Meatless Monday: Cran-Blueberry Mini Muffins

First of all, I want to thank everyone who shared kind words and wished me well after the news in my last post. Things continue to pick up and return to normalcy at home. We are very fortunate to have not been hit harder.

One of the things I was happiest about after getting my electricity back was getting my oven back along with it! Although it uses gas, it has an electric starter...so, no baking to keep things warm and cozy during our power outage :(

But, I got back to work right away and baked up these easy-to-make and super tasty little muffins. Lily's favored request of the day after trying these babies was: "I want more muffin, Mommy."

Cran-Blueberry Mini Corn Muffins
(makes 2 dozen muffins)

Ingredients:

1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup canola or coconut oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine corn meal, flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Next, beat eggs in a separate large bowl, then add honey, milk, and oil and mix together. Slowly beat in dry ingredients until well-combined with wet. Add the blueberries, cranberries, and corn last.

I hope you do a neater job than I did...

Spoon mixture into greased or lined muffin tins, then put in oven to bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before enjoying :)

These were easy and yummy and perfect for any time of the day. And don't they look cute?

Using fresh berries and corn packs these little muffins with antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber, and other beneficial nutrients. You can also try using whole wheat flour if you'd like to make them even healthier; the only reason I didn't is because I wasn't sure if they'd taste the same, but I may try that next time. The last time I used whole wheat flour when a recipe called for white I wasn't very pleased with the results.     

I'm not sure if you heard, but due to the reign of terror from Sandy, Halloween was post-poned to November 5th in NJ, so expect a be-lated Halloween post later this week, by Wednesday if not Friday. I hope you all aren't completely sick of October-related blog posts yet!

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week! 

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Sweet Saturday #17 with Crab and Corn Bisque

Today my poor little sweetie is sick, so I'm going to keep things simple and just post this yummy Crab and Corn Bisque recipe I stumbled across on Allrecipes.com.  It's not exactly "sweet", and exactly "healthy", but it's good! My neighbor likes to go crabbing on the weekends and she was kind enough to give me a big bag of pre-cooked blue crabs last week. Lucky me!

I love crab and most seafood in general, but preparing crabs freshly out of their shell is not quite my forté. It was quite a process getting the meat out of those suckers, and I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I was so busy last week with other things as well I had to focus on simply getting the job done! Unfortunately, due to my inexperience with cracking open crab shells, I caught more than few bits of broken shell in this soup, so please more careful than I was if you decide to use fresh crabs!

This bisque is totally worth using fresh crab meat though, I must say. Quite a yummy find, and fairly easy. I had it with the Old Bay-Style Sweet Potato Fries I featured here on Meatless Monday, and it was a perfect combo. Enjoy! 

  
Crab and Corn Bisque
adapted from Allrecipes.com
(serves 8-10)
 

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 (14 ounce) cans chicken or vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (I used Old Bay)
salt and pepper to taste
4 ears corn, kernels cut from cob (or 1 14-16 oz bag frozen)
1/2 cup half-and-half
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
16 ounces fresh lump crabmeat (I used meat from 7 crabs)

Heat butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook until soft and translucent for about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in garlic, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, Cajun or Old Bay seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir corn into boiling broth, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.  

Remove 1 cup of the soup, setting aside to cool slightly. Next, pour the 1 cup of soup into a food processor along with the half-and-half. Puree for 30 to 45 seconds, and set aside. 

In a small bowl, stir together flour and milk. Slowly stir mixture into simmering soup. Stirring constantly, simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until well combined. After that, stir in pureed mixture. Reduce heat to low, stir in crab meat, and cook until warmed through, for about another 5 minutes. Allow to cool before serving with Old Bay-Style Sweet Potato Fries, crusty bread, Caesar salad, or whatever you want!

I imagined quite a few additional ingredients you can put in this soup:

• chopped bell pepper
• sliced jalapeno
• cubed potatoes
• extra black pepper
• fresh tomato

Let me know if you try it! 

OK, now it's your turn! Our guest-hostess today is Jamie from Love Bakes Good Cakes! Be sure to visit her lovely blog with so many sweet recipes, it will make your head spin! Follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and Loves Bakes Good Cakes. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

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Thanks so much for linking up, I really do love Fridays even more because of this :)

Meatless Monday: Return of the Meatless Monday Recipe Link-up

Yes, that's right. I'm bringing it back. Hopefully it will be more successful this time. Hopefully I will find more time to dedicate to it. If not, well then at least I'll know I gave it a second shot!

I wasn't sure what recipe to choose for the Meatless Monday Recipe Link-up's return...What could I post to really wow everyone? What can I post that everyone will like? What can I post that even regular meat-eaters will enjoy? 

I pondered this as I went through some updates on my site, and as I was doing so, I realized I had a lot of great vegetarian recipes that I really love. Some that I make quite often, others that I only made once or twice, but would like to try again. That's when the idea struck me- post some of my favorites for those who may not have seen them! After all, I have many new followers who definitely probably didn't get a moment to go through my entire blog (yet), so wouldn't it make sense to highlight some of what I consider to be the better ones? Or, most popular ones?

Plus...it's way easier than whipping up some new, amazing vegetarian entree that I don't really have time to make right now. 

Like I have mentioned, we are hosting a big family BBQ next weekend and I have been focused on cleaning the house and preparing for that. (Why oh why did I think it was a good idea to host it????). I am still taking suggestions for awesome recipes for that, btw! Link one up or tell me in the comments!

Now, without further ado, my 

Top Five Favorite Meatless Monday Recipes

Kale Pesto with Feta

I love kale. And I love feta. Finding a recipe with that combination? I was in Heaven! It's my favorite because:

1. Kale is a superfood that is packed with vitamins and nutrients that are super good for you
2. Feta is the best cheese ever! (in my humble opinion)
3. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare
4. Lily loved it too! 

Zesty Corn Fritters

These babies are always a hit when I make them. Very versatile and a great way to get the picky-eater in your life to eat their veggies. My favorite because:

1. Very easy to make
2. You can change up the recipe every time 
3. Flavorful and full of veggie goodness
4. Goes as a great side dish or main course

Curried Acorn Squash Soup

Mouth-wateringly delicious and perfect for those cozy days at home during sweater weather, this is one I have only made once, but I can't wait to try again. My favorite because:

1. Full of vitamins, especially A and C
2. Sweet and spicy- my favorite combination!
3. Aesthetically pleasing
4. Makes me think of being home for the holidays

 

 Mini Apple-Brie Quiches

I found this delightful recipe in my favorite recipe resource, Eating Well Magazine. I made them for Thanksgiving last year and I couldn't stop eating them. They are a sure crowd-pleaser. My favorite because:

1. Sweet and savory
2. A unique combination that really surprised me
3. Very quick and easy to make
4. Great for social gatherings, holidays, or just because

Green Goddess Pizza

The. Absolute. Best. Pizza. EVER! I get excited just thinking about this one...it's my fave because:

1. Uses so many yummy ingredients: kale, caramelized onions, broccoli, cheese, basil...
2. Truly made from scratch, even the dough
3. Full of green goodness
4. How can you beat homemade pizza?

This post also received the most views of all my posts ever, largely due to it being promoted on TakePart.com's Facebook and Twitter pages when it was featured as a Meatless Monday recipe using kale. A proud moment in my blogging career :)))


And one bonus...

Layered Veggie Casserole

I made this one a "bonus" because it's a new recipe I just very recently tried. I don't think I have quite perfected it (the potatoes are never quite soft enough), but it tastes so incredible, I just had to feature it. I got the original recipe it is largely based off of from My Sweet and Savory. It's a favorite because:

1. Layered. Veggies.
2. Introduced me to my new favorite condiment: garlic vinegar
3. Uses fresh veggies I wouldn't normally use
4. Fun and easy to make

So there you have it. Five Six of my best meat-free recipes for your enjoyment, and hopefully dinner. Tell me which is your favorite, and now share your own! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok?

Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week!

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Meatless Monday: Southwestern-style Corn Fritters

I hope nobody out there melted from the intense heat over the weekend. I know it left me swimming in sweat and utterly lacking motivation. I did, however, manage to make a new variation of my corn fritters using black beans and tomato which came out really good, and a perfect summer, poolside treat.

If you didn't catch the first post I did on corn fritters, click here. This time I happened to have a bag of a frozen veggie medley containing corn, red and green bell peppers, tomato, onion and black beans, which is why I decided to use it for this purpose. Although they came out yummy and all got eaten up by Paul, Lily and I, I still honestly think my original Zesty Corn Fritters recipe is my favorite fritter concoction so far. 

This version uses classic southwestern ingredients and scallions fresh from my garden. Yes, finally got my herb garden going thanks to Paul! We also have lots of lovely flowers sprouting up to as you can see...

Southwestern-style Corn Fritters
(makes about 1 dozen fritters)

Ingredients
(please note: I used a bag of frozen mixed veggies, but this recipe is written as if using the ingredients fresh) 

1 14 oz package frozen corn defrosted, or fresh corn from 3-4 ears

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

1/2 cup cooked black beans

1/2 cup chopped scallion
4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lime, juiced

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup flour

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup water (plus extra if needed) 

Apprx. 1 cup oil for frying (canola, grapeseed or vegetable)

In a large bowl, mix flour, seasonings and baking powder together in bowl, then beat in the eggs, lime and water. Stir until smooth, then add all other ingredients except for the oil. If mixture looks too wet, add a little more flour; if it looks too dry, add a little more water. It should basically look like pancake batter with chunks of veggies in it. 

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot enough (simmering and smoking, but not boiling), drop spoonfuls of the fritter batter into pan like in the picture below.

Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove from pan with a spatula and set on paper toweled plate or cookie sheets. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

I made a little salad to go with them using these ingredients

 

Mommy's and Daddy's

Lily's

  

YUM.

These tasty veggie cakes are full of vitamin C, B vitamins, fiber, iron and protein. Using a healthy oil like canola or grapeseed helps to keep carcinogens at bay. Pairing them with a fresh salad or soup makes a perfect light lunch or dinner. Kids will love them, too, guaranteed! They're also super easy to make and your little one can even help with put the ingredients into the bowl and mixing them.

 

This may surprise you, but scallions are actually good for you. I always used to think they were just a simple herb that gave a nice tangy onion flavor to many tasty dishes, but they also contain a fair amount of vitamin K, fiber, healthy fatty acids, and are even found to be anti-cancerous. They are easy to plant and grown, and cheap! In fact, after Paul planted them, we forgot about them until they suddenly popped up in our garden, blessing us with an abundance of zesty chive goodness.

 

Planting herbs is easy to do and to maintain. Most herbs don't need much tending, just enough sunlight and water. Plus, fresh herbs always taste way better than dried. The issue I've always had with buying fresh herbs at the supermarket is that I'm always forced to buy a huge bunch that I know I will never use up in time, and I never do, causing most of what I buy to go to waste. Luckily, we have now been blessed with plenty of land to grow a garden on, but if you don't have your own plot, an Aerogarden is a great way to grow your own plants in doors. You could probably also easily find DIY herb garden set-up instructions by doing a Google search, like this one.

Have a happy and healthy Meatless Monday!

 

Meatless Monday: Zesty Corn Fritters

It's a little late in the day, but I figured better late than never! The reason for my tardiness with this post is because Boo-Boovania now has another resident: moi. Yes, as you may have read in my last post, April has been a month for accidents mainly targeted at poor Lily, but yesterday I slipped on the playground I took her to and busted my foot. It was okay at first after the initial shock of pain wore off, but as the day wore on, I realized the pain was not subsiding but getting worse and worse. Fearing the worst after reading about symptoms surrounding broken bones in feet, I made a trip to the emergency room with my dear mother, only to find that I had merely sprained it. They hooked me up with a boot (pictured below) and a pair of crutches (which are just a pain and going unused). My foot feels much better today, but needless to say, being in the ER kept me from writing a post.

This boot was made for limpin'

Today's Meatless Monday post is a recipe a I first made over a month ago and have since replicated in different ways by adding or subtracting ingredients. Overall, this particular concoction is not your average overly-battered corn fritter. Enjoy!

Zesty Corn Fritters

Serving suggestion for if it weren't Meatless Monday

 Ingredients

1 14 oz package frozen corn defrosted, or fresh corn from 3-4 ears

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 small jalapenos or 1 large, de-seeded and diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped scallion

1 lime, juiced

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup water (plus extra if needed) 

Apprx. 1 cup oil for frying (canola, grapeseed or vegetable)

In a large bowl, mix flour, seasonings and baking powder together in bowl, then beat in the eggs, lime and water. Stir until smooth, then add all other ingredients except for the oil. If mixture looks too wet, add a little more flour; if it looks too dry, add a little more water. It should basically look like pancake batter with chunks of veggies in it. 

Pre-mixing

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot enough (simmering and smoking, but not boiling), drop spoonfuls of the fritter batter into pan like in the picture below.

Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove from pan with a spatula and set on paper toweled plate or cookie sheets. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. These babies go nicely with black beans (such as this soup), enchiladas, or a Southwestern-style salad.

getting golden

a version I made with slightly less flour

Lily-approved

My family and I enjoy these just fine without any dipping sauce, but you can find some tasty sauce recipes at the two links below, where I also based my recipe off of.

 

Raita

Sweet Chili Sauce

These are SO GOOD and quite easy to make. You can bake them too, but these are one of the few foods I really do enjoy more fried. Using a healthier oil such as grapeseed or canola keeps the calories down. You could even use coconut or olive, although I never tried either.

These will be a hit with your family and any dinner guests you might have over. They are also ideal for cook-outs and parties. You can mix it up and add other ingredients to make it unique to your tastes with the greatest of ease. Just use the batter ingredients and corn as your base.

Grapeseed oil is not an oil I commonly use, mainly because it can be a bit costly, but you should be informed of its potential health benefits. It's most commonly known for promoting healthy skin, but it also very good for your heart, full of healthy fats and omegas, and has a high amount of antioxidants from vitamins C, E and beta carotene.  To get the most potent grapeseed oil, go organic!

Once again I hope to be posting more often as soon as possible, until then thanks for reading! Comments are always appreciated!

For the Love of Basil

Italian Sausage Soup

½ lb of Italian style chicken sausage

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 cups water

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cup baby or chopped spinach

1 cup corn

1 cup ditalini or other small-shaped pasta

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh basil + extra for topping

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp red pepper flake or to taste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Sautee the peppers, onion and garlic in the olive oil in a large pot with the oregano until fragrant. Add the broth and water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, remove the casings from the sausage and break the meat up into chunks. Add the sausage meat, corn, pepper flake, salt, pepper and basil to the pot and stir. Simmer over medium low heat for up to an hour, tasting occasionally.

While that’s cooking, cook the ditalini separately until al dente. Drain when it’s ready and add to pot. Add the spinach after that and remove from heat. Stir until spinach is wilted. Serve with fresh basil and grated Parmesan and a little extra olive oil if desired. Great with pan-fried garlic bread.

I looove basil! I love the taste, I love the smell of it, I love how it looks, and I especially love how easy it is to grow! When my father-in-law gave Paul and I a bin full of fresh, organic tomatoes from the farm he works on, I instantly thought “homemade tomato sauce!” I started going through a check list in my head of what I had on hand and what I would need to buy. Olive oil- check, garlic- check, tomato paste- check, fresh basil- need to buy! You just can’t have freshly made pasta sauce without basil, and although you can use dried, I wouldn’t recommend it. Dried oregano if okay to use since fresh often tastes so strong, it overpowers other flavors in a recipe; but, with basil you really want to go fresh if you can.

It’s very simple to grow and doesn’t cost much if you decide to just buy it fresh at the store. Most supermarkets do carry it fresh and often potted in the produce aisle, as they did at Shop Rite when I went to get it for the sauce I made, and then I was able to add it to the soup. I will be sure to post the tomato sauce recipe in a future post as well! I made it in a slow cooker; so if you own one of those, do stay tuned!

Anyway, back to the basil…so, basil not only tastes and smells great, but it’s loaded- like many greens –with vitamin K. It also contains generous amounts of iron and calcium, but also anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and good for cardiovascular health. Basil oil is especially potent as an anti-bacterial, and is also pretty easy to make and a “fun” activity for a rainy day like today if you feel up to it. Adding just a small amount to pasta, salads, sauces, or use it as a dip- or however you want -will really add a flavorful kick as well as the added health benefits mentioned above. Some people even like the smell of basil so much, they use it as a body fragrance! Try a little oil of oregano or oregano extract mixed into a larger amount of orange or Clementine fragrance oil for an uplifting aroma.

Lily loves pasta, sausage, cheese and corn, so I just strained some from the soup and served it to her. She’s not too crazy about peppers yet, but the sausage did contain that flavor anyway, so hopefully she will get into it soon. If your child is ready for soup, they can have this yummy concoction as is and I’m sure they will enjoy being able to add cheese to it! For baby, you can mush up some of the corn and pasta with the cheese, and if they eating meat, add some of the sausage. The peppers are your call!

I hope you enjoy this soup, and with fall and winter drawing near, expect more recipes like this- I just love soup when it’s cold out ! :)