Traditional Comfort Food: Blueberry Muffins

Sometimes there's nothing better than relying on the tested and true homemade recipe of another. And in this case that reliable somebody is nobody else other than the infamous Better Homes and Garden cookbook! :) You can always rely on the quick, simple and always tasty recipes of BHG. As I was in the mood for a warm and yummy baked good -and not in the mood to fire up those brain cells and create a spectacular new recipe- I relied on one of a few next best sources!

I finally settled on blueberry muffins! YUM!
Recipe makes 12 muffins!

Ingredients:
1.75 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup low fat milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:
1. Line 12 muffin tins with paper (or grease lightly)
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.
4. In a small bowl combine egg, milk, and oil.
5. Add egg mixture to flour mixture.
6. Mix until moist. Mixture will be lumpy.
7. Stir in blueberries.
8. Fill baking tins 3/4 full
9. Bake for 18-24 minutes until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let cool on wire rack.

Nutrition Facts (per one muffin)
140 calories
5 g fat
130 mg sodium
19 g carbohydrates

Tamarind

Unshelled Tamarind

I recently was introduced to an intriguing fruit native to Africa called Tamarind. This fruit is 3-8 inches long in a curve shaped pod. When the pod is completely ripe, the shell is brittle and easily broken with your hands. Each pod can contain 1-12 shiny seeds covered by a brown, chewy, edible pulp. This fruit pulp contains calcium and Vitamins A and B as well as being high in potassium and fiber! These pods are not grown on vines, but rather in trees.

Partially Shelled Tamarind




Tamarind can be consumed in a variety of ways! As mentioned above, the fruit can be eaten as is. It can also be made into chutneys, curries, and sauces. Tamarind candies can be made from forming the pulp into balls and coating with powdered sugar as commonly available in Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Tamarind can also be used to make a popular tropical drink commonly found in Mexico and Puerto Rico, among other places.

This is a versatile, tasty fruit available in the US and becoming more and more popular! Give it a try. It can be found at health food stores!

Tamarind Seed



Resources:
Tamarind
Food Uses

Oh You Devil of an Egg!

One of my favorite foods, albeit completely unhealthy, has always been deviled eggs. Until now, I have never attempted to make them. For some reason I was daunted by what I thought to be a complex multiple-step process. (Or maybe that was my excuse for the reality that if my Dad made them so well, why should I even bother?!) Well, I finally rolled up my sleeves and dove into the daunting, unknown concoction of deviled eggs. The result was a surprisingly delicious deviled egg (or two or three!)

To start with, I perused the internet to find an easy recipe. I came across too many to count and quickly settled on Rachel Ray's Recipe. I followed the recipe exactly with 2 exceptions. First, I cut the recipe in half. (Unless you're having a large get-together 6 eggs is PLENTY!) Second, I added in one heaping teaspoon of spicy horseradish sauce. When I tasted the mixture, it was missing that kick and spice that I recalled my Dad's deviled eggs had. And although I detest horseradish (as much as sour cream and artichokes) this secret ingredient made my deviled eggs surprisingly wonderful!! Yum Yum Yum YUM!! Happy indulging (yet again it seems! All foods in moderation I always say! To me, these are a treat and are to be saved for the best of times- holidays, family gatherings, and any other special event! Happy indulging, you devil you!)




Deviled Egg Recipe (Modified from Rachel Ray's Recipe above.)
Serving: 12
Preparation: Quick

Ingredients
6 large eggs
ice water
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp spicy mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper (or any hot spice mixture will do!)
1 heaping tsp spicy horseradish sauce
salt
black pepper
paprika (for dusting)

Directions
1. Boil eggs.
2. Let stand in ice cold water until eggs are cool.
3. Peel eggs.
4. Cut eggs length-wise.
5. Scoop out the yolk of each egg and place in a separate bowl.
6. After scooping out the yolks, place egg whites on a plate.
*Remember to be gentle scooping out yolks; you want the egg whites to stay intact.
7. Mash and mix the yolks with the mayonnaise, spicy mustard, cayenne pepper, spicy horseradish sauce, salt, and black pepper.
8. Scoop mixture into each half of the egg white shells. (Be gentle now!)
9. Sprinkle with paprika!

VOILA!

Summer Heat in Spring = Cool, Refreshing Salad Recipe

Hello Summer heat!! 80-90 degrees in then end of April/beginning of May is kind of crazy!! I fully admit that I'm okay with it. It just gives me another excuse to talk about salads. When it's warm (or steamy or hot or humid!) outside, the last item I can picture eating is a hot one such as mac n cheese, soup, grilled fish, etc. On the other hand, I can fully picture myself eating something cool such as mmm mmm tasty ice cream with some jimmies on top; however, ice cream is not a nutritionally sound item that I would substitute as a meal (unfortunately.) So today, whimsically, I created yet another new- QUICK- (and delicious, of course) salad mixture.

Ingredients:
Fresh spinach
Fresh red leaf lettuce
Carrots
Yellow bell pepper
Grape tomatoes
1/4 fresh lime
3 (or more) bean salad
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:
1. Rinse and let dry all vegetables.
2. Peel and chop carrots.
3. Remove seeds and chop yellow bell pepper into bite size pieces.
4. Tear greens and place in bowl.
5. Add tomatoes, carrots, peppers, and beans.
6. Squeeze lime (more if desired. Add salt and pepper if desired.)

Of note, I used a pre-cooked, low salt added bean mixture from Trader Joe's. All I had to do was cut open the bag and pour onto the greens! Easy as 1-2-3. Feel free to use canned beans (any variety you like) or make your own bean mixture from dried beans if desired. Enjoy! :)

Greens, Greens, Greens, and More Greens!

I don't know about you, but I keep hearing about the importance of including a variety of greens in your diet. This isn't news as we all know the benefits of vegetables; however, recently there seems to be an uproar over them. Even my nutrition magazine (CSPI's Nutrition Action) has a section this month on underrated foods. Take a guess which vegetables is mentioned! LEAFY GREENS!

So of course, this inspired me, to make a quick leafy green dish.

Ingredients:
spinach
1 bunch beets greens, washed and chopped
1 medium Spanish onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

Preparation:
Be sure to rinse the beet greens well to remove all dirt and stones. Remove as much of the stems as possible. Shred into small pieces. Repeat with the fresh spinach.



Directions:
1. Warm olive oil and garlic in a (cast iron) pan on low heat.
2. When the oil and garlic start to sizzle and you can smell the garlic, add in the onions.
3. Sautee onions until they begin to soften or about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add beet greens and spinach. Mix every few minutes until greens are wilted and cooked.
5. Add your favorite protein (if desired) and VOILA!

Enjoy!



Nutrition Education: Beet greens are high in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous. They contain Vitamins A, B, and C. More is presumably known about spinach, which is known to have more than 13 flavonoids, which act like anti-oxidants and anti-cancer compounds. Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamins A, B, C, K and E as well as folate, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, and more. (Look at all these great reasons to enjoy greens!!)