Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I started making these muffins back in the fall, when Trader Joe's started carrying their pumpkin puree and when I found this recipe.  I tweaked the recipe to meet our needs and preferences, and now we have a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin that we like to eat not just in the fall, but year-round, as long as I stock up on enough pumpkin puree while it's available in stores. 

Sometime last year I started the tradition of making muffins for breakfast every Sunday.  I freeze the leftover ones and bring them out to feed myself and the girls for breakfast during the school week, when I don't want to get up early enough to make fresh ones.  In addition to tasting great right out of the oven, these muffins taste just as good when defrosted in the fridge overnight and then microwaved until warm.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree.  (Get one that does not contain any added ingredients.  I use Trader Joe's brand, which is seasonal.)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I recommend Ghirardelli, Trader Joe's, or Enjoy Life brand.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease the cups of a muffin tin with canola oil.  In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, flax seed meal, brown sugar, canola oil, and applesauce.  Heat in the microwave until warm, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  Then set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and sea salt.  Stir the apple cider vinegar into the pumpkin puree mixture.  Then pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until no trace of flour remains.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Pour 1/3 cup of batter into each of the muffin tin cups.  Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.  
  

Recipes I Found

In this post I'm trying something a little different than usual -- I'm going to share some recipes I found on the internet this week for foods that my family can eat and that I think we would enjoy.  I haven't tried out these recipes to vouch for whether they will turn out well, but they look promising and I'd like to try them when I get a chance.  If you try one out, I'd love to hear whether you liked it or not.  After the link to the recipe I will mention any substitutions that need to be made in order for the dish to be safe for us to eat.

Main Dishes with Cauliflower:
Somehow I didn't realize that Michael liked cauliflower until last year.  It's amazing the new things that one learns about one's spouse even after eleven years of marriage.  Since that discovery, I've been looking for cauliflower recipes that I think we all would like.

• Sicilian Pasta with Cauliflower (Use rice pasta.)
• Baked Ziti or Penne Rigata with Cauliflower (Use rice pasta.)
• Tunisian Style Baked Cauliflower Frittata (I probably wouldn't serve this to Sabrina since she is sensitive to eggs, but the rest of us would like it.)

Salads:
Although I'm not as interested in salads in the winter, usually preferring something hot like roasted vegetables, I still do enjoy dark leafy salads like spinach and kale.

• Spinach and Turkey Salad (Substitute Hellman's Real mayonnaise for the yogurt and reduce the amount of lemon juice.) 
• Kale Salad with Dates, Parmesan, and Almonds
• Quinoa Kale Salad (We couldn't have the dressing because of the kefir, but I love the idea of mixing quinoa and kale together.)
• Kale, Cabbage, and Carrot Salad (If Sabrina were going to have this, I would use about 1/2 cup, or a little more, of Hellman's Real mayonnaise instead of the homemade mayonnaise in the recipe.)

Snacks:
If I'm feeling adventurous, I might try the following:

• Blueberry Chocolate Protein Smoothie (I would omit the protein powder since most contain whey or casein.)
• Mediterranean Lentil Puree (Omit the yogurt and follow the instructions for the vegan option.)
• Allergy-Free Toddler Muffins (Use 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour instead of the flours listed.  Omit the xanthan gum.)

Spinach Dip

For New Year's Eve this year I decided to make spinach dip.  This dip and I go way back.  I've liked spinach dip for as long as I can remember.  My favorite store-bought spinach dip was one my mom would buy when my parents lived in Oakton, VA.  The secret to that dip?  Water chestnuts.  Chopped up water chestnuts add the perfect bit of crunch to the dip.  After I moved to Vancouver, BC and my parents moved away from Oakton, VA, I needed to figure out how to replicate the fabulous Oakton spinach dip.  Using a Cook's Illustrated recipe, I started playing around with the ingredients until Michael and I decided that it was just right. 

This week, when I went to look up the recipe, I could hardly believe that I've been making this dip since 2002, close to the beginning of my cooking adventures.  This fall I developed a dairy-free version, since that is easier on our stomachs now.  However, I've also included the version more similar to the original for those who need to avoid tree nuts. 

Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

• 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach 
• 8-ounce can of chopped water chestnuts
• 3 or 4 green onions
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (or, for less kick, use 1/8 tsp.)
• Dairy-free option:  1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. Hellman's original mayonnaise, 1/4 cup plain almond milk, and 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• Nut-free option:  1/2 cup Hellman's original mayonnaise and 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream (Use a brand like Daisy that contains just cultured cream.)

Instructions:

Defrost the spinach on a plate in the microwave.  When you are able, break the spinach into small chunks to speed up the defrosting process.  (Be sure to use the defrost setting so that the spinach, and your fingers, do not get hot.  Ask me how I know this.)  While the spinach is defrosting, put the water chestnuts in a food chopper and chop them until they are in small pieces.  Set them aside in a small bowl.  When the spinach is still cool but no longer icy, place it in a dish towel and wring the towel over the sink to remove as much excess liquid as possible from the spinach.  (Be sure to use a towel that you don't care too much about because the spinach will turn it a greenish hue.)  Return the spinach to the plate.

Chop the white parts of the green onions and place them in a separate bowl.  To this bowl add the parsley, salt, dill, garlic, black pepper, onion powder, basil, oregano, and cayenne pepper.  Add either the dairy-free option or nut-free option of mayonnaise plus the remaining ingredients.  Stir all of these together.  Then stir in the defrosted spinach.  Transfer the spinach mixture to the food chopper and chop until the spinach is in small pieces.  Pour the dip back into the bowl and stir in the water chestnuts.  Transfer to a serving bowl and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.