Pumpkin Muffins

Good recipe for pumpkin muffins. They remind me of the pumpkin muffins at Food City stores in the Appalachian region. 

I made muffins, and also put some batter in a jelly roll pan to make it more like a coffee cake. 

The topping is the best part. It candies and crystalizes, providing satisfying texture and flavor. 

The last time I made it, I used AP flour by mistake, and added 1 tsp. each of baking powder and baking soda at the end. It actually rose much better when I did this. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin 

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• ½ cup melted butter

• ¼ cup milk

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 ½ cups self-rising flour (or 2 1/2 cups AP flour plus 1 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. baking soda) 

• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon and 1/2 Tbsp. nutmeg) 

Topping

• ⅔ cup sugar

• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg) 

• Directions

• In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir in flour and pumpkin pie spice until just combined. Divide among 2 (12-cup) muffin trays lined with 22 paper liners. Or pour in a jelly roll pan to make a coffee cake. 

• Make Topping: Stir together sugar and pumpkin pie spice; sprinkle over top.

• Bake at 350°F until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool in tray 5 minutes.

• Original recipe inspiration: https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/sugar-and-pumpkin-spice-muffins

Breakfast Bread or Biscuits

   Homemade bread is wonderful, but yeast breads can be exhausting to make and bread machines are kind of expensive. I developed this recipe to be a quick bread with the taste and texture (soft inside, crunchy outside) of good homemade bread. It is ideal as a breakfast bread as it is a little too sweet and crumbly for sandwich bread. The consistency of the dough also makes it great for biscuits. Plus, it has a boost of healthy whole wheat flour.

Breakfast Bread

   I have baked with whole wheat flour in the past and had products that turned out bitter. I wasn't sure if it was just the taste of the flour or if there was something wrong with the bread, so I googled bitter whole wheat bread and found the answer. The top search results, including a post by Cooking Light magazine, said that whole wheat flour spoils faster than white flour because the oils in it go rancid quickly. The fact that grocery stores often don't sell as much whole wheat flour can also mean that it has been setting on the shelf longer. 

   There are a few things you can do to remedy this problem. First, always check the expiration dates on the flour. Don't buy anything that is close to its expiration date and throw away any flour you may have at home that has reached its date. Second, if you can, buy whole wheat flour from a store that keeps it in a cooler, and store it in the refrigerator once you get it home. These tips should ensure that you have fresh, good tasting flour to work with. 

   Another noteworthy thing about this dough is that it contains sorghum molasses. The main difference between sorghum and regular molasses is that sorghum is the delicious stuff that you buy from farmers at roadside stands. It’s viscous like honey. You can eat it on toast or use it in baking. Molasses is the runny, slightly bitter stuff that you buy in major chain grocery stores. If you can't find real sorghum molasses, honey is an acceptable substitute.

Sorghum Molasses

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups self-rising white flour (White Lily is the best)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sorghum molasses

1 cup skim or 1% milk

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, leaving out 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil to use to coat the pan. 

Knead dough until mixed well. 

-For bread, add 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil to a loaf pan. Shape the dough into a loaf shape, roll it in the oil in the pan, and bake for 20-30 minutes. 

-For biscuits, lightly coat a baking sheet with oil, drop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Pumpkin Pancakes

I love pumpkin in the Fall. The smell, taste, and lovely orange color really make the season. Pumpkin for breakfast in the Fall! Now that's a great start to the day. 

This recipe comes from Expect the Best: Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During & After Pregnancy by American Dietetic Association. 

Ingredients: 

2 cups plain low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1-2/3 cups AP flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup skim or 1% milk

2 Tbsp. tub margarine, melted

1 egg

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Directions: 

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt with 1/4 cup of sugar. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. sugar with the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, combine the milk, egg, pumpkin, and yogurt-sugar mixture, stirring well. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the large bowl. Stir until it is moist and free of lumps. 

Lightly coat a griddle or skillet with non-stick cooking spray, and heat to low-medium heat. 

Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour the batter onto the hot griddle. Cook until the bubbles begin to burst, then flip and cook until golden brown. 

Makes 6 servings, one serving is 3 pancakes. 

Nutrition Facts per serving: 282 calories, 0 g. trans fat, 45 g. carbohydrates, 6 g. fat, 42 mg. cholesterol, 3 g. fiber, 3 g. saturated fat, 198 mg. sodium, 12 g. protein

Blackberry Sauce

  There's no food I enjoy more than fresh, sweet blackberries eaten by the handful. I got some locally grown blackberries recently that were a bit sour, so this is how I sweetened them up and made a sauce ideal for pancakes, French toast, ice cream, or frozen yogurt. 

  Just wash the berries and place them in a saucepan with a little water so they don't stick to the bottom. Stir in some sweetener for recipes to taste and about 2 tablespoons of corn starch to thicken the sauce, the amounts will vary based on how many blackberries you have. Cook over medium heat and stir for a few minutes until the sauce is the desired thickness. Serve warm.
  This is a great way to use extra berries or to sweeten the sour ones. It has no more calories than the fresh berries would have.

Omelets

  Good Morning! One of my favorite breakfast foods is omelets. Not only are they are a good source of protein to keep you full during the day, they also allow you to have vegetables for breakfast! 

Tomato omelet. Yum yum.

  The omelet I made this morning has chopped garden fresh heirloom tomato and part-skim mozzarella cheese. Any vegetables that you like can be added. 

  Start off with a skillet on medium heat and spray it with some non-stick cooking spray. If you like onions and green peppers, add them first since they need to cook longer. Then add the softer veggies, like tomatoes, mushrooms, or raw spinach leaves. I would have never thought of putting spinach in an omelet until I had a veggie omelet at The Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta, and it was amazing.

  Next, beat an egg with about a tablespoon of skim milk and pour it over the veggies. This is a Julia Child tip. Adding a little milk to an egg before you scramble it gives it a light, moist, fluffy texture. 

  Then top with some shredded cheese. I prefer part-skim mozzarella because it is the lowest in fat of all the natural cheeses. Specialty reduced fat cheeses tend to be kind of expensive, but they do taste good and are better for you.

Whole Grain Blueberry Muffins

These yummy blueberry muffins are an even healthier variation on the blueberry muffin recipe I posted last month. Half of the flour in this recipe is 100% whole wheat. Using half whole wheat and half white flour adds fiber and other benefits of whole grain, but the muffins still have a good, light texture.

Ingredients: 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup 100% whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

3/4 cup sucralose sweetener for baking

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup skim milk

1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 12 muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. 

Combine flours, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir together well. 

Add oil, sweetener, eggs, vanilla, and milk, and stir together well. 

Fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into muffin cups. 

Bake for 20 minutes.

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

This recipe for blueberry muffins uses heart healthy vegetable oil, sweetener in place of sugar, and lots of whole blueberries. The flour could even be substituted with whole wheat flour or a blend of whole wheat and white flour for a boost of fiber and whole grains.

 















Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sweetener for baking
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup skim milk
1 pint fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray or line 12 muffin cups. 
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add oil, sweetener, eggs, vanilla, and milk, stirring well with a mixing spoon. Fold in blueberries. 
Spoon batter into muffin cups. 
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.