Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

WHOLE WHEAT OATMEAL RAISIN MUFFINS (MAKES 12)

On a recent trip to the local library I found a quaint recipe book from 1975. I just knew the pages would be filled with simple dishes made with love. I was right! There are no colored photos here, no fancy, un-pronounceable ingredients, not a single celebrity chef. JUST what I was looking for. These muffins are a variation of Lorraine Boyce's submission for "Gram's Oatmeal Muffins". I took the liberty of modifying the recipe a bit. Hopefully Lorraine won't mind. These turned out so moist and not too sweet. If you are a nut fan I suggest throwing in a handful. There are already variations of these developing in my head.

Muffins Muffins

1 ½ cup water
1 ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
¼ pound pastured butter
2 pastured eggs, well beaten
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325°. Boil water. Turn off heat and add oats. Stir in and melt butter and let cool. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Bake in greased muffin tin for 20 minutes at 325°. Easy enough?!

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Jul 01 2012
Quinoa Cakes

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Apr 22 2012
Herbed Meyer Lemon Salad Dressing

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Apr 18 2012
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Nov 25 2010
Cranberry Pear Sauce

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Oct 24 2010
Simple Tomato Salad

I’m back! It has been months since I had a new blog post and for that I do apologize. However, there are no excuses. I simply wanted to take a break and so I did. There! This summer was filled with a move to the west coast, and fantastic visits from family and friends! We are certainly adjusting back to being on the west coast with ease. We can be found kayaking, hiking, biking and enjoying the general beauty of the Central Coast of California. Since I’m back to the land of milk and honey…er…land where farmers markets happen so often there is a daily mention of them in the newspaper. Yes, seriously! You can imagine how happy I was to see that! With bellies full stuffed with local produce I bring you… SIMPLE TOMATO SALAD (SERVES 1) 1 large, ripe tomato (any old color, variety as long as it is ripe and ready to go) 4 basil leaves – finely chopped 1-2 cloves garlic – minced drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil salt & pepper to taste Mix all ingredients and enjoy with toast, over a bed of lettuce, add raw goat cheese, or devour as is. Click on Salad Recipes for some more scrumptious salad ideas.
Jun 05 2010
Sweet Potato Baked Fries

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May 09 2010
Rhubarb Blackberry Crumble

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Apr 14 2010
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Mar 20 2010
Flax Berry Power Pancakes – Whole Wheat Pancakes

Not being much of a breakfast food person I typically stick to cereal (hot or cold). The trouble here is that breakfast foods are my husband’s absolute favorite. It is not that I’m overtly trying to avoid his favorite foods. I just don’t typically think about sausage and eggs, pancakes etc. So, for two glorious days I cooked a nice big breakfast. Day 1 we had these wonderful little whole wheat pancakes. I was sure they were going to be dense, but to my dismay they were light and fluffy. Day 2 we served up some left over St. Patrick’s Day favorites in the form of corned beef hash. Today I’ll be sharing my recipe for these wonderful little whole wheat pancakes from scratch that are surprisingly good, if not great! I loved them! And I was pleasantly surprised how long it took for me to become hungry. I typically find myself crashing and burning with these sorts of breakfast treats (maybe it only tastes like a treat). Looking for more breakfast ideas? Look no further click here! FLAX BERRY POWER PANCAKES - WHOLE WHEAT PANCAKES (SERVES 2) DRY 1 cup whole wheat flour1 tablespoon raw sugar2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon cinnamon½ teaspoon flax seed – ground (grinding it means that your body will receive the nutrients) WET 3/4 cup milk1/2 cup yogurt1 egg1 tablespoon oil1 teaspoon vanilla½ cup frozen berries + more to mix with syrup Mix all of your dry ingredients together and set aside. In a separate bowl mix all of your wet ingredients accept the frozen berries (they will come into play in a minute). Start to add the dry mixture to the wet until they are well combined. Add the frozen berries by gently folding them into the mixture, crushing them will turn you batter blue and pink. On a well oiled hot skillet add the batter in ¼ cup scoops. When the pancake bubbles and is done on the edges it is time to flip them. Allow them to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown. While the whole wheat pancakes are cooking I like to heat syrup with some berries in a small sauce pan. This will allow you to cut down on how much syrup you use and will give you some more berry goodness. Enjoy piping hot with some coffee and a good book.
Feb 16 2010
Winter Micro Green Salad with Spicy-Sweet Dressing

Oh the doldrums of winter have been broken by this bright and flavorful salad. The ingredients were sourced locally from a grocer that maintains hoop houses throughout the winter. This allows us to have beautiful micro greens on which to place our gorgeous Chioggia Beets, and dug out of the ground that day Carrots (I watched them do this – so I know it’s true!). According to my Baker Creek Heirloom Seed catalog the Chioggia beet is: A pre-1840 Italian heirloom beet, this variety arrived in the USA prior to 1865. They have light red skin and beautiful rings inside, like red and white candy stripes. The flesh is very tender, mild, and sweet. Named after a fishing town in Italy. I was lucky enough to spend a few days in San Diego where I was reminded how easy it use to be to find fantastic produce. I have to look a little further nowadays but it is truly worth the effort and cost. Our grocery budget is by far our biggest expense. That’s ok. I’d rather spend more on real food than less on the fake stuff. WINTER MICRO GREEN SALAD (serves 2 as a side) DRESSING 2 tablespoons shallots – thinly sliced1 tablespoon local honey¼ teaspoon chili garlic sauce – this is the spicy part and is optional½ teaspoon sesame seeds – toasted½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar1 teaspoon oil – olive, veggie, etc SALAD 2 small handfuls micro greens1 small beet – julienne1 large carrot – julienne DIRECTIONS In a small bowl combine all dressing ingredients, stir, set aside. On two small plates equally divide micro greens, beets, and carrots. Then dress the salads to your liking and enjoy!

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