Uber Protein Muffins

An update to the Uberfiber Muffins, which weren't uber enough for me:

Now they're Uber Protein Muffins and are getting nutritionally closer to replacing Cliff Bars for my easy-on-the-stomach, high-protein breakfast. This version also fixes the dryness of the previous batches. Updated recipe is below the nutrition comparison. While they have more fat than a Cliff Bar (from the flax seeds and peanut butter), the Uber Protein Muffins have fewer total calories, half as much sugar, half as many carbs, almost as much protein, and exactly the same amount of fiber. I'd like to increase the fiber with either some dried apricots or chopped almonds, which will also bump the protein a bit. If you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment!

Cliff Bar Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch nutrition facts:

Uber Protein Muffin nutrition facts (made with MyFitnessPal):

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup whole flax seeds
2. 3 bananas, peeled
3. 3 eggs
4. 1 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
5. 3 Tablespoons honey
6. 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
7. 1 teaspoon baking soda
8. 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
9. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
10. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
11. 3/4 cup oats (either quick-cook or steel-cut will work)
12. 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
13. 1/4 cup hemp protein powder (can find this at Trader Joe's)
14. 1/2 mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (dark, if you can find them)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare muffin pan by greasing each well with canola oil or using paper liners. 
2. Coarsely grind flax seeds in a blender or spice grinder, just enough to break open the seeds. (No need to completely pulverize.) 
3. Add ground flax seeds and ingredients 2-13 to a stand mixer or large bowl and blend until mixed well. 
4. Add mini chocolate chips and stir (on low if using the stand mixer) to incorporate
5. Fill each muffin well with 1/4-1/3 cup of batter.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (no wet batter, but moist crumbs are ok). Carefully watch the edges so the bottoms don't burn, especially if your muffin pan is on the thinner side. (My thick, expensive pan from Williams and Sonoma didn't have this problem, but the second pan I used did. Note the dark sides on some of the muffins in the photo above.)
7. Makes 18-20 muffins.

I made a couple batches to experiment with ingredients, proportions, and taste. Now that I have so many, I'm experimenting with freezing 3/4 of them to use slowly over the next few weeks. Will let you know how the defrost goes. 

Sweet Pumpkin Risotto

My original insomnia-fueled idea was basically rice pudding but with a custard base: arborio cooked in milk and brown sugar, spiced with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and cardamom, then add an egg yolk to make it a custard, and add pureed pumpkin at the end. I also wanted to top it off with orange zest and julienned basil.

I still want to try the above idea, but that's not exactly what I ended up making. I didn't have any eggs, so I didn't go the custard route. But I'm not sure if it even needs it since it took 5 cups of milk before the arborio was the right texture. Because of all the milk, it's already super rich and I'm not sure how the custard will fit in with this. (Just going to have to experiment more!) I used honey instead of brown sugar (again, because I was out) and I like the more subtle warmth the honey gives. I ended up using store-bought, pre-ground cinnamon instead of my usual Indian market cinnamon bark I grind myself. It works, but it's a different flavor from what I'm used to and the texture isn't as smooth. I didn't have nutmeg, but I used ground ginger since I have almost as much ground ginger as I have arborio rice! I think I might also add some pure vanilla extract next time. The dried cranberries are a great, tangy balance to all the richness of the dish and might even be a better compliment than the orange zest I originally suggested.

Special note on spices: Don't be afraid to buy whole spices and grind them yourself, it's easier than you think! I like to get mine from local Indian markets because they're a lot less expensive and better quality (more potent). All you need to grind them is an inexpensive blade coffee grinder. This grinder needs to be exclusively for spices (not coffee beans) and should be cleaned soon after grinding to avoid unwanted flavors lingering in the grinder and mixing with future spices. Another inexpensive and helpful tool is a zester, which grates citrus and whole nutmeg. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 4-5 cups milk, reserved
• 2-3 Tablespoons honey, to tase
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• salt to taste
• 1 can plain pumpkin (the kind you use for pies, but not the giant can)
• Optional: dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Heat pan on medium-low, then add olive oil and butter.
2. Add arborio and sauté until outer layer becomes clear (2-3 min). 
3. Add 1 cup milk, turn heat down to low so milk doesn't thicken and burn too quickly. 
4. Add honey, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, and salt to taste. 
5. As the sauce thickens, add 3-4 more cups milk, ONE BY ONE, until rice is soft and you have the consistency of a Béchamel sauce.  
6. Turn heat to lowest position and start slowly adding the canned pumpkin, stirring constantly. 
7. Cook on low for 3-4 more minutes to let pumpkin thicken slightly.
8. Move to a cool burner, salt until the flavor pops. 
9. Top with dried cranberries.

'Otto and Cheese

I can no longer claim to be a poor grad student, but this whole waiting-around-to-start-working thing has been even harder on the dwindling bank account than living off of Uncle Sam while I was still in school. That being said, I've had to get creative with what I already have in my cupboard and right now this includes a lot of arborio rice. I usually use arborio to make rice cream (imagine a cross between vanilla ice cream and rice pudding), but I've been experimenting with other flavors recently. For this recipe I combined two previous dishes I tend to make during the winter, Mac and Cheese (from scratch) and Caramelized Onion and Thyme Risotto. I've experimented with various combinations of of cheese, but I prefer the Zingerman's Roadhouse combo of sharp cheddar and swiss. The stank of this cheese combo goes a long way to compliment the sweetness of the caramelized onion. 

Special note on cheese sauces: While the pre-shredded cheeses are convenient, they're treated with an anti-caking agent and it tends to make the consistency of the sauce gritty. It's less important in this dish, but becomes and issue when making scratch Mac and Cheese.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 4 cups 2% milk, reserved
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme (not ground)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste, see linked article below)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 Tablespoons champagne wine vinegar, reserved
• 1-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1-2 cups shredded swiss cheese
• Optional: fresh thyme (leaves removed from stems) and grated nutmeg OR Panko breadcrumbs, crushed dried thyme, and grated nutmeg

Directions:

1. Heat pan on medium-low, then add a few swirls of olive oil.
2. Add chopped onion and slowly brown, stirring occasionally so onion browns evenly.
3. Add arborio and sauté until outer layer becomes clear (2-3 min). 
4. Add 1 cup milk, turn heat down to low so milk doesn't thicken and burn too quickly. 
5. Add garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. 
6. As the sauce thickens, add 3 more cups milk, ONE BY ONE, until rice is soft and you have a slightly thinner consistency than a Béchamel sauce. 
7. Add 1 Tbsp champagne wine vinegar and stir frequently to let acid cook out a tiny bit (1-2 min). 
8. Turn heat to lowest position and start slowly adding shredded swiss and sharp cheddar (equal parts), while constantly stirring, until you have desired cheesiness. 
9. Move to a cool burner, salt until the flavor pops and add 1 more Tbsp champagne wine vinegar. 
10. Top with fresh thyme and grated nutmeg. (Not pictured above because I was out of both.) OR separate into individual ramekins, top with Panko topping, and heat under the broiler until the topping is lightly brown and crispy.

Uberfiber Muffins

I’m always trying to find new things that I can eat for breakfast that are high in protein and fiber and are easy on my finicky stomach. I tried this recipe last winter and it worked really well. It’s rare that you find something on Pinterest that actually works, especially when it’s a recipe. They were very tasty, but the consistency was more moist than I wanted and made them slightly difficult to transfer (I almost always eat breakfast on the go). They’re great because they have a lot of protein, but I wanted to add a little extra fiber and healthy fat, which also helped the consistency. I’m obsessed with adding freshly ground flax seeds to everything lately! Makes 18-20 muffins.

Ingredients:

1. 1/8 cup whole flax seeds
2. 2 bananas, peeled
3. 2 eggs
4. 1 cup chunky peanut butter
5. 2 Tablespoons honey
6. 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
7. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8. 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (sub cinnamon if you don't have this on-hand)
9. 1/4 teaspoon salt
10. 1/3 cup oats (either quick-cook or steel-cut will work)
11. Optional: dark chocolate chips, raspberries, or orange zest. (Leave me a comment if you come up with other tasty additions!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare muffin pan by greasing each well with canola oil or using paper liners. 
2. Add flax seeds to the blender and grind coarsely, just to break open the seeds. (No need to completely pulverize.) 
3. Add ingredients 2-9 to the blender with the ground flax seeds and blend until mixed well and bananas are incorporated, but peanut chunks aren't completely broken down. 
4. Transfer to a bowl and fold in oats and any optional ingredients.
5. With two regular spoons (one to scoop and one to scrape), fill muffin wells to approximately 1/2 full.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a fork inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (no wet batter, but moist crumbs are ok). 

Let me know what you think and enjoy!