honey Greek yogurt, raspberries, and sliced almonds

: This is what I’m talking about.

: So good!

: More muffins!

I had been wanting to make Kelsey’s Banana Chocolate Chunk muffins for quite some time now and I finally got around to making them. Instead of using milk I spiked them with eggnog. I thought of Natalie and her post about how she isn’t afraid to let herself get creative and really takes her personal likes into account. Hence I added more cinnamon, and ground up a bar of 70% dark chocolate!

: I saved myself the one with the gooiest bit of chocolate.

: First bite!

: And it was scrumptious.

: I recently gave sprouting my first go.

Sprouting these sunflower seeds was a success! It was like a science experiment, and when I saw that they were indeed sprouting I felt accomplished.

: Everything Sprouts Salad

I made another one of Peggy K’s recipes from her book “Must Have Been Something I Ate.” This was one of those salads that you could bring to a get together and it would hold its own. Definitely not a “side salad” because this became the center of my meal it was so good!

: This salad was full of living things!

It had sunflower seed sprouts, mixed greens, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, cucumber, red bell pepper, arame, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, and kelp granules. It’s a lot of stuff for a salad but it’s not hard to throw together. The salad also has to two choices for dressings and I chose the one with olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice, dried oregano, sea salt and black pepper, and dijon mustard. You can also add hummus to make it a creamier dressing. I did that the next day with the leftovers and it was so good!

: A wonderful palette.

If you guys have any advice on coming off the pill, or have some insight I would greatly appreciate it!

And in other news, the “Must Have Been Something I Ate” Giveaway is still going on so don’t forget to enter if you haven’t yet! This book is definitely worth a read, and Peggy K’s knowledge can be passed on to someone else.

p.s. I’ll be flying to Toronto next week, and New York from there for another week! I’ll finally be able meet up with one of my favorite bloggers, Gillian.

Sweet Memory

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Katharina

Remember all my excitement for graduation? Well… that eventful day happened this past Friday! It still hasn’t hit me, but right now I’m just celebrating life and the end of a 21-credit semester.

: Thank you, Mom!

: Thank you, Dad!

: My support

I really appreciate my parents for trusting and having faith in my maturity and wisdom to help me make choices for myself in life. When I was in high school I didn’t take the SAT’s because I didn’t plan on going to college right away. Instead Germany was on my mind and I went there after high school, and while I was over there I took the SAT’s. Fortunately I did because when I came back to the states for a two week visit I decided to stay and put my portfolio together in three days, sent it to VCUarts. I didn’t have another plan, and I think that’s because I didn’t have any doubt I’d get in. My parents supported my decisions, and throughout my life they’ve helped me stay motivated–to have a passion for life
Well, here I am now and I got my BFA at the top sculpture program in the nation. Now I’m eager to discover the opportunities in the big, big world. I guess the point that I’m trying to make is to believe in yourself. Listen to your heart, embrace your confidence, and see the world through your very own eyes.

: Let the commencement begin!

: Each department in the school of the arts made graduation standards.

: Katie and I–she’s one of the coolest girls on this side of the galaxy.

: Check out the dream dress that my friend made for me!

Afterwards we went to a local Middle Eastern restaurant called Cedars, which we frequent, and the owner treated us with his very own recipes!

: He made me the vegan version of what he calls “The United Nations”

: And a wonderfully fresh salad with sumac!

Sumac is a spice that is often used in Middle Eastern cooking to add a tart flavor.

: They got the dishes to satisfy their inner carnivore.

: Enjoy!

: Later on they gave us fresh Dolmas.

: And we couldn’t leave without having his baklava!

: Bahaha! Meant to be eaten with your hands of course.

: We had some great company–Sam and the owner!

: And one more with the folks!

The owner makes everything himself from the pita bread, grinding the spices, the sauces, cheeses, and garden grown herbs! Not just that but the love and kindness they share with us is something really special. Now get ready for a lot more sweetness…

: A pancake omelette!

When I saw this on Rachel’s blog I knew I had to try it. I’m slightly allergic to eggs nor do I like them so regular omelets are not on my radar. However, when I saw the idea of using the omelet concept but in pancake form I knew this was my kind of thing.

: Stuffed with strawberries, chocolate hazelnut butter, and dusted with powdered sugar.

Although next time I think I’m going to throw in some chocolate chips to the mix.

: I definitely have plenty of it now!

: My step-dad and I visited the chocolate store the other day… can you tell?

The Vosges Black Salt Caramel Bar was such a unique chocolate bar. It definitely takes you by surprise, but then the next moment you find yourself appreciating it and making sense of all the thoughtful flavors. I also loved Chuao Chocolatier’s Coco ChocoPod, which was a blend of dark chocolate, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and coriander–definitely getting the full-size bar next time! The other chocolates I had already tried and are dear to my heart.

: Oh Germans and their efficient packaging–gotta love it!

: Raw Vegan Texas Pecan Pralines

I’ve been making raw vegan treats on a weekly basis now, and trying a new recipe each week has been a delicious affair.

: Especially when I had my weeklong affair with these…

You must try Joanne’s recipe for this raw vegan version of pralines.

: Next up, Vegan Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies

There was a sweet potato that had been sitting in my kitchen for a little too long so when I saw Allie’s recipe for these breakfast cookies I made them right away! So instead of canned sweet potato puree I just mashed a sweet potato with some almond milk, and proceeded with the recipe. I also used rye flour instead of spelt, and walnuts instead of pecans. The last of my dried cranberries were also used up, so I’d say that I’m doing a pretty good job of using up my pantry nowadays. I’m glad because I don’t want to have to take as many things with me when I move out of my place. Plus, it just feels good to get some clear space.

: These were especially tasty with some easy dairy-free icing.

: Another batch of no-bake treats!

This time I made Averie’s No-Bake White Chocolate & Mango Cookie Dough Bites. Oh wow! I love white chocolate and mango. Not to mention this was definitely a unique recipe because it didn’t call for dates but it did call for white chocolate chips, which I think are underrated. Oh yes, I will be making these again… and again and again!

: I had baked these for my dear friend that made my graduation dress for me (the one pictured above).

: Honey and Toasted Pistachio Muffins

: Aren’t pistachios beautiful?

The extra drizzling of honey on these muffins is like nature giving its own sweet kiss to them. I thought it would be a nice way to say thank you.

: Now what have we got here?

: When I saw a pint of these strawberries from a local field I got so happy!

: Vibrant little red jewels that make their way back into when the weather starts to get warmer.

: Here’s some more post-graduation celebration.

: And someone special thought of having a nice “celebration of me” evening for the two of us to share–a picnic by moonlight.

Well, well, well… is your sweet tooth aching yet? I think mine is about to start aching. Actually, my cheeks are aching just from smiling so much lately! What’s your favorite way to satisfy your sweet tooth?

Following "Orders"

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Katharina

You know what I’ve noticed lately? I haven’t been posting about the foods that have tickled my sweet tooth. To be honest, for the most part they haven’t been worth mentioning from the usual “oats-in-a-jar” for morning classes, bowls of cereals, or date-balls. But there is one thing that is extra-special to me and makes me antsy whenever I run out, and that’s homemade granola! I munch on granola all day: with meals, between meals, before meals, after meals. You get the point. Most of the time I end up finishing a batch before I think to snap a picture.

Clumpy & Crisp Applesauce Granola

Clumpy and crisp are two things that I love about granola. I was perusing through Kickpleat’s blog, and as soon as I saw this recipe I clicked on it to see what it entailed. Hmm.. I could check off the entire ingredient list! That was a nod from the heavens to make it happen! However, I did make a few changes. Rather than using olive oil I used almond oil, used half oats/half cornflakes, and I also threw in some cashews to the nut mix.

Delicious and addictive

Much like these chewy coconut flapjacks.

What a fun name for these! If you are oat-obsessed like the title of the recipe’s post says, then these are for you. Well, if you love sweet, chewy, and sticky delicious things in general then these are for you too; they are also what the British call “flapjacks”. I know some of you may be thinking, “but those don’t look like pancakes.” That is correct. These are definitely not pancakes. No offense to them because I love those kinds of flapjacks too!

For serious oat lovers!

I snuck in some cornflakes to these as well. I swear ever since I tried the Bakery on Main granolas, I’ve been adding cornflakes even to recipes that sort-of resemble the tree-hugging snack. But who doesn’t want to eat tree-hugging snacks when they taste like baklava?! When my roommate pointed that out, my eyes lit up and suddenly I could taste it. She was right!

Don't believe me?

You need to make these as soon as possible, and try for yourself.

Now moving on to more sweet things, shall we?

I spy poppy seeds...

But not just poppy seeds! When I had spied Katie’s recipe for these Lil’ Lemon Muffins, off to the kitchen I went. These scrumptious little treats didn’t stick around for very long. With this warm weather it was nice to have something baked that tasted light and uplifting.

This was a recipe I had been seeing in a lot of posts recently.

Heather’s famous Cookie Dough Smoothie recipe caught my eye because of two words: cookie and dough. I usually am not in the mood for smoothies for breakfast unless I had a long night or if that just happens to float my boat that day. When I saw this recipe, my boat decided to come in the next day.

It was surprisingly filling for a smoothie...

but it didn’t quite taste like cookie dough to me. Maybe something was off in how I made it? I didn’t use coconut milk, but I mixed in some coconut shreds to try and make up for it. Oh well, who knows.

More cookies!

These were inspired by a lovely lady I mentioned earlier and a delicious cookie–samoas! I saw Katie’s recipe for Samoas Larabars and next thing I knew I was wiping drool off my chin. There’s only one Girl Scout cookie that I love and I think it’s pretty obvious which one it is. I pretty much followed her recipe, but I crushed up some Three Sisters Cereal Graham Crackerz and mixed it in with the batch after the other ingredients went in the food processor. So that was supposed to be the “cookie” part in a samoa.Then I rolled them in shredded coconut, and took a most delicious bite into one of these. Me oh my, my obsessions list just keeps getting longer!

And now, since I always eat my vegetables...

This was a very simple recipe that I threw together, wanting to use the newly purchased jar of herbes de provence.

Provençal Potato Salad

Ingredients

-1.5 lb. bag of assorted fingerling potatoes, diced

-2-2 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans

-cooking oil of choice

-1 yellow onion, sliced

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-10 oz. mushrooms, sliced

-1 zucchini squash, sliced

-2 tbl white cooking wine

-1-2 tsp herbes de provence

-sea salt and pepper, to taste

1. Boil the potatoes till tender, but make sure not to overcook them! The last thing we want are overcooked veggies… or overcooked anything for that matter.

2. Heat the pan, and then heat the oil. Cook the onions and garlic till the onions are translucent. Once they are cooked you can add the potatoes and cooking wine. Cook for about two minutes.

3. Add the sliced zucchini, and cook for a few minutes until the squash starts to get tender. That’s when you throw in the mushrooms, beans, and the herbes de provence. Let everything cook together for a couple more minutes–mushrooms don’t take that long to cook.

4. Now ask yourself how salty and peppery would you like your dish, and then enjoy!

Note: on second thought I decided to throw in some avocado and French green beans, and served it cold as a salad.

Much better.

Do you ever have that recipe in a cookbook that you keep meaning to try, and the page is permanently creased because you still haven’t gotten around to it?

Well, I finally made this one: chickpea and sweet potato curry.

My mom’s friend gave me William Sonoma’s vegetarian cookbook a couple years ago for my birthday, and I’ve slowly been checking off the recipes I wanted to try. This particular recipe always stuck out to me, but I never seemed to have all of the ingredients on hand. Okay so I have something to tell you. I love to cook, bake, follow recipes, make my own… the whole shebang! But I usually don’t go out of my way to get all the ingredients I need for a certain recipe. The recipes I gravitate towards are based off of things I already have, not things that I need to go out and buy. There is the rare occasion though when there’s a recipe that I’m just dying to make and I will go out and buy the 3 tubs of mascarpone for it! This may come to a surprise to some of you, but I’m actually a very practical person (who knows how to have fun). I like to keep things simple. I’m a one block of cheese at a time kind of person. Definitely not a hoarder, and I rarely have the impulse to buy something on a whim. However, when I do get something on a whim I don’t feel bad about it–hello balance! Anyway, I think that kind of practicality has led me to get creative with the things I do have on hand, or maybe that childlike sense of wonder just never left. What kinds of sandwiches can I make with this cheese? How can I prepare something in a new way? With a new flavor? In an unexpected cuisine? I do have a lot of ingredients on hand though, but they’re all things that I use–not to be left in the cupboards to collect dust. You’d find all sorts of spices, dried herbs, legumes, oils from almond to avocado to truffle, a 10 lb. bag of basmati, nuts, a 2 lb. tub of dates… those are just a few of my kitchen staples. Perhaps, I will do a post on my kitchen staples. I know Holly has expressed interest in that a few times.

My taste buds were happy that I finally had all of the ingredients on hand.

Speaking of new ways to eat things...a new way to eat red lentils!

I usually eat red lentils as a dhal, a soup, or curry. I’ve been wanting to venture out though so last week I made a hummus, and this week I prepared them as part of a salad… an Indian inspired Rice Red Lentil Salad. I don’t have peanuts so I used pistachios instead, and it turned out wonderfully! Refreshing, slightly sweet, full of flavor, and just what I’ve been in the mood for. When you make this recipe you can’t forget to make the dressing! That would be like yin with no yang, which is impossible.

I know I always share recipes with you all, but this one is an order!

Come to think of it, this post is full of “orders”. I’ve been quite the queen when it comes to cooking up delicious recipes and coming up with some of my own if I do say so myself. I hope you’ve all enjoyed feasting with your eyes, and will soon head to the kitchen to create something tasty to eat! Who knows… maybe you’ll follow one of my “orders”? Or maybe you have one that you’d love to share.

When Life Gives You…

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Katharina

Hey everybody! Thanks so much for the compliments on the blue… dress? I forgot to say that it’s actually a blouse haha, but that doesn’t really matter! But finding some matching bottoms does, and I’m on the hunt for some. Oh, and Matilda says thank you as well. She knows she’s a little cutie-patootie, but she never minds being reminded by others. Also, I found an unused notebook sitting around the house so I’ve already been compiling some things for my cookbook. I’ll definitely keep you posted on how it’s coming along!

A new grain for breakfast?

My mom recently came down with a stomach virus–uh oh–so she had to have things that were easier on the tummy for her. That’s when we realized we had a bag of Bob’s Red Mill 10-grain cereal. This is made with stone ground high protein hard red wheat, rye, triticale, oat bran, oats, corn, barley, soy beans, brown rice, millet, and flaxseed. I really liked it! The flavor that stood out to me the most was the corn. I thought about what fruits would go well with this. I opted for a sliced banana, and dried fruits like dates, golden raisins, and cranberries. Then I decided to put a big spoonful of my favorite crunchy peanut butter on top!

And what could this be?

The other day when perusing through Whole Food’s bulk bins I spotted Toffee Almond granola. Uh… what else is there to do besides fill a baggie up with it? Well, besides taste-testing it first, nothing! It is so so SO yummy, especially with Greek yogurt, sliced banana + dried dates, and chocolate almond butter. I also picked up another granola, but I’ll save that for another time!

: Greetings!

Last weekend I went to a belly dancing party hosted by my mom’s friend.

: Pulling out some moves I learned from belly dancing classes.

: This furry little friend made lots of photo opts!

: Doh! Too cute to be real!

: She is one of my favorite people that I’ve met at our family friends’ house.

: The wonderful hostess herself!

: The decorations were awesome.

: And some of the yummy food.

: The princess woke up!

: And we made a toast–laheim!

: Oh hi!

: Then the belly dancer came!

Only a few of us were filled in on the secret. And the people who weren’t in the know were definitely surprised!

: In awe

: And then the rest of us joined in.

: Then the dancers took a break to pose for the camera hehe.

The party was so much fun, and themed parties are my favorite! My friends and I use to throw themed parties a lot when we were in high school. One party we never got to throw was one called the “Dream Team” party. Basically, we’d go as whoever we thought was the coolest person dead or alive. Maybe it should’ve been called “The Impossible Cool”.

: The next day was Father’s Day I had something in mind.

I saw this as the perfect opportunity to give a shot at grilling. I have definitely eaten grilled things, but I’ve never been the one behind the heat. This was also a chance to try some goodies sent to me courtesy of Foodbuzz and Nature’s Pride. They sent me their new Premium Harvest line: country white bakery buns and deli rolls, and whole wheat bakery buns.

: It was father-daughter bonding time.

: Yum yum

: The veggie spread…

Grilled eggplant with mango chutney, grilled key lime ginger glazed chayote, and the famous parsnip fries. Wow, the fries were delicious and everyone fell in love. We loved them so much that we actually asked “who gets the last one?”

: “Okay okay.. I guess you can have it since it’s Father’s Day”

: My plate

I made a batch of snobby joe lentils and grilled sun-dried tomatoes and onions to go with the country white deli rolls, and all of the veggies plus some goat cheese. I thought the deli rolls smelled sweet so I wanted to try them ASAP. They went on the grill as well, and they did not disappoint.

: None of the meal disappointed!

: And look! I picked a pocket-sized papaya the other day!

The tree has produced papayas of all shapes and sizes!

: The country white bakery bun with a homemade backyard black bean burger.

I was intrigued by the use of cornmeal in this recipe, which turned out to be delicious. It was kind of freaky though how much this bean burger resembled an actual hamburger. Topped with avocado, baby spinach, and ketchup in a bun it was ready to be eaten! This Nature’s Pride bun wasn’t bad, but nothing really stood out about it. Since I didn’t want to waste these buns, I looked up different ways that I could make use of them and I got lots of results! There were suggestions like bread pudding and French toast. I opted for a very simple solution…

: Enter the incredibly easy croutons!

You know what? I would buy these bakery buns just to make these croutons because they are addicting!

Leftover Bakery Bun Croutons

-Three bakery buns

-6 Tbl Olive oil

-1/2 tsp sea salt

-1/2 tsp dried oregano

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp onion powder

-1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

2. Take the three bakery buns and slice them into cubes.

3. Mix the olive oil with the seasonings. Then toss the bread cubes in the mix, making sure they’re coated.

4. Put into the oven for 15 minutes, turning them over half way through.

Then just see how long these croutons will last before they disappear. Afterwards I thought of trying them with parmesan next.

Another bun, hun.

Last but not least, I tried Nature’s Pride whole wheat bakery buns. I liked these better than the country white actually. I usually prefer things that taste grainier, but my favorite from all three were the country white deli rolls. Although they weren’t grainy, they were sweet and had sesame seeds on top. The country white bakery buns didn’t have anything special like that. Maybe they can try adding sesame seeds to the buns as well?

And another bean burger.

Having all these buns in the house, got me looking at bean burger recipes. So I made another variation. These vegan bean burgers caught my eye when they were featured on Kath’s blog. You should definitely give these a try! I loved how some of the beans were kept whole which gave them a great texture. The spices also included cinnamon (which is one of my favorites), coriander, and cumin. I would say that this bean burger recipe is creative, and those are usually the types of recipes I’m drawn to… something with a twist! Also, read the comments on that page for suggestions on adding and substituting ingredients.

These may look pretty...

But I kind of messed up!

I stumbled upon Katie’s Banana Chip Muffin recipe, and changed some things around. I added sesame seeds and used oat flour and brown sugar instead of what was originally called for. Because I over-baked them the white chocolate chips melted into oblivion–oops. I also thought these were mini-muffins, but I only had a regular muffin tin so I tried to spread the batter out more. I knew it looked like too little batter for each muffin, but I went ahead with it anyway. Later on I found out that they were indeed suppose to be regular-sized muffins. Oh well!

When life gives you bad muffins... make toasted crumbs?

Two of the Sweetest Things in Life: Friends & Family

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Katharina

Why hello there! Let me start off by saying that I was touched by the responses I got on my last post. And I am glad that it was just what some of you needed to read. Never leave a friend hangin’!

In my review of Farm Rich’s product I mentioned how they were a bit pricey. Well it was brought to my attention that you can print out a coupon right over here!

Funky colors

Greek yogurt + granola + sliced banana + papaya + pumpkin seed butter + shredded coconut

My dad has been in town this week and he brought up a couple of papayas from their tree!

Speaking of my dad, we've had a few picnics over the week.

It’s been really nice to have him here and to just enjoy the nice weather. We would meet up at Capitol Hill, where we’ve had many picnics before, and just sit under a tree and hang out.

Here's an old picture of Capitol Hill

I packed him a hazelnut butter + creme of dates & almond sandwich

A pumpkin seed butter + creme of dates & almonds sandwich for moi!

I can get pretty cray-cray when I eat

And there's my little nugget, Matilda, cooling off in the shade by my bike

My dad also brought up turmeric fingers, and they stained my own!

I grated the turmeric into the spiced red lentils while they were cooking and it made such a noticeable difference!

I served the lentils with coconut oil (of course), basmati rice, and steamed broccoli spritzed with Bragg’s.

Later that day I met up with some of my ladies at Ipanema's sister restaurant, Garnett's.

It reminded me of a charming country kitchen.

We wanted dessert, but the baked goods that day didn't sound too appealing to us. We just talked and ordered coffee and tea instead.

Then we took a hop and a skip over to Ipanema in hopes of finding yummy desserts.

The great thing about these two places is that their dessert menu pretty much changes daily. They’ve got staples like brownies a la mode, but their pies, cakes, and other desserts are different each day. Not to mention they also have gluten-free and vegan options as well.

One friend got the maple creme brulee.

My other friend ordered the mixed berry pie a la mode.

And I got the vegan apricot almond bar a la mode.

All of these were so incredibly delicious and huge oh my gosh. Perfect! But was there ever any doubt? This place always impresses with its desserts. Later on we found out that they actually make their own soy ice cream as well! It was also nice to bump into a friend of mine who works in the kitchen. I always ask him for his recommendations.

My friends are so pretty!

After dessert we wanted de-stress from all the school and life responsibilities so we went dancing for a bit. Much needed! I love these ladies to death and I felt complete after hanging out with them.

I'm going to be honest I was a little hesitant to share these muffins with all of you because they look funny...

But they taste yummy and I wanted to use the last my hemp protein powder so I made these muffins following a basic muffin recipe. I also opted for coconut extract instead of vanilla, filled some with Cacao Bliss or pumpkin seed butter, and sprinkled on some coconut shreds and chocolate coconut sprinkles. These are perfect as part of a quick snack.

Say bye bye for now, Matilda.

Matilda is now in Florida staying with my family since I’ll be going to New York soon in a couple of weeks. I won’t be staying for too long, but unfortunately I can’t take her with me since I’ll be flying from New York to Florida. Three weeks without my baby!!! I need distractions. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! And all the mommies in the world better be feelin’ the love!

Getting Creative in the Kitchen

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Katharina

Banana-Raisin Pumpkin Seed Butter Muffins

A couple months ago I kidnapped a big jar of pumpkin seed butter from my parent’s place. Sadly, the taste didn’t really sit well with me but I figured there had to be some way I could use this! I have seen plenty of peanut butter cookie, muffin, and bread recipes, so why not this little humble seed butter? That’s when these little muffins came about. Next time I make these I want to use maple syrup instead of sugar–I think it will greatly lend to the taste. Experiments are so much fun! A little side note: seed butters are great for anyone with nut allergies!

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour 1 cup

Quick Cooking Oats 2/3 cup

Sugar 3/4 cup

Baking Powder 1 Tbl

Pumpkin seed butter 1/2 cup

1 Mashed banana

Milk of choice 1 cup (I used Almond Breeze Original)

3 Tbl raisins

Brown sugar

1. Pre-heat the oven at 400F/200C for 15 minutes. Grease with little cooking spray or line the muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

2. In a large bowl combine together the flour, oatmeal, sugar and baking powder.

3. In a small sauce pan, over low heat, melt pumpkin seed butter and banana in milk, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

4. Once the pumpkin seed butter mixture is cool, incorporate it into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Then mix in the raisins.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan filling it to the top of each cup. Then sprinkle some brown sugar over each muffin.

6. The above batter was enough for 12 small muffins. I took out mine from the oven around 15 minutes, but I think 13-15 minutes should be perfect. I felt that in this recipe the smell of the muffins is an indicator of the doneness in addition to the toothpick test.

Now here are some ways I’ve enjoyed them!

With fruit and caramel peanut butter.

Warmed up with coconut oil then crumbled in yogurt with dark chocolate peanut butter.

I’ve also enjoyed them with a glasses of almond milk, and with maple syrup and ginger syrup drizzled on top.

Breakfast the other day involved the last of the leftover whole wheat yogurt pancakes.

And a bowl of Greek yogurt outshone by the blend of berries, chopped dates, pomegranate arils, and sliced almonds.

One of the pancakes had blackberries and chocolate chips.

I spread the usual coconut oil on the pancakes; but this time I sprinkled on some shredded coconut and sliced almonds, then drizzled on some ginger syrup.

For lunch I quickly assembled this sandwich: dark chocolate peanut butter + dried figs on wheat & oat bread.

After my Literary Journalists class I headed over to the boutique to sign the model contract and find out a bit more information. Sadly, I won’t be able to go on the trip to New York with my sculpture class since the fashion show is on the same weekend. But it’s okay… since I have no classes on Fridays I’m hoping I can head up there soon anyway! After I signed the contract I headed over the lab to work on a DVD to go along with a package I’m putting together for my best friend. I’m so excited about it! Yesterday night I wanted to make something special for dinner. I attempted my very first recipe from my new cookbook, Veganomicon.

I love the smell of onions cooking!

Onion rings

Toastyyyy

Et voila!

Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping

Since this was a vegan recipe it called for a veganized ricotta–cashew “ricotta” to be exact. I also didn’t have oregano on hand so I used tarragon instead and it gave the ziti a wonderful sweetness. Another substitution I had to make was butternut squash for the pumpkin puree. I couldn’t find a can of it for the life of me so I just made my own puree out of butternut squash. The smell as this was baking was heavenly, and the taste was even more divine. I knew I was choosing a great recipe from the very start! Do any Veganomicon owners have any recipe suggestions for moi?

I hope everyone’s week is going well–we’re halfway there!

Off to a Good Start

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Katharina

I’ll start this post off the same way I start my day – with breakfast!

: I baked some lemon poppyseed mini-muffins.

I tried some samples of the Artisana nut butters. I’m going to make a bold statement right now, but I’m just gonna go right ahead and put it out there. I haven’t tried all of the samples, but I feel that I can officially say that these nut butters are the bomb! If you’re a nut butter person, you will love these no questions asked. The nuts are all ground to perfection and have such a great consistency. I can actually taste each nuts’ unique flavor! I’m using the word “nuts” too much! So let’s move on, shall we?

: A delicious bowl of Zoe’s Honey Almond granola with extra almonds, coconut shreds, and mango over yogurt.

Next up is a recipe I got from a website called Culinary Competitor: Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Bulgur.

: The chili with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro, and a side of buttered peas and…

I also got to try something new! A Vitalicious Golden Corn VitaTop. I’ve always wanted to try this flavor because I love cornbread and these VitaTops just look so dainty! This was really good, and went perfectly with my meal. Oh gosh, almost forgot to review the recipe for you guys. TRY IT! I loved the addition of bulgur, which made it heartier. Eat it with some cornbread, or if you’ve got one of these yummy Tops on hand. I’m getting bossy! But for real guys…

Since we’re on the topic of VitaTops, I’ve been able to try a couple more flavors out.

: Double Chocolate Dream – those are white chocolate chips.

Doing it up photo collage style like Angharad! I admit that I was hestitant to try these because I read the words “double chocolate dream.” And for the most part, I’m not a big fan of double chocolate anything. However, I do love white chocolate and I think the addition of those chips really made it awesome. Not to mention this was warm, pillowy, moist, and gooey!

: About to enjoy bite number two… after I put the camera down!

: I decided to try another uber-chocolate flavor…

Deep Chocolate! I didn’t like this one as much as the one with white chocolate chips. But I did enjoy the melted chocolate! For some reason I look yellow in that picture (flash?). I’ve also tried the brownie, and I was happy that they were bigger than the VitaTops. The only complaint so far that I have about the VitaTops is that they’re just a few bites of goodness. I guess that’s the trade off? For myself, I enjoy these as part of a yummy snack, or an extra to my meal. If I were having these as part of a breakfast I would definitely have to have two. I’m not a calorie counter, but I do know that my breakfast carbs have to be over 100 calories… unless I want to be hungry again in an hour. I actually have a question regarding morning hunger, that I’ll get to on another post. Anywho, I’d imagine that these are wonderful for dieters because you don’t have to “splurge” to have a flavorful treat (they don’t skimp on flavor). You can have your cake, and eat it too! (Any cake really, whatever your little tastebuds desire!)

Let’s see… what else have I been eating lately? Oh! The other day I marinated some tempeh to make a “BLT”. If any of you guys have any awesome tempeh recipes, please, send them on over!

: This meal just looks funky!

: Close-up

I just followed this recipe for the tempeh marinade.

: This one I decided to glaze with maple syrup.

First Friday was awhile ago over here in my corner of the world. First Friday is when the galleries around here show off the new works they have up, and tons of people walk around and take it all in. Sometimes you see some real characters – the area’s eccentrics. Love it! Anyway, as you all know Matilda is practically attached to my hip so of course she went to this event with me! No one at any of the galleries has ever objected. I think it’s because she’s so freaking cute. But here are some pictures after the art and a show.

: My friend calls her “little bean”… “get back in your can.”

: I spy a 40!

Another furry friend!

Matilda would be so jealous if she saw this picture up. I think Sophia looks funny with her bat wings and squinty eyes. This was the night my entire zipcode experienced a blackout, so I went to my friend’s house. When the power came back we watched this murder mystery called Brick. This movie was so classical in the way it was shot… don’t really see mystery films made this way anymore.

Back to some more eats! The other day I was at the bookstore browsing through magazines that I didn’t want to pay for. I had my handy dandy Moleskin and copied down an interesting recipe I saw in a Vegetarian Times issue: ginger-miso yam wraps. This was my first time trying collard greens, and I tried them RAW!

: Look how pretty!

This was so nice to look at and prepare. Collard greens remind me of the Cabbage Patch Kids. I made a slight change to the recipe, and poured in some coconut milk.

: Filled with so much goodness.

: with a side of carrots sautéed in coconut oil and later toasted some coconut shreds and cinnamon.

: Some more mock tuna goodness.

I decided to add some variety to my eats by getting a bag of tortilla chips. Yay! I wish I had a cheese grater so I could make nachos. Well, I kind of made some the other day by cutting squares to put on each chip haha. But I prefer a messy, melted, gooey explosiong when it comes to nachos.

Then I added some goat cheese after I started eating...

I happened to be reading Janetha’s blog while I was eating this, and saw that she made a tuna melt sandwich with goat cheese. Awesome idea, girl!

An apple, cheddar, "bacon", and roasted onion sandwich.

An apple, cheddar, "bacon", and onion sandwich.

I also spread some pumpkin butter on this great bread. This spelt bread tastes really good – perfect for sandwiches. On the side I sautéed some yellow squash in coconut oil and toasted some coconut shreds. To melt the cheese I put my sandwich in the toaster oven since I don’t have a griller. The crispness from the apple and onions, the crunch from the bread, and the smoky “bacon” with cheddar were awesome all together!

A chocolate banana pop.

Oops! It looks like I didn’t really clean the mold that well… there’s some OJ at the tip. For these pops I just added some chocolate sprinkles to the warm, melted banana + coconut milk/shreds mush. Naturally, the sprinkles melted and spread their love throughout. I love the creaminess of these pops, and the texture the coconut shreds add to them as well.

A cup of hot cocoa made with coconut milk and some cinnamon.

Do you love the foam? I use the chocolate tablets that you have to put in the blender with boiling milk. Nothing beats my grandma’s hot chocolate though. She does it the old-fashioned way by boiling the milk on the stove. Then she pours it into her old tin pitcher and gets to crackin’ with her over-sized pestle to crush the chocolate. Then she whirls it around to make it foamy. My grandma has such strong arms: hot cocoa to strength train = lots of great hugs for the granddaughter.

So now the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time to announce the winner of the U.S. Mills giveaway. First off, I loved reading everyone’s ideas – most of you enjoy it with yogurt and fruits. If you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest you make peanut butter balls by just coating a blob of peanut butter in cereal. Example, if you guys have a cereal that tastes corny you can also add in some coconut shreds to the peanut butter blobs. Anyway, I’m like an annoying commercial right now when all you want is to get back to the show! Okay, okay, and the winner is…

Aileen!

Congrats girl! I’m going to send you an e-mail to notify you. Thank you all for participating. I hope you all enjoyed it, and maybe some of you with a gluten intolerance now know there are cereals for everybody! Moreover, I was able to stumble on to some blogs I haven’t read before – maybe I should have more giveaways?

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and don’t forget to give yourself some TLC.

Terra Incognita

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Katharina

So many have you been trying out the lovely Emily’s Pbu recipe. I have yet to try it, but it sounds delicious! And some have been making an “Abu” version… I can’t help but think that it’s pronounced like Aladdin’s monkey! Anyhow, I found another recipe that some of you may enjoy: homemade almond “nutella”. This one is definitely more decadent, but we all have room for decadence in our lives! Especially in the form of something yummy.

Now on to other matters. Remember how I made Katie’s 24-Carrot Gold recipe? Well, I decided to make a batch of muffins the other day and I added in some extras. Oh say… some orange juice, ginger, and a splash of amaretto!

I wanted to share the goodness, so I went to visit my best friend at work to bring her a special delivery. But before I went out I had to get dressed!

I decided that a proper delivery girl should wear a skirt from my favorite store! Apparently I was too lazy to iron.

I also put some colorful earrings I made!

I also put on the colorful earrings I made.

A pair of new shoes to get me through my errands.

Then I was off to make the delivery!

I wish I had fancy handwriting skills.

Looking extra sassy with some lip color!

She texted me later saying she loved the muffins! I packed four for her family, but she ate most of them haha. But this is a compliment because that means they were that good. Oh! How could I forget what I promised in my last post?

I had some slices of bread as part of my breakfast the other day!

I had some slices of carrot bread as part of my breakfast the other day!

One slice has coconut oil and the other is topped with almond butter. Ahh! Ants seem to have gotten on them, but I didn’t let them ruin this picnic. No, I just ate them! I also made a parfait – inspired by this lovely lady – with layers of yogurt, blackberries, and apple butter topped off with muesli. Look at those strawberries! They look like they might just burst like Violet in Willy Wonka.

What else could I do with the leftover pulp? I decided to try to make an Indian-inspired dish called Gajar ka halwa. I made a less sweet version though, since I didn’t really want to make a dessert.

I included bits of paneer, roasted cashews, raisins, and a bit of coconut oil.

Carrots for breakfast?

I made a bowl of oats mixed in with the pulp. I really liked the halwa dish so I made a similar version by adding a dash of cardamom and coconut oil. The pulp made this bowl of oats double in size! It was an amazing feeling having that huge bowl of oats all for myself. What’s that on the side? I baked a persimmon with cinnamon and put a dollop of yogurt on top.

I finished another book!

There are so many excerpts I want to share with you guys! But I’ll leave you with at least one:

I don’t think it’s merely willpower that makes you able to do something. The world isn’t that simple.To tell the truth, I don’t even think there’s that much correlation between my running every day and whether or not I have a strong will. I think I’ve been able to run for more than twenty years for a simple reason: It suits me.

Yesterday was an incredibly hot day, and I was lounging around outside. I probably shouldn’t have been because I had a headache. I’m pretty sure I was experiencing the side effects from the medication I was on while I had to do my five-day test. Thank goodness that’s over! Anyway, I knew I wanted to make something fresh for lunch. Not too long ago I had found a recipe that sounded perfect for intense heat and a hungry tummy.

Mango and Avocado Salad was the star of my lunch.

Afterward, I took Matilda to the dog park. It was muggy outside and she didn’t want to leave my side! I don’t blame her though because the other dogs there were all misbehaving. I don’t understand why people bring their dogs to the park if they can’t keep an eye on them. There was one crazy dog that put Matilda on her back and started harassing her. She didn’t like that all and she froze. It was shocking and I quickly picked Matilda up and walked away. I was really annoyed and I couldn’t believe that happened. I tried finding a telephone number for the park to complain because the rules should be enforced. I’m all about dogs being able to rome free and play around, but when an animal is violent towards another – it’s a different story. Anyway, Matilda calmed down and I snapped a few pictures before we left.

Sitting pretty

It almost looks like a horse ring!

Well, it seems like many of you have a lot of exciting plans for the long weekend. The family and I were going to go on a beach get-away to the other coast, but we’re postponing it till next weekend. I can’t wait! It’ll be so nice to wake up and have the beach right in front of us. My parents live about 20 minutes away from the beach here, but the beaches on the other side of Florida are so beautiful. Picture sandy white beaches, a calm ocean, barely a soul there. I love the ocean. Actually, not too long ago I went skinny-dipping in the ocean and it was one of the most liberating feelings! It was so nice to just be free and not feel self-conscious about anything. The body is an amazing thing. Yet so many fight against it, rather than love and appreciate it. Appreciation is a hard thing to do sometimes. Often times I find myself getting wrapped up in little worries like dirty dishes, planning ahead, “what if someone doesn’t like me?” But then I look around and those worries are hushed to nothing but a white noise. Not only am I blessed with what I already have, but I am also grateful for the endless possibilities this world offers! There are so many things to try. Terra incognita - unknown land, and there’s so much of it! That’s one of the great things about life is that it can be full of wonder. It all depends on how you look at it.

One of my favorite days ever.

Now ending on a sweet note:

A chocolate covered macadamia... poop ball!

I couldn’t help it!

Katharina's Food Adventures

Tag Archives: muffins