Lemon Honey Corn Muffins

Summer, summer, summer.  It’s finally here!  I don’t know about your town, but summer in New York took its sweet time to arrive.  It was unusually chilly for far too long and I heard somewhere that it’s rained 75% of the days in June.  Acting out on a little Seattle envy, my dear NY?   

Good news is that it seems warmer days are now upon us.  Hooray!  In an attempt to celebrate the recent summertime glow enveloping the city, I decided to bake a sunny treat.  And to me, sunny means lemon! 

Now I’ll be up front with you here.  I’m not the biggest lemon fan.  Yeah, a nice lemon bar is alright every once in a while, but I’m not really a refreshing treat kind of girl.  I much prefer rich, deep flavors to light, airy ones in my sweets.  So I didn’t go the super sweet route with this recipe.  Instead, I concocted something slightly sweet – a lemon-infused cornbread type of thing.

Here’s my recipe for Lemon Honey Corn Muffins:

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 (6 ounce) container plain nonfat yogurt

1 egg

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup stone ground cornmeal

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375*F.  Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together honey, applesauce, yogurt, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix brown rice flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Stir the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just blended. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins.

These were an interesting twist on traditional cornbread!  I’ve clearly taken a liking to creating recipes like that – as can be seen here and here.  The lemon makes the muffins taste quite fresh and the honey adds just the right amount of sweetness.  Perfect for summer!

What’s your favorite lemon baked goodie?

My Sister The Blogger!

I have a very exciting announcement today…

My little sister started a blog! 

Guys, my sister is AWESOME – and gorgeous, right?  Look at that hair!  Her name is Amanda and she just finished her sophomore year in college and she’s one of my favorite people ever.  She got sucked into the food blog world when I started mine last fall and has taken the plunge and begun one of her own!  Check out My Summerizations to follow “an independent girl’s attempt at entertaining herself all summer long through food, words and exploration.” 

From the darling girl herself: “This summer I hope to discover new facets of myself as I do things I always wish I would: experiment with food, begin yoga, read more books and reflect on my thoughts…whatever they may be.”

Oh, and she’s a journalism major, so I know the writing will kick booty.  Love ya sis!

She loves me too.

For another announcement…my oven has been fixed!  At least, I think it has.  I haven’t officially tested it yet, but apparently it’s good to go.  So I’ll be back in the kitchen soon and share a recipe with you all this week!  Hooray!

Oh She Glows Guest Post!

Hello hello!

I returned last night from a wonderful, fun-filled, active and - importantly! – much-needed VACATION! My parents and I made our way around northern California like it was our job. Exploring San Francisco – Fisherman’s Wharf, Boudin Bakery, Victorian houses, Haight Street. Seeing the Full House house – yes, it was awesome. Walking the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Visiting my bro outside Sacramento. Touring Napa Valley vineyards and tasting wines. Relaxing in beachy Monteray and Carmel. Driving the coast and admiring the cliffs along the way. Hiking the Muir Woods redwood forest. Dining on the water in Sausalito. It was glorious!

With all my travels, I haven’t had a chance to get back in the kitchen and write a new Sweet & Natural post for you all. But I do have something to share! Mere hours before I left for the airport, miss Angela from Oh She Glows e-mailed me to see if I’d do a guest post on her blog. Seeing as I had a 6.5 hour plane ride from NYC to San Fran ahead of me – aka plenty of time to kill – I was more than happy to do so. Plus, Angela inspires her readers daily with her contagious enthusiasm for healthy living, so I was excited to contribute to the cause!

Head on over to her blog to read about my Top 5 Favorite Sweet & Natural Ingredients.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Guess what?

My oven broke.

Ha! I think this was its way of getting back at me for my negligence these past couple of weeks. I already knew it was temperamental, but this takes sensitivity to a whole new level. You don’t want to use me? Fine, I’ll stop working. A little passive aggressive, no?

So that’s getting fixed. But in the meantime, I couldn’t leave you all hanging with no new recipe! So today I’m sharing a sweet treat that requires no oven. Now I know this is a “baking” blog, but I personally would rather have a no-baked treat than no treat at all. So let’s roll with it.

Last summer, I came across this recipe for chocolate mousse made from avocados, or – in Jason Mraz The Creator’s words - chocomole. Cute name, right? I was instantly intrigued. It was right after a beach vacation where my friends and I made a GINORMOUS bowl of guacamole and proceeded to devour it quicker than I thought humanly possible that we really enjoyed. My friend, Kristen, Co-Guacamole Maker Extraordinaire, spotted the chocomole recipe the same day and forwarded it to me. It was clearly a must-try. So when I thought about making a no-bake sweet, guess what immediately came to mind?

The recipe is SUPER easy and all you need is a food processor to make it happen. But! It is pretty vague about how much of each ingredient to use. So I got to Googling and found a billion different versions, including one by the lovely Gena. Most of them seemed to suggest the same taste, adjust, taste, adjust process as Mr. Mraz. So that’s what I did – and I’m quite pleased with how it turned out!

You can add some extra sweetness if you’d like – agave nectar or maple syrup would be great and make it nice and smoooooth! – but I just wanted to keep the recipe as simple as possible.  Plus I think it’s really cool that there’s absolutely no added sweetener in this version.  This really is health food my friends.  

Here’s my Chocolate Avocado Mousse:

1 avocado

8 Medjool dates, chopped

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in food processor. Blend, blend, blend – scraping sides when necessary – until smooth. That’s it! Makes 2-3 servings.

I loooooved this. It was so thick and fudgy. I am amazed at how so few and healthy – and maybe odd? – ingredients can come together to create something so delicious. Will definitley be making this again and again.

Have you ever made a sweet treat from avocado?

Molasses

Molasses is:

(a) an awesome natural sweetener

(b) an example of how slow I’ve been at getting a new post up.  Badum-ching!  Cue laugh track.

How about all of the above?

Friends!  I know, I know.  I’ve been gone for far too long.  It’s been a busy couple of weeks – full of work craziness, business travels, fun travels, friends in town, etc.  And this post just sat on my To Do list.  And sat.  And sat.

And molasses doesn’t deserve that!  It treated me so well in my Walnut Molasses Whole Wheat Bread.  It’s only right that I return the favor and write it up for you all!  So here goes.

Molasses is the thick by-product from the processing of sugar cane into suger.  It has a syrupy texture, dark, caramel color and robust, bittersweet flavor.  Quick history…It was first imported into the U.S. from the Caribbean during colonial times – for use in rum!  It was a very popular sweetener until the late 19th century because, at the time, it was much more affordable than refined sugar.  But when refined sugar got cheaper, molasses was displaced.  It still has a fan in me!

To make molasses, the sugar cane plant is harvested and its juice is extracted.  The juice is then boiled, which causes the sugar to crystallize. This happens in three different stages.  When this first boiling is over and the sugar crystals are removed, you have first molasses, or light molasses.  Light molasses has the highest sugar content of all types of molasses because not much sugar has been taken out.  Second molasses, or dark molasses, comes from the second boiling and crystal removal.  The third creates blackstrap molasses, which has the least amount of sugar of all the molasses types.  Blackstrap molasses is pretty great.  Extracting all the sugar leaves behind a bunch of good stuff – manganese, copper, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium.  Vitamins and minerals galore!

Molasses can be sulfured or unsulfured.  But go for the unsulfured.  That means the fumes used in processing the sugar aren’t retained as sulfur in the molasses.  No one wants that!

Molasses is about 65% as sweet as refined sugar.  If you want to substitute it in your recipes, your best bet is to use it in place of brown sugar.  The flavor profile and moisture content of molasses lend themselves well to this swap.  Try 1 cup molasses for every 3/4 cup brown sugar.  Molasses can also be used cup for cup in place of honey, agave nectar or maple syrup.  The taste will obviously change, but it could make for some fun experiments!

Do you use molasses in your baking?  What’s your favorite recipe?

Walnut Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies

I finally did it.

I jumped on the Dreena Burton bandwagon! And let me just say how happy I am to be here. The woman is a genius I tell you.

It’s not like I was avoiding Dreena and her recipes. She’s ALL over the blog world, and I’ve done my fair share of oohing and ahhing over her creations. But I’m careful with my pennies and always felt I should make more use of the cookbooks I have before purchasing new ones. I guess that belief slipped my mind when I saw eat, drink & be vegan at the bookstore the other day. I knew I had to have it. So into my collection it went!

The first ed&bv recipe I set my sights on was for the infamous Super-Charge Me! Cookies. OMG – they were like little balls of nutritious crack. I would have loved to share them with you all, but since Dreena hadn’t posted the recipe on her site, no dice! So to celebrate my newfound Dreena love, I found another one of her cookie recipes that was on the internet to modify and write about.

Oh, and wouldn’t you know, Dreena posted the Super-Charge Me! Cookie recipe this week? Go figure!  Or go make them.  You won’t regret it. 

Anyway…

Here’s the recipe I followed to make Walnut Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies:

1 cup spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup Sucanat

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup canola oil

1/3 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350*F. In a large bowl, mix together spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, Sucanat and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract and canola oil until well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Place spoonfuls of batter on cookie sheets and bake for 10-11 minutes. Makes 12 cookies.

These cookies were YUM! After tasting my Maple Almond Butter Cookies and these, I am convinced that maple syrup = cookie perfection. It really adds a depth of flavor and keeps cookies wonderfully moist and gooey. Seriously, that stuff’s not just for pancakes.

The only thing I’d change about this recipe next time around is leaving the molasses out. I’m not buying that 1/4 teaspoon is making a huge difference when spread throughout 12 cookies. I mean, really, that’s 1/48 teaspoon in 1 cookie. You know? Other than that, A+.

What’s your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe?

The Official Sweet & Natural Playlist

Again, thanks to everyone for your submissions to The Official Sweet & Natural Playlist!  Check out all the songs below!  We are clearly a group with eclectic musical tastes, so there is something here to please every palate.  These tunes will surely get you twirling, rocking out, swaying, humming, singing and smiling – all while baking up a storm in your kitchen!  Click here to download the playlist for yourself. 

The Official Sweet & Natural Playlist:
Submitter in parantheses

The Old Apartment – Barenaked Ladies (Angela @ Oh She Glows)

Tamacun – Rodrigo y Gabriela (Liz)

Send Me on My Way – Rusted Root (Emma)

Tangerine – Led Zeppelin (Lisa)

The Middle – Jimmy Eat World (Danielle @ A Year of Healthy Eating requested anything by Jimmy Eat World…this one makes me want to dance!)

Temptation – New Order (Gena @ Choosing Raw)

Slow Dancing In a Burning Room – John Mayer (Kati @ Living Well)

Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out) – The Hombres (Melissa @ Fitness NYC)

Mony Mony – Billy Idol (Melissa @ Fitness NYC)

Sour Cherry – The Kills (Melissa @ Fitness NYC)

Mannequin – Britney Spears (Melissa @ Fitness NYC)

Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson (moprica & Meghan @ Help Meghan Run)

Do It Well – Jennifer Lopez (michelle rosborough)

Right Round – Flo Rida (VeggieGirl)

Escape (The Pina Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes (lora @ Honey Nut Lo)

Candy Girl – New Edition (Heather @ Hangry Pants)

The Mountain – Heartless Bastards (Alison @ Live Listen Cook)

Courtin’ In the Kitchen – Gaelic Storm (Alison @ Live Listen Cook requested anything by Gaelic Storm…this seemed appropriate!)

WannaBe In L.A. – Eagles Of Death Metal (Alison @ Live Listen Cook)

Cross Your Fingers – Laura Marling (Alison @ Live Listen Cook)

Misery Business – Paramore (Alison @ Live Listen Cook)

Gives You Hell – The All-American Rejects (The Sister…who is literally MY sister.  Is it sad that she feels she has to enter this contest to get baked goods from me?  Love you Amanda!)

Ensemble – Couer de pirate (Wiggs @ the beholder)

Ohh La La - The Ditty Bops (Wiggs @ the beholder requested anything by The Ditty Bops…I thought this captured my typical reaction after biting into a freshly baked cookie!)

Diablo Rojo – Rodrigo y Gabriela (Wiggs @ the beholder requested anything by Rodrigo y Gabriela…we already had one by him, so I threw in another!)

Suga Suga – Frankie J (Pearl @ a sweet pearl)

Is It You – Cassie (Sharon @ Snippets and Bites)

Upside Down – Jack Johnson (Troye Stadler @ In Joy, Troye requested anything by Jack Johnson…this choice was an ode to pineapple upside down cake of course.)

Waiting On The World To Change – John Mayer (Troye Stadler @ In Joy, Troye requested anything by John Mayer…this one always gets in my head!)

Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield (Troye Stadler @ In Joy, Troye requested anything by Natasha Bedingfield…this one’s for my college girlfriends!)

One Sweet Love – Sara Bareilles (Troye Stadler @ In Joy, Troye requested anything by Sara Bareilles…this is one of my favorites!)

Spiralling – Keane (Hayley @ Hayley Bakes) 

Back In Your Head – Tegan and Sara (Jessica @ Keep It Simple Foods)

Love Song – Sara Bareilles (Michelle)

Heart It Races (As Played By Dr Dog) – Architecture In Helsinki (Hayley @ Buff Chickpea)

Here for the Party – Gretchen Wilson (Amy @ Slow Down Food, You’re Movin’ To Fast)

Love Lockdown – Kanye West (Jessica)

Everything – Michael Bublé (Jenn)

I Was Made To Love Her – Stevie Wonder (Jenn)

For Once in My Life – Stevie Wonder (Jenn)

Easy – The Commodores (Jenn)

Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got) – Four Tops (Jenn)

Be My Baby – The Ronnettes (Jenn)

(What A) Wonderful World – Sam Cooke (sarahdbelle @ Sarah’s Sweet Lips)

The following songs were also submitted, but unfortunately not on iTunes to add to the playlist.  Come on Def Leppard!  Whassup with that?

Pour Some Sugar On Me – Def Leppard (Kelly & Leslie @ Jackson’s World & Lauren @ food for living)

Highway To Hell – AC/DC (Kelly)

Turn to the Sky – The March Violets (chilton)

Enjoy the music!

On a separate note, please keep Jenna and her family in your thoughts and prayers.  And take some time today to tell your family and friends that you love them.  

A Winner!

Thank you all for your submissions to The Official Sweet & Natural Playlist!  I’ll post the songs and a link to download them later today or tomorrow – just waiting on iTunes to publish the iMix!  

In the meantime…I Random Number Generated all of your entries, and the winner of a Sweet & Natural baked treat is…

Sharon @ Snippets and Bites!

Congrats my dear!  I’ll e-mail you to get your goodie choice and mailing details.  Everyone else – check back later for some awesome tunes! 

Welcome Wellsphere!

Hi friends!  

You may have noticed a new icon at the bottom right side of the blog, so I thought I’d do a little explaining!  I was recently invited by Wellsphere to join their HealthBlogger Network as a featured blogger in the Healthy Cooking Community.  That’s the fancy ID badge.  Very official.

A little about the site, for your learning pleasure:

Wellsphere is the fastest-growing consumer health website and is focused on revolutionizing the way people find and share health and healthy living information and support.  Wellsphere’s mission is to help millions of people live healthier, happier lives by connecting them with the knowledge, people and tools they need to manage and improve their health.

All sorts of different bloggers are members of the HealthBlogger Network – doctors blogging about treating medical issues, young women blogging about healthy diets and fitness, chefs blogging about tasty recipes.  Along with reading through the plethora of health info Wellsphere and its bloggers offer, there are lots of fun things to take advantage of – like setting up personal text message reminders or getting widgets to put on your own blog that provide your readers with healthy living or motivational tips.  Good times!  Go check it out!

Also, REMINDER that tomorrow is the last day to submit a song to The Official Sweet & Natural Playlist and enter to win a freshly baked Sweet & Natural treat!  Bring on the music!

Baking Playlist & A Giveaway!

Hi peeps!  Trying to keep the Easter candy love flowing, you know.  I actually really dislike those rubbery marshmallows, but they’re fun to microwave!  

Read on for a proposition and a sweet GIVEAWAY!

Wiggs at The Beholder hosted a fun contest last week.  And I WON!  I think it’s because a bird pooped on me on Tuesday.  That’s good luck, right?  Or TMI.  You pick!  Anyway, she asked her readers to submit their favorite workout song and compiled them into an iMix for everyone to download and enjoy.  Check out the songs and how to get the mix-ity mix here.

So, this contest got me thinking.  I listen to music when I’m working out.  I listen to music when I’m walking hastily to and from work or leisurely around the city on a lovely day.  I listen to music when I’m relaxing on an airplane or primping for a night out.  I have a soundtrack for so many parts of my life.  But you know where the music is missing?

In my kitchen!

I never get my iTunes going when I’m baking it up in there.  That, my friends, is no longer going to be acceptable.  I need a baking playlist!  You know – a collection of playful, happy, la-dee-dah songs that get you boogying in your apron and singing into your spatula.  This is where you and the giveaway come in…

Leave a comment and tell me a great song to get busy in the kitchen with!  That’s entry #1.  Bonus entry for linking back to this post on your own blog.  We want all the songs we can get over here!  

You have until Friday, April 24 @ midnight EST to enter your song.  I’ll then randomly pick one winner and send that reader a batch of the freshly baked – and easily mailable! - Sweet & Natural treat of their choice.  For everyone else, no worries.  I’ll do something for you too!  All songs suggested will be made into The Official Sweet & Natural Playlist on iTunes – ready and waiting for your listening enjoyment.

Get those musical ideas flowing!  Can’t wait to see your suggestions!