Tag Archives: whole grain

Savory Cornmeal Muffins

Savory Cornmeal Muffinshealth, wellness, diet, dietitian, nutrition, nutritionist, michelle moreau, chef, healthy kitchen, healthcare, medical insurance, Portsmouth, NH, seacoast, celiac, cardiac, diabetes, diet, weight loss, recipe, counseling, healthcare, gluten free, muffin, bread, vegetarian, corn

Serve up some of these savory, multi-grain muffins to add a touch of country flair to your next meal. No one at the table would ever guess they were multigrain and gluten-free! The flaxseed adds an extra burst of heart-healthy fiber in to each muffin.

You can vary this recipe too: For a spicy flavor kick, fold in 1 finely minced red fresno chili, 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme and 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives into mixture (add just before scooping batter into muffin cups).

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cornmeal muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Milk, skim
3/4 cup Cornmeal
1/3 cup Potato starch flour
1/4 cup Sorghum flour
1/4 cup Tapioca flour
1/4 cup Flaxseed, golden, ground
2 tb Sugar, granulated
1 tb Baking powder
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1/4 tsp Xanthan gum
1 large Egg
2 tb Vegetable oil
1/2 cup Apple sauce
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, fresh grated
pan spray

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine milk and cornmeal in a small mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.

In medium mixing bowl combine potato starch, sorghum, and tapioca flours with flaxseed, sugar baking powder, salt and Xanthan gum. Make a well in the center of the dry mix.

Into the cornmeal mixture blend in the egg, oil and applesauce.

Pour cornmeal mixture into well of dry mixture. Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Lightly spray muffin pan with nonstick spray. Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top of muffins.

Bake muffins for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 16 small muffins.


What is a serving size?

What exactly is a serving size?

How much is just right?  Everyone has heard by now that, whether dining out or eating at home, the average American’s plate is often filled with over-sized portions. But what exactly is a proper serving size? Here is a handy, quick guide comparing  single-sized  food portions to everyday items:

3 ounces of poultry, beef or fish ~ a deck of cards, or a checkbook

2 tablespoons peanut butter ~ a golf ball

an ounce of nuts ~ about a handful

1 cup cereal ~ a baseball

1 cup pasta ~ a tennis ball

1 dinner roll ~ a yo-yo

1 baked potato ~ a computer mouse

1 cup green salad ~ 1 baseball

1 serving of fruit (1/2 cup) ~1/2 a baseball, or a standard ice cream scoop

1 serving of vegetables (1/2 cup) ~ 1/2 a baseball, or a standard ice cream scoop

1 ounce cheese ~ a pair of dice

1 teaspoon butter ~ 1 “Scrabble” game tile

Another way to roughly estimate portion sizes is by using your hand (of course, make adjustments accordingly if you are way above or below average-sized!):

About one cup~ your fist

About 1 ounce meat or cheese~ your thumb

About 1 tablespoon ~ your thumb tip

About 1 teaspoon~ your fingertip

Make sure to take the “What to Eat: Personalized” quiz to learn exactly how many servings from each food group (Meats and Beans, Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Dairy) is right for you.  Knowledge is power.

Happy healthy eating!


Fluffy Multi-Grain Pancakes

Fluffy Multi-Grain Pancakes

These pancakes do not bubble up during cooking, but the mixture does hold together really nicely, making them much easier to flip than traditional pancake batters.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Teff flour

1/3 cup Cornmeal

1/3 cup Rolled oats

1/4 cup Sorghum flour

1/3 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

3t tb Olive oil

1 1/2 tb Honey

1 cup Buttermilk

1 Egg

PREPARATION

In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Add oil, buttermilk, honey, and egg and stir until well combined.

Heat and oil a griddle/pan on medium-high heat. Pour about 1/3 cup of mixture onto heated griddle. When bottom half of pancake is cooked well, gently flip pancake over.

Serve with maple syrup or Easy Blueberry Sauce.

Serves 4


Forbidden Pudding

Forbidden Pudding

Black Rice is also known as Forbidden Rice. Black Rice Pudding is a common breakfast dish in many parts of Southeast Asia. Using coconut water instead of the traditional coconut milk greatly reduces the dessert’s fat and calorie content, while still adding big flavor. This dessert is a deliciously easy way to eat whole grains.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Black rice
3 1/4 cups Coconut water
1/8 tsp Sea salt

PREPARATION:
Place rice, coconut water and salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cover pot with tight lid and reduce to simmer. Cook 40 minutes, or until most of the water is absorbed. Uncover pot, and increase heat so that rice remains at a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until pudding is thick and rice is tender (but still al dente), about another 10-15 minutes. Take pudding off heat and cool to warm or to room temperature; stir before serving.

Serves: 6


Chocolate Orange Fig Teff Pudding

clockwise, from top-left: Chocolate Orange Fig Teff Pudding with whipped cream and mint garnish; Teff whole grains; organic, dried Black Mission Figs

Chocolate Orange Fig Teff Pudding

Not only is this pudding delicious, it may be one of the healthiest desserts you have ever eaten!

I love the taste of fresh mint with this dessert, and so I usually include extra leaves on my serving. If you don’t agree with the mint/chocolate match, you can omit the mint garnish all together.

INGREDIENTS:
10 whole Figs, Black Mission, Organic, dried (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup Orange juice, fresh squeezed
1 1/4 cup  Water, plus 1/3 cup
1 cup Teff whole grains
3 tablespoons Cocoa powder (I used Droste Dutch Cocoa for this recipe)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon Orange zest
4 large Mint leaves, fresh (optional garnish)

PREPARATION:
Trim any hard stem tips off figs and cut into quarters. Place fig wedges in small bowl with 1/3 cup of water and let soak 30 minutes. Reserve soak water.

To a small pot add the orange juice and 1 1/4 cups water and put on medium high heat.  Whisk in the cocoa powder and vanilla until the cocoa powder is completely mixed in.  Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Whisk in the Teff, reduce heat to low, cover, and gently simmer the grains until liquid is absorbed, about 18-22 minutes. During cooking, occasionally whisk to make sure no grains stick to the bottom of the pot.

Remove grains from heat; let cool.  Put fig slices (without soak water) in food processor and finely chop. Add cooked grains, honey and orange zest to figs and process together until creamy; slowly pour in fig soak water while processing. Pudding should have smooth, creamy consistency. If too heavy, add some more water and continue processing until desired lightness is reached.

Serve immediately, or keep refrigerated until service.

Roasted Peppers with Quinoa and Corn Stuffing

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup               Tofu, extra firm, crumbled

1 tb                  Lemon juice

¾ tsp               Paprika

½ tsp               Cumin

¼ tsp               Black pepper

¼  tsp              Coriander powder

1/8 tsp             Chili powder

1 tb                  Thyme, fresh, chopped

½ tsp + ½ tsp   Olive oil

1/4 cup              White onion, small dice

1 clove             Garlic, minced

¼ cup              Quinoa grain, red

¼ cup              Quinoa grain, white

1 cup             Vegetable stock

2 tsp                Vinegar, white wine

¼ tsp               Salt, sea

½ cup              Corn kernels, fresh cut off the cob

¾ cup              Zucchini, small dice

¼ cup              Scallion, chopped

¼ cup              Parsley, fresh, chopped

1/8 cup             Basil, fresh, chopped

2 each              Pepper, yellow bell, large, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 each              Pepper, red bell, large, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 each              Plum tomato, small, sliced into thin rounds

8 tsp                Feta cheese, low fat, crumbled*

As needed        Cooking spray

PREPARATION:

In a small bowl, mix crumbled tofu with lemon juice, paprika, cumin, black pepper, coriander, chili powder and thyme; refrigerate for several hours so flavors meld.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In small pot, heat vegetable stock. In a medium pot, sauté onion and garlic in ½ teaspoon olive oil until onion is softened. Add red and white quinoa and stir to coat grains. Add the hot vegetable stock and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer, cover and cook until stock is absorbed by quinoa, about 15 minutes.  Place quinoa into large mixing bowl; toss with white wine vinegar and salt.

In a sauté pan with ½ teaspoon oil sauté zucchini and scallion about a minute; add basil and parley and sauté about 1 minute more; remove from heat. Add the sautéed vegetables to the quinoa, along with the seasoned tofu, corn kernels, parsley and basil. Toss well to mix ingredients.

Stuff each pepper half with 1/8 of the stuffing mixture; top with a couple of tomato slices plus 1 teaspoon of feta cheese, then place on a sprayed baking sheet.  Cook in oven until pepper is roasted and cheese is melted, about 9-12 minutes.

Plating: Serve each person 1 red and 1 yellow stuffed pepper half on a small bed of baby arugula greens.

(*omit Feta Cheese if cooking Vegan)

YIELD: 4 servings