Rhubarb Muffin Marathon

Strawberry Rhubarb Wheat Muffins

When I was a kid, my uncle had a small rhubarb patch in his backyard. Every spring, my cousins and I insisted on sampling the tart stalks. It was the greatest thing ever, something growing in the backyard we could pick on our own and eat it. Nevermind that none of us actually liked the rhubarb straight out of the yard, we still had to try it; each kid, every single year. I also remember my dad giving us a bowl of sugar to dip our rhubarb in. As a kid, this was AWESOME! Now, as a parent, NOPE!

I do not remember anyone in my childhood actually baking with rhubarb. I don’t even think I knew such a thing was possible until I was grown. My first cooking experience with rhubarb came 5 or 6 years ago when someone that my husband worked with sent some home with him. The whole bunch we were given went straight into some rhubarb crisp because that seemed to be the most popular suggestion I found on the internet.

Since then, my desire to try new things has grown and so has my rhubarb recipe collection. When I say that my collection has grown, I mean it has expanded from dessert to breakfast recipes. We already discussed the Rhubarb Smoothie so now we’re continuing the breakfast spread with muffins.

Banana Rhubarb Quinoa Muffins

Last week I made two types of rhubarb muffins – Strawberry Rhubarb Wheat Muffins and Banana Rhubarb Quinoa Muffins. As far as preparation goes, we have two extremes here… The Strawberry Rhubarb ones were quick; only requiring basic muffin ingredients plus the fruit. The Banana Rhubarb, on the other hand… These took more ingredients and more time but it is 100% my fault. I was reading recipes online going “oooo I like that idea, but oh, I like that too… hmm, I bet quinoa would make these more filling... but I have those bananas that I need to use…”

Both muffin varieties turned out delicious. My daughter devoured both types while my son definitely preferred the Strawberry Rhubarb ones. It is hard to say if that was the because of the muffins or because I did the Strawberry ones as mini muffins while the Banana ones were regular size (sometimes, the size of the muffin does matter). A nice little surprise for me was how much I liked the wheat flour in both of these recipes. I am at the beginning of my wheat flour journey so I wasn’t sure going in. In these cases, I feel like the wheat was a perfect complement to the muffins, rather than a “substitution” for white flour.

So, dealer’s choice – nice and simple or sophisticated and complex – either way, both of these muffins are sure to please.

 Strawberry Rhubarb Wheat Muffins

(adapted from http://simpleasthatblog.com/2016/04/whole-wheat-strawberry-muffins.html )

3/4 cup rhubarb, diced small

3/4 cup fresh strawberries, diced small

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a regular muffin tin or mini muffin tin (recipe should make roughly 18 regular muffins and 48 mini muffins).

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until fully incorporated. Mix in milk.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in rhubarb and strawberries.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 20 min for regular muffins and 12 min for minis). Cool in pan for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Banana Rhubarb Quinoa Muffin

(adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/quinoa-banana-bread-regular-or-sugar-free-114492 )

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

3 ripe, medium bananas, mashed

2/3 cup cooked quinoa

2 cups wheat flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

1 cup rhubarb, diced

Crumble Topping:

3/4 cup pecans, chopped

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease regular muffin tins (recipe makes about 20 muffins).

In a small bowl, mix together crumble topping ingredients; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in mashed bananas and quinoa.

In separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined. Fold in diced rhubarb.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with crumble topping.

Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Smooth as Rhubarb in Spring

Spring time! I adore spring! Especially by this point, things are green, there’s daffodils, tulips, lilacs and apple blossoms… So much life and new beginnings happening.

You know what else spring brings??? The start of CSA season! Although it is not quite time for full boxes of vegetables, the market at my CSA farm is open and it makes me happy. I’ve already indulged in spinach, spring salad mix, asparagus (oh my goodness!) and now rhubarb.

The only thing I have ever thought to use rhubarb in is Rhubarb Crisp, which is delicious, by the way. But with this fresh stuff so readily available, time to expand my horizons. I have also heard great tales of Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. And since I just started experimenting with homemade poptarts (basically a flat, hearty pie dough stuffed with jam), I anticipate some Strawberry Rhubarb Poptarts will be popping up soon.

In the meantime, I thought I would try out Rhubarb Smoothie. As it turns out, rhubarb is full of good stuff for your health like dietary fiber, protein and a list of vitamins and minerals. I always feel good about adding such things to breakfast and since rhubarb and berries seem to be such great friends… smoothie just seems to fit.

When I made this smoothie, I used plain Greek yogurt (because that’s what I had) but I wrote the recipe using vanilla Greek yogurt… The rhubarb brings enough tartness – the extra “tang” that comes from plain yogurt is just a little much. To overcome that extra “tang” this morning, I simply added more honey and it was great! But I also think the vanilla yogurt will add just the right about of sweetness to make this smoothie almost dessert-like.

This smoothie just sums up spring! It has great color, a touch of sweetness like the smell of apple blossoms, and just enough tartness to make your tongue feel alive. Not to mention how it takes advantage of the fresh spring spinach and rhubarb!

Mixed Berry & Rhubarb Smoothie

(serves 4)

1 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used regular)

1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

2-3 handfuls fresh spinach

1 cup rhubarb, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

3 Tbs chia seeds

1 Tbs honey

Add ingredients to blender in order listed above. Process until completely smooth. Enjoy!

Wrap Replica

Last weekend, our little family took a trip to the “waterpark capital of the world”. I think it is safe to say that we are creatures of habit. We stayed at the same resort, with the same great friends and even went to dinner at the same restaurant that we went to the last time we made the trip. And just like the last time, I found something at the restaurant that I wanted to recreate at home!

I’m starting to think that it might just be easier if they open one of these restaurants closer to where I live. I mean, there were four adults in our little group and I would happily order each of the meals we had for myself; Philly Cheesesteak on Monday, Buffalo Chicken Wrap on Tuesday, Grilled Chicken Bruschetta Salad on Wednesday, and Santa Fe Wrap on Thursday. And yes, I could still go on Friday and have a hard time choosing between the Rueben and El Cubano… It’s not fancy food but sure is delicious!

The meal I wanted to recreate at home was the Santa Fe Wrap. This is what I had ordered for myself and I was still thinking about on our drive home the next day. I’m not even sure which element to start with! This baby had grilled chicken, bean and corn salsa, lettuce, tomato, avocado, dressed with spicy ranch and wrapped in a perfectly warmed tomato-basil tortilla. It was awesome! The awesome-sauce was most definitely the spicy ranch. I searched for a copycat recipe on this stuff because I absolutely love it. No dice on that search but the quest is now on!

So, making this at home, it’s not the same… But it is still delicious, I have zero complaints. I started off with a simple marinade for the chicken. I love marinating before grilling, especially boneless, skinless chicken because it is so easy to dry them out on a grill. Next up, I mixed up a bean and corn salsa. One thing I love about this part is the leftovers! Tomorrow, I can chop a tomato and maybe half an avocado. Toss those in there and grab my tortilla chips; yummy! The last component (other than the “fixin’s”) is the spicy ranch. I went nice and simple by taking my favorite ranch dressing that lives in my fridge and added a finely chopped chipotle pepper with some adobo sauce. It makes some tasty ranch with a nice,

smoky heat to it but it’s not the spicy ranch that I had at the restaurant.

The other thing I missed was the tortilla from the restaurant. I bought tomato-basil tortillas and they have great flavor but they just didn’t hold up. How do restaurants do it? Wrap these babies up so tight without having a blow out? It must be some Jedi skill (I seem to have a little residual May the Fourth nerdiness going on… like maybe a light saber is the best way to slice a wrap too).

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, so other than the need for extra napkins, these wraps turned into a lovely spring meal on the deck. Paired with a cold beer and lime, life is good today!

 Southwest Chicken Wrap with Chipotle Ranch

Chicken:

1 lb chicken breast, fileted

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Salsa:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn

2 Tbs chopped red onion

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 Tbs chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Chipotle Ranch:

1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing

Additional adobo sauce, to taste

The Wrap:

4 tomato basil wraps

Lettuce, chopped

Tomatoes, diced

Avocado, diced

Colby Jack cheese, shredded

Place all chicken ingredients in resealable bag. Marinade 4 – 6 hours.

Prepare salsa by combining all ingredients. Allow flavors to blend for at least an hour before serving.

To make chipotle ranch, finely mince (or smash) the peppers. Mix into ranch dressing and add adobo sauce until desired level of heat is reached. Set aside.

When it is time to eat, grill chicken breast over medium heat until internal temperature reaches 160°F. Allow to rest 5 – 10 minutes before slicing.

Assemble wraps and serve.

Sweet Beans a Bakin'

Hello All! Oh, I’ve missed you! I’ve been focusing all the time I can find on my brand-new recipe scrapbooking business – Family Table Scraps – but that is a story for another day.

Today I wanted to talk about sweet beans. I have heard of many recipes for baked goods that call for beans. The most popular is probably brownies but I have also tasted some really delicious salted caramel cookies that were made with navy beans! Honestly, I have never tried making any of these types of recipes until now. Not sure that I really have a good reason for that… I have just never messed much with traditional baked goods.

Here’s the thing though, when you use garbanzo beans and minimal amounts of sugar, it turns into something I find healthy enough for breakfast! I love things like muffins and fresh cinnamon raisin bread for breakfast. But when I started paying attention to how often I make things like that for breakfast and that they are kind of lacking from a nutrient standpoint… Well, it was time for a new and improved option. We are also working on eating less refined and processed sugars and grains at my house. This is where the quinoa found its way in. Not to mention all the dietary fiber and protein in quinoa; perfect for starting out the day!

Still at the top of my priority list is food that tastes good! After reading a handful of bean-based baking recipes, I have so many ideas… I will be busy! But I wanted to start out with something that would have a familiar flavor to my family. I picked carrot cake for this first round. Or maybe I picked that so I could have a little cream cheese frosting... hmm…

Either way, I’m happy to report success! I am totally satisfied with this more sustaining option for a sweet breakfast treat. There’s a touch of fruit, plenty of veggies and just enough sugar to make it feel like dessert. These bars even made a journey out of town with us over the weekend. They were a great make-ahead item – just make sure to store them in the fridge or cooler once you frost them!

Carrot Cake Breakfast Bars

1 large egg

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2 medium bananas

3/4 cup quinoa flour (I ground ¾ cup regular raw quinoa in my Vitamix)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded carrots

1/3 cup raisins

For the Frosting:

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Splash of milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with tin foil; grease foil.

Drain the chickpeas and add to a food processor along with mashed bananas and egg. Process until completely smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, except carrots and raisins. Mix well. Fold in grated carrots and raisins.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the center rack for 24-26 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 - 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.

While bars are baking, combine all frosting ingredients; mix well with whisk. Apply icing when completely cooled and then slice into 16 bars.

Store on the counter for a few hours if they seem too moist. Then store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.superhealthykids.com/chocolate-chip-zucchini-protein-bars/

The Great Garlic Saga

Have you ever bought groceries that were on “manager’s special”? In my experience, manager’s special is either an awesome deal or a disgusting waste of money. As a somewhat spoiled food snob, I tend to prefer my food to be as fresh as possible but most manager’s specials are things that are close to being thrown out. But I have found a couple of items that seem to be a good deal. Not too long ago, I bought a bag of roma tomatoes for only a dollar. I blended them up and used them in chili and they were great but I probably would not have wanted to just slice them up and eat them. Also, my grocery store often has “reduced” bananas for only $.29 per pound. I know, I know, bananas are inexpensive as it is but my family eats a TON of them! The “reduced” ones are often very ripe or bruised but they are perfect for freezing to use in smoothies.

My most recent manager’s special snag was an entire bag of garlic for one dollar. So, I pick up my bag of garlic and the rest of my grocery list items and head to the check out. The cashier asks me “how long will it take you to use all of this garlic?” In my head I was thinking “you call that a lot of garlic?” but she did spark a valid thought – how long do I have to use this garlic before it goes bad?

When I got home, I turned to the trusty internet for ways to preserve my $1 garlic investment. The best solution that I found to match my mound of

garlic that was probably already at the edge of it’s useful life was to freeze it in olive oil. The particular site I was reading claimed that the olive oil will prevent the garlic from freezing solid so you can just scoop out what you need and be on your way. Perfect!

And so began my never ending date with garlic. I’m pretty sure it took like six days straight to break apart each head of garlic, then peal each individual clove, and finally slice off the dry end that was attached to the stem. For some reason, I was feeling less and less like this was a dollar well spent. At each stage, I was thinning out my herd of garlic; any clove that was really bruised or had already sprouted got the boot. I was probably more particular about only keeping the best than I would normally be because I had a little paranoia going on about how long garlic has to sit at the grocery store before they put it on manager’s special…

Finally, I was ready to grind it up in my food processor. The site that gave me such great inspiration said to use a 2 to 1 ratio of oil to garlic. I did more like a 1 to 1; I had so much garlic and not so much olive oil! It was enough oil to help the garlic move smoothly in the food processor. Then off to a quart size mason jar and to the freezer. Added bonus to this adventure – Garlic Potpourri (and yes, I had to look up how to spell that)! My husband could still smell the aroma when he came home from work almost 7 hours later…

The next day, I wanted to take advantage of my fully prepped garlic! I thought this was going to be awesome, right! All I had to do was pull this jar out of the freezer, scoop out half of a tablespoon or so and straight into my pan. Wrong! Frozen solid! One dollar and about 2 hours of work and I can’t even get it out of the jar! I was finally able to get enough of it out using an ice cream scoop but I think it would have been faster to chop it fresh. Maybe next time I will used the 2 to 1 ratio of oil to garlic… Who am I kidding, there won’t be a next time! 

Sister Situation

Today, kitchenSWard has it's first guest blogger! Here is a fun story from my little sister:

Blender Blunder

My life seems to be full of humor. I'm not sure if it's something I happen to be blessed with or if it's that I look for it. Whether it be stories of my "love" interests (or lack there of) or unfortunate mishaps (such as walking into vehicle mirrors)... "funny" seems to find me.

However, as I try to search my memory bank for humor in the kitchen, I come up short. I'm not sure why. When I cook or bake it's usually a very fun and relaxing time. If I'm at my comfiest, I will be in pjs or shorts and knees-highs with some Big Sean bumping.

The only story I can think of that really tickles my funny bone is when my sister came to visit. At the time, she lived a couple hours away so visits were usually over-night. She was a new mom and was concerned about feeding her daughter only the healthiest of foods. I was intrigued when she asked to use my blender so she could make her daughter "ice cream". Of course I didn't mind, so she piled in her ingredients of fruits and other things. It seemed like a lot of solids to me, but I didn't dare question; I had never made blender ice cream before.

At this point, it's important to note that I have a very close relationship with my blender. I love love love to make smoothies. I try to do it at least 3 times per week. I had purposely selected this beautiful red blender because it has small sparkles in the paint. I believe there had been a sale on it and I also saved a coupon to justify allowing myself to purchase it.

Okay, now that you have the back-story, let's move on.

My sister started her blending. Things seemed fine at first. However, the job went on for quite awhile. I'm not sure what the average "blending" time is, but it felt abnormally long to me. "Wrawww wraawww wrawww wraww," my blender started to moan. This was alarming to me because it wasn't the normal "Rrrrrr rrrr rrrrr" I was use to. I calmly mentioned that I wasn't sure my blender could handle all the solids and suggested adding liquids. My sister didn't agree. She just kept on... a... mixin'... My nerves were acting up, as I listened to my precious machine's gurgle for help. If this audio wasn't enough signal of distress, the new burning motor smell was. Alright... that was enough! I couldn't take this injustice. I value few material things, but I splurged on this device that I had come to cherish. "Have you never used a household blender? This is not industrial grade!" is all I could think. Just as my panic began to heighten, finally...She shut it off and the bewailing ceased.

I really hope my niece enjoyed her ice cream.

I wanted so badly to "let it go" but as I expressed above, I had feelings for this blender. I decided to talk to my sister about the damage I believed was done to my blender. I explained how it was no longer the same.

Like a good sister does, she made it right. For Christmas, she got me a fancy blender, engineered for the toughest chopping (even ice cream-making capable!). Oh and I have to add- it's red ;) (Just in case you're wondering - I didn't retire Ol' Red. He's still a reliable back-up.)

Spring Ahead

I shoveled snow today. I think this is about the fourth time this year that the snow here has been completely melted and then whala, time to shovel again. The calendar says that spring doesn’t start until next week and I know that even after the first day of spring it is highly likely that it will still snow but I still wish is wasn’t so. I am very impatiently awaiting the warm weather that lasts; the green grass, buds on trees and gardening!

What’s a girl to do during these last few weeks of cold that never seems to end? I’m sketching my brand-new vegetable garden! And I am so excited about it (I love graph paper, does that make me a nerd?)! Although there is a raised bed garden here, at our new home, it happens to be in the way of the fence we intend to put up for the kiddos. This is good news for me! It is really fun to dream up new garden layouts and plan which of our favorite veggies will live in each spot. Not to mention, the anticipation of harvesting all of the goodness, right out of the back yard.

Part of what makes garden planning so fun for me is that I get to draw it up, bring it to my husband for his suggestions, and then he builds it for me. He’s such a sweetheart! This is the same process we went through at our previous home and it resulted in three raised bed gardens that yielded insane amounts of zucchini, buckets of tomatoes, too many cucumbers to count and crazy amounts of green beans. And it was awesome! Now, I should probably tell you that my garden maintenance history has been less than stellar. I was not particularly great at weeding on a regular basis and there was an occasion or two that I found zucchini that looked more like clubs because they had been left too long… Here’s to trying to be better this year!

I recently read an article about square foot gardening and I can’t wait it implement it in our new garden. I read that it can really help to keep weeds down and it takes up considerably less space while still producing high yields of produce (I should start writing down zucchini recipes now). Our main garden will have three tiers; the base will be 4 feet by 4 feet, middle will be 3 feet by 3 feet, and the top tier will be 2 feet by 2 feet. Total height should be about 3 feet. It will be located in the southwest corner of our yard but it will be about 2 feet away from our fence on either side for easy access (and to make sure the fence does not shade it all day). I have also planned two single-tier gardens that will be 2 feet by 2 feet to accommodate all the different types of veggies I am so eagerly looking forward to. My plan also includes a few cinder blocks for strawberries, as well as round flower planters and shepherd’s hooks for hanging baskets of flowers to add color and attract some pollinators.

When I was a kid, my uncle kept a pretty decent-sized vegetable garden out at the family farm. I can remember picking things, “cleaning” them with my shirt and eating them right in the garden. Making memories like this with my kids is what I look forward to the most! Between the strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, zucchini, peas, beans, cucumbers, dill, parsley, cilantro and basil… There is bound to be something for each of them to love!