Monthly Archives: August 2010
Blueberry-Peach Bran Muffins
| August 31, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Breads, Breakfast, Fall, Fruit |
Every year, without fail, I get an uncontrollable craving for bran muffins as soon as the faintest hint of fall sneaks into the late-August air. Growing up, my mom always made them for me as a back to school treat. They were my favorite breakfast — especially when they were still warm rom the oven. Even now, years later, homemade bran muffins signify the start of fall just as much as pumpkin spice lattes (Yes – I’m one of those people who wait for them all year. I told you I love coffee!)
Mom always made the classic Raisin Bran muffins that use a box of cereal, but have you seen the cost of cereal these days? It’s completely outrageous. Clearly time to find a new, more economical recipe. It took a while. So many versions were too dry, too dense, or too gritty. I felt like I was being beaten over the head with health food. Just as I was about to give up and buy a box of Raisin Bran, I decided to give it one last try. Success! After two years of fiddling around with recipes, I’ve finally developed what I think is the perfect bran muffin: light, springy, and moist with just the right amount of nutty bran flavor. Spread with a little butter and served with a glass of cold milk, this is the perfect back-to-school (or off-to-work) breakfast.
Blueberry-Peach Bran Muffins
Adding fresh fruit to these muffins keeps them light and fresh, I used a combination of peaches and blueberries because they’re in season and I happened to have them on hand, but you can use whatever soft fruits you like. In the winter, frozen berries work just as well as fresh. If you prefer a classic muffin with raisins, soak them in some warm liquid (water or juice) to plump them up before you mix them into the batter. These muffins freeze well — just take them out the night before or defrost them in the microwave.
- 2 cups oat bran (I keep a canister of Old Wessex just for muffins — one package makes about 4 batches)
- 1 1/2 cups skim milk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 peach, chopped
- 1/2 pint blueberries
Combine the oat bran and milk in a large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the bran to soften.
Preheat oven to 375. Stir the butter, brown sugar, oil, and eggs into the bran and milk mixture.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a second bowl. Mix well. Add this mixture to the first bowl, and mix to combine — you should have a thick batter. Stir in the fruit.
Grease a muffin tin or line it with paper liners. Scoop 1/4-cup of batter into each cup (they will be almost full). If desired, top each muffin with a very thin slice taken from a second peach. Bake for 25 minutes,
Yields 24 muffins.
Approx. 118 calories, 5.5 grams fat, 3.8 gram fiber, 3 grams protein
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I’m submitting this post to Two for Tuesdays
Barbecue Chicken with Fresh Mango Salsa
| August 28, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Chicken and Poultry, Light, One Pan, Quick Weeknight Meals, Summer |
On my way home from work yesterday, I noticed something: there were yellow leaves all over my neighbor’s lawn. I looked up, and sure enough, their huge elm tree is starting to change colors. I’ve noticed that the morning have been cooler — prompting me to grab a cardigan and even consider a light jacket — so I knew that fall was imminent, but I’m not ready for it to come on in full force! Where has summer gone?
We still have a few weeks of decent weather left so, before pumpkins start taking over my kitchen, I’m going to take every opportunity to get in a few more summery dishes. Like this barbecue chicken with mango salsa that I served with an avocado, bacon, and goat cheese salad. While you could theoretically make this dish any time, the fresh, bright flavors are perfectly suited for a hot, summery day. I love the contrast between the tangy barbecue sauce, the touch of spice from the jalapenos, and the juicy sweetness of the mango.
Barbecue Chicken with Fresh Mango Salsa
In order to get more surface area for the barbecue sauce, I like to butterfly my chicken. To do this, simply make a deep cut across the breast, parallel to your cutting board. Cut it almost all the way through, but not quite in half. Then open the pieces up like a book (or butterfly 
) and press down on the “seam” with your hands so that it lays flat. Butterflying your chicken also means that you get a nice thin piece that will cook up very quickly.
- 2 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
- 4 Tbs barbecue sauce
- 1 mango, cut into cubes
- 2 Tbs chopped red onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice from 1 lime
Heat a grill or grill pan to high. Brush the chicken with about half of the barbecue sauce, coating both sides. Set aside while the grill heats up.
Grill the chicken until it’s cooked through — about 2 minutes on each side. While it’s cooking, baste with the remaining barbecue sauce. Remove from the pan and let rest under a piece of foil or a pot lid for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before serving.
Make the salsa by combining the mango, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice. Serve the salsa over the chicken.
Serves 2.
Approx. 230 calories, 2.5
grams fat, 2.5 grams fiber, 27 grams protein (will vary slightly based on your barbecue sauce)
{Tazo Cookoff} Tazo Giveaway Details and Starbucks Winners!
| August 28, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Tazo Cookoff | Comments off |
You guys sure do like coffee — there were 67 entries for my Starbucks giveaway! The lucky winners are:
- Comment #42, Yail from Yael’s Yummies, who can’t pick a favorite
- Comment #55, Natasha from 5 Star Foodie, who’s excited about the caramel
- Comment #26, Katie, who wants to try the cinnamon
I’ll send you an email to get your shipping details. Enjoy!!
While I was doing this post, I also realized that I never posted the details about the Tazo Giveaway that I’m also hosting! This is a great one! One commenter will receive:
- A 1-year supply (12 boxed of Tazo teas)
- A tea pot and two tea cups
- An electric tea kettle
- A gorgeous, glass iced tea pitcher (seen here)
I’ll be picking a winner from all the comments left on my Tazo Cookoff posts. Three recipes to comment on means you have three opportunities to enter! Recipes I’ve created featuring various Tazo teas include:
- Iced Ginger Tea with Honey-Macerated Fruit
- Vanilla Rooibos Quinoa Pudding with Cherry and Pistachio
- Tea-Smoked Salmon with Honey and Lavender Glaze
You have until 3:00 PM EST on September 1 to enter. Every time you comment, you’ll also be helping me enter to win a $1,000 gift certificate to my favorite cooking store.
I’ll be back tonight with a new (non-tea) recipe post!
Starbucks Natural Fusions (+ a Giveaway)
| August 24, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Breakfast, Reviews |
{Tazo Cookoff} Iced Ginger Tea with Honey-Macerated Fruit
| August 22, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Fruit, Special Occasions, Summer, Tazo Cookoff |
For the third and final week of the Tazo Cookoff, I faced a bit of a dilemma: the pears that I had been presented to use in my recipe weren’t as ripe as I would have liked them to be. They would have been fine in a few days, but I was headed out of town and only had one night to get my recipe done. To make matters worse, the only thing I felt like eating was a sandwich — which put a quick end to my idea of poaching the pears in tea and making them into a chutney to eat with lamb chops and polenta (I mean, I like to cook, but I’m not about to make something like that when I’d be happier with a simple panini!)
As I tried to think of ways to incorporate the tea and pears into my sandwich or a side dish, I remembered the sangria-like iced tea that I had at Radiance Tea and Bookstore this spring. It seemed like the perfect accompaniment to my sandwich as well as a great way to use up some other fruit before I headed out of town.
The resulting tea was a nice change of pace from my standard unsweetened black tea, and I plan to make it again often. I especially loved the way that the ginger flavor infused the fruit — it was unexpected and extremely refreshing. Eating the fruit at the bottom of the glass was just as much of a treat as drinking the tea!
Ginger Tea Sangria with Honey-Macerated Fruit Although this tea can be served immediately, letting it chill for at least one hour before serving will allow the flavors to fully develop and will yield the best results. The amount of honey used here results in a very lightly sweetened tea — if you like your sweeter, you can add more to taste. For a refreshing summer cocktail, add 1/2 cup of orange or pear flavored vodka. In a large bowl, combine the fruit and honey. Toss well to coat. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, add 3 cups water and the tea bags. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Fill a 2-quart pitcher with ice. Pout the tea into the pitcher, allowing the ice to melt. Stir well. Add the fruit, along with any juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. Chill for at least one hour before serving. Yields 8 cups.
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This is your final chance to win a great Tazo gift pack including a one year supply of tea and a selection of tea-brewing essentials! You’ll be entered one time for every comment you leave on one of my Tazo recipes. This is recipe # 3 of 3. Previous recipes included
Vanilla Rooibos Quinoa Pudding with Cherry & Pistachio and
Tea-smoked Salmon with Lavender and Honey Glaze. On September 1, I’ll randomly pick a winner from all of the comments left on those three recipes. (Only commenters with valid US addresses are eligible to win) Every comment you leave will also help me win a $1,000 gift card to Williams Sonoma.
I was provided with a selection of Tazo teas and quinoa to use as inspiration in this challenge. I have no affiliation with Tazo or Starbucks, and any opinions stated above are my own.
{15 Minute Dinner} Porcini Dusted Ribeye with Green Bean Salad
| August 18, 2010 | Posted by Lauren Keating under Beef, Lamb, and Pork, Light, Quick Weeknight Meals, Summer |
These past few weeks have been crazy. Between being out of town every weekend for the past month, to seriously overcommitting myself on several blog projects, to general insanity at the office, I feel like I’ve barely had time to catch a breath, let alone plan a menu or go grocery shopping. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I love being busy and everything has been 100% worth it. But I’m exhausted and I haven’t really felt like cooking. But a girl can only eat so much takeout before she starts to feel sick, and I knew that, despite the fact that I felt like collapsing onto the couch and not getting up until bed, it was time to cook a real dinner.
I came up with this porcini dusted steak with red wine sauce and a summer-y green bean, corn, and tomato salad on a whim, and I couldn’t have been happier with it. The steak was rich and flavorful, with a perfect crust of powdered mushrooms. The salad was light and fresh, featuring some of the best that August has to offer. And the whole thing was on the table in under 15 minutes. Which meant I could get back to the couch and put my feet up in half the time it would have taken to get a pizza delivered.
- 1 pound ribeye steak, cut into four portions
- 4 dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 Tsp butter
- salt and pepper
- Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel — drying the steaks will help them get a nice sear. Season with salt and pepper. Using a spice grinder or a sharp knife, process the porcinis into a fine powder. Sprinkle the porcini powder over both sides of the steak, and use your hands to press the seasonings into the meat a little to help it stick.
- Heat a frying pan — preferably cast iron — over medium-high heat. Once your pan is nice and hot, add the oil. Let the oil heat up for a minute and add the steaks. Cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest. Turn the heat down to medium and add the wine to the pan. Stir it to loosen up and bits of browned steak in the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to simmer and reduce by about half. Stir in the butter and remove from heat.
- Spoon the sauce over the steaks.
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
- Kernels from 2 ears of corn on the cob
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tbs sesame oil
- 1 Tbs rice vinegar
- pepper to taste
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Immediately drain into a colander set in the sink and rinse them with cold water to cool them off.Transfer the beans into a large serving bowl. Toss together with the remaining ingredients.
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I’m submitting this to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.
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Want dessert? Check out these individual sized fruit pies (cherry and apple & fennel pollen) that I posted over at Five Star Foodie earlier this week.
- 1 pound ribeye steak, cut into four portions
- 4 dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 Tsp butter
- salt and pepper
- Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel — drying the steaks will help them get a nice sear. Season with salt and pepper. Using a spice grinder or a sharp knife, process the porcinis into a fine powder. Sprinkle the porcini powder over both sides of the steak, and use your hands to press the seasonings into the meat a little to help it stick.
- Heat a frying pan — preferably cast iron — over medium-high heat. Once your pan is nice and hot, add the oil. Let the oil heat up for a minute and add the steaks. Cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest. Turn the heat down to medium and add the wine to the pan. Stir it to loosen up and bits of browned steak in the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to simmer and reduce by about half. Stir in the butter and remove from heat.
- Spoon the sauce over the steaks.
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
- Kernels from 2 ears of corn on the cob
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tbs sesame oil
- 1 Tbs rice vinegar
- pepper to taste
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Immediately drain into a colander set in the sink and rinse them with cold water to cool them off.Transfer the beans into a large serving bowl. Toss together with the remaining ingredients.
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I’m submitting this to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.
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Want dessert? Check out these individual sized fruit pies (cherry and apple & fennel pollen) that I posted over at Five Star Foodie earlier this week.
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