Showing posts with label Sweet Potatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweet Potatoes. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

The best and fluffiest sweet potato muffins!

Hello blog friends!
What a better way to start the year in my blog than with a healthy muffin recipe, right?!
I created this recipe last year when we had a bounty of sweet potatoes coming weekly in our csa box and let me tell you, it was one of the best muffins that have come out of my oven to this date. I was totally happy to hear the husband saying every day at breakfast that these muffins were delicious - since he doesn't say much unless I keep asking this meant a lot to me!
These muffins are simple and easy, but full of healthy ingredients. Not loaded with sugar, made with whole grains and healthy fats, so not bad as a component of a healthy and balanced breakfast, especially if paired with a glass of milk or yogurt (protein) and some fruit.
The one thing we were in love with these muffins was the fluffiness, they had such a delicious texture and flavor, it was truly one of the best creations around my kitchen in terms of baked goods.
On the first time I made these muffins I used this coconut yogurt:












It didn't impair a coconut flavor to the muffins, but rather gave them a hint of coconut sweetness on the background that I truly enjoyed!
I have also made these muffins using plain yogurt and with kefir (we were swimming in sweet potatoes around here), and all the trials turned out delicious, so don't fret if you don't have the coconut yogurt available - although I would advice you to try using it if you do :-)
We did a taste comparison of two muffins made with the coconut yogurt and with plain yogurt and I liked the one with the coconut yogurt better, but both Matheus and my husband didn't think it was that much different and happily gobbled them up!
For one of the batches I added dried cherries and chocolate chips, and for the other one I added a pecan half on top. Matheus liked the chocolate chip/cherries combo the best (wonder why?! chooooocolate!), while the husband preferred the pecans. I have to say that I think the cherries were a good combo with the sweet potatoes, and upon tasting that muffin version Matheus suggested using dried cranberries, which I think was a good idea too! Toasted chopped pecans inside are also good, for some reason pecans go well with sweet potatoes, doesn't it?
Here goes the recipe, please let me know if you try. Since this was one of my creations I always like to hear feedback!
Ana

My Sweet Potato Muffins

1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
3/4 cup plain or coconut yogurt (6 oz container)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (canola, or grapeseed oil also work)
2 tbsp water
1 egg
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Optional add ins: chocolate chips, dried cherries, pecans (I don't usually measure, but I am guessing I use about 1/3 cup of add ins all together, but hey, it is your muffin so you can add as much as you like!)

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl combine sweet potatoes, yogurt, sugar, oil, water, and egg and stir until well mixed. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips and cherries, mix all together until incorporated.
Pour batter into muffin tins oiled or lined with muffin cups.
Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes.
Makes 10 nice sized muffins.

Note: when I made the muffins using the flavored coconut yogurt I only added about 1/3 cup sugar to the batter and the muffins were plenty sweet (I find the coconut yogurt to be on the very sweet side). If you use the plain yogurt then the 1/2 cup + extra 2 tablespoons of sugar are necessary, but adjust the sweetness to your taste. I don't like things too sweet and never add more than 1/2 cup sugar to any muffin recipe that makes 12 muffins, and both Matheus and my husband thought this amount of sugar was great, which says a lot since they both like things sweeter than I do.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Turnips for the first time…

Today I tried a new recipe from the October issue of Cooking Light and it was a big hit. Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables was super easy to make and so delicious that I will definitely be repeating this one over and over throughout the winter months. The vegetables got soft and tender, sweet and salty, a perfect combination and balance of flavors! I followed the recipe and added a little bit more salt and a few cloves of garlic to the mixture. There was no way I was going to turn on my oven to roast some veggies and not throw in some garlic cloves… I love garlic, especially roasted! (I like “roasted” anything!)
I don’t even have much to say about this dish, except that it was so good that I am in love with it! The shallots and garlic were perfect and of the veggies my favorite was definitely the sweet potatoes, which happens to be one of Matheus’ favorite veggies too, and he also loved the side dish today!
Besides being a new recipe, it was also the first time I tried Turnips! I have not made it before and don’t actually remember eating it in either my mother or grandmother’s home. A new experience today, something different that I actually liked and will make again for sure!
The veggies were the side dish and coming from an Italian heritage, Sunday is usually “pasta day” around here. Today was no exception and we had Fettuccine Alfredo, another CL recipe. This one is our basic and favorite Alfredo sauce; I have been making it for years. It is creamy, cheesy and best of all it is light, no added cream in this one. Plus, it is not difficult at all to make, and if you want to prevent lumps just try making it as I do: dissolve the flour in the milk and add it all at once to the sautéed garlic, then slowly cook it over low heat so that the flour cooks properly and the sauce thickens without leaving any raw flour taste.
Maybe in the real “cooking world” Fettuccine Alfredo won’t pair up well with Honey-roasted veggies, but we had it together today, along with roasted chicken, and lunch was actually surprisingly good!
Here go the two winner recipes, hope you all like it too! Happy Sunday!

Ana

Honey-Roasted Root Vegetables
2 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato (about 1 large)

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled turnip (about 2 medium)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped parsnip (about 2 medium)
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped carrot (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup tupelo honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 shallots, halved
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°.
Combine all ingredients except the cooking spray in a large bowl; toss to coat. Place vegetable mixture on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender and begin to brown, stirring every 15 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
Cooking Light, October 2005
(Notes: recipe says 8 servings, but I would say it serves 6, the veggies shrink a lot… we ate most of it today, and are only 3 people!)


We actually had "spaghetti alfredo" today, as we only had that pasta shape in the house...






Fettuccine Alfredo
1 tablespoon margarine

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 /3 cups milk
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 cups cooked fettuccine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper

Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in flour. Gradually add skim milk, stirring with a wire whisk until mixture is blended. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
Stir in cream cheese; cook 2 minutes. Add 1-cup Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until Parmesan cheese melts. Pour sauce over hot cooked fettuccine, and toss well to coat. Top fettuccine with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and pepper.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)
Cooking Light, January 1996.