Rum Spiced Soft Pumpkin Muffins

Okay, I have two pretty neat and equally exciting things to share today. Number one, we have over 500 likes on Facebook! Must be all those Alaskan pics. Cool beans, huh? Sometimes it's fun to get excited about such little things. Number two, Swiftype is finally working again! Hurray! Swiftype populates the search bar, which I love. So if you type in "muffins" it will population a list of all my muffin recipes. Or if you type in "spinach" it will populate a list of all my recipes including spinach! I was driven utterly bonkers while it wasn't working. So, anyways, both are...preh-tee, preh-tee, preh-TEE exciting.  Happy New Years! I must confess; New Years is my absolute least favorite holiday. Truly, it's the worst. What do I hate more than rambunctious parties? Fireworks. I'm like a dog in that regard, I suppose. Bailey hates them as well. We have to make him a bomb shelter in tub. Plus, staying up until midnight!? Not for this ol' gal. Yes, I'm the The Grinch Whole Stole...New Years. This is not to dispute the fact that I did, however, have a lovely New Years eve.

Todd and I went to a low-key, sit-around-table and talk with the lights low while soft music plays in the background type of party. There may have been vegan spring rolls and oreos and vegan caramel corn involved. I would like to take a moment to thank that special person in my life who made all that possible! Thank you! And I didn't even have to drink or stay up until midnight, either. Man, what a party pooper! We were the youngest there and the first to leave. In bed by 11:30pm, it was all pretty pathetic of us to be honest. Two childless, mid-twenty somethings should definitely be able to do better than that. I'll put it on the list of New Years resolutions. Just kidding...I don't do those...

Any who, to this geriatric little shindig, I brought some fabulous pumpkin muffins! I whipped them right up after work, all in a snap and let me tell you , they are absolutely one of the best muffins I've ever had, truly. 

These guys are so incredibly soft and borderline gooey. They almost melt in your mouth! You may think they need a little more time in the oven, but they're supposed to be very moist. With just a whisper of rum, and deliciously spiced these fluffy, sweet muffins are kindred to a perfect pumpkin pie and will be a total hit at any party.

Rum Spiced Soft Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12

• Dry:
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat white flour
• 1 cup vegan sugar (I like Zulka)
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• Wet:
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup cartoned coconut milk
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 2 Tbsp. spiced dark rum (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 

In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Do you adore my sweet little measuring spoons? I love them!

Preheat the oven to 400 F and coat a regular muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. I got The Flavor Bible for Christmas and pretty much died on the spot. 

Divide batter evenly in the muffin pan and bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes. The edges should begin brown slightly and the top of the muffin should bounce back when gently poked with a finger.

Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan, before popping them out. My god! Look how gooey and soft!

I couldn't of pulled it off without my kitchen helpers. Okay, that's not true, they are mostly a hindrance. Like furry, oddly-shaped movable rugs that are constantly tripping me and trying to snatch things off the table when my head's turned. Not pictured: Todd.

Swaying to Ane Brun – Halo

See the Go Dairy Free contest page.

See the So Delicious facebook page

[yumprint-recipe id='58']Inspired by IsaChandra

Soft Wheat Sandwich Bread

When I was a teenager, my parents purchased a bread machine. The excitement was too much to bear, obviously. Fresh, homemade bread?! Yes please! Unfortunately for me, and the bread maker...I think it was only used a handful of times. I can't say how much my family liked the bread that the machine put out....but I did not like it. I tried hard to like it but the bread was heavy and dense with a super thick, hard crust. And not in a good way. After a few days it would turn rock hard, it was oddly shaped in a strange rectangle block of awfulness, it tasted strange, off-putting and almost mechanical. Sometimes we even used those little bread packets, which is, let's admit...pretty horrendous. I could go on... Anyways, long after the bread machine was banished to the top shelf on the pantry, you know, the one you need a chair to reach, my dad started making this artisan, rustic, no-knead bread from Cook's Illustrated. Made from scratch, and baked with love and tender care. This bread was it. My dad's bread was coveted and gobbled up instantly upon exiting the oven. He had all the bread accessories, like a cleaver and this weird-snowboard-half pipe-looking-pan, an actual bread knife where the blade was spaced from the wood just the perfect "bread-slice" amount. We actually had two, one for thin slices and one for thick. In case you have no idea what I'm talking about you can look here.

I always wished I could make bread like that. It's weird that I don't really recall ever seeing him actually make it. Maybe because it doesn't need any kneading or maybe he made it early in the morning before I was up? He's a teacher so maybe he made it after school, when I wasn't yet home from my school activities? I don't really know. I'll have to ask him. It's not really important but anyways, it always seemed complicated to me and so, being a lazy turd of a teenager...I never learned to make it. 

I decided, last night, that it was finally time to make bread. Sandwich bread! I was never a bread eater and I guess I'm still not. However, somehow I do manage to eat about three slices of toast per day. Per day! Not because of the bread though, let's make that clear. It's sole purpose is to serve as a vehicle for my crack-like addiction to nutritional yeast. Seriously, do they lace that stuff? A friend introduced me to nutritional yeast on toast and now it's pretty much all I eat. And Todd...oh lord is he ever a bread eater. He'd live off buttered bread alone if I wasn't constantly stuffing his face with my vegan recipes. I'm not kidding. 

This bread is quite simple really, and pretty much foolproof. It's absolutely worth the time to make it. Most of it is hands off anyways while it rises, and there's no kneading by hand. I made it after work but I think it'd be a fun thing to do leisurely on a nice weekend. Especially if you have little munchkins to help! Inside, this wheat bread is soft and buttery and outside it lends a thin and crisp crust. Slices like a dream too, as a good sandwich bread should!

Soft Wheat Sandwich Bread

Slightly adapted from Thriving Home

Makes 2 large loaves

• 3 cups warm water (110 degrees)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. quick-rising yeast
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 7 cups unbleached whole wheat white flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• slathering of vegan butter
• --Note-- This makes two large loaves, so be sure to have two bread pans handy, or cut the recipe in half. 

In a large electric stand mixer bowl, add the water, yeast, and brown sugar. Stir gently until well combined and the yeast clumps are gone. Set in a warm place for about 10 minutes. After the time is up, the mixture should be foamy on top. If it isn't, allow it to rest a little longer. 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, flax seed and salt. 

Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture, but do not mix.

Slowly stir the dry mixture into the yeast mixture, until just combined.

Then with the dough hook attachment, mix on low (2 or 4) for about 15 minutes or until a ball forms. Be sure to stop it every three minutes to stir and scrape. If it's still a bit sticky, add in small amounts of flour in steps until it's no longer sticky. 

Coat the now empty dry mixture bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball in it to rise. Cover loosely with a clean dishcloth and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Once it's done rising, punch it down and then form a ball. On a lightly floured surface, cleave into two even dough balls and roll out each into a rectangle, with the width being the same as the height of your bread pan. Then, gently roll up each into a log.

Coat each bread pan with a nonstick cooking spray. Place a dough log in each, with the seam down. Spray the tops with cooking spray and cover loosely with a clean dish towel. Place in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until it's doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 F when there's 5-10 minutes left for rising.

Ensure that the bread has risen to the shape that you want for the bread, as it won't rise too much in the oven after it's already risen in it's dough log form. 

Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and place on a cooling rack. Run vegan butter over the top of the loaf for a nice sheen.

Slice up and serve warm!

Store in cling wrap or a ziplock baggie in the fridge, or wrap and freeze for later.

Listening to Ellie Goulding – My Blood

[yumprint-recipe id='46']

Healthy Homemade Refried Bean Tacos

Alaska doesn't boast many good Mexican restaurants. It's not a shock and I can say that, I'm allowed. I was born and raised up here in beautiful Alaska,  but I grew up going to Albuquerque, New Mexico almost every year. Well, to be precise it was actually a place outside of Albuquerque called Belen. Anyways, we had relatives that lived there. I had a serious love/hate relationship with New Mexico. I loved all the artwork, I loved the flea markets, I loved the warmth at night (a phenomenon that doesn't happen up here) and the tumbleweeds and especially the jackrabbits. However, I hated the intense heat, I hated the desert,  I hated the dust, I hated the lack of trees, I hated to see all the roadkill jackrabbits and I hated how freakishly glowing and pale I was compared to everyone else. But about the food...because of these trips, I got know good Mexican food. However, and I say this with yes a little shame...I don't mind mediocre or even poor Mexican food. I love beans, and beans will be good whether they're cooked in a super authentic, little joint by a Mexican grandma in Belen or rather unauthentically up here in good old naive Alaska. It's not our fault, we just don't have the right ingredients, or the eons of tradition involved in authentic Mexican cuisine. We Alaskans are known for salmon, and I sure as hell ain't ordering fresh sushi in the mid-west. I'm sorry, I'm just not. Especially now that I'm vegan! But beans? I can do that.

Here's my point: I've been craving refried beans. Yep, that was the point of that long winded story above. That's really it. And as far as this recipe goes, it hit the spot. I like this simple recipe and it's much healthier than say, a  bean taco/burrito from a certain fast food place. We got black beans and garbanzo beans for good health, I wanted the antioxidant power of the black beans but the sturdiness of the garbanzos. We got spinach and sweet peppers, loads of flavor from the cumin, coriander and paprika and of course a little heat from the ground chipotle chili powder. The salsa offers a bit of freshness and the cheese, richness. A spritz of lime juice and a sprig or two of cilantro is just enough to make this one zesty taco!

I'm not a little, old Mexican grandma, but this dish is fast, it's easy, and you're not buying refried beans from a can, which is always a plus. Even if there is a Mexican grandma on the wrapper. Feel free to use any combination of beans you'd like and add in any desired toppings too! You can even make this into a burrito, which was my original plan until I realized all we had was tiny, corn tortillas. It was still awesome though, I'm resourceful.

Did I mention that I grind all my own spices?

Hah! Just kidding, that's for fools. I actually ran out of ground coriander and forgot to put it on the list. Nards! I had whole coriander seeds though (go figure)...so I had to bust out the trusty Krups! And viola, ground coriander. I felt pretty snobby...and resourceful.

Healthy Homemade Refried Bean Tacos

Inspired by Savvy Vegetarian and myself

Makes about 8-10 small tacos

• -- For the refried beans --
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed (or any beans you like!)
• 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1  tsp. ground cumin
• 2 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground paprika
• sprinkling of ground chipotle chili powder, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 small sweet peppers, minced
• -- For the tacos --
• 8-10 small soft corn tortillas (or tortillas of choice!)
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced small
• a few handfuls of spinach or lettuce, chiffonaded (that means "into strips" in fancy pants language)
• 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
• 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese
• cilantro and lime juice for garnishing (optional)

Start by draining and rinsing the beans. Add them to a food processor or blender and pulse. Add water as needed, until the desired consistency has been achieved. Set aside.

Mince the garlic and the sweet peppers. Prep the toppings by chopping the onions and the spinach.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over low. Add the spices and stir until fragrant. Next, add the garlic and peppers and cook a few additional minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add in the beans and allow them to warm. This will take about 3-5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Warm the tortillas before serving. Add the beans to the tortilla, followed by the spinach, then the salsa and finally the cheese. Garnish with chopped cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice.

A fine substitute for my refried beans craving. Does that happen to anyone else?

Healthy Homemade Refried Bean Tacos

Recipe Type: Entree

Author: Katie - Produce On Parade

Serves: 3-4

A tasty and healthy alternative to a fast food bean taco. Easy, quick and simple!

Ingredients

• --For the refried beans--
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed (or any beans you like!)
• 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground paprika
• sprinkling of ground chipotle chili powder, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 small sweet peppers, minced
• --For the tacos--
• 8-10 small soft corn tortillas (or tortillas of choice!)
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced small
• a few handfuls of spinach or lettuce, chiffonaded (that means "into strips" in fancy pants language)
• 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
• 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese
• cilantro and lime juice for garnishing (optional)

Instructions

1. Start by draining and rinsing the beans. Add them to a food processor or blender and pulse. Add water as needed, until the desired consistency has been achieved. Set aside.
2. Mince the garlic and the sweet peppers. Prep the toppings by chopping the onions and the spinach.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over low. Add the spices and stir until fragrant. Next, add the garlic and peppers and cook a few additional minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add in the beans and allow them to warm. This will take about 3-5 minutes, then remove from heat.
4. Warm the tortillas before serving. Add the beans to the tortilla, followed by the spinach, then the salsa and finally the cheese. Garnish with chopped cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice.

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