March is National Nutrition Month - Salsa-Flax Corn Muffins

As the fish was baking in the oven, I had to quickly think of something to go with it.

Of course, I just love corn muffins, so I thought; why not make corn muffins and add more flax than I had in the past?

Until I was forced to go gluten-free, I had never bought flax anything!  Well, I now buy flax meal by the 48-ounce bag! That means a little flax goes in everything ‘flour’ that gets baked. At one time, it was wheat germ.
This month, I am attempting to consider nutrition while controlling sugar, sodium and fat.  Sometimes, it is very difficult with my obsession with food.

The muffin texture is slightly softer than my normal corn muffins, which is a plus… As with any added fiber, drink plenty of liquids!

My quickly put together meal included baked fish (with horseradish sauce), sautéed spinach, green peas and zucchini.

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Salsa-Flax Corn Muffins




Ingredients

1/2 cup whole grain corn meal
1/4 cup flax meal
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ginger
1 egg
1/4 cup red salsa
1/4 cup water
4 tsp olive oil

Procedure

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  Divide the batter among an oil-sprayed 6-cup muffin pan.
Bake in a 375F oven for about 25 minutes.



Remove from muffin tin to serving plate and serve.




That horsey sauce is really good!

Yield: Makes 6 medium-sized muffins

Nutrition (per serving): 104 calories, 6.2g total fat, 3g monounsaturated fat, 1.9g polyunsaturated fat, <1g saturated fat, 35.3mg cholesterol, 10.5g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 8.4g net carbohydrates, <1g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g sucrose, <1g maltose, 164.5mg sodium, 79.5mg potassium, 2.7g protein, 87.9mg calcium, 62.5IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin c, 2.9IU vitamin d, <1mg vitamin e, 2.1mcg vitamin k, <1mg iron, <1g lysine, 0mcg lycopene, 6.7mg phytosterols, 5.4mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc

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Are you still wondering about nutrition?
Webster’s dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nutrition

The act or process of nourishing or being nourished; specifically: the sum of the processes by which an animal or plant takes in and utilizes food substances

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© 2012 retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com

‘Kicked Up A Notch’ Corn Muffins Anyone? - Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Corn Muffins

First off, these are not your grandma’s corn muffins. I can’t even remember my grand mother’s corn bread.   Just taking a phrase a` Lagasse.

Plain corn muffins are just so “back in the day”! My corn muffins were plain until I had to re-learn baking about 6 years ago.

When I first started out trying to bake gluten-free, there were flops, disasters and some garbage can fills.
Once I got a good corn muffin, I began spicing it up. So often, I will start with the intent to make one thing and end up making something else.  You see, I have the time to play with food!  I also retired 3 years ago!
I found a Roasted Red Pepper Hummus that I really like.  But as with anything, I cannot eat all of it before it would turn green, even when I buy the small size!

Last year, one day before trash pick-up, I was checking the fridge to see what needed to be tossed and discovered an unopened container of hummus.  Since I had made salsa corn muffins, I thought - why not hummus muffins? I made them on the fly and promptly lost the scratch paper I wrote the recipe on.

So today, I decided to make 6 muffins, so I measured out the dry mix and winged it on the other.   I found a cayenne infused oil at Target that I really like.  Only a small amount can be used in any recipe.  It is their brand. The fiery oil gives the corn muffins some of the flavor.

This is great as a breakfast or brunch muffin.  They are light and fluffy.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Corn Muffins (Gluten-Free Option)





Ingredients


Dry Ingredients
3/4 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
6 Tbsp Tapioca Flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tbsp sugar


Wet Ingredients

2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp Fiery canola oil (an oil infused with cayenne pepper)
1/3 cup roasted red pepper hummus (used Sabra)


Procedure

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Spray a 6 muffin pan with an oil spray or use cupcake papers

Whisk together Dry Ingredients and set aside.

Beat eggs, sour cream, oils and hummus until smooth. Gradually beat in Dry Ingredients. Beat until smooth.

If the mix is a little too thick, add water, a teaspoon at a time.

Divide batter among the prepared muffin pan cups.

Bake in pre-heated oven about 25 minutes or until tops are browned.

Serve warm or hot.

Servings: 6

Nutrition (per muffin): 202 calories, 9.9g total fat, 3g monounsaturated fat, 3.7g polyunsaturated fat, <1g linoleic acid, 2.5g saturated fat, 74.7mg cholesterol, 24.5g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 22.6g net carbohydrates, 2.3g sugar, <1mg stigmasterol, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g sucrose, <1g maltose, 162.2mg sodium, 125.8mg potassium, 5.2g protein, 103.4mg calcium, 190.2IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin c, 5.8IU vitamin d, 1.4mg vitamin e, <1mcg vitamin k, 1.6mg iron, <1g lysine, 0mcg lycopene, 6.1mg phytosterols, 8.2mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc.

Tips and Notes

The Fiery canola oil gives the corn muffin that little extra taste. It is a must!

This recipe has only been tested with whole grain yellow corn meal.

Cold Weather equals Brown Beans with Cubed Ham AND Corn Muffins -Gluten-Free Option

As soon as it begins to get cold,  I begin thinking about how long before Spring. Actually December and January tend to be the coldest months.  Or maybe by February, it just doesn’t seem so cold

Remember that song intro “I’m a little bit country…”.  Well, I am cooking Country!


It took me a while to create a really good gluten-free corn muffin.  Now, I modify by what extra ingredients I want to add. This version comes out very light and fluffy, almost like a cake muffin. I posted my first version on Better Recipes: Gluten Free Corn Muffins. I have a holiday themed corn muffin: Holiday Corn Muffins GF and a spicy corn muffin: Spicy Salsa Corn Muffins.  The Spicy corn muffins can use red or green salsa.  I have used Cilantro and regular red in the mild to medium range.

Corn muffins and a pot of brown beans go hand in hand for weekend dinner.  It can be hard for  “empty nesters” to cook a small amount of beans, so most often too much gets cooked. 

Canned beans are great in a pinch, but that pot of real cooked beans has the best taste.  I always cook more than can be eaten in a few meals, so some gets frozen for later.  It is nice to then have a meal simply by either microwaving or heating on low about 30 minutes on the stove top.

Beans  and corn muffins provides a complete protein.

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Gluten-Free Corn Muffins II

Ingredients

1/2 cup stone ground yellow corn meal

1/2 cup fine corn flour (or Maseca)

1/3 cup 0% fat Greek Yogurt (used FAGE)

1/4 cup fine non-fat dry milk

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

2 Tbsp oil

1/3 cup water or more as needed

Procedure

Mix all ingredients thoroughly with a wire whisk or hand mixer.  If batter is too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.  If too loose, add another tablespoon of Maseca.

Spray a 6 cup muffin pan with an oil spray

Divide batter among the 6 cups

Bake at 350 F oven until browned around the edges and top begins to brown (about 30 minutes).

Servings: 6

Yield: Makes 6 full-sized corn muffins

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 148 calories, 6.1g total fat, 3.8g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 1g saturated fat, 36.3mg cholesterol, 18.4g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 17.7g net carbohydrates, 3.2g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g sucrose, <1g maltose, 205.1mg sodium, 158.6mg potassium, 5.7g protein, 138.2mg calcium, 191.6IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin c, 2.9IU vitamin d, <1mg vitamin e, 2.8mcg vitamin k, 1.3mg iron, <1g lysine, 5.6mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc.

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a best guestimate recipe  --- a general listing of ingredients

Large Crockpot (slow cooker)

4 cups brown beans washed picked and soaked for 2 hours.

Spices

2 tbsp dehydrated onion

1 tbsp Dehydrated herb & Garlic mix

2 tbsp Turbinado (raw) sugar

1 tbsp ginger - a must for no toot beans

2 tbsp Cajun spice (low-sodium)

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp red pepper sauce (used Trappey’s)

2 cups cooked ham, cubed or cut into bite sized pieces

Place beans and spices in the Crockpot, covered with 4 cups hot water.

Cook beans on high for 1 hour, reduce  to low for 1 hour.  Check for seasoning and doneness.  If beans are tender, add 1 cup ketchup and 1 cup hot water, warmed ham cubes and additional seasonings to taste.. Stir to mix all ingredients.

Keep setting on low for another hour or additional time before ready to eat.

Serve up in bowls with corn muffins.  Serve corn muffin on side or on top of beans

This makes  8 to 10 large servings

 

Cooking during the Twin Cities Minnesota Blizzard of December 11, 2010

 Slept late, got up and peeked outside…..Blizzard!!!!   Time to make soup and bake bread……..

Well, I didn’t bake the loaf of bread that I had planned, but I made some really good Spicy Salsa Corn Muffins.
I was making them from memory, so I substituted butter milk for the sour cream. It all depends on what ingredients I have on hand. One half of the jar of salsa is used in the soup and the other half in the muffins.

Getting ready to mix everything

All mixed up

Be sure to spray your muffin pan!

Ready for the oven – this is a large muffin cup pan, couldn’t find the regular cup pan. Don’t you hate it when you can’t find a pan you need?

Yum

My Vegetarian Spicy Bean Chili will warm you up while your SA or DH sing “Baby it's cold outside ...”.

Of course, I made a smaller batch and made some modifications. The original recipe is for a large batch and great for potluck.

The modified version - it’s a little spicy and just warns the body up

Vegetarian Spicy Bean Chili – 4 to 5 servings

Soup Ingredients

• 1/2 16 oz jar La Victoria Cilantro Salsa, medium (use the other half to make the Salsa Muffins)
• 1 4.5 oz can Old El Paso chopped green chiles
• 1 15-ounce can V8 - low sodium
• 1 Del Monte Stewed Tomatoes (with peppers, onions, etc)
• 1 14 1/2 oz can Del Monte Organic Diced Tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15.8-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 16-ounce can Dark Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water
Spices - mix the following in a small container
• 1/2 tsp Cumin, Ground
• 1/2 tsp turmeric, ground
• 1 tsp sodium-free Jamaican seasoning
• 1 tsp Louisiana style Cajun spice
• 1 tsp Spanish paprika
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
• 1 Tbsp dehydrated onion
• 1 tbsp Mrs Dash Garlic mix

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 1/2 Tbsp ginger, powdered
• Additional Cajun spice as desired
Procedures
Get you 8-quart slow cooker and place on the surface where it will be used
Gather all of the ingredients onto kitchen counter

Mix the spices and set aside
Open all of the cans of beans, rinsing each one and putting in a colander for draining. It has been reported that draining alone reduces sodium by 36% while draining-rinsing reduced sodium by 41%. Once all beans are in the colander, mix them up. Pour the beans into the slow cooker.

Add the ginger, molasses (sugar) to the slow cooker
Open the tomatoes and drain the liquid into a container and set aside
Pour the drained tomatoes into the food processor.  Add the spice mix, to the tomatoes

Pulse the tomatoes a couple of times in a food processor, so they have the consistency of salsa.

Put the salsa, chilies and tomatoes in the slow cooker, stir using a wooden spoon.

Add the vegetable juice (V8) to the reserved tomato juice.
Mix it as much as possible and add this to the slow cooker. Stir the ingredients in the slow cooker.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and set the slow cooker on low. Meal should be ready in about 4 hours. Verify that your cooker is doing a slow simmer.
If you are available, stir it after 2 hours.
Enjoy!! It’s spicy

Servings: 4 large 6 med



Notes
Great for potluck or sharing. Serve with corn tortilla strips or corn bread  or Spicy Salsa Corn Muffins.
If you like the color, reduce the beans by color.
If you are timid on spice, use mild salsa instead of medium, drain the chilis.
The longer the pot simmers, the more thoroughly the spices go through the beans. I tend to leave this on low for about 6 hours. Simmer at least 4 hours.
If you plan to be away while this is cooking, place the slow cooker on a heat safe surface..

You will notice the color of the soup has black, brown, red and white beans. This is to give it color. If you like chunks of tomatoes, do not puree the tomatoes.

This was earlier in the day as the blizzard progressed

Saturday Night Dinner – (Emptying the refrigerator vegetable bin)

When you are hungry and hate to cook, check the vegetable bin of the refrigerator.  Most likely there is usually enough food to feed a family of 4. My bad habit is buying vegetables and fruit and forgetting that I have them.

When I had to go to work every day, I packed lunch for the next day each night. There were no leftovers in the refrigerator. Now that I have time to cook, I tend to cook more often. One thing that I have learned is to cook smaller meals.

I decided to empty the vegetable bin and make a meal. Below are the dishes and recipes.

The menu

Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash

Cinnamon baked carrots

Roasted green and yellow squash

Roasted Egg Plant

Roasted red peppers

Sautéed Baby Spinach

Corn muffin

Sautéed Baby Spinach link to Original recipe
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp thinly sliced garlic
1/4 c raisins
1 lb baby spinach, washed and drained
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp honey or agave nectar
Procedures
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic and cook until beginning to turn golden, about a minute. Add raisins and spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with honey or agave nectar just before serving
Servings: 4

Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash
Printable copy
Brief Description:
A mellow and sweet blend of winter squash and sweet potatoes - sugar replaced with Splenda brown sugar blend
Servings : about 4
Prep time : 15 minutes
Cook time : about an hour
Total time : about 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, cubed
4 cups butternut squash, cubed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup Splenda brown Sugar Blend for Baking
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Toss sweet potatoes and squash with oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread onto a large baking pan. bake for 25 minutes. Mix the Sweetener, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Sprinkle over the squash and potatoes
3. Bake until browned and tender, 35 to 40 minutes more.
----->If you prefer a soft dish, remove from oven before browning

Cinnamon baked carrots
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups carrots cut into chunks
2 tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar free orange marmalade
2 tbsp Land O Lakes Buttery Spread
Topping
1 tbsp Splenda brown sugar blend for baking
Procedures
Combine the agave, cinnamon, marmalade and spread in a medium pot on low heat. Stir until blended.

Add in carrots and stir to coat the carrots.

Pour into a baking dish, using a spatula to scrape all of the sauce into the baking dish. Sprinkle with Splenda Brown Sugar Blend for Baking

Bake at 350 degrees F until tender. Stir and serve.
About 4 servings

Baked egg plant, squash and peppers
             ( baked on a large baking sheet at 350 degrees F.0
Eggplant - 1 medium eggplant, sliced into thick slices
Peppers - 1 large red pepper cut into 1 inch strips
Squash - 1 yellow and 2 green squash, cut into about 1 inch chunks
Procedures
Place squash into a bag with 1 tsp Cajun type spices and 1 tbsp olive oil. Shake to combine. Pour onto oil sprayed or Release aluminum foil covered large baking sheet.
Place the egg plant single layer on the same baking sheet. Spray the top of the eggplant with olive oil.
Place peppers on the same baking sheet. Spray a little olive oil on the peppers.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the eggplant is tender or browned.

Corn Muffin - printable copy
Brief Description:
A really good gluten free corn muffin.
Servings : 6
Prep time : 5 minutes
Cook time : 30 minutes
Total time : 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup stone ground yellow corn meal
1/2 cup fine corn flour(Masa)
2 tbsp ground flaxseeds or flaxseed meal
1/4 cup fine non-fat dry milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
2 Tbsp oil
1 1/3 cup water

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients thoroughly with a wire whisk or hand mixer. If batter is too thick, add
water 1 tablespoon at a time. If too loose, add another tablespoon of Masa.
2. Spray a 6 cup muffin pan generously with an oil spray
3. Divide batter among the 6 cups
4. Bake at 350 F oven until browned around the edges (about 30 minutes)

Bean Corn Muffins

Complete Protein Corn Muffins

Beans can be used for all sorts of dishes. Vegetarians can get a complete protein from the combination of beans and corn.

Being a semi-vegetarian, I am always looking at ways to improve the basic nutrition of foods. Back in February, on a snowy, dreary day, I was standing looking in the pantry trying to come up with something for a meal. After taking out beans and tomatoes and staring at them for a while, decided not to make a meal with the beans. Being that I miss having whole wheat bread, I just need something that had a bit of substance as it moved across my palate.

I had used beans in lasagna, waffles, cookies and brownies, so why not corn muffins?


Complete Protein Corn Muffins

Beans
1 cup light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp ground mustard seed
1 Tbsp jalapeno chilies, (canned)
Dry ingredients
3/4 cup yellow stone ground corn meal
1/4 cup Maseca (Mexican corn flour)
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp non-calorie sweetener (or sugar)
Liquid ingredients
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp Ener G Egg Replacer + 2 tbsp water or (1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
Water
1 cup water, divided

Preheat oven to 375 F
Spray a 6-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray.
Place beans in a mixing bowl, mash and stir to break them up so that they are creamy. Pieces of skin will still be visible. Mix in the remaining bean ingredients. Set aside.
Combine the egg replacer with 2 Tbsp of water until mixed. Add to beans; beat for about a minute using a hand mixer
Combine all Dry Ingredients in a container and mix thoroughly.

Stop. Wait until the oven is pre heated, before adding the dry ingredients to the wet.

Fold dry ingredients into the bean mix.
Add enough of the water to get the consistency of corn muffins. ( I used 4/5 cup) If the cup is not enough, add additional by tablespoon at a time. Fill muffin cups immediately and put in oven.

Makes approximately 6 muffins.
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 muffins

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (6.1 ounces).
Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 200.31
Total Fat 10.09g
Saturated Fat 0.82g
Cholesterol 3.81mg
Sodium 668.13mg
Potassium 191.08mg
Total Carbohydrates 24.38g
Fiber 3.08g
Sugar 0.4g
Protein 4.66g

Author Notes
Get everything mixed and in the muffin tins as soon as possible, because the batter thickens as time passes.