blueberry buttermilk muffins & my new muffin top pan

I was so excited to try out my new muffin top pan my mom brought up to Ottawa last weekend. It's almost the size of small pies, but it magically makes muffins! I love blueberry muffins and wanted to try adding buttermilk and oil to the recipe (instead of butter and yogurt).

The result was perfect! Large, golden brown, scrumptious muffins that pop berry in your mouth in every bite.

What you will need to prepare:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar (optional)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest of one orange

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup safflower or canola oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (plus more) of fresh blueberries 

What you will need to do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven (or top for non-convectional ovens). Spray the muffin top pan, lightly.

In a large measuring cup or bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla extract.

In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and zest. Add the blueberries. With a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix the batter.

Fill each muffin top cup, fill it to the top with batter. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 - 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 - 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Makes 9 large muffin top  muffins.


eh viola!

red wine broccolini risotto

Over the weekend, I was craving a good veggie risotto dish, but not the usual creamy, cheesy, mushroom-white-wine risotto that is popular on the menus these days. No, this one has such a kick, a juicy sensational twist. The key ingredient is Red Wine! So good!! I didn't realise how popular in demand my dish was until this morning, when the twitter-verse drooled over it. So... here it is! Please let me know how it turns out.

And an added bonus, this is a no-fuss risotto. Since it is partially baked in the over, there is no need to constantly stir it!

Red Wine Mozza Broccolini Risotto:

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (note: I used Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread)
• 2 large heads of broccoli, chopped (about 2 cups - I love a lot of broccoli)
• 1/2 chopped medium onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/3 cup (or a little more) Red Wine
• 2 cups or low sodium organic vegetable broth
• 1 can (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a dutch oven or ovenproof pot over high heat. (Or if your like me and don't have anything that can go on both the stove and in the oven, I used a large pot, then transferred everything into a glass oven dish then again back into the pot after it was done baking in the over. Quite a hassle, but does the trick!) Add the chopped broccoli and fry until just tender (about 4 minutes, you don't want it too cooked).
2. Transfer broccoli to a plate, and add the onion and carrot to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes). Add the rice and garlic and cook for about another minute.
3. Add the wine to the pot and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the veggie broth, tomatoes, and 1 cup of water, then cover and bring it all to a boil. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove pot from oven (if the risotto is a a little wet, don' t worry as it thickens when you add the shredded cheese or just let it all sit on the stove for a bit longer, trust me, it thickens!) Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the cheese until creamy (about 2 minutes). Lastly, stir in the broccoli and bon a petit!

*If you are a meat eater (like my hubby), you might want to grill up some chopped Italian sausage

healthy granola with pineapple, papaya, sunflower & pumpkin seeds

Sunday's are always my baking day of the week. It's so fun to bake and I love knowing it will last all week for breakfast, lunch or snacks while I'm at the office. I went nuts at the Bulk Barn yesterday to make sure I had ample ingredients to make my first batch of granola. Granola is so rich in fiber and not to mention heart-healthy omega-3s, I wanted to make the homemade stuff because I find the store bought version way to sweet and who knows what the actual ingredients are. 

Here is my recipe I used below:

Ingredients:

Dry-

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2  cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp cinnamon (note: I always put a bit more because I just LOVE this stuff!)
• 1/2 cup dried pineapple
• 1/2 cup dried papaya
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Wet-

• 1/4 cup OJ
• 3 tbsp au natural honey
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional - note that there is already tons of sugar in the dried fruit)
• OR... scrap the sugar/maple syrup/honey mixture and add 1/2 cup Brown Rice Syrup which is a much healthier substitute to sugar! 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet with canola oil (you may also use cooking-oil spray or line baking sheet with nonstick foil). In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flax seeds, cinnamon, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Mix well. In a small bowl combine the orange juice, maple syrup, honey, and optional brown sugar. Mix well.
2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until the mixture is fully combined and moist. Spread the mixture on the greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and stir, breaking the large chunks into smaller pieces. Add in all the dried fruit and bake for an additional 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool. While still warm, stir to break up any remaining chunks. When completely cool, store the granola in an airtight container.

Bon Appetit!