Friday, April 2, 2010

Bulgur Pilaf with Moraccan Roast Chicken, pg. 152

The moroccan spice rub in this recipe (Fresh Ginger, Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves, Cardamom and Cayenne) is awesome!  It smells amazing and totally evokes a flavor that must be what Moracco tastes like!?!  The chicken is coated in this sauce and roasted with lemons and prunes, then served with a tasty pilaf made with Bulgur...very creative combination!
Did you know that Pilaf is a method of cooking, not a specific recipe or only rice based (although usually).  We studied pilaf in my 1st quarter of Culinary School.  Every day of the school period, we made pilaf...yes, for 10 straight weeks! and every new quarter that starts, there is a new 1st quarter class that will also learn the pilaf method, so we are always tasting and trying new pilaf.  Never once has someone made it without rice.  So, I found this intriguing.
Ok, on to what I wanted to explain, the Pilaf method.  Starting with some kind of fat (oil or butter), add your aromatics (onions, other veggies, etc.) and sweat them in the fat...by sweating them, you're emitting the flavor of the onion into the fat your cooking with.  Then, stir in your grain (rice, bulgur, etc...be creative!) and make sure to coat every grain with the fat and "toasting" the grain a little.  Then add a flavorful liquid (stock, or water with herbs and spices) and bring to a simmer...you can add it hot, so it comes up to temp quicker.  Add a little bit of salt, but not too much.  As the grain absorbs your liquid, if it's too salty, you'll concentrate that flavor. Then cover and let it simmer, not boil, for however long it takes to cook your grain.  White rice & bulgur are about 20-25 minutes, brown rice is closer to 50.  You can also finish it in the oven at 325 if you have an oven safe pot.  Check it when you think it should be done to make sure the grain is cooked all the way through, and season to taste.  Add fresh herbs, toasted nut, etc.  Amazing dish every time.
Go and be creative with your cooking!  Here's a photo of the above mentioned recipe!...err never mind for now... issues with upload.  -Vicki

15 recipes down!  Moraccan Roast Chicken will be a family favorite, even Mr. Ben agrees.  As for the pilaf, I needed to figure out a plan for the leftovers.  The following day, I put a slab of round roast in crockpot and shredded the beef.  I added mango peach salsa to the bulgar pilaf and warmed it up.  The salsa bulgar, steak, fresh mozzarella balls (small), and salad were layered on warm wheat tortilla shells.  Whooolaaaa another grain girl meal! -amy

Monday, March 29, 2010

Recipe Gone Grains - Tortilla-Crusted Goat Cheese-and-Asparagus Quiche

Ohh yes I did take a Rachael Ray recipe and add grains! Go ahead and give it a try.

Four 7-inch whole wheat tortillas
10 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut into 1-inch prieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper
4oz. log of goat cheese
3 eggs + ***fresh basil
1/2 cup plain yogurt, Greek-style
*** 1 cup of cooked oat groats

Preheat oven to 375.  In a greased pie pan, overlap the tortillas to make a crust, place on a rimmed baking sheet. 

Steam aspargus for 2-3 minutes.  In a skillet, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and mushrooms.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are golden, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the asparagus; season with salt and pepper. 

Spread evenly in the tortilla crust and add the cooked grains, then crumble the cheese on top. 

Whisk together the eggs, yogurt, basil, and season with salt and pepper; pour into the tortilla crust.  Bake on the baking sheet until just set in the center and lightly golden, about 30 minutes.  Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Kamut Chicken Salad-pg. 135

I opened an email from Karen, Director of Advertising  for Graingirls.com and she wrote, "Amy, Lorna Sass posted on your website. That's so great!" My first thought was that Karen was playing a joke on the two of us. That was not the case, Lorna Sass REALLY did post on our blog! I told Mr. Ben that he better watch out!


So back to the recipe that recieved a large makeover! With the two of us being olive haters, I had to get creative and substitute. In place of black and green olives, I roasted asparagus and added grapes + cranberries. The original dressing consisted of fresh squeezed lemon juice and olive oil. Since I don't like lemon flavor, I found some balsamic in my fridge and mixed that with a bit of sugar. I added whole wheat tortillas and shredded cheese to make this more of a chicken salad wrap. I know we are trying to eat healthy here BUT I  fried up some sweet potato french fries to compliment the wrap!

Ben gave it 4/5 grains up! This salad made delicious leftovers for lunch! -amy


I was so nervous this morning when I packed this salad into a couple containers to take it to work with me for a luncheon we were having at the Jewelry Store I work at.  I tasted the chicken mixture a couple times and thought it was lacking flavor...combined with the fact that I was bringing some "wacky" grain salad to a group of normal eating office mates who don't know me too well, I thought I might quickly turn into the all too healthy, but not so tasty "Cooking School Girl".  Quite the contrary though, they loved it! (or they were just being nice...but I think they really liked it!).  When you combine the lettuce mix with the chicken salad and the dressing, the combination is full of flavor & texture that everyone enjoyed, including myself.  One of the girls was trying to stash any leftovers for herself for later! What a compliment!

The recipe calls for romaine+raddichio+sage tossed in a simple lemon vinaigrette dressing (I used green cabbage instead of raddichio because I had some to use up) and combine it with a blend of chicken+kamut+green & black olives (to which I also added a seasoning salt blend, olive oil, more sage & green onions). 

I am a big fan of chicken salad and just love the idea of doctoring it up with a plump and chewy whole grain like kamut and tossing with vinaigrette instead of mayo. Don't get me wrong, I won't be giving up mayo chicken salad anytime soon, but this lighter alternative is fantastic!
Thanks for coming through for me on this one Lorna!
-Vicki
Oh, and for fun, I took a photo with our fancy camera "bubble" we use for rings...not bad! This would be fun to have at home!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Fruit-and-Nut Oatmeal Bars, pg. 281

I can be shopping at REI and suddenly NEED a $2 Larabar.   The chewy fruit where sweet meets tart......luv it!  I made a batch last night and now have 15 Lara-like-bars to satisfy my cravings in the days to come. 

This recipe uses honey and orange juice concentrate instead of sugar.  The rest of the recipe consists of rolled oats + apricots + cranberries + raisins + almonds + sunflower + flax seeds.    Tami, a friend at work liked the texture, sweetness of the fruit and crunchiness of the nuts.  She stated, "I think this was pretty good. I am not sure I could eat a lot of it, but I think this is a great morning treat, bet it would be great with yogurt! I give this 3 grains up!"

My husband gaining the nickname "Mr. Ben" decided he liked the bars rating them a 3.2/5 grains.   He described the taste as "eating a handful of trail mix with raisins and grains instead of nuts." (I guess he could not taste the toasted almonds).

I must say part of the fun with this blog comes from Ben stating every night he would like to eat "normal" food.  I then present the dish with my recipe book opened and a pencil in hand.  Before he's done chewing his first bite, I've usually asked him "Soooo, what do you think?" at least 3 times. Usually by mid meal, his comments and remarks become so funny that we can't stop laughing.  If you've met the Whipple's, Captain Crunch is considered a grain, Kool-Aid is 100% juice, and M&M's are a vegetable. 

I feel like I need to apologize to Lorna.  I think that's why Vicki won't let me write the author and tell her about our blog.  Vicki, we could be the next Julie & Julia!!!      - amy

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Chinese Black Rise, Orange, and Avacodo Salad, pg. 131

I made this recipe with Amanda over for dinner the other night.  She has a very optimistic attitude about trying new recipes and openly dislikes bland food...so she's a great grain critic!  We amped up the recipe with additional chili powder and some cumin cooked in with the rice.  Overall the recipe was quite refreshing and a plesant blend of flavors.  Creamy avocado and sweet, citrus of orange mixed in with the rice provided lots of texture and flavors.

Somehow the rice I cooked didn't become as red as Amy's picture shows below, but instead made the mixed a not so beautiful shade of charcoal black.  We discussed afterward that it would be beautiful if plated as a layered salad with torn lettuce topped with the rice and then the avocados and oranges.  Even with the additional spices we added, it needed more flavor.  I think if you mixed up a great vinaigrette dressing and tossed the rice in it, that would be amazing.  Overall, I love the idea of the cool rice salad and think the "Forbidden black rice" is a gorgeous grain I'll definitely use again.  Thanks for this concept Lorna :)
Amy, I love the photo website...and yes, hopefully we'll get on there!  -Vicki



In the mix: Chinese Black Rice + diced oranges + toasted pumpkin seeds + avacodo + lettuce

The perfect snack before an evening yoga class.


After preparing these lettuce wraps, I attempted to set the mood in the kitchen by taking a large bite and saying "YUUMMM, these are soooooo good!"  Failed attempt.  Ben took a bite and in an instant uproar quickly replied, "How are these soooo good?"  He told me to never make these again unless there is no other food.  Between eating vegan once a week and this whole grain girls idea, I think it's taking a toll on him!

Husband Rating: 1/5 Grains

Check out the following site Elizabeth told me about foodgawker.com   Goal: Before Vicki & and I cook through all 150 recipes, one of our pics will be published on this site....get snapping girl!

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Farro with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil, pg. 173

Hopefully it's ok to post one of Lorna's recipes.  I think every now and then she won't mind!  

Farro with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Basil - Lorna Sass
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garilic, minced (I used 2 cloves)
6 large plum tomoatoes, finely chopped (I used Roma's)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I dumped around 3 tablespoons)
4 cups of COOKED basic farro (use barley if you can't find farro)
1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil - packed
salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:  Heat oil in a large skillet and add the garlic.  Stir for 30 seconds.  Add in the tomatoes, vinegar, and oregano, cook for 4-5 minutes.  Stir in the cooked farro and season with salt and pepper.  When the farro is hot, turn off the heat and stir in the basil.  Garnish with cheese.

I broke the number one rule and didn't use a grain!  I searched several stores in the valley and could not find farro.  No one even knew what it was when I asked.  I put organic orzo pasta in my cart and decided to go with it! I should've read the note where barley can be substituted for farro. 

What a simple dish full of flavor!  Ben loved the taste and took the leftovers for lunch the next day.     

 Husband Rating: 4/5 Grains   -amy

Last week I cooked the Farro for this recipe with full attention to cook it in the same day, but of course other things came up.  So tonight, when I needed to make a quick dinner, this was perfect.  The recipe came together in less than 15 minutes and tasted amazing!  I'm not sure where the big difference is from other red sauces I've made in the past, but the flavor in this sauce is unique and powerful.  I'm guessing it's the balsamic vinegar?!
It is March, and almost no veggies are in season locally right now, especially not tomatoes.  Instead of paying $4-5/lb for unripe tomatoes, I picked up 1 small organic can of whole tomatoes.  As far as cost goes, this dish is probably the lowest price recipe we've cooked yet...here's how mine breaks out:

$1.69-Canned Tomatoes
$1.50-Basil (I bought more, but didn't use all of it...so this is for about 1/3 of the pack)
$1.50-Farro...have we mentioned whole, dry grains are super cheap!?!
$2-Balsamic Vinegar, Dried Oregano (approximate guess)
Total: $6.69
This will feed me for at least 3 meals which is a great price for super healthy and homemade.
If you're reading this and waiting for a recipe to make...this is definitely one to try.  Go for the Farro and do it...You won't regret it! -Vicki

Friday, March 5, 2010

The Art of Eating In

"Rediscover the joy of home cooking through the eyes of one Brooklynite who swore off restaurants for two years. The story behind the scenes of the blog Not Eating Out in New York, The Art of Eating In chronicles Cathy Erway's journey through the underground of NYC eating, and her favorite recipes along the way. Two years, three apartments, countless food events and some strange restaurant-free “dates” later, she was able to turn eating in into something of an art, rather than mere survival method.". - theartofeatingin.com


Vicki and I love a gal that's passionate about sustainable eating and living.  Maybe she loves to cook with grains like we do.  A spring/summer read for sure. 




Monday, February 22, 2010

Chocolate Chip-Hazelnut Cookies, pg. 280

Yesterday I was feeling an extreme need to cook all day!  I picked up groceries on my lunch and after work and could hardly wait to start chopping, braising and baking.  Sometimes I really need these food filled nights to remind me why I quit my job and dove into cooking school...and I definitely rejuvenated that feeling amidst shredded pork tacos and these delicious Spelt flour cookies.

The cookies are awesome, and wonderful when eaten warm, melting right from the oven.  For this reason, I earned the coveted, "You're the best roommate ever" comment when delivering warm baked goodies to Brittany as she watched Jane Austin's Persuasion on Masterpiece Classics Theater...yes, this is how wholesome girls spend their weekends...cooking and classic movies (and maybe NKOTB greatest hits CD)!  I realized after the fact, that I hadn't toasted the hazelnuts long enough, so don't skimp on that note, especially if you buy raw hazelnuts.  They're much better with a roasted flavor in baked goods.  Also, when baking, don't reach for the kosher salt on the counter you cook with daily...you'll definitely bite into an occasional salty spot in the cookies if you do that (oops, lesson learned!).  Take the extra minute to find the finely ground salt for baking in your cupboard!  I substituted Earth Balance "butter" for the real stuff, so other than the 1 egg, my cookies are almost vegan and still deliciously tasty.

On this beautiful Monday morning, I'm sitting in my room as the sun streams through the window while I put together my daily plans for this week at school.  Today will reach nearly 60 F and I am so excited to have this day off to enjoy the sunshine! -Vicki ;)

P.S.  If you would like to make delicious shredded pork tacos check out this recipe from Tyler Florence.  They're super delicious!


I must say these cookies hit the spot after skiing.  Diana, Elizabeth, Jackie, and I decided it would be fun to ski at Alta.  After the first run, I knew I was in for a workout. Groomers are not an option when Diana is leading on home turf!  At one point I resorted to hugging large boulders and using the butt scoot method because I was not about to jump my skiis off of a 3 ft. cliff.  Cheers to cookies after skiing and a delicious way to end a sunny Saturday!    


Ok, back to the cookies. I agree with Vicki to make sure the hazelnuts are toasted long enough.  I bought whole hazelnuts and pounded them with a meat mallet. This worked well and I enjoyed the flavor and texture of these nuts. 

One thing that really saved time with these cookies was that the butter needed to be melted....AMEN for not needing to let a stick of butter sit on the counter for 2 + hours.  Lastly, I love soft cookies.  I put 2 pieces of bread in the container which kept the chocolate chip - hazelnut cookies soft for several days. 

Husband Rating: 4.5/5 Grains     -amy

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Any-Grain and Honeyed Squash Casserole w/ Hazelnuts, Pg. 207

I usually don't get much of arm workout in the kitchen.  After grating 7 cups of butternut squash my bicept was feeling tired.

Squash Mix - butternut squash + honey + rosemary + dried currants + Marsala + salt + pepper

Topping - cooked grains (wheat berries) + honey + salt + butter + hazelnuts

Next time, I would consider cubing the squash rather than grating it.  I would cut back on the amount of rosemary.  This dish was rockin' a bit too much for my liking.  The casserole could be extremely interchangeble come Farmer's Market season.  Sweet potatoes, zuchinni, and egg plant would make excellent subsitutions.

Husband Rating: 2/5 Grains.  Not a huge squash fan!  - amy

Vicki's Version-With Buckwheat Grain Topping.
The combination of rosemary and butternut squash are delicious!  I was skeptical before making this dish, having most of my squash experience either roasted with butter and brown sugar or in pureed soup, I thought the suggested herbs would ruin the sweet flavor for me.  Completely the opposite happened.  This is one of those dishes that reminds me why I really need to start an herb garden, even if I only grow Rosemary.  I grows exceptionally well in Seattle's climate. There is nothing that compares to the fresh herb taste in a dish like this, so I guess Amy & I disagree a bit on that note :)  I didn't measure any of the ingredients, so I may have been a little light on the rosemary and heavy on the honey, but either way the combination with a little sherry vinegar is so sweet and savory.

I definitely missed the grated part when I prepped my squash earlier in the week.  I automatically cubed the squash without giving it a 2nd thought, assuming that's what the recipe called for, but when I opened up the recipe today (which I've previously read it at least 3 times!) I finally noticed the "grated" part. I thought for sure I had screwed up and this wouldn't turn out.  I added a little water, covered the baking dish well and cooked about 35 minutes total and it was perfect.  I used buckwheat for the topping along with the hazelnuts. I also added about a tablespoon of Onion Powder to the squash, which seemed to have added more depth of flavor so it wasn't all rosemary you tasted.  I will definitely be making this again, and perhaps even for school this week as a vegetarian dish.
Totally agree with Amy's additional veg options as well...I think this is more of a concept to have learned that I will be applying in more ways.
-Vicki

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Meet Lorna Sass

LORNA SASS is an award-winning cookbook author, food historian, and consultant. She is considered the country's leading authority on pressure cooking and writes regularly for Vegetarian Times and the Los Angeles Times Food Syndicate. She is author of the bestselling Cooking Under Pressure, and a dozen other cookbooks. She lives in New York City. Taken from randomhouse.com

Lorna's Homepage     

Vicki and I are just getting started. Purchase the book and join us as we continue to cook through Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way!
 

Friday, February 12, 2010

School Lunch Reform!

I'm currently taking a course call Sustainable Food Systems Employment Seminar...basically 12 weeks worth of 2 presenters per week, all talking about what they do within the Food world.  We've had Farmers & Fishermen, Food Bank Directors, Transportation Coordinators, etc.  The list goes on and we're only half way done.  
Concurrently, we're writing a weekly paper on a specific job we're interested in potentially pursuing after our degree is completed.  I've chose to research becoming a Chef in a School setting somewhere in the K-12 bracket to bring healthy & freshly prepared food to school lunch rooms.  Through this project, I am learning this is a huge topic right now and many people are interested in my same passion! How exciting is that! 
Here is one blog I found that I find particularly interesting and wanted to share.  This anonymous, Mrs. Q, is eating the school lunch every day for 2010 as an experiment and blogging about it.  She's already gained local community attention and I'm hoping it continues to spread.  Check it out, it's a pretty sad story, but hopefully one we can change!  


http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/

Amy, I promise I'll make the chocolate tonight ;)  And I'll pick 2 new recipes for next week's work.
-Vicki

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Millet-Chocolate Crunch, Pg. 287

OK, sorry for the delay of my post in response to Amy's Post, but I finally shopped and made this delicious chocolate treat!  I loved it and so did some of my classmates.  Now the roommates...I can't say the same for.  Brittany & Karen weren't overly excited about the millet chocolate, comparing it to a rice cake covered in chocolate...eh!
I loved it though!  I would also like to try it with almonds or peanuts too.
OK, planning for my Student Entree Station next week...the first time I get to make whatever I want in school.  Wish me luck.
Cheers!!   -Vicki

If a recipe calls for chocolate, I'm a fan!  Bittersweet chocolate + puffed millet + dried currants + sunflower seeds. Now this is what I call a healthy Rice Krispy treat!  I couldn't find puffed millet at Whole Foods so instead I went with Kashi Cereal 7 Whole Grain Puffs.  This blend included puffed wheat, rye, barley, buckwheat, sesame seeds, oats, and rice.  I love that I walk into the store and that day find out what I will be adding into my recipe; I had to ask where I could find the currants. So currants are much smaller than raisins and have a tart flavor.

Ben said he didn't like the "little tart things" and would prefer semi-sweet chocolate instead of bittersweet.  "If you want to improve on this recipe, it would be a better to follow the recipe on the box of Kellog's Rice Krispies."  After Ben ate his first "treat" he refused to eat anymore.  It's funny that he wants the normal version of Rice Krispy treats because look at all the weird ingredients listed on the box: Rice, sugar (glucose and fructose), salt, malt (corn flour, malted barley), vitamins (thiamin hydrochloride, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-calcium pantothenate), iron, BHT added to package material to maintain product freshness. Husband Rating: 2/5 Grains! 

I snacked on these throughout the week and thought they satisfied my come home from work and eat a piece of chocolate craving.  I tried to eat the leftover Kashi cereal but could not finish the entire bowl.  I guess I'll need to melt more chocolate!   -amy


    

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Saffron-Basmati Rice with Chicken in Garam Masala Sauce, pg. 180

About thyme!! By far the most impressive dish so far.  This Indian inpired dinner was so simple yet rich in flavor. Let's first talk about the rice...Brown Basmati + chopped pistachio nutes + saffron threads = the pefect combination.  I will admit I was too cheap to buy the "real" saffron spice for $15.99/jar.  Instead, I stopped at the local Asian grocer to see if I could subsitute.  The gentleman told me they researched saffron after many requests and now sell a spice called Safflower for $.69.  Perfect....I didn't know the difference since I've never cooked with the real deal.



Let's move on to the sauce, coconut milk + 1 can of diced tomatoes + chicken broth + garam masala + fresh ginger, onion, and cilantro = delicious.  Anything coconut flavor I usually avoid.  In tonight's dish, I fell in love with the suttle sweetness.  Instead of garam masala, I used a cashew and cream gourmet Indian cooking sauce found at my new favorite market called Liberty Heights. LibertyHeightsFresh.com


Husband Rating: 4.5/5 grains!!  Ben thought the sauce was outstanding with a well round texture and flavor.  He said having whole cashews and pineapple would have made it even better.  He's just copying ingredients from his favorite Thai dish.    -amy


Once again...Nice Photos Amy!! And you said you weren't a good photographer...I love it!  Since my pictures make the chicken look less than exciting, I'll leave you with the ones above for a visual.  I too absolutely loved this dish! It is a great balance of flavors and textures.

When picking the recipe for this week's cooking, I chose a chicken dish knowing very well that I would be doing some knife skills practice on chickens with my classmate, Nikita.  At the end of this quarter, we'll be expected to break down a chicken into 8 lovely pieces, including some de-boning, in under 9 minutes.  Considering that 2 months ago I was terrified of cutting apart a raw carcass of meat, I feel this is quite a challenge.  Niki and I got through 5 chickens that night and took all the chicken tenders for this dish.  Then we set out to cook the recipe...I realized halfway through that I didn't have any pistachios on hand like I'd thought, so we replaced with a can of chickpeas that were in my cupboard and it was a great switch. (Nikita's idea :).  We both thought the sauce could have reduced down further and become creamier if we'd let it meld for longer, but it was still deliciously flavored.

I haven't heard of the Safflower as a substitute for Saffron, so I'll look into that one & try it.  I managed to find a small portion for $5 of the real stuff that I went with, but I'm definitely up for a cheap swap-out!  We are doing more chicken cutting practice tomorrow, so I'll try to remember to take photos this time of what it takes to break down chickens! I spent all of last week in school on the "butcher station"...much more familiar with large pieces of meat and letting go of my discomfort with the whole practice.  Happy Cooking!
-Vicki

Melt-A-Way Muffin/Cupcake Liners

My friend Jen from the studio told me about her sister Victoria well over a year ago (pictured second from the left). Victoria was part of a competition at Purdue University that focused on new uses for corn and soybeans.


"...Melt-A-Way Cupcake Liners are designed to become part of the cupcake during the baking process therefore taking the hassle out of removing the paper liner while reducing paper waste." Click on the link below to view the write up.

http://www.purdue.edu/uns/x/2009a/090323TaoCornSoyContest.html

-amy




Monday, February 1, 2010

Date-Nut Muffins, Pg. 266

I think when Lorna said, the best eaten warm, she meant wait more than 30 seconds before prying them out of the pan because they smelled so good! One thing I hated when I was little, but fully appreciate as an adult is crunchy things in my baked goods. There are dates, walnuts and tiny pieces of crystallized ginger & I love all the flavors and fillings in these muffins! I just devoured it!

I did make a few small changes…well a big one. I used Rice Milk instead of buttermilk and added about a teaspoon of vinegar to make up for the missing acid. I don’t notice any lacking in texture or flavor lacking, so it appears that my substitution worked. The other fat in the recipe comes from Canola oil instead of butter so I didn’t have to swap it out. I chopped my ginger into very small pieces to help spread out the flavor more because it is a flavor I don’t like in the raw form, but it works in this recipe very well. I used very fresh spices and ground my allspice from the full seed which helped the intensity of flavor come through in the muffin. I also used whole grain spelt flour, so the texture was hearty and healthy…but totally delicious J

These muffins are definitely a crowd pleaser! Everyone that tried them, thoroughly enjoyed the spicy and sweet flavors throughout. Definitely a new favorite! -Vicki

2-1-10

What girl takes back a beautiful pair of earrings and matching necklace for a Nutrimill grinder?  Apparently a gal that loves to cook, buys 50 pounds of wheat, and grinds whole grains in her spare time.  I was secretly waiting for Vicki to pick a baked good recipe so I could use the Nutrimill.

 
Loved the muffins!  I would ommit the crystallized ginger. I've come to terms that I'm just not a fan. Husband Rating: 3.5/5 grains.    


 -amy