Quinoa Carrot Cake Muffins

For Christmas, I was given a new cookbook called Quinoa, The Everyday Superfood.

(I am always in the market for a new cookbook.)

A dear friend, who knows I love quinoa, got me this little number.

The only thing I have ever put quinoa in is a pilaf or salad.

This book has you coating chicken with it, eating it for breakfast and even baking with it.

I love the taste of baking with a variety of flours.

Spelt is my old standby. I do everything with spelt. It's often in cookies and cakes and always in my pizza dough.

These carrot cake muffins get their rich nutty flavour by using only quinoa flour.

I wasn't sure if I would like baking with quinoa flour. It seemed strange.

I bought (at the Bulk Barn) only what I needed for this recipe.

If buying 'weird-ish' ingredients scares you, do the same. Just buy a couple scoops of it to start.

My kids love these.

Of course, I didn't say, "Hey kids, come get a load of these ultra weird, low fat, quinoa muffins..." I called them "Carrot Cake", served them as dessert and they totally went for it.

I iced them with the same icing I used for the Red Velvet cupcakes and they're perfect together.

Quinoa Carrot Cake Muffins

From: Quinoa The Everyday Superfood

1 1/3 C quinoa flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground clove

2/3 C golden raisins (I did 1/3 C raisins and 1/3 C pecans)

2 large eggs

2/3 C plain or vanilla yogurt

1/2 C packed brown sugar

2 1/4 C grated carrot

Preheat the oven to 350*, line 12 muffin cups with liners or a coating of non-stick spray.In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, and clove.

Whisk until well blended. Mix in the raisins and pecans (if using) and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, yogurt, sugar and carrot.

Using a spatula gently mix dry into wet and stir just until combined.

Scoop in to muffin cups and bake for 20-22 minutes or until tester stick comes out clean.

When cooled, top with cream cheese frosting.

Joy's Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 C butter, at room temperature

1 package of cream cheese, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp Milk

3 C sifted icing sugar

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

'70's Cookbooks Rule

A few years ago, I totally gave 70's/80's cookbooks the cold shoulder.

They aren't as flashy...they don't boast celeb chefs "As seen on the Food Network"...and they aren't usually peppered with gorgeous glossy photos.

What they do have - accessible, interesting, healthy and frugal recipes.

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1. Moosewood Cookbooks: I love Mollie Katzen and have made tons and tons of Moosewood recipes.
I love how Mollie hand wrote the recipes in this cookbook and drew great illustrations to go with.

2. Found this one today, The Art of Cooking for Two. The book guides small families on how to use really natural ingredients, spend less, eat better and waste less food.

A lot of the recipes are easily double-able for our family and some are even written for 4 servings so a 2 person family could freeze the leftovers.

Looking at this book to pick some goodies out with my Gramma tonight, she has recently begun the hard task of cooking for one.

Amazing cookbook. I want to make everything in it.

Some that I want to try:

• Zucchini Spaghetti
• Baked Broccoli Egg Supper
• Christmas Roast Chicken
• Curried Lamb Spare Ribs
• Whole Wheat Biscuits
• Baked Honey Custard
• Herb Salt
• Curry Mix
• Once-a-week Jam
• Fruit Chutney

3. Alice Waters is amazing at simple, basic cooking. I love the fresh combos of flavours and creative ways to eat from the garden.

Of course, a cookbook devoted to pizza, pasta and calzones is right up our alley.

• Spring Pasta: Pasta with peas, spinach and prosciutto. Asparagus and artichoke pasta.
• Summer Pasta: Pesto and New Potato. Pasta with Cherry tomato vinaigrette.
• Pizza: Shrimp, Green onion, Tomato. Hot Peppers, Coriander, and sausage.

Bring on the garden cooking.

Lime-y Beans

Not to be confused with lima-beans, these are essentially refried beans.

You could make these with almost any bean, romano, black or red kidney, but I used white kidney beans because I have never seen white refried beans. I think it looks prettier.

I made a batch this morning (and it took me less than 10 minutes) so dinner will come together in a flash tonight.

I love the simple bright flavour of the garlic, cumin and lime. They will be perfect on flat bread and corn tortillas with some cooked rice, salsa, chives, sour cream and grated cheese.

I know I've said it before, but beans are such a cheap way to eat. I recently bought, The Everything Beans Book. There are something like 96 bean recipes rated by expense, time and kid-friendliness, tips on cooking big batches of beans and info on their health benefits. I have really enjoyed reading through it so far.

Limey Beans

(Everything Beans Ebook)

3 1/2 cups cooked beans (I used 2 tins White kidney beans)

olive oil

1 C finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

3/4 c vegetable broth (or bean broth if you soaked them yourself)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c grated pepper jack or other cheese (optional)

juice and zest of 1 lime

Cook onions and cumin over med heat 5 mins in a large sauce pan. Add oregano, garlic and salt.

Stir together cooking another 3 mins. Stir in beans and stock. Mash together until liquid is absorbed.

Remove pan from the heat and add cheese and lime zest and juice.

*add 1/2 tsp of chili powder or some cayenne with the other spices for heat if you like.

Flat Bread's Accoutrements

Jim bought me Alton Brown's recently released cookbook, Good Eats: The Early Years. Good friends of ours, Ken and Dave Williams got me completely hooked on Alton Brown and his show Good Eats. After watching an episode, along with learning an amazing recipe, you have the science and understanding of the food or technique to make you a better cook. Alton's goal for the show was to be a combination of Julia Child, Monty Python and Mr. Wizard. If you have never watched an episode, watch an episode.

Alton's Guacumole

3 Avocados, chopped

1 lime juiced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 med onion, minced

2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 garlic clove, minced

Stir together avocado and lime juice, reserve juice. Drain extra lime juice and mash in salt, cumin and cayenne with a potato masher. Fold in onion, tomatoes, cilantro and garlic. Add 1 Tbsp lime juice back to the guac. Let stand at room temp covered with saran wrap. Serve atop flatbread, or dip chips into it.

Mo Pie...Mo Friends

Had the great pleasure of spending yesterday with some good friends. Rainy bus riding, tea sipping and pie making made for a full and delicious Monday.

I recently took a book out of the library called Savory Baking. If you think you'd like things like, Peppery Pear and Goat Cheese Scones, Spinach Feta Pie with Nuts or Peameal Bacon Bread Pudding then take this book out of your local library or buy it.

On this particular morning, the Spinach Feta Pie and the Curried Vegetable Potpie with Dried Fruit were sounding just right. We settled on the spinach one and went to work.

Here's the evidence.

The girl can cook! Perfect, flaky crust. Thanks Aban.

Sharing the finished product.